Catering for the Raceday Crowd

One of the most unique ways to experience Flemington's Melbourne Cup Carnival is actually outside of the racecourse in the areas known as the Nursery, the Rails and the Domain. Outside of the Cup Carnival, these areas are just carparks, but during the eight-day event they transform into a giant street party, where the race-acquainted mingle with the social set and punting goes hand-in-hand with picnics. Members of the VRC apply for "sites" through a ballot, and pedestrian passes for the Nursery, Rails or Domain can be purchased for guests who aren't members to allow them to join the festive atmosphere.Unless specifically requested, sites are self-catering and allow guests to bring their own food and beverages for the day. But for a Nursery novice, the prospect of catering for 20 guests can be a daunting experience, and one which requires thorough planning and spreadsheet skills to get the job done right! Here are some points to consider when planning your site to ensure a successful Carnival day.1. Fancy or fun?The first question to answer is what kind of site will yours be? Take a look at your guest list to give you a guide: are you inviting the boss and his wife, will the in-laws be coming along, or will your site contain 19 of your closest mates? If you want to make a good impression, chances are you'll want an elegant site with tasty canapés, glasses of champagne and bottled brews, but if you're looking for a more casual affair you may be happier with an Aussie barbecue, tinnies and Passion Pop. It really is up to you, but make sure it's a space where your guests will be happy to stay - you don't want them to site-jump to your neighbours'!2. To cater or not to cater?Now you've decided on the tone of your site, it's time to start planning the food. If you want a fancy affair with minimum stress, it would be wise to choose a VRC recommended caterer from their approved list to cover everything, from the nibbles and bubbles through to the site set-up and even the hiring of wait staff. View the VRC's list of approved caterers on pages 12-13 of the 2013 Members' Carnival Guide.Unaccredited caterers (ie. those not on the list) are not permitted in the Nursery, Rails or Domain, but that doesn't mean you can't provide some quality canapés for your guests - sites are able to be catered "car boot/hamper style", meaning you can BYO as long as they arrive in your car.3. Too much or too little?The golden rule to remember when planning catering for an event such as this is always to over-cater on the food. You may think your guests want a beer-to-sandwich ratio of 4:1 (and it's true, they might), but waking up four days later with the same hangover due to lack of food and cheap booze (we'll get to that later) makes you a bad host. Always order more food than you think you need - remember, it's a long day (the first race on Derby Day is at 11:20am and the areas close at 6pm) and you can always eat the leftovers for breakfast the next day!4. Are you the next Masterchef?If you've already had your Derby Day outfit ready for several weeks and are quite adept at cooking, you may want to try your hand at catering your site yourself. The main points to consider when cooking for such an event are to provide a nice mix of food (don't just do hundreds of sausage rolls and quiches because pastry is your specialty), and ensure they aren't super messy to eat (bite-sized morsels are perfect, or food that can be eaten with just a fork is best if you want to plate-up). Taste.com.au has compiled a special Melbourne Cup recipe collection to assist with your raceday catering cookery.If you're barbecuing, make sure you've filled your gas tank (there are no electrical points at the sites and generators are prohibited) - running out of gas when the meat's only half-cooked is not an ideal situation to be in!5. Space and timeAs mentioned in the above point, it's a good idea to have a variety of food to keep your guests' appetites sated and it's also advisable to bring out different foods at different times throughout the day to ensure there's always something to soak up the alcohol.If starting super early (before the first race), it's a nice idea to begin the day with some brunch food: think mini pastries such as croissants, danishes and muffins with breakfast sandwiches (bacon and egg, and salmon and cream cheese) and slices of fruit. Keep some nibbles, such as corn and potato chips, dips and nuts, out on the tables throughout the day for guests to pick at. Bring out some heavier items around 1pm: sausage rolls and quiches, samosas, meat skewers, a variety of sandwich points and salads (pasta and rice salads are raceday winners), or get the barbecue cranking if that's your meal plan. After 3pm it's time to bring out the dessert selection: a variety of cheeses and crackers, mini scones (perhaps best to jam-and-cream them beforehand to lessen the mess), cupcakes, brownie squares and patisserie of the moment, macarons. Our favorites are from LuxBite, who have released a limited edition Champagne Cherry flavour (with the champagne being Moët et Chandon, oh la la!) in time for the Spring Carnival.6. Herbivores and the health consciousI personally know diets generally go out the window when it comes to raceday dining, but some of your guests may have more willpower than you (or I) when it comes to snacking at the track. To truly be a good host, you should provide some healthier options for your guests when catering your site. One or two people will always surprisingly declare themselves to be vegetarians as well, and then there are those with allergies to consider (make sure you're aware which dishes have nuts, dairy and gluten in them).Vietnamese street food vendor Roll'd offers the perfect healthy raceday snack in the form of Roll'd Soldiers (their take on the rice paper roll), which are made in six flavours (from gourmet soft shell crab through to vegetarian favourite, tofu) and come with a choice of tasty dipping sauces. And best of all, the prawn and pork and tofu varieties are also gluten-free - way to impress the fussiest eaters! Prices start from $2.80 per soldier, or for $8.40 you can taste-test three flavours with a soft drink included.7. Budget bubbles vs. quality plonkWith the solids taken care of, it's time to sort out the liquid lunch portion of your catering. Unless you're putting on a generous, all-expenses-paid event, you'll probably have friends whispering in your ear requesting that ticket prices stay as low as possible so they can put most of their hard-earned on the quaddie. The one rule we've learnt when it comes to buying booze is not to skimp on quality. By this, I don't mean pay ridiculous amounts so you can have multiple cases of fancy labels, I just mean don't buy super cheap alcohol simply because it's super cheap. Buy beers and wine you know are decent, but not necessarily top shelf, and if you're buying something new, make sure you test it first - don't buy a full case of discounted French bubbles only to discover the cheapest Aussie sparkling at the local bottle-o is better.Keep a lookout for stockists that provide a discount for purchases made by the case, or wait until some of the major retailers put on a flash sale ("20% off six bottles or more" tends to happen a lot around Carnival time). You could even make a day trip of it and visit some local Victorian wineries to buy direct from their cellar doors - the Yarra Valley is a favourite destination of OTOT and not only provides a great selection of quality red and white wines, but also some outstanding sparklings and super ciders. Visit Yarra Valley Wine for a list of producers with cellar doors.And just like the food, it's a great idea to have a nice selection of beverages for your guests to enjoy, rather than just beers and champagne. Don't forget the soft drinks either, as a few cases of sodas and bottles of still water are always appreciated at some point during the afternoon, and are entirely necessary if Melbourne happens to turn on a beautiful spring day.If you're an experienced Nursery, Rails or Domain racegoer and have a great tip for successful site planning, please share your knowledge and leave a comment in the section below.Photo credits: www.vrc.net.au, www.novafm.com.au, www.thebiggroup.com.au, www.luxbite.com.au and www.rolld.com.au.By Lisa Tan

The Champagne Region, France

One of those milestone birthday numbers make its inevitable arrival in my life this year. I wanted to celebrate, but not in the grand fashion that Boyfriend Drew did (a three-week American odyssey encompassing Orlando, New York, Las Vegas and LA). I wanted to go somewhere new; somewhere interesting but not far-flung. I also wanted to relax, especially since my birthday fell smack-bang in the middle of Millinery Season.The answer was a fairly easy one. I love champagne. I love the tantalising, tickling bubbles and the bready, rich flavour and the way it makes any ordinary moment much more special. We would go to the Champagne region of France, just a 2-hour-20-minute ride under the Channel, followed by another 45-minute journey et voilá: all the champagne I could handle and probably more!I enlisted the help of Grape Escapes to plan my party for me and eight of my closest, travel-loving friends. After a super-lengthy email exchange with the very patient Jenna, we settled on two full days in Champagne, leaving Paris on a Friday afternoon and returning to the City of Light early Sunday afternoon.Our first stop was an obvious, but has-to-be-done choice: the house of Moët et Chandon in Épernay. Just a short walk from the train station, we are greeted by imposing iron gates bearing the famous gilded logo and a statue of the Godfather of champagne, Dom Perignon, with one hand clasping that uniquely-shaped bottle. (Fact time: contrary to popular belief, Dom Perignon did not invent champagne - British scientist Christopher Merret is credited with discovering the addition of sugar created bubbles in 1662 - but he did pioneer several game-changing wine-making methods, including the use of cork to seal bottles.)We participated in the signature Moët et Chandon tour, rather than the Dom Perignon tour, and this may have been our key mistake. As the world's highest-selling champagne maker, it was quickly evident a large portion of their profits went into marketing, particularly when we were made to watch a five-minute video about the house, which was nothing more than a glorified TV advertisement.Down in les caves (the cellars where the bottles are kept), our tour guide repeated a well-rehearsed speech detailing M&C's wine-making methods with the minimum amount of information possible. When more in-depth questions were asked by the visitors, she usually replied in a conspiratorial fashion with, "I don't have that information, only the Cellar Master knows, and he'd never tell!" It was getting dull, we were getting restless and it was definitely time to taste the product. Finally arriving at the tasting room, we were welcomed by two impeccably-dressed staff pouring Brut, Rosé and Vintage reserve champagnes. Alas, our "signature" tour only allowed us a single flute of Brut Imperial, which was much appreciated at this stage of the afternoon but at the same time was nothing special.After a slick 30-minute train ride, we found ourselves in scenic town of Reims - our base for the weekend. Jenna had suggested we stay at the three-star Hotel Bristol on the very central Place Drouet d'Erlon. Hotel Bristol was perfect for what we wanted: comfortable, large rooms in a convenient location and within our not-so-luxurious budget (save the rest for the champagne!).Our group of nine gathered for a welcoming dinner at Au Petit Comptoir, a chic little restaurant on rue de Mars with an interesting menu. Plates in the 3-course, 36€ menu included roasted duck breast with crumbled sugared almonds, and a popcorn-flavoured chilled soup - dishes which may sound bizarrely Willy Wonka-esque, but actually transported us back to our childhood in a rather gourmet fashion.Saturday morning provided a leisurely start, as we weren't due to start our champagne tasting tour until 13:40, so we took the opportunity to savour the delights at the Boulingrin covered market on rue de Mars. Most stalls were dedicated to mouth-watering edible goods, including rotisserie chickens, pungent cheeses, plump strawberries and crisp spears of white asparagus, which elicited gasps of delight from a few members of our group.A few of us also paid a quick visit Notre-Dame de Reims, the imposing cathedral in the centre of town where the kings of France were once crowned. Although not as large as its Parisian counterpart, the 800-year-old Notre-Dame de Reims displays similar beautiful French Gothic architecture on its exterior, and a mix of intriguing stained glass windows dating from the 13th century to as late as the 20th century.Our driver for the afternoon's bespoke wine tour arrived a little early, and did not speak any English. With a little help from the staff at our hotel's reception, we learned how to ask the day's most critical question: "Peut-on boire dans le bus?" (Translation: Can we drink on the bus?) The answer, to the boys' relief, was a hearty "Oui!" I'm sure he later regretted this answer.First stop was a crowd favourite: the distinguished house of Veuve Clicquot on the outskirts of Reims. Although not as instantly impressive-looking as its LVMH-owned counterpart, M&C, it had a quiet elegance about it, and a much more informative tour guide. Down in les caves we learnt in detail about méthode champenoise and Veuve Cliquot: how Madame Clicquot was made a widow at the young age of 27, but took on the responsibility of the house and saw business thrive; how they combine three different types of grapes - chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier - to produce the distinctive flavour; how bottles are positioned and turned daily to disgorge the sediment and bring it to the top; and how the oldest bottle of champagne ever found - at the bottom of the ocean - is actually by Veuve Cliquot.The Veuve Clicquot tasting was one I'd been looking forward to - no non-reserve brut here, but 2004 La Grande Dame, the house's signature champagne. Beautifully golden in colour, the first taste elicited citrus notes while hints of brioche, nougat and apricot gradually made their way onto our palates. (But, really, most of us just tasted this: deliciousness.)Reluctantly, we left the magical champagne land of Veuve Clicquot and travelled to our next destination: a smaller, grower champagne house called Henry de Vaugency which only uses the chardonnay grape in producing their bubbles. We had zero idea of what to expect when we arrived - especially when we realised it shared space with a wedding museum! Pascal, the 8th generation owner and wine-maker, greeted us warmly with his cute little daughter, Manon, after whom one of his cuvées is named and proceeded to show us around. During the super informative tour, Pascal demonstrated all the techniques we had only been told about up until now, including disgorging (removing sediment from the bottle), adding dosage (the sugar liquor), and his impressive grape press.Post-tour we settled into the tasting cellar and were presented with "menus" of what was on offer. Unlike the houses we had been to previously, we were able to sample almost all of the cuvées he makes (save for two or three out of nine different styles). Our favourites included Carte Noire, Pascal's "everyday" champagne; Sélection, which comes in very affordable magnums; and Intemporelle, his limited-edition equivalent to Dom Perignon with only 846 bottles available. Given there were nine of us, it seemed like a great idea to purchase a magnum to consume on the bus on the way to our next house, and the occasion was marked with a photo with Pascal while I waited for my bottle of Intemporelle to be gift-wrapped.After cracking open the magnum, giving our driver a fright, and consuming it in about two minutes (note to self: magnums do not stretch far between nine people), we were well on our way to the weekend's most anticipated event: sabrage, or the art of chopping off the top of a champagne bottle with a sword. Philippe Brugnon would be the scene for this, and the man himself would be showing us how to do it. Not only would we be learning sabrage, we would also take a tour of his champagne house, and eat a delicious four-course meal with matching Philippe Brugnon champagnes (the rosé was a firm favourite).During the meal we each took our turn to open a bottle in the method popularised by Napoléon's army, thus those of us who had to wait until the end of the meal were wielding the sabre à champagne (champagne sword) in a slightly drunken haze. Luckily we had Philippe on hand to show us the correct method and very kindly hold the bottle while we followed-through with the blade.As it turns out, sabrage is remarkably easy (only one of our group struggled, and she was the last in line therefore the most drunk): you feel for the seam in the bottle, run the blade gently down the seam twice until the lip of the bottle, and on the third stroke you hit the bottle lip with a gentle force and the cork and lip simply fly off! It's all down to the pressure in the champagne bottle, and Philippe told us that sabrage can even be done with a butter knife.Once successfully opened, Philippe pronounced us competent with the sabre and made the occasion official with certificates for each of us from the Confrérie du Sabre d'Or.Feeling heady from the mix of delightful champagne, delicious food and the excitement of sabrage, it was time to retreat back to our hotel and work out just how to pack the several bottles we'd bought into our luggage - that's if we don't drink them first.The facts:

• We booked our Champagne tour through Grape Escapes, which offers both bespoke tours and ready-to-travel tours starting from £212 per person.
• We travelled to Paris by Eurostar, with prices starting from £59 return, London to Paris.
• Train travel from Paris to the Champagne region was included in our tour, but if you'd like to put together your own tour visit Rail Europe.
• We stayed at Hotel Bristol in Reims, which was part of our tour package. Prices are around £60 per night for a double room in high season.
• Moët et Chandon tours can be booked through their website here and start from 16.50€ per person.
• Information on Veuve Clicquot cellar tours can be found here and start from 25€ per person.
• To learn more about Henry de Vaugency and the Musée du Mariage, visit their website here. Pascal's champagnes can also be purchased in the UK through Grape Escapes, with prices starting from £19.50 per bottle, delivery just £5 for a case of six, and free delivery for two cases or more.
• Our Philippe Brugnon sabrage dinner was organised through Grape Escapes, but you can email Philippe here.

By Lisa Tan