Love Bites 1st Birthday Event at Paragon Gallery

It was LoveBites first birthday last week, and to celebrate, they put on an evening of fun, fizz and canapés at Paragon Gallery on Thursday 10th September.

After following the LoveBites duo - Kelly Bailey and Rachel Thursfield - on social media for quite some time, I finally managed to make it to one of their events in order to find out for myself why everyone is raving about them... It's only taken me a bloody year!

If you're under the impression that a company that concentrates solely on canapés might be parading plates of anaemic vol-au-vents, shrivelled cocktail sausages on sticks, or retro cheese and pineapple, then think again. Though, actually, I won't have a bad word said about cheese and pineapple; it's a classic!

Based in Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham, LoveBites seem to have found a gap in the catering market; creating unique and exciting canapés for corporate events, product launches, awards dinners, weddings, birthdays, celebrations... You name it! They focus on delighting guests with their mini-masterpieces, which not only look great but are packed full of flavour too, and as such they spark conversations and leave a lasting impression.

Presentation, taste and style aren't generally high priority when discussing canapés - too often they're a last minute addition after you've stocked up on a bountiful supply of booze - but Kelly (the foodie) and Rachel (the business brains) are showing the local folks of Gloucestershire how it should be done.

It all started at a New Year’s Eve party; everybody had to take something to eat and Kelly was handed the responsibility of the nibbles. They proved such a hit that she instantly got three bookings, suggesting that there was some kind of business potential there, and together with Rachel, they honed in on this luxury canapé idea and launched LoveBites… A two fingers up to all those crappy little quiches that we've ever been served!

They have over thirty different mouthfuls in their collection, both sweet and savoury, and us birthday party guests were able to sample a number of the favourites whilst sipping an endless supply of fizz and looking at Paragon Gallery's artwork. I'm not sure what was more aesthetically pleasing - the canapés or the paintings?

Dry ice glass dishes made an appearance first, dotted with floral topped parmesan and pesto biscuits. I'm always wowed by edible flowers, so I didn't really need the drama of dry ice, but it was definitely an added bonus, and it brought a smile to everyone's face. The petite choux buns filled with chicken liver parfait and red onion marmalade were a hit with me, as were the whipped goats cheese tarts; both simple and stunning. 

There were a few things on spoons; an eggs benedict - not something I'm used to having cold - and an edible oat-cake-y spoon filled with salmon caviar and crème fraiche. If that's not posh enough, they were accompanied with gold dusted quails eggs and ice cold vodka shots! Food and drink pairings are an important part of LoveBites ethos, and they also brought out test tubes of port to be drank with a bite of blue-cheesy-wonder, as well as popcorn and some punchy pink lemonade. My favourite canapé of the night had to be the Coln Valley smoked salmon mousse and beetroot chantilly cones; the best flavour combination and by far the best looking! 

Trying to photograph roaming trays never ends well...

Sugary treats started to be brought round before we had to dash off home. The white chocolate raspberry cheesecake would probably anger many a traditionalist with its lack of biscuit base, but the pink chocolate cup with sweet cream cheese filling managed to win me over, and went lovely with my glass of bubbly. Lemon crumbles on spoons were just the right amount of 'tart', though the most fun and inventive had to be the chocolate truffle. Rich chocolate ganache coated in a glossy tempered chocolate is always going to taste great, but then stick a pipette of booze in it and sprinkle it with a bit of sparkle; now we're talking.

From chatting to a few people on the night, everyone got bitten by the LoveBites bug, and it was clear to see why (especially when they send you home with a branded lolly… I'm easily bribed).

No matter how big or small, LoveBites can help your event go off with a bang, albeit lots of miniature, perfectly-formed bangs instead of just the one. Check them out!