CELEBRATION PLATES

French Gascon - scottish cuisine

Private catering by Rebecca, prepareD and serveD to you in the comfort of your home, holiday accommodation or work place in the Scottish Borders.

A flavoursome culinary experience of three course dining, buffet style dining or canapés to accompany an apéritif. French Gascon cuisine menus influenced from my 17 years of private catering in the French Pyrénées, enhanced with fantastic local Scottish Borders produce and organically homegrown / foraged produce.

Leave me to shop, cook, serve and leave your place spotless, enabling you to relax and enjoy the moment with your guests, family and friends.

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Pork and sweetbread terrine by rebecca grace banks
Duck confit with wild garlic pesto by rebecca grace banks
Violet ice-cream with poached rhubarb and butter biscuits by rebecca grace banks
Homemade artisan breads, nuts, seeds, herb breads by rebecca grace banks.
Individual canapes made to order from rebecca grace banks
Leeks vinaigrette with raisins soaked in Pedro Ximénez sherry by rebecca grace banks.
Garden pumpkin stuffed with lentils, oyster mushrooms and chestnuts, wilted greens and pea shoots by rebecca grace banks.
Lemon Verbena crème brûlée with lemon meringues and torched lemon by rebecca grace banks.
Chanterais melon, cured jambon and basil sorbet by rebecca grace banks.
Roast loin of pork with pressed potato Swiss chard and orange by Rebecca Grace Banks.
Cherry Clafoutis served with vanilla bean ice-cream by Rebecca Grace Banks.
Cucumber cup canapes with strawberry and chives

Hungry for homemade deliciousness ?

Having grown up with a wooden spoon in my hand and an apron wrapped around me, shadowing my mother in the kitchen during her Cordon Bleu days, it was inevitable that I would develop a love for cooking and enjoy eating delicious food.

From the age of 16 I donned a white apron and began my studies in the kitchen. Over the years my passion for cooking, travel and discovering local artisan produce has lead me to becoming a private cook in the French and Swiss Alps and more recently the French Pyrénées, 2005 - 2021, where my husband and I created a ‘Table d’hôte hérbergement’.

Catering for our residents and welcoming outsiders too for an informal dining experience. Creating delicious menus made from the freshest homegrown produce (Gascon pigs, Ariègoise sheep and chickens) accompanied with ‘field to table’ organic produce from our ‘potager’ vegetable garden.

Having relocated to the Scottish Borders with 30+ years of culinary delights to offer, I’m reluctant to hang up the apron. I continue to cook privately for small gatherings, with the emphasise of using the finest local suppliers for sustainable meat, fish and cheese, accompanied with seasonal and our home grown organic produce. Delicious homemade dishes, attentively presented and served to you.

  • Organic home grown vegetables from our garden, by Rebecca Grace Banks.

    Freshest and Finest

    Organically homegrown seasonal vegetables, fruits, berries and salads pair together with freshly foraged ingredients, seasonal and locally sourced beef, lamb, game, cheese, seafood and shellfish.

  • Whipped goats cheese salad, candied walnuts and roasted beetroot.

    A touch of Gascony

    Marrying up the complimentary flavours of Gascony and the Scottish Borders.

  • The Scottish Borders and homegrown produce

    Keeping it local, seasonal and sustainable. Preparing seasonal dishes packed with flavour to serve to you as an informal yet delicious dining experience.

  • Strawberry tart with crème pâtissière and rich shortcrust pastry by rebecca grace banks.

    Seasonal and packed with flavour

    Dessert…..the grand finale to your meal !

    Fulfilling your dining experience with a taste explosion.

seasonal Menu examples

Menus may be developed for each client, taking into account the season, availability and of course the event.
Be it a gathering for a celebration - to a warm filling feast after a day in the wilds…. see examples below to get you started!
Devise a menu for yourselves and your guests, choosing one starter, main course and dessert.

Three course dining
£45 pp

STARTERS

  • Venison, pork, pheasant terrine, pickled cucumber, tomato chilli jam.

  • Treacle cured Scottish salmon, avocado cream, poached egg.

  • Beetroot, fennel seed tarte tatin, quenelle of whipped goats cheese.

  • Asparagus, Labneh, honey’d walnuts.

MAIN COURSE

  • ‘Juniper salt cured’ duck confit, seasonal greens, 'riz au four', wild garlic pistou.

  • Slow roasted pork belly, rosemary and apple Boulanger potatoes, steamed vegetables.

  • Filet steak, oyster shiitake mushrooms, French beans, Madeira sauce, potato rösti.

  • 7hr ‘Casserole’ of the finest local seasonal game / beef / lamb.

  • Pearl barley risotto, lemon, fresh herbs, pan fried salmon/bass/hake, wilted seasonal greens.

DESSERT

  • Crème brûlée with fruit compote.

  • Chocolate torte, Scottish raspberries, hazelnut crème.

  • Elderflower panna cotta, gooseberry compote, almond biscuit.

  • Gooey meringues, vanilla bean ice-cream, seasonal poached fruit.

  • Tarte au citron.

Buffet style dining
£55 pp

A more casual approach to entertaining is with a ‘buffet style’ spread of savoury and sweet dishes laid out for you to help yourselves.
Mingle and enjoy the company of your guests.

Seasonal menus are created to suit each clients budget and tastes.

MENU EXAMPLE

  • Homemade seeded bread.

  • Filet of beef, oyster shiitake mushrooms, French beans, Madeira sauce.

  • Rosemary, lemon, ginger chicken, bed of warm new potatoes, French beans, sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese, balsamic dressing.

  • Salmon en-croute, mascarpone, lime, coriander, parsley, ginger.

  • Bulgar wheat salad, spring onions, toasted hazelnuts, chives, parsley, mint, pomegranate.

  • Mixed green leaf salad, grilled asparagus.

  • Chocolate pavlova, whipped cream, fresh cherries, blueberries, raspberries.

  • Tarte au Citron.

Canapés
£2 per canapé

Apéritifs in the garden during the sunny days are calling out for that accompanying savoury and sweet nibble!
So too are those cozy wintery ‘get togethers' by the fireside. Proposed 4 canapés per person.

CANAPÉ EXAMPLES

  • Cheese Gougères

  • Blini with smoked salmon, pistachio, fennel fronds, lemon avocado crème.

  • Brochettes of dry cured duck breast, pickled beetroot, pineapple.

  • Choux buns filled with Dijon mustard crème, rare filet of beef.

  • Rosemary & cheese sablés (biscuits), whipped cheese, piment d'Espelette, chives.

  • Cucumber cups, peppered mackerel, strawberry, chives.

  • Smoked salmon courgette roulades, cottage cheese, avocado, dill.

  • Cherry tomato kebabs, smoked paprika & herb feta, black olives and prosciutto ham.

    CHEESE BOARD £8.OO PP
    Optional extra course

  • Selection of local cheeses, bread, oatcakes, pickles

Homemade ORGANIC breads.

wholemeal,
seeded,
Mixed nuts,
herbS.

500g bread - serves 2 to 4
£4.00
_________

1kg BREAD - SERVES 4 TO 10
£7.00

Catering for minimum of 4 to maximum of 20 guests.

Menus are composed and adapted to clients tastes, season and budget.

Dietary requirements may be catered for but may incur additional costs.

A few of my local suppliers:-

The Plot Thickens, Earlston - seasonal organic vegetables, salads, herbs, soft fruit, autumn fruit
Weigh Greener, Lauder - organic flours
Ednam Farm, nr Kelso - organic free range eggs
Burnside Farm, nr Kelso - duck, venison
Doddington Dairy, Wooler - hard cows milk cheese

I am happy to discuss your catering needs, please feel free to get in touch using the ‘contact’ page on this website or give me a call.

Happy to cook.

Rebecca.