The V&A provided February with a much-needed feel-good factor with a crunch-busting launch party for the exhibition Hats – An Anthology by Stephen Jones. Lashings of pink fizz, Smirnoff cocktails & panfried lobster, not to mention a chic patisserie boutique, kept the fashionistas partying ‘til late. The sight of 800 titfers filling the magnificent Dome was something to behold.

We were delighted to win this prestigious Summer awards dinner in a magnificent marquee on Berkeley Square. Working to a detailed brief and a strict budget our team helped deliver the best awards dinner in Glamour’s history serving some chic canapés, red pepper carpaccio, perfectly cooked salt marsh lamb and our own glamorous take on the classic Escoffier dessert, Peach Melba.

After the excitement of the prize giving, including James Corden and Jack Black’s show-stopping improvisation of Kanye West’s “Gold Digger”, our cocktail barmen shook, stirred and built a selection of fabulous Summer cocktails to keep the party fully energised until the wee small hours.

After a hard-fought accreditation process, we’re thrilled to have been selected as a caterer at The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. The Museum is a fabulous venue for large dinners for up to 500 guests; The Queen’s House is a beautiful venue for weddings and smart corporate dinners for a maximum of 120; The Royal Observatory has the amazing view and can cater for up to 60 for dinner; and the new Peter Harrison Planetarium can host 120 for dinner.

If you’re looking for a contemporary space around Bishopsgate, the Art Café, at the bottom of the Hiscox building, could fit the bill. With art from the Hiscox collection on the walls, built-in AV and Rocket doing the catering you have a recipe for a successful and cost effective event. Max 60 for dinner; 60 theatre-style; 100 drinks. There are also two useful break-out rooms.

Don’t worry, we won’t be serving any gruel…we think the Foundling Museum is the perfect place for a wonderful gourmet experience. You can have dinner in the Court Room for 30 or in the Picture Gallery for 100. Beforehand, Lars Tharp will tell you about the fascinating social history of the Foundling Hospital, and you’ll see the manuscript of Handel’s Messiah as well as masterpieces by Hogarth. (That’s William Hogarth the 18th century painter, not Hogarth Brown, the Rocket oyster-shucker!).

Not many people know that Rocket HQ is blessed with a delightful garden at the rear of the kitchen. Its primary function is as an al fresco staff canteen but in the true spirit of the recession, the chefs have also been using it as a larder for staff lunch. The garden is positively burgeoning with seasonal produce: in the spring, Anna, our head chef, made an exquisite nettle velouté - all harvested from the Rocket garden. This was served with cockles and was rapturously received by the staff…Anna threatens to substitute the cockles for some local escargots in the

future! We also have a fine crop of blackberries (although technically these belong to Railtrak). Once they’re ripe, Darcey, our pastry chef, who is also an avid forager, is planning to make a huge blackberry and apple clafoutis for staff lunch. Charlie, the mixologist amongst us, has been eyeing up the blackberries with the look of Freddie Flintoff eyeing up an Australian batsman. For Charlie’s recipe for a very special bramble see the Cocktail hour. If you have any interesting recipes using ingredients foraged from your workplace, let us know at news@rocketfood.net.

• In a tumbler measure in the gin, lemon juice and sugar and  give it a good stir.

• Add crushed ice to the glass and fill it to the point of over flowing.

• Drizzle with crème de mure so the ice is tainted with the blackberry colour.

• Finish with a blackberry and a couple of short straws.

Simple and seasonal.