The Great Exhibition of The North has well and truly launched… kind of like a rocket. Running from 22nd June to 9th Sept, The Great Exhibition is a city-wide celebration of the North of England’s pioneering spirit through exhibits, live performances, new artworks and experiences in Newcastle upon Tyne.
And, as part of the exhibition, Robert Stephenson’s world-famous steam engine - The Rocket - has returned to Tyneside, where it was built almost two centuries ago. Housed in the appropriately named Discovery Museum, this locomotive was once the fastest in the world and is a symbol of the North’s pivotal role in the Industrial Revolution.
Inspired by the locomotive, Sodexo Prestige Venues & Events has ‘engineered’ two corporate dinner packages to showcase the best of Northern fare alongside a privileged, after-hours viewing of the engine and a talk from a Rocket expert.
Dinner Package
A lavish, formal seated dinner with wine and a DJ set in the museum’s impressive, vaulted, art deco Great Hall. Following a reception drink, guests will be served a three course menu of modern British dishes made with local produce.
The dinner packages will be held between 7pm and midnight and cost £71 +VAT per person, for between 80 and 300 guests. The host must select a set menu for their guests from the below.
Menu
Arrival drink
Sparkling wine or sparkling elderflower
Starters
Poached salmon with fennel and new potato salad
set on a fennel & new potato salad, drizzled with a lemon & tarragon oil
Smoked chicken and pistachio terrine
served with butternut squash puree, fig chutney& topped with a garlic & olive oil crostini
Vegetable terrine (v)
served with butternut squash puree, fig chutney & topped with a garlic & olive oil crostini
Main courses
Slow cooked beef with horseradish mashed potato
with steamed green beans, served with a beef demi-glace
Steamed roast breast of chicken with spinach and mushroom duxelle
stuffed with wilted spinach & a mushroom duxelle. Served with a fire charred red pepper & tomato sauce
Goat’s cheese and red pepper tartlet (v)
served with pesto new potatoes & roasted root vegetables
Dessert
Lemon meringue tart with praline cream (v)
Fruits of the forest cheesecake (v)
served with cherry coulis & chantilly cream
Canape Package
The second package is a drinks reception with canapés, which have been created to showcase local ingredients and reflect the region’s culinary history.
The drinks and canapés packages will be held between 7pm and 9pm and cost £27 +VAT per person, for 80 to 120 guests.
Canape Menu
Swaledale cheese tartlet & caramelised onion chutney (v)
Slow cooked ham hock & pease pudding on a stottie crostini
Minced beef in a sage & leek suet dumpling, topped with a creamy mash
Smoked salmon blini Infused with lemon oil
Served alongside 2 glasses of wine per person, red or white
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