Chicken or beef?

Beef

White choc cheescake

?

What I was thinking is getting a few options off the caterer and doing a poll of what most guests would like.

That's exactly the choice I'm making, Chaffinch but OH thinks beef is a riskier option and then chicken followed by white choc cheesecake will look too bland (white meal after white meal, if that makes any sense?!)

I don't really care - I just want the food to taste gooooood!

CliftonBride, I want beef and he wants chicken. Neither cost extra and I figure beef is the slightly more expensive meat. Plus, you get yorkshire puds as well!

From the description I would go for the chicken. It's such a hard choice though as they both sound nice. I think chicken could be safer though. Do you have a vegetarian option?

I suppose there's only one way to prepare chicken whereas people might have differing opinions about rare/ well done beef?

LizzieBennet - yes, the vegetarian option is a roasted stack of peppers, butternut squash, mushrooms, something, something - I can't quite remember. There was a photo in the brochure and it looked amazing.

Chaffinch - true... In fairness, I don't think there's a wrong choice here. Just canvassing the masses to see if there's any preference!

On the main I also agree with Chaffinch, if I was out and they were the two choices, I would choose the beef, but, for a wedding I think chicken is far safer, because no one wants pink chicken but some guests may baulk at the sign of any redness in the beef, or if there is no pink. For a bigger people pleaser I'd go for the chicken, even if I am being a slight hypocrite as we're serving lamb but meh. Can always ask for yorkshire puds with the chicken.

Pudding wise, either of the strawberry options they both sound really nice, and I find raspberry's can be a little tart sometimes especially with the dark chocolate.

Chicken is usually the safer option but saying that I don't think you can go wrong with roast beef!

My personal preference would be chicken followed by eton mess but I'd be more than happy with beef and cheesecake.

My personal preference would be beef followed by white choc cheesecake, but as others have said before, everyone is going to favour something different. For me, I don't eat cream based foods so I'd struggle a bit with the chicken - but then I'm the minority.

Can you give guests the option? We did that for my wedding, guests had a choice of 3 starters, mains and puddings. The results were fairly evenly spread, no clear favourites so it goes to show everyone prefers something different. Can you ask the caterers if they can do both, with exact numbers for each option given before the day?

I'd be tempted by the beef because I wouldn't be keen on the white wine sauce, but I prefer chicken as a meat! White choccie and strawberry cheesecake for definite for pudding.

I think go with what you'll enjoy on the wedding day, it's your meal too. Also, ask family members as they're going to be the ones eating it too.

See I didn't even think about the different ways of cooking beef. I don't like it very much when it's pink and no way cold I eat it when it's bloody,. BUt then you do have a vegetarian option so people could opt for that.

Given those choices I'd take the chicken - as has been mentioned, everyone has an opinion on how beef should be cooked.

Why not ask for the Yorkshire puddings with the chicken? I would.

Dark Choc and raspberry all the way!

Thank you all for responses. We hadn't planned on giving people a choice - a) I think it costs more to have options and b) can't be bothered with taking down decisions and then people changing their mind, or confusion on the day. Would rather 'one meal fits all' with the exception of vegetarian!

Out of the survey we've made within close friends and family it's 50/50 split so I think we're just going to have to flip a coin and see what happens...!!

I completely understand, there's enough to organize without keeping track of all the food choices! But if it helps and brings comfort, we didn't pay a penny more for having choices, and we asked for the food choices on the RSVP cards which were all returned completed and we didn't hear another thing about food from the guests. I wrote them on the back of everyone's place names at the request of the venue, so guests could see for themselves if they forgot what their choices were.

Of course, flipping a coin is another way to go about it!

Interesting, Fairycake135... you don't hear many success stories of this nature, so thank you for adding one to the mix! I guess it all depends on what the caterers say next week, but I'll certainly have a more open mind. Thanks!

Beef and any dessert! Although I would be chuffed with the chicken option too, sorry no use at all as it all sounds yummy to me!

All sounds lovely. I'd personally prefer beef but we chose chicken because we had few folk who said no red meat on their dietary requirements. Remember you'll need to tell caterers of any veggies so not like someone can see beef on day then change mind. (Although you always get that! )

enjoy the tastings!

I would go with whatever you and your partner are more inclined towards.

But personally if it was our menu i would go for beef- i would be worried over the sauce for the chicken, whereas if they don't like beef the other elements of the meal will fill them up perhaps? i think your puds sound yum ?

I'm a Yorkshire girl so roast beef and Yorkshire pud please. All of the desserts. Ok so I have a sweet tooth!

Tough choice!!

I'd go for (and we have gone for) chicken, because [hopefully] you can't really balls it up!

Ooh the desserts sound amazing, but I'd say cheesecake!

I would go for the chicken as I don't eat red meat and defo white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake. Yummy!!

My OH and I were stuck with our meal choices as we are both so different! I love fishy starters, he hates fish! Chicken is the only meat I eat and he likes a nice chunk of meat! I love chocolate desserts of any kind and he loves lemon desserts which I hate!

So to please us both we have each chose a starter, main and dessert and then have a veggie option so our guests will be given a choice of 3. Our venue charge 5% extra for each course which is worth it for us to have exactly what we want.

Our venue said that on the day they makes extras of each dish in case anyone changes their mind but we won't be telling the guests that!!

We have our menu tasting on Thursday. Can't wait!! ?

Hi we too have been having the chicken or beef debate and have decided on beef.

I would prefer beef for yours as I don't like white wine sauce and I think the white chocolate cheesecake sounds lovely

Thanks for all of your input. More and more I'm swayed by the beef - as a pp mentioned, there's more 'other things' on the plate if someone doesn't like the colour of the meat.

I'm also getting rather tingly about the white chocolate cheesecake. Waah, I'm hungry now and it's still ages until lunch

Chicken, definitely! Firstly because I love dauphinoise potatoes, and secondly because I've had more bad experiences with beef in restaurants than with chicken. I like my beef medium rare, and if it's overcooked and dry it's just vile. I'd go for eton mess for dessert.