One of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs chose a luxury Scottish castle as the launch venue for his latest project.
A day long event was held at Dundas Castle to launch Virgin Atlantic’s new domestic UK service, Little Red, and over 100 VIP guests and international journalists were invited to attend by the firm’s world famous founder, Richard Branson.
Sodexo Prestige, the corporate dining, hospitality and events division of Sodexo, helped mark the occasion by re-creating the firm’s signature Virgin Redhead Cocktail, which was presented to the guests as they sat down to lunch.
Created from mix of freshly muddled raspberries, lemon juice, blackcurrant and raspberry liqueurs, gin and a spritz of Prosecco, the cocktail provided the perfect refresher after a day of traditional and tiring, Scottish themed activities.
Tradition and Innovation
Lucy Scillitoe, Director at Dundas Castle, said: “We were delighted to be selected to launch this prominent event as it allowed us to showcase not only the revered Scottish hospitality and tradition, but also the innovation and originality that we can offer here at Dundas Castle.
“We were confident that Sodexo Prestige would design a dining experience that would be both memorable and fitting with the event, and the signature Virgin Redhead Cocktail that they created, along with the sumptuous lunch, wowed the international group who gave fantastic feedback.
“Some of the journalists and guests came from as far afield as South Africa and the United States, and it was fantastic to be a part of giving them a taste of true Scottish culture and cuisine.”
Guests were put through their paces in a series of traditional Scottish activities, which included Highland dancing, Highland Games, piping and falconry which ended in a tug of war challenge.
Sodexo Prestige served guests a delicious three course lunch, with a buffet of starters including a savoury balsamic roasted beetroot and goats cheese cheesecake, a main course of locally reared Scottish Beef accompanied by soft herb mash, buttered seasonal baby vegetables and a garlic jus and the highlight of the dessert buffet was a baked chocolate and coriander tart, served with popping sherbet.
Dedication to Excellence
Dundas Castle fought off stiff competition from other venues in Scotland to host the event impressing organisers with its dedication to offer the very best of Scottish hospitality, food and tradition, as well as its stunning surroundings and ease of access for visitors – just 15 minutes from Edinburgh Airport.
And to impress the organizers further, Sodexo Prestige and Dundas Castle worked together to create an edible wash bag, consisting of strawberry toothpaste, mint mojito mouthwash and rhubarb marshmallow cotton wool balls – reflecting the innovation and creativity of the venue and its ability to mix this with the traditional Scottish surroundings.
Sodexo Prestige is the exclusive catering provider at Dundas Castle, catering for a wide range of events, including corporate meetings, international events and weddings and celebrations.
Dundas Castle is one of Scotland’s most historic castles. A five star exclusive use venue which is booked out in its entirety, it caters for a wide range of events including; conferences, business meetings, private dinner parties, weddings and receptions and much more.
Public relations in Scotland for Sodexo Prestige is handled by the expert PR team at Holyrood PR, providing strategic communication advice and media relations.
