Blin Traiteur Terre et Mer

Blin Traiteur Terre et Mer is a caterer in Martigny, in the canton of Valais, whose page sits on the site of the Brasserie Le Lion d'Or. It has catered weddings, baptisms and private commissions of up to 200 people since 1999, and, unusually, it puts a sample menu with per-person prices on its website.

The wedding offer

The presentation page is in French and opens with a short statement of what the business does. It offers a personalized service, is used to organizing prestigious aperitifs and cocktails for large gatherings, and works regularly at weddings and company meals. For those, it provides what it calls a complete tasting experience: an aperitif, a banquet and a dessert buffet, for up to 150 people.

The page then lists its services: apéritif et cocktail dînatoire (aperitifs and standing cocktail dinners), company meals, official catering, weddings, catering at events, and more. It also gives an example of how an event can be put together: an aperitif, a banquet with 2 different menus, and a dessert buffet, for 130 people with table service. That example is useful for a couple, because it shows the team is used to serving guests at the table rather than only laying out a buffet, and that it can run two menus side by side on the same evening, which helps when some guests eat differently from others.

The aperitif side deserves attention too. The page leads with the team's habit of running prestigious aperitifs and cocktails for large gatherings, and the cocktail dînatoire it offers is a standing reception where a long run of savory bites replaces a seated dinner. For a couple who would rather keep guests mingling after the ceremony than seat them for hours, or who want a generous aperitif before a shorter meal, that is the format this caterer knows best. A gallery of event photos also sits on the page.

References from across the Valais

The reference list is the strongest part of the page, and it shows a caterer used to volume. It names:

• aperitifs and cocktail dinners for several Valais banking institutions, for 1,200 people
• cocktail dinners at the Fondation Giannada in Martigny for 12 years
• the VIP area of "Sion sous les étoiles", for 1,200 VIP guests
• the "Rentrée Economique Valaisanne", for 600 people
• weddings, baptisms and commissions of up to 200 people since 1999
• dinners for several municipalities, including Martigny, Vétroz, Ardon and Sembrancher
• the Foire du Valais over 3 years, in the Espace gourmand under the banner of Fully Grand Cru, for about 4,500 people

For a wedding couple, the lesson is that the business is not only a restaurant kitchen. It regularly cooks and serves away from its base, at events in several Valais towns, and it has handled crowds far larger than any wedding.

The sample menu and its prices

The page prints a full example menu in three parts. The cold buffet runs to shrimp cocktail, grilled vegetables, a verrine of crab and small vegetables, salmon tartare with ricotta, foie gras with chestnut, octopus salad, mini pita with tuna and basil, and beef carpaccio.

The hot course offers a choice: boned capon breast stuffed with grapes and chestnuts, pork filet mignon with morel cream, or veal heart in a crust. It comes with a pomme gourmande (a potato stuffed with herbs and diced ham) and a wok of winter vegetables.

Dessert is a bûche de Noël, a tiramisu with wild berries, or a choice of mignardises in 5 kinds.

Prices are given per person in francs: the starters alone at 30.-, starters and hot course at 50.-, starter and dessert at 46.-, and the complete menu at 59.-. The bûche and the winter vegetables make this read like a winter or Christmas menu, so a summer wedding would draw on different dishes, and the page does not say whether these prices apply to other menus. Still, it gives a couple from abroad a real sense of the price level, which many caterers keep off their websites.

What the page does not settle

Several things a couple planning from abroad would want to know are not on the page:

• Drinks. The page mentions no wine list or drinks package.
• Equipment. Tableware, linen, tables and chairs are not mentioned.
• Service costs. The per-person menu prices say nothing about staff or travel charges on top.
• Service area. The references stay in the Valais, and the page does not say how far the team will travel, so a venue in another canton or high in a side valley is worth checking early.
• Lead time. There is no word on how far ahead a wedding should be booked.
• Dietary needs. The page says nothing about vegetarian menus or allergies, beyond the fact that a banquet can offer 2 different menus.
• Language. The page is in French only and says nothing about English.

None of this is unusual for a small regional caterer, but the language point matters most. A couple who do not speak French should plan on writing clearly by email, and consider bringing in a French-speaking friend or planner for the menu discussion.

Contact and booking

The contact block names the Brasserie Le Lion d'Or and François Bérard, at Rue des Petits Epineys 1, 1920 Martigny. The phone numbers are 027 722 21 30 and 078 641 09 06, and the email is info@liondor-martigny.ch. There is no booking form on the page, so a first approach is by email or phone. It helps to arrive with the date, the venue, the guest count and whether you want table service or a buffet.

Who it suits

Blin Traiteur Terre et Mer suits a couple marrying in the Martigny area or elsewhere in the Valais who want a caterer with long local experience and a clear idea of price. The 150-guest mark for a full aperitif, banquet and dessert service covers most weddings, and the references show a team comfortable with far bigger events.

The menu leans toward classic French-Swiss banquet food, with foie gras, capon and morels, rather than contemporary or international cooking. For a couple after that traditional style, with guests who enjoy a generous cold buffet and a proper hot course, it is an easy fit. The main caveats are the French-only communication and the thin detail on drinks, rentals and extra charges, all of which need a direct conversation before a quote can be compared with others.