Catering Archives

Catering, Event Planning, funfair events, Funfair Rides, General

Back In The Saddle, The New Normal

28 August 2020

Like most of the rest of the events industry, our previously full order book for 2020 disappeared literally overnight due to the pesky little microbe doing the rounds. Like all of our compatriots in the industry we sat and wondered if we would ever work again, and if so when. So when we suddenly started picking up bookings for August it was both a godsend and a worry.

A godsend obviously as we would be earning again. A worry about how things were going to be under the ‘new normal’ as it is being called. The first of the jobs to arrive was for a previously regular client, Amazon. Usually through the year we do a mixture of work ranging from handing out catering goodies during Prime and peak periods, to providing a full fairground for their summer barbeque.

The first job was giving popcorn out at one of the Northern fulfillment centres. We had done the same thing a number of times over the years at the same centre so usually this would be a nice easy repeat job. However after talking with the client and doing our own research we put together a package of anti Covid-19 measures.

Catering Carts

The first change was to install clear polycarbonate screening on the carts we use to separate our staff from the guests. Although we could still interact with them to a degree, it did feel weird and somehow strangely disconnecting. Usually we engage in a bit of banter and joking, but this felt more ‘institutionalised.’

Zoono Anti Microbial

After researching most of the sanitisation options, we settled on Zoono. Not a cheap option, this bonds a film to the surface of whatever you spray it on that lasts for upto 30 days. The product actively kills virus molecules after application, rather than just during the cleaning process. For complete safety our standard operating procedure is to apply it at the start of each job. We also use their hand sanitiser, which creates a similar barrier on your hands, this time lasting for 24 hours.

Boris Says, Hands – Face – Space

The carts have a hand sanitiser mounted for the guests to use. We also built a number of portable units that can attach to hand rails, counters, carts, rides etc. This means that even when we are using sub contractors we can ensure that all the attractions we supply come with approved sanitisation facilities for the guests and staff.

To round off our anti Covid activities, we supply all of our staff with full face shields to help protect them and the guests from each other. These are far more comfortable to wear for extended periods of working than the little face masks that we tried. Well and truly back in the saddle

0 comment

Catering, Fun Story

Twisted Firestarter, Tales Of Misadventures

18 August 2020

A few years ago I bought an impressive ornate drinks fountain from a guy in Norfolk. I went down in person to pick it up. After I had loaded it in my van I got talking to him and he suddenly burst into tears. Now comforting heartbroken men isn’t really my forte. But eventually through his sobs I made out that his wife was having an affair, and that she had left him with his four kids.

I was by this point looking for an exit strategy as I had a long drive home. I did however pause when he told me he wanted to sell the rest of the business, which consisted of two chocolate fountains, a popcorn machine, a large number of chair covers, and a large number of bookings.

“Oh I’ll keep my eye out on eBay for one of the fountains”I said.

“No, I want to sell the business as a going concern and I want £3000.”

“Done”, said I as I opened the back of the van to start loading my new business up.

I remember getting home and carrying everything into the kitchen. My wife came in and burst into tears looking at the mass of stuff.

The First Job

As we got used to operating the fountains, we eventually bought soup soup kettles, these were great for melting the chocolate, you could fill them up leave them on and they wouldn’t burn or thicken the chocolate too much. But on the first job we took a microwave to melt it in batches.

Anyway at the venue, the speeches etc were over running as these things tend to do. I was getting a bit anxious as never having done a chocolate fountain job before, I wanted the spare time in case of any problems. Eventually the manager told me I could set up. I whipped the fountain up in no time then started melting the chocolate.

As I finished the last batch I shoved the jug I had been using into the microwave. Unfortunately the jug still had a couple of napkins and a spoon in. As I closed the door the microwave sprang to life. I didn’t notice, but the spoon was creating sparks which set fire to the napkins.

Towering Inferno’s Little Brother

When I did notice, I grabbed it with the intention of running outside to dispose of it. As I picked it up and hugged it to myself, the hotel manager came into the room to talk to me about doing another event. So there I was stood, holding a sodding microwave that inside was rapidly turning into a mini towering inferno, whilst praying that smoke didn’t start coming out of the top whilst in front of the manager.

Eventually he finished and left me alone, I ran outside to empty the burning crap out only to see the entire wedding party stood outside whilst the main room was turned around.

FFS, I ended up opening the back of the van up and jumping in there, emptying the fire out on the floor and dancing around to stamp it out, a bit like the twisted firestarter song really.

I think time I stumbled out the van I was coughing from the smoke but otherwise fine. The manger and the guests never tumbled and we did a number of jobs in the same hotel.

The moral of the story is, its awfully easy to become the twisted firestarter, totally innocently lol.

0 comment

Catering, Fun Story

Weird Funfair Foods

5 August 2020

There are some weird funfair foods available at funfairs around the world. Some of them quite interesting and possibly viable in the UK. Others just plain strange. Many of our offerings such as Candy Floss Carts or Corn Dogs can trace their heritage back to the USA. So we are always on the lookout for new lines Stateside.

Here are a selection of our favourite Stateside offerings ;

The Texans actually won an award for this one, proving just about anything can be deep fried.

Kansas State Fair’s frozen pickle brine. I bet this one is super sour.

One enterprising vendor added grilled python to his offerings when he heard California’s State Fair was demanding more adventurous food offerings.

Only in Florida. A cheeseburger with deep fried ice cream. Mains and dessert all in one.

From the State of Ohio, what is it with Americans and heart attack inducing food. Called a muddy pie, it is fried bacon coated in chocolate.

Alabama make their attempt at clogging your arteries with this concoction. A hamburger served between two Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Illinois offer this, alligator on a stick. So you can visit the State Fair’s alligator show, then eat the stars.

Take a bow Oregon, with their entry, deep fried road kill. We aren’t sure if it is actual road kill, or just the name, but we wouldn’t put anything past those crazy Yanks.

Another entry from the Golden State. Chocolate covered Scorpions. I suppose if you have a local resource you might as well make use of it.

South Carolina’s answer to the texas deep fried beer. They inject balls of fried dough with Pepsi syrup, dust them in sugar and add more syrup as a topping.

Is there anything the Americans won’t deep fry? San Diego offered up your favourite coffee brand fried into doughballs.

The Calgary Stampede saw the introduction of the $100 hot dog. Yep, that’s right, a whole $100 for a foot long dog.

WTF, I hear you ask, how does a hot dog get to be $100. Well, it might be the use of Kobe beef. A high end Japanese delicacy. Or perhaps the Louis XIII brandy that the beef is soaked in (that’s about £2500 a bottle). And the truffle and lobster topping doesn’t help in keeping the price down.

So whilst we will keep an eye on the weird funfair foods available across the pond, I can’t see us actually using any of the current offerings.

If you fancy something more sensible, say hot dog cart hire then get in touch.

0 comment

Catering, Fun Story

National Hot Dog Day, How Do You Take It

23 July 2020

Its 23rd July National Hot Dog Day. Hot diggety dog, or should we say dogs. That staple of fast food, beloved at stadiums around the world.

Our American cousins eat an estimated 20 billion a year. Whilst we don’t eat anywhere near that, they are an increasingly popular option on menu’s throughout the UK.

Frankfurt-am-Main in Germany is traditionally credited with originating the Frankfurter. Though this is in contention, by the claim that the “little-dog” sausage was invented by a certain Johann Georghehner, a butcher from Coberg in Germany. Whatever the true origin, in 1893 they became standard fare at baseball stadiums in the States. This tradition is believed to have been started by a St. Louis bar owner, Chris Von de Ahe, who was a German immigrant and owner of the St. Louis Browns major league baseball team.

The world’s biggest hot dog measured 669ft.

The New Gourmet Hot Dog Food

Like the humble burger before it, frankfurters are undergoing something of a Renaissance over here, being elevated to gourmet fare with upmarket ingredients and toppings.

We offer a range of hot dog cart hire for your events. With basic hot dogs, chilli dogs, and even the American corn dogs, which are basically hot dog sausages inside a waffle on a stick.

However you like your, happy national hot dog day!

0 comment

Catering, Fun Story, Uncategorised

Yes We Can Do That, (How I Have No Idea)

20 July 2020

Espresso coffee carts for weddings parties events

The large corporate clients we have, tend to have very little loyalty. If you can’t do precisely what they want, they have no qualms about dropping you and using the next events company on their list.

Over time this has given us the mindset of Yosser Hughes in boys from the black stuff. He was desperate for a job and any job that popped up he would proclaim “gizza job, I can do that.” Anytime a major client asks if we can do something the answer is always “Of course, been doing that for years, piece of cake”. Once we get off the phone it then becomes, “How the hell are we going to do this?”

Espresso Coffee Cart

My wife walked into the office one Monday morning, and picked up an email printed out on my desk. It was the contract for providing an espresso coffee cart to HSBC’s headquarters for an event on the Wednesday, two days hence.

She looked at me inquiringly and asked “Who is doing that job for us?”

“No one, we are doing it ourselves”

She raised an eyebrow and replied “We don’t have an effing espresso coffee cart!”

“Ha”, says I, “Not a problem, Ian is out building the cart now, the coffee machine and equipment is being delivered in the morning, and I am on a Barista training course tomorrow evening”

On the day the first customer was like, “A cappuccino, two lattes, an espresso and a Machiato please”. WTF, help, I can’t do this.

When I had calmed down, I realised that every drink started with an espresso, you just added different amounts of steamed milk and foam. They wanted 5 drinks, you made 5 espressos, steamed a large jug of milk, then poured to suit. Easy peasy. In fact they were so impressed that they had us back on a number of occasions. The espresso cart is now a firm favourite amongst many of our staff.

Sony And Nissan Walk Into A Bar

A couple of years later I got a call from a long term client, an events company we worked with quite often. “Jason, do you do mobile bars, we have a massive job on offer from Sony and Nissan, they need a bar to celebrate the end of a worldwide competition they have been running.”, basically players on the Sony GT racing game could compete to win a place on the actual Nissan racing driver development program.

“Yep, we can do that, when is it?”

Lol, “A week today”, gulp. “Er yeh no problem”.

When I told my wife she said that this time I was on my own, she wasn’t coming to that event as I was going to fall flat on my face in front of a major corporate client.

I spent the day feverishly ordering equipment we would need. Luckily a mate of mine Dean, owned a local pub, and he wrote me a list of what I needed. We sourced a company that supplied portable bar sections and set off the next morning to collect them. I took my staff down to Dean’s pub to treat them to a night out, on the condition that Dean let them pull their own pints. And we managed to hire a kid that had worked in a cocktail bar, so we had at least one member of staff who had some idea of what he was doing.

Our New Bar

On the day everything went off perfectly. Well almost, I had ran water through the Jagermeister dispenser to clean it, and hadn’t gotten all of it out, with the result that it froze solid and wouldn’t dispense. But apart from that it was a fabulous night. Especially when Sabine Schmitz on a segway managed to run Martin Brundle over lol, what a booze monster she was. By the nights end she was demanding we just pour whatever shots were left into a glass and she would drink that.

After that one I think we can safely borrow the S.A.S. motto of “Who Dares Wins”.

Since then we have successfully acquired various bits of kit at short notice, crepe machines, Dutch Poffertjes and with a couple hours practice managed to provide a professional service, looking like we had done it all of our lives.

Corporate clients want the impossible, we are happy to oblige.

0 comment

Catering

National French Fries Day

13 July 2020

National French Fries Day. Another on our list of national food days. This time it is the turn of the French Fries, or chips as we would know them as. To be sure this confuses any American visitors to these green and pleasant lands, as they think chips are crisps.

The origin of the humble chip or French fry is another of those lost in the mists of time things. But references in English literature go back as far as 1660.

Teamed up with battered fish, they form a classic British dish. The trouble is finding nice ones. We flew into Skegness recently, and decided to walk from the airstrip into town for fish and chips. On the walk back we binned them they were that bad. There is a small fish and chip shop near Sturgate aerodrome that is reputed to have the best in Yorkshire. Evidently they cook them in beef dripping on a coal fired range the same as they have done for the last 80 years.

However you like your fries, we can provide a range of French Fries carts for your event. Whether its a small party of 50 or a major college ball we have the carts to suit. All supplied with a range of condiments, HP and Heinz, none of that cheap no name rubbish.

So happy national french fries day everybody!

0 comment

Catering, Event Planning

New Customisable Carts

29 June 2020

We hope you like our new customisable carts range.

Few people can claim that this Covid lockdown has been good. Well, I know a handful whose business has gone through the roof. We have suffered financially, but on another level it has helped us.

Because we have been so busy for so long we have pretty much cruised along. During the lockdown we have taken a long look at everything we do. In many cases we have realised we could be doing things better. Or building more into our services.

We have taken this and decided to do something about it. We are revamping and rebuilding our range of carts and attractions. Adding in house branding services to most of what we do. Generally doing things that at one time we would have been at the forefront in.

Custom Themed Carts

The first result of this has been to adapt our little Alpine huts to take a new interchangeable panel system that allows us to theme them up. We have always been willing to add flowers and ribbons or the occasional sign. The new system allows us to alter the character of the cart to suit the clients event.

Pictured below are the initial batch of options for our new customisable carts. These are being added to as we come up with new ideas. Additionally we can very quickly design and manufacture a custom panel to suit a clients needs.

Chalkboard Wedding Cart Hire — Christmas Themed Alpine Cart

We are in the process of building a 50 inch video screen, a new pixel art screen and a VW camper themed front. As our staff come up with more ideas they will be added to the lineup.

These are intended to be a starting point, additional decor and customisation can be added quickly, and in many cases at smaller events such as weddings, free of charge.

Check out our range of catering options that can be used with these carts.

0 comment

Catering, Fun Story

Environmentally Friendly Catering

20 April 2020

About 15 years ago I had the bright idea of switching to environmentally friendly catering. In fact we decided to switch not only our catering operations, but our travelling funfairs to a more sustainable method of operating.

We made some great advances on this front. Had a bit of attention from the press and even received a couple of environmental awards. Things seemed rosy and I felt I had made a good decision. But then a pattern started to emerge. We would quote for jobs, and explain all about how we were doing our bit for the environment. But we received a lot of replies along the lines of, ‘We really love what you are doing, unfortunately the non environmentally friendly companies are cheaper then you so we are going with them!’

For a time it looked like we could be the most environmentally friendly bankrupt funfair company. So sadly we had to dial down on what we were doing.

We feel now is the time to relaunch our initiative. Biodegradable consumables made from bamboo, paper and plant based products are becoming ever more affordable. Things like LED lighting are being mass produced to the stage they are getting cheaper than traditional alternatives. And many of our customers are starting to make environmental credentials an important part of their purchasing process.

To this end we are ramping up our green credentials. Well we going to if we ever get released from this bloody lockdown.

I’ll try and summarise our intentions, along with how we compare to where we were 15 years ago.

Paper Usage

Looking at our environmental statement from years back, we were going through some 20000 sheets of office paper a year. Over the course of 12 months, we had managed to reduce this to 15000. Our intention was to get it down to 5000 a year. This has been an easy win. Most of our clients are now happy to accept pdf versions of our safety document packs. We average less than 1000 sheets of office paper per annum.

This will no doubt help keep enough paper stocks available for the toilet roll industry to keep up with the current demand from the deranged panic buyers.

Catering Consumables

Last time we tried switching to greener alternatives, coffee cups weren’t too bad, but everything else was prohibitively expensive.

Nowadays there is a vastly improved choice. For many items such as doughnuts and churros we use bamboo boats. For larger items like jacket potatoes, we have found a good range of boxes and plates made from sugarcane bagasse . Bagasse is a residue from sugar cane production. Products derived from it include biofuel, wood substitute and now catering items. It looks very much like polystyrene but is fully biodegradable.

Knives, forks and spoons have been switched to wood. And a few of the items such as waffles on a stick are served in paper trays. In all I don’t think we have anything left being served in plastic.

Food Waste Composting

Its fine having environmentally friendly catering products, but there is another issue. Food waste. Any event we attend there is always some level of waste food. Whether its guests not quite finishing their servings, or the fact that we have cooked a few too many hot dogs. In the past this will all have ended up in landfill.

Last time we went down this route, we acquired a Swedish hot composting system. You would feed it with waste food, and a mixture of dry wood pellets. Then give it a good spin to mix it. Bacteria would slowly heat the mixture up and consume the food and waste to leave a rich compost, ideal for the garden.

Sadly our original composter was destroyed, (someone ran over it) and never replaced.

We are now looking at adding something to replace this to ensure we can remove our small amount of food waste from the landfill system. One system that does look promising is the HotBin compost system. Like our old Swedish system, you add food waste and in this case shredded paper. The system again raises the heat to allow microbial action to reduce everything to a separate mix of solid compost and liquid leachate (which makes a great liquid fertiliser). We are still looking at system, but as soon as this virus pandemic ends we will place an order for a system of some kind.

Biofuels For Our Generators

This is one avenue were we have had to admit defeat. What we discovered was that the newer generating plant we had didn’t like 100% biodiesel. Some of the older stuff would run happily on it, though we had to change many of the rubber fuel lines. The trouble is, the newer kit is both less polluting to begin with, and also far more fuel efficient. So it didn’t make sense to swap the latest kit back to stuff that was 20 years out of date.

Because of the transitory nature of funfairs, there isn’t really any scope to make use of renewable power. The one exception perhaps is the classic helter skelter. Because it is powered by gravity, it can operate without a power source, needing just power for lighting. Before we disposed of ours, I had drawn up plans to use a combination of a solar powered battery charger and small wind turbine to constantly charge a battery pack, and then use an inverter to power LED lighting throughout the ride. I still think this would work.

Lighting

This is one avenue that is actually coming of age. LED lighting prices are now falling to the extent where they are only a smallish premium over incandescent lighting. Additionally LED lights take far less power to run, with the result that either smaller more fuel efficient generators can be used to power them, or the larger generators are working less and saving fuel. With the chancellors decision to remove the tax rebate on red diesel (used to power generators) its now reached the stage where its a no brainer to make the switch. The fuel savings alone will pay the costs back pretty quickly. And technically LED should last far longer than a traditional light bulb.

Certification

To ensure that we can communicate the extent of our green push to our clients we are looking at a number of certification systems which would officially show our work. In the past we were part of a few different initiatives, but these petered out over time.

In summary offering environmentally friendly catering is something that is fast becoming a must, rather than an optional extra.

If you fancy hot dog cart hire or any of our offerings with an environmentally friendly service then get in touch.

1 Comment

Catering, Fun Story

Irn Bru and Its New Candy Floss Flavour

16 March 2020

We are always on the lookout for new flavours to add to our candy floss carts. But it seems that everyone else is looking for a way to make their product taste like candy floss, including Irn Bru.

Supermarkets started it with candy floss flavour grapes. Thorntons added candy floss flavoured truffle chocolates. Ann Summers even does a candy floss flavoured lube!

Irn Bru

Well now that famous Scottish drink, the one ‘Made from girders’, had been launched in a set of four limited edition flavours, including candy floss.

The public are being asked to vote for which of the flavours should hit the shelves. With the top 2 making it into production.

Some members of the public however are raising a stink about the new flavours. They insist that Irn Bru should go back to its original formula. When they removed the sugar it didn’t really do the taste any favours.

If you want to hire a candy floss cart, sadly without the Irn Bru, let us know.

0 comment

Catering, Fun Story

The Fluffy Cotton Candyfloss Tree – Katsu

12 March 2020

If you’ve ever been to the fairground then you’ll know just how strong the sweet smell of fluffy cotton candyfloss is and just how it looms and lingers in the air around! If you enter the fairground at one end it wouldn’t take you long to follow your nose and locate just where the fluffy cotton candyfloss is being made and served.

Many companies and brands have tried to bottle the smell and create fluffy cotton candyfloss candles, or lipsticks or hair products that are meant to fill your life with your own sweet smelling candyfloss but somehow it just doesn’t quite do the original product any justice. There’s even fluffy cotton candyfloss Grapes that are meant to slightly mirror the taste of a stick of fluffy cotton candyfloss.

Edinburgh Royal Botanical Garden

Edinburgh home to the Royal Botanical Garden has lately been overcome by a new delightful fragrance. The sweet smelling fragrance of fluffy cotton candy has filled the 70 acre grounds… No a fairground hasn’t set to work here. Nor have they lit scented candles around the area but in fact the smell comes from a live plant growing within the grounds. The Katsura or to an expert green finger gardener the technical name of Cercidiphyllum. The tree originates from japan and Chinese regions and is known for releasing a scent of burning sugar.

We have had some fantastic weather recently. As a result the tree emits a stronger than usual dose of the fragrance. With a lack of wind the smell has been congregating in the area. The smell of the fluffy cotton candy comes from the leaves of the tree. They emit a chemical compound called Maltol. As soon as you walk into the gardens you can smell the fragrance. The visitors to the garden looking around to find where the smell is coming from.

A Fluffy Candyfloss Tree in Germany

The Germans call the distinctive tree ‘Kuchenbaum’, which translates to ‘cake tree’.

Looking to hire a candy floss cart then we can help.

0 comment

← Previous 1 … 11 12 13 … 15 Next →