Crazy & Co.

Easter, The First Major Funfair Event Of The Season

29 March 2024

The first of the major funfair holiday events has just kicked off.

Easter Eggs

Of course everyone is aware of the tradition of giving eggs for Easter. But have you ever thought why?

Easter is a Christian festival, and for Christians giving eggs symbolises new life. It is claimed this practice started with the early Christians of Mesopotamia who stained birds eggs red in memory of the blood of Christ.

There is also an association in Western Christians not being allowed to eat eggs during Lent, but allowed them at Easter.

A common practice in medieval England was for children to go door to door begging for eggs on the Saturday before Lent. These were handed out as special treats.

I remember during my youth going door to door. Many of the elder generation would give us hard boiled eggs that had been painted. The better of neighbours actually gave us chocolate. Many would also press a few coppers on us, when you were five or six years old, the few pounds you accrued made you think you were rich.

Antiquity

It wasn’t an exclusively Christian thing though. London’s British Museum contains some large ostrich eggs that have been carved and painted. These have been found in tombs. After investigation it is believed that eggs like this can date back up to 5000 years, well before the Christian religion. And decorated eggs up to 60,000 years old have been discovered in Africa.

Chocolate Eggs

J.S. Fry and sons of England introduced their first chocolate egg in 1873, closely followed by Cadbury’s in 1875. Cadbury’s created the modern egg with the introduction of pure cocoa butter that could be moulded into hollow egg shapes. Now up to 80 million chocolate eggs are consumed in the UK alone. It’s nice to see the steady move away from plastic packaging to more environmentally friendly alternatives.

Faberge Eggs

Personally my favourite eggs are those produced by the Russian craftsman at Faberge for the last two Russian Tsars. Masterpieces of decorative art, many contain hidden surprises such as clockwork birds or miniature toys.

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Fun Story

International Waffle Day 25th March

25 March 2024

International Waffle Day: A Global Celebration of Fluffy Delights

March 25th is a day that brings joy to breakfast lovers around the world – International Waffle Day. This delightful holiday celebrates the beloved waffle in all its crispy, golden glory. From classic Belgian waffles to creative interpretations from every corner of the globe, International Waffle Day is a time to indulge in one of the most versatile and delicious breakfast foods known to humanity.

Embracing Waffles Across Cultures: What makes International Waffle Day truly special is its celebration of waffles in all their diverse forms. While the waffle may have originated in Europe, its popularity has spread far and wide, with each culture adding its own unique twist to this beloved treat. From the sweet, syrup-drenched waffles of North America to the savory gaufres enjoyed in France, waffles come in countless variations, each more delicious than the last.

A Rich History: The history of the waffle is as rich and varied as its toppings. Waffles have been enjoyed by people around the world for centuries, with evidence of their existence dating back to ancient Greece. Over the years, waffle-making techniques have evolved, leading to the creation of different styles and varieties of waffles. Today, waffles are enjoyed by millions of people worldwide, making International Waffle Day a truly global celebration.

Waffles Unite Us: One of the most beautiful things about International Waffle Day is its ability to bring people together. Whether you’re sharing a plate of waffles with friends and family at home or indulging in a delicious waffle breakfast at your favorite cafe, there’s something special about coming together to enjoy this beloved breakfast treat. Waffles have a way of transcending cultural boundaries and uniting people from all walks of life in a shared appreciation for good food and good company.

Celebrating International Waffle Day: There are countless ways to celebrate International Waffle Day, no matter where you are in the world. You could start your day with a stack of classic buttermilk waffles topped with fresh berries and whipped cream, or you could get creative in the kitchen and experiment with new and exciting waffle recipes. Whether you prefer sweet or savory, there’s a waffle out there to satisfy every craving.

Spread the Waffle Love: International Waffle Day is also a great opportunity to spread the love by sharing waffles with others. Host a waffle brunch for your friends and family, organize a waffle-making competition with your coworkers, or simply surprise a loved one with a homemade batch of waffles. However you choose to celebrate, sharing the joy of waffles with others is sure to make International Waffle Day a day to remember.

In Conclusion: International Waffle Day is a time to celebrate one of the world’s most beloved breakfast foods in all its delicious glory. Whether you prefer your waffles sweet or savory, crispy or fluffy, there’s no denying the universal appeal of this humble yet oh-so-delicious treat. So grab your waffle iron, whip up a batch of batter, and join people around the world in celebrating International Waffle Day in style.

If you need a waffle cart for your event, give us a shout, they are waffly good.

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Fun Story

New Equipment, Generator 07

5 March 2024

We have just finished a complete refurbishment and overhaul of one of our compact generator systems. TBF, this one is a bit special, in that it was gifted to me by my late Father in Law. I wanted to keep it working as it provides a connection to him. It has actually turned out a bit like Triggers broom in Only Fools and Horses. It has had a new cabinet, radiator, alternator and control systems. If the engine blows then there really isn’t much left of the original.

We actually ended up using this one much more than we expected, due to its low running costs, making it perfect for smaller events such as a coffee cart hire, etc.

What happened was the unit we were using was designed to demount from its transport trailer into the back of one of our vans. This worked great, up until the original casing fell apart due to corrosion. Being a Kubota engine there was plenty of life left in the actual unit itself.

The original rotted apart generator casing. — The Original Rotted Apart Casing

It was built on four castors, up until one corner fell off and it came back on three wheels. Luckily whilst obtaining a new generator to build into the rear of our fire engine, we noticed that the dealer we were dealing with had a large supply of new cases for compact generators.

We obtained one of these, which were priced at a really keen price point, and set about the construction. The cases were pretty complete except for things like control panels, door locks, etc. We managed to track these down, with a delay on waiting for a delivery from China for some parts unobtainable over here.

The unit when it was constructed looked superb. Unfortunately following the advice of some experts to bond the Earth line to the Neutral, a requirement in most generators, the unit went bang. Seems that on centre tapped alternators this is a big no no.

So back to our supplier for a new alternator. Unfortunately when we removed the case to wire the new one up, we found that it also was a centre tapped alternator. Cue another trip up north to obtain a non centre tapped version.

So far so good. Except when we came to assemble it, the coupling system didn’t meet up. Seems our original unit had a recessed flywheel, which left the tapered shaft mount about 5 mmm short.

Cue yet another trip to swap flywheels for the correct one. This one happily did fit, and everything went together perfectly.

Well almost. Whilst screwing in the Earth point connection, the end fell off my screwdriver, and into the alternator internals. Meaning another complete strip down of the cabinet, to then strip the alternator down to retrieve said fallen off bit.

Happily this time everything did go together properly. We dropped the unit onto its original trailer, necessitating a few minor alterations to the fastening system and Bob’s your Uncle.

Generator mounted back on it's trailer — Mounted On Its Transport Trailer

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Catering, Fun Story

Pancake Day With Our Mobile Creperie

13 February 2024

We are fast approaching pancake day, or Shrove Tuesday as the more religious would have it. We are now undergoing our annual avalanche of last minute enquiries for a pancake or mobile crepe cart . Companies suddenly decide that it would make a good treat for their staff. Problem is they seem to come to this conclusion about a week before the actual day. The smart companies have already booked up all of our crepe carts a couple of months in front.

French Crepes

Truth be told we provide crepes rather than pancakes. Whats the difference I hear you ask? Basically just the consistency. Crepes are much thinner than the traditional British pancake. Legend claims that a good French crepe is sos thin, you can read a love letter placed underneath it. The actual ingredients we use are virtually identical except for the crepe having more water, to make it thinner

Originating from the Brittany region in North West France, crepes are now considered a national dish, though most countries have similar dishes with a variety of names. There is a tale that a housewife in Brittany accidentally spilled some thin porridge on a hot flat stove and through this mistake the crispy pancake was invented, could it be true? Possibly, many other foods have been discovered by accident.

Jour Des Crepes

So popular are these crispy delights in France, that they have a religious holiday named in their favour. Also known as La Chandeleur (The return of light), it symbolises the approach of Spring.

Yet another legend (gee just how many legends are there about crepes)
has it that if you toss a crepe from a pan, with your right hand, catching it whilst holding a coin in your left, you would become rich that year

Savoury Crepes — A “Galettes ” or Savoury Crepe

Although it is the sweet dessert crepe that most of us are familiar with, there is also the Galette, which is made with a less sweet mix, and meant to be served with cheese, meats, mushrooms etc, to make a filling savoury meal.

To be honest we all prefer the sweet version in the office, and this outsells the savoury probably 99 to 1.

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Fun Story

Stop The World I Want To Get Off

12 February 2024

The world is currently in a state. The Middle East is in the middle of one of its endless cycles of violence. Russia and Ukraine are still going at it hammer and tongs. The Houthis are trying their best to sink any passing ships. The economy is in the doldrums. Prices are up, fuel is up, food is up. Middlesbrough don’t look like achieving promotion this year.

And now, PETA the animal rights organisation is calling upon Carousel manufacturers to stop using fibreglass horses on their rides, as evidently “Animal-themed carousels unintentionally celebrate the exploitation of sentient beings,”

FFS, just when you think people cannot be any more crackers than some of the fruit loop examples we have seen popping up over the last few years, we have this. What’s next, an amnesty for little girls to hand in their My Little Pony Dolls. Perhaps stuffed teddy bears will be in their sights, I mean, all that cruel exploitation of the poor little stuffed dears.

More worrying is the fact that going by some of PETA’s past campaigns, the said little girls might find themselves being smacked in the mouth by tofu pies. Or even being drenched in paint! Perhaps they will skin the carousel horses and hold the bodies up, presumably dripping in resin.

What about your local funfair. You might turn up to find that PETA have descended through the night and released all the carousel horses. Bit far fetched? No more than the bloody stupidity emanating from PETA.

Unusual Restaurants, Dinner In The Sky

10 February 2024

Dinner In The Sky, another in our series looking at some of the more unusual eating establishments around the globe. This one is different because it is situated around 150 feet in the sky!

This one is present in around 60 countries. Starting in Belgian in 2007, David Ghysels who owned a marketing company and Stefan Kerkhofs, a bungee jump organiser partnered to create an aerial based dinner for the Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe association.

This led to them being contacted by people from around the world who wanted to replicate the experience. They decided to go down the franchise route.

By 2009 Dinner In The Sky they were operating in more than a dozen countries including China and Canada.

Permanent Location

Michael and Janeen Hinden discovered the concept at a trade fair in 2008. They tested the concept at a New Years party, and eventually put the plans in motion for a permanent location in Las Vegas. Costing $4 million the location was to have a ground based restaurant as well as the high flying set up.

We can take to new heights with our gourmet catering options, but admittedly not 150ft dinner in the sky.

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Catering, Food Trucks, Fun Story

New Equipment, Our Churros Box

30 December 2023

As part of our ongoing efforts to expand our services, especially for larger events. We have added a new Spanish Churros unit.

In the past we have added churros making equipment to various of our existing catering units. This one has been purpose built especially for high volume events, although it will work just as well at a wedding or smaller event.

High Capacity Churros Making Kit

To partner with our new unit, we selected a range of kit from J L Blanco, one of Spain’s leading manufacturers of churros making equipment.

High yield circular fryers were added in both electric and gas versions, allowing us the ability to operate with low power generators where necessary, or utilise the higher throughput of the electric fryer when adequate power is avialable.

Automatic Churros Dispenser

To partner with the fryer we selected a fully automatic dough dispenser. This dispenses, measures and cuts the extruded dough to the correct length, dropping a pre selected number of churros into the fryer at the touch of a button giving our churros box a super high yield potential.

Of course knowing the propensity of electronics to cease working at the most inconvenient of times, we also added a manual dispenser, allowing us to do it the old fashioned way.

Birmingham Cathedral Market

The first outing for the new churros box was the cathedral Christmas market in Birmingham. A 5 week stint serving churros at the festive event proved the units worth.

Although the unit is perfectly at home with smaller events, it is designed primarily for larger events and festival, where it can operate constantly at high speed for hours on end. If you are planning a major event, or just have a lot of hungry guests then this is the way to go.

Ask us for more details, remember all you need is love and churros.

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Catering, Fun Story, Unusual Restaurants

Unusual Restaurants, Dans Le Noir

22 December 2023

Starting in Japan (where else would a totally quirky theme start), the concept of a ‘blind restaurant’ saw a non profit organisation called SIEN, and Higan-ji, a virtual Buddhist temple created by Japanese monks join forces at Ryokusen-ji, a temple in Asakusa to introduce a blind or ‘black’ restaurant.

The concept is, that dining is carried out in complete darkness. The theory being that with the lack of sight, your other senses are heightened, and becomes more of a sensual experience.

Dans Le Noir

Translating as In The Dark. This is a chain of restaurants spread through Europe and also with some locations in Africa and New Zealand. They offer the experience of dining in the dark, with your serving staff being blind or partially sighted.

The food is typically higher end fare, think 5 star rather than local café. Another benefit is the relationships with your dining companions. You have no idea who you are talking to, so the conversation tends to be without preconceived notions.

This is definitely on our bucket list to try.

In the meantime if you need food you can actually see, then check out our gourmet burgers.

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Catering, Event Planning, Food Trucks, Fun Story

Burgers Of The World, White Castle Slider

18 December 2023

The first in our series about some of the weird and wonderful burgers out there. The ‘slider’ comes from White Castle, who are generally accepted to be the earliest burger chain in the good ole USA.

Launched in 1921 by Billy Ingram, selling small square hamburgers ‘so easy to eat’ they were dubbed sliders. the idea was you ‘bought em by the sack.’ They were designed to be bought in bulk, more of a bite sized burger than a full on meal.

1921 Slider

Inspired by the burger that started it all, the original White Castle Slider. Caramelised onions, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce and pickles.

Holes In The Burgers

One unusual feature of the sliders, are the five holes in the patty. This serves the dual purpose of cooking the pattie quicker, as they are usually piled high in the steamer, and allowing the flavour from the bed of onions they are cooked upon, to permeate throughout the stack.

Chicken and Waffle Slider

They now have a range of different sliders, not only in the typical burger bun, but in between waffles or toast.

This one comes with crispy chicken breast, topped with bacon and sandwiched between two Belgian waffles.

French Toast Slider

Or how about this one, Cinnamon swirl French toast, with egg, American cheese and sausage or smoked bacon.

White castle sliders are considered to be one of the most influential burgers in history, kickstarting an entire fast food industry, along with innovations such as standardised food production across the whole chain, and the kitchen as a production line.

We currently don’t do square, and we don’t do sliders, but if you want a top class gourmet burger then check us out.

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Catering, Equipment, Event Planning, Food Trucks, Fun Story

What are the benefits of using food trucks for brand activation?

8 December 2023

Using food trucks for brand activation offers several benefits that can help businesses engage with their audience in a unique and memorable way. Here are some of the advantages of incorporating food trucks into your brand activation strategy:

Increased Visibility: Food trucks are mobile and can be strategically placed in high-traffic areas, allowing your brand to reach a larger and more diverse audience. They can be present at events, festivals, or locations that are relevant to your target demographic.
Novelty and Unique Experience: Food trucks provide a novel and unique experience for customers. People are often drawn to the idea of enjoying delicious food in an unconventional setting, which can leave a lasting impression.
Interactive Engagement: Food trucks offer opportunities for interactive engagement. Customers can watch their food being prepared, interact with the staff, and provide instant feedback. This interaction can foster a deeper connection between your brand and your customers.
Social Media Buzz: Food trucks are highly shareable on social media platforms. Customers often share their food truck experiences, including photos and reviews, which can create organic buzz and word-of-mouth marketing for your brand.
Sampling and Product Promotion: Food trucks are an excellent way to offer samples of your products. This is particularly effective for food and beverage brands, but it can also work for other types of businesses. Sampling allows potential customers to try your products, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
Branding Opportunities: Food trucks can be branded with your company’s logo, colors, and messaging. This serves as a mobile billboard for your brand and enhances brand visibility.
Cost-Effective Marketing: Setting up a food truck can be more cost-effective than traditional advertising or brick-and-mortar retail spaces. It allows you to reach your audience without the overhead of a physical store.
Flexibility and Adaptability: Food trucks offer flexibility in terms of location and menu. You can adapt your offerings and the truck’s location to suit different events or changing customer preferences.
Data Collection: You can collect valuable customer data through interactions at the food truck. This information can be used for future marketing efforts, helping you better understand your audience.
Cross-Promotion: Collaborating with other food trucks or businesses can lead to cross-promotion. This can help you tap into each other’s customer bases and expand your reach.
Community Engagement: Participating in local events and festivals through a food truck can demonstrate your brand’s commitment to the community and enhance your brand’s reputation.
Experiential Marketing: Food trucks offer a tangible and sensory experience. Customers can taste, smell, and see your products, creating a more memorable and sensory-rich brand activation.
Innovative Marketing: Using a food truck is an innovative approach to marketing that can set your brand apart from competitors and demonstrate your creativity and willingness to try new strategies.

Incorporating food trucks into your brand activation strategy can be a creative and effective way to connect with your audience, increase brand visibility, and foster positive brand associations. It offers a dynamic and engaging approach that can leave a lasting impact on potential customers.

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