catering Archives

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.

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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.

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Fun Story, General, Uncategorised

The new blue Java Banana

12 June 2019

There’s nothing better on a hot day than a selection of fresh cold fruit especially exotic fruit. Although a cheeky pineapple and watermelon medley is about as exotic as I get, however after reading the news lately I feel pretty damn standard! There’s a new member to the exotic fruit family known as the Blue Java Banana and this is the don of the fruit market ; not only is it blue but it tastes of ice cream.

The java is said to have the same colour and consistency of a normal banana but with a unique outside skin colour of blue and a strong vanilla flavour to it. Originating from South East asia the blue banana quickly spread through continents such as North Australia, Hawaii and Central America.

So with all them places being the other side of the world to our little old United Kingdom it looks like we wont be getting to try the blue banana anytime soon however lucky for us now were in the 21^st century where we can use the internet for this sort of information.

Food Bloggers try the Java banana

An Australian food blogger videoed his first try of a blue banana described the banana taste as Phenomenal. The clip shows the blogger peeling the blue skin back to reveal a ripe mushy flesh which I can only describe as mushy sick mash potato. But according to him looks can be deceiving and after biting into the banana he described the taste as sensational adding that it was like an unbelievable taste of summer in his mouth.

The prime time to take a bite of these java’s is when they’re past the ripe stage and have gone to the next soft stage where usually you would decide to throw them away. Apparently this is when the blue banana is at its peak vanilla taste and softest texture.

Others have said the banana has a very creamy taste with a much milder flavour than your standard yellow banana. With a lighter and better texture the flavour is also a lot sweeter too and has won the hearts of many tropical fruit lovers with many being such a fan they bought java banana seeds online so they could grow their own blue banana tree at home. It is advised that when it comes to growing your own blue banana tree that Blue Java bananas like ‘warm, rich soil with high moisture’, and require a lot of fertilising and sunlight.

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Catering, Fun Story, General, Uncategorised

Charlie and the chocolate factory comes to life

9 June 2019

Everyone’s seen Willy Wonkas inventions haven’t they… the Everlasting Gob stoppers that taste like a Sunday roast, the Wonka Chocolate Bars well willy wonka has now hit California in the role of Plant Breeders and Charlie and the chocolate factory comes to life

Plant Breeders in California have created a natural grape that tastes like everyone’s favorite fairground treat CandyFloss This natural grape has not been cloned or genetically engineered with artificial flavors. There has been two combined grape species that has been grown and ripened together that now tastes like the pink fluffy cotton candy treat.

Where to buy some

When you first chew the grape and it pops open in your mouth with juice squirting out it gives you a rush taste of the much loved treat at the fair, cotton candy. The grapes are available in the UK in Asda, Sainsbury’s and M&S.

A horticulturalist Mr D. Cain wants to bring back the true natural flavour of grapes, he feels that over the time and the growing and shipping process they have begun to lose their taste, however with new innovative grapes could people begin to prefer flavoured grapes to natural ones??

There is an array of different fruits available in store especially when it comes to apples with over 10 different types offered to consumer’s including pink lady, braeburn and fuji apples. The farms that grow grapes now want to offer people a higher selection of grapes in a hope that more people start to buy and eat them as part of a healthier diet. Most people complain that healthy food doesn’t taste as good as the sugary food even though it’s good for you whereas these grapes are full of the goodness and the flavour that everyone likes. The grapes do have around 10% more sugar than regular grapes but still a lot less than other fruit such ass raisins.

Where Charlie and the chocolate factory comes to life

The candyfloss flavoured grape farm in the US has increased from 2 acres to 100 acres with plans to increase to 200 acres in the next year this is due to the popularity and high demand.

The creator of the candyfloss flavoured grape said that it took him hundreds of tests and attempt’s before he finally found that flavour. Mr Cain said that the whole process takes anything from 6 to 15 years to create and find. He has no intention at stopping at this flavour and wants to create a number of different flavours of grapes in the future.

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Catering, Fun Story

Son’s Of Amazon offer a caffeine buzz

29 April 2019

Do you know what the most used drug is? No not marijuana, not cocaine or pills surprisingly but caffeine. It seems that everyone both young and old crave that Caffeine Buzz

I’m sure you’re not unfamiliar with that caffeine buzz, the restlessness, the increased heartbeat, the nausea the sweaty palms and the inability to fall asleep all from one cup of coffee. And if you want a quicker buzz then you go for the espresso option the short black coffee option. But the more you drink the more you build up a tolerance.

Caffeine Buzz

Coffee lovers might remember when they first started drinking coffee and the kick they got from it but now they have to scour the shops to find a blend of coffee that still offers a kick in one cup. The sweet coffee smell the strong bitter taste well the search is finally over. A company called Sons Of Amazon claim to be the owners of the strongest coffee in the UK.

A standard 8oz cup of coffee is said to have around 110mg of caffeine but Sons of Amazon’s coffee blend has four times that amount with their motto reading ‘Strong enough to wake the dead’ you know that this coffee is going to be strong enough to blow your socks off.

The Brains Behind The Coffee

Eric Witham is the brains behind the coffee stating that not only well known for the strength his coffee is also ethically sourced with no chemicals being used to increase the substances in the roasting process. Witham is said to have tested many different coffee beans from different farms before deciding on the best.

Despite being over 100% stronger than the standard cup of coffee it is advertised on the website as being anything but horrifically bitter. After looking at some of the reviews online I am now off to order myself a bag for the long days and nights you face in the event industry I now feel like my body has become too immune to caffeine and I have to have a few cups throughout the day to get the old affect so hopefully this can restore my faith and bring back a caffeine kick experience.

Some customer reviews read;

“Didn’t know what to expect from a coffee claiming to be so strong but I was very pleasantly surprised by what I found. Great tasting coffee with a caffeine kick that will keep you going throughout the day. Will 100% buy again and recommend to friends. “

Whilst another review stated ;

“Surprisingly smooth for something so strong. (There’s definitely a joke in there somewhere…. about liking my men the way I like this coffee) Will definitely buy again.”

You can purchase a packet of these coffee beans on Amazon.

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Catering, General

New Dutch Line To Our Catering

19 March 2019

We have just launched a new Dutch line to our catering carts. Poffertjes or baby pancakes. Poffertjes are a traditional Dutch batter treat, probably one of the most unique Dutch Sweet treat, they are small in size and we cook them on a special machine griddle that keeps them golden and fluffy.

They are made with yeast and buckwheat flour batter and have a light, spongy texture of batter resemble baby pancakes, as a sweet treat they are typically served with powdered sugar, melted butter, and eaten with a toothpick that has a Dutch flag on. We carry on the tradition and cook them on traditional poffertjes plaats then serve them in the traditional manner. Coated in butter with a selection of sauces and toppings. Or for a luxury treat you can even have them with strawberries and cream

Although Poffertjes are traditionally seen as a festive treat in the Netherlands and found at the Christmas markets or winter festivals we offer this service all year round! They’re perfect if you want novel delicious treat for your guests or customers. Our machines cook numerous poffertjes at the same time, and we serve 5 or 6 on a tray, which means we can deal with large queues.

Potential New Dutch Line

Due to the popularity of this new Dutch line to our catering carts we are now looking into other possibilities to serve at events.

Pepernoten

These are small gingerbread style cookies, and traditionally are only available around autumn time in the lead up to the traditional Sinterklaas celebrations at the beginning of December. Pepernoten’s are roughly the size of a bottle cap and they come in several different flavors, the most popular being the Kruidnoot which comes served with dark or white chocolate.

Stoofperen

Stoofperen’s are pears soaked in a mix of red wine, sugars and spices. They can be served either cold or warm with a scoop of ice cream. They can traditionally be served as a side dish accompanying meat or as a desert.

Pannenkoeken

These are very popular in other countries across the globe rather than just remotely enjoyed in the Netherlands. They are thinner than the American style pancakes, but thicker than a crepe. The Dutch like to eat these throughout the day rather than traditionally for breakfast

Pannenkoek’s have a concept of pizza served with toppings such as slices of bacon, cheese and apples or raisins. They also traditionally have sugar syrup or powdered sugar on top.

Hire Dutch Poffertjes For Your Events

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Catering, Fun Story

Cops & Doughnuts

3 February 2019

Its been a longstanding joke, especially if you watch Hollywood movies, that cops & doughnuts are intricately linked.

More evidence of this has emerged with a story about a Krispy Kreme truck catching fire. The lexington Police department in Kentucky posted images on social media, of officers in mourning for the loss of the doughnuts.

Police departments across the nation were quick to offer their condolences, with the University of Kentucky Police Department writing “We feel your loss,” . “We donut what else to say.”

Krispy Kreme Respond

The company joined in the spirit of things with their reply;

🙏🏻 We’re thinking of you during this difficult time…and have more doughnuts on the way! 🍩 https://t.co/9hPDMieFa1
— Krispy Kreme (@krispykreme) January 1, 2019

Although the police in any country have a difficult job to do, its nice to remember that they are still, human, and a little humour is never a bad thing, so lets all spare a thought for cops & doughnuts.

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Catering, Fun Story

Sweet Crime Or Punishment

31 January 2019

Sweet Crime

Life in prison can be tough, it’s a form of capturing and rehabilitating criminals to help keep our streets safe. Prisoners are allowed few comforts, food, warmth, pictures of loved ones.

One of the biggest comforts being Cigarettes. A new law was introduced which revealed that smoking in prisons was being banned however. This is for the health and benefit of everyone involved in prison life. Prisons across England, Scotland and Wales have made a commitment to move towards smoke free prisons as soon as possible in a safe and controlled way

Treats For The Inmates

HMP Kilmarnock in Scotland was the first prison to make headlines for their approach to cutting out the cigarettes. A few days after the ban was introduced prison wardens went round the cells with a bag of popcorn and candy floss for each member. Giving the inmates sweet treats, helping them with their cigarette withdrawal cravings. The next night they took red kola and a word search booklets to the prisoners. It surprised many prisoners to find a bag of goodies waiting for them many joking that they were concerned about the weight may put on now. As a result they’d changed their nicotine fix to a sugar fix.

Much praise greeted this move throughout the legal system, everyone knowing it can be hard to kick a cigarette habit . Especially so in a prison environment, hence the offering of sweet treats. To take their mind off the cravings and hopefully help them. Liam Kerr receiving a negative review on this however. Stating that he felt the justice system would become a laughing stock for offering inmates candyfloss and sweet treats, it’s a prison not a holiday home.

We have given our candyfloss and popcorn out at many different events. To many different people for many different reasons. No one asks us for prisons however. I wonder if this will be a new trial that all prisons offer to inmates. I know I wouldn’t turn down free candyfloss or popcorn ever! Is this a sweet treat or a sweet crime?

View more details in the media.

Hire a candy floss cart, or popcorn for your event.

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