Early morning starts are a bit rougher at this time of year. The cold bites, the sky is still pitch black and it feels like the middle of the night even by the time we get going. But you know what we say: anything for our clients. And we really do mean it.
So when the lovely team at Huws Gray, a building supplies specialist here in Newbury, invited Hog Roast Newbury along to cater for 75 guests on the 21st of October, we were delighted to get involved.
With the client opening their doors at 7am, they were keen to have us in, serving breakfast shortly after the team had finished setting up, so we kept things simple with bacon rolls, served hot and fresh with a selection of sauces to finish them off. Disposable plates meant the guests could grab their food and go, which kept the queue short and let everyone get back to work.
Meanwhile, a whole hog was cooking away quietly in the background, getting ready for the next food service at 11am. As the meat sizzled and spat, its juices dripped into the chafing tray below, where our sage and onion stuffing was waiting to soak up every last drop. (Yes, it’s as good as it sounds.) As serving time crept closer, we kept ourselves busy by whipping up a bowl of applesauce to accompany the pork, plus grilled vegetable kebabs and hearty BBQ pulled jackfruit, so the non-meat-eaters had something just as tempting to enjoy.
Before we knew it, the area around our setup was buzzing again, with 75 hungry guests following their noses towards those mouth-watering aromas. Not wanting to keep them waiting any longer than necessary, Hog Roast Newbury wasted no time getting the carving knives out, separating the crispy crackling from the juicy meat and piling both onto soft buns with applesauce and that gorgeous stuffing. It’s the ultimate sandwich combo – and nobody argued.
Whether they were meat-lovers or devout vegans, every guest found something to their liking. In fact, by the time we packed away our kit that afternoon, there was barely a crumb left to show for it – and that’s the sign that always lets us know we’ve done a good job.
So yes, early starts are hard. But when the results look like this? They’re well worth it.
If you’re planning a staff event, a site open day or any workplace get-together, get in touch with Hog Roast Newbury and let’s talk food.