HOG ROAST CATERING IN CRAWLEY & ALL SUSSEX AREAS ON A HIRE BASIS FROM THE LITTLE CRICKET
Sometimes, the catering can become a big part of the event itself. Hog roast hire is about more than stepping up for food, eating it, then moving on to the next thing. It adds a sense of theatre to a gathering or a get-together, and your guests play a role in the experience. You could well have attended a hog roast yourself in the past and enjoyed the experience, or might be hosting an upcoming event but feel uncertain about whether or not a hog roast will be the best choice.
The Little Cricket specialises in hog roast catering and, if you have questions to ask, will be able to provide straightforward answers so that you can reach the right decision sooner.
You will want to know how many people one hog will feed, or what happens if there are more or fewer guests attending than expected. How long does it take to cook a hog, and when can The Little Cricket be at the venue to set things up? When will the food be ready for hungry guests?
Leave the responsibility with us and focus on other things.
The Little Cricket sees hog roast hire as an interactive guest experience and we have previously provided catering for a wide range of events in Crawley and the surrounding Sussex area.
We require access to the venue long before the guests arrive but will work to your schedule and never mind arriving earlier in the day if needed. Because we use commercial-grade equipment, roasting the entire hog will typically take 6 to 8 hours but if an event expects a larger number of guests, then cooking a much bigger hog will sometimes take up to 12 hours of roasting time.
If this is how long you need us on-site cooking, then this is how long we will be there.
To make hog roast catering cost-effective, The Little Cricket recommends guest numbers of at least 50 people but can upscale easily if you are inviting larger numbers by sourcing a bigger hog or roasting two or more. The most important thing of all is that we have your hog freshly cooked and ready to serve when guests arrive at the venue and are ready to start eating.
We strongly advise being accurate in estimating how many people will be attending.
If a few more people arrive than expected, there will still be enough to go round but there is only so much we can do if those numbers keep increasing once your event gathers pace.
HOG ROAST HIRE | MAKING CATERING PART OF THE EVENT
It isn’t unusual to worry about hog roast hire being appropriate for your event, but we rarely find this to be the case once things are in motion. While the event itself will be the focal point of the gathering, a hog roast becomes a part of it. Guests can watch the hog turning and the aromas lend their own sense of anticipation. And as appetites start to grow, so does the excitement.
Why?
Because with traditional catering, food is usually encountered for the first time when somebody steps up to order it. Roasting a hog is a different type of experience because it can begin hours before anybody actually eats. For guests who have never attended an event of this type in the past, there is a genuine sense not just of seeing something new but also of active involvement.
Should you have any guests attending who prefer not to eat meat, please let us know and The Little Cricket will do whatever is reasonably possible to try and find a suitable alternative.
If you have concerns about the weather, you can still use The Little Cricket for hog roast hire.
While it is important to check with the venue first, the cooking takes place outside but food can be brought inside for your guests to eat if it is permissible. We will require a flat, wide and step-free access point so we can bring carving trays and plates to an indoor serving table.
We will need an outdoor area of at least 10ft x 10ft to set up our equipment. All staff involved in your hog roast catering service will have a Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety Certificate.
Your food will be served to you by a member of staff, in a roll with the choice of apple sauce or crackling, or both, and we will remain at your event for as long as you need us to be there. The Little Cricket also oversees the clean-up and, should there be any leftovers, we portion these so they can be handed to guests who might want to take food home and relive their experience.
The client has the option of covering the bill, or we can take money on the day.
HOG ROASTS FOR A WIDE RANGE OF EVENTS
Although hog roast hire is a more unusual catering choice for some event organisers, there can be no doubt that many local gatherings are well-suited for this service. We have catered for a wide range of events in Crawley and the surrounding Sussex area, including heraldry, heritage and historically themed nights. We have also attended many village fêtes and county shows.
A night built around history and medieval reenactments draws attendees back to days of olde, and this style of catering is the natural atmospheric fit. With village fêtes and county shows, a hog roast can bring the community together. It creates a focal point. The food is informal, and people can eat while enjoying everything else that is happening around them.
Bonfire Night is another celebration where our hog roasts work well as a catering choice, as are festivals, late summer or early autumn events held outdoors, weddings, milestone celebrations and other occasions where the informal setting encourages people to mingle and interact.
And for our corporate clients who normally opt for something a little more professional during a formal event, hog roast catering has proven popular on staff appreciation days, company anniversaries, family days, product launches and informal networking events. These are more suitable for hog roast catering because staff will be more relaxed and expected to let their hair down. Our set-up creates a natural focal point and also gives people somewhere to gravitate.
This service has also proved popular at charity events and fundraisers.
Wherever the setting, and whatever your needs, The Little Cricket helps you to host the event so the food leaves a lasting impression and guests remember how well you put things together.