Spit Roasting - Approved Machinery

Why is Hog Roast Direct contacted repeatedly by previous and new clients ?

The answer is very simple ........

Back in the summer of 2001 the boss Peter Stuart was asked to organise a Divorce Party (oddly enough) and could not find a professional Company to attend this function.

After realising that there were a few guys out there "playing at it" he gave up his Information Technology career and went back to catering which he has be involved in since he was 14 years old. Taking a long term position and providing a top service to the public and Corporate clients he says "it's a tough business to be in. In high season we have to work though the night often to ensure everything is ready and fresh"

Working over a three year period with his manufacturer of spit roast machines, they perfected a purpose built machine. Peter now operates the biggest fleet of CE approved Spit Roast & BBQ machines in the UK used for outside catering.

With a fleet of refrigerated vehicles and the ability to feed 7,000 people during a 12 hour day from the BBQ side of the business, and 8,000 guest portions over the same period (simultainiously) of Hog Roast, that puts him and his hard working seasonal staff of 40, firmly the number one outside catering company in the UK.

Peter says ....."The client is tired of unreliable and uninsured "garage lock up caterers". Finding a manufacturer of CE and Type approved machines was a tough one. I got a prototype built and shipped over from Cypress. It was important to offer a 100% reliable service with machines that would produce excellent results time after time"

"Top London catering Companies are now using us for high profile clients in Westminster and surround areas. Having a chat to Members of Parliament and TV celebrities is something that is very interesting, we don't always talk about the crackling"

In 2002 we introduced a DIY spit roast service. 12 months later our success story brought guys (cowboys) frantically knocking up tin devices with dangerous electrics and leaking gas systems, calling them spit roast machines. They advertise all over the Internet and under cut our prices, which is good for us, as they rarely get used again.

Many of these guys don't turn up on the day, some of them cancel their catering job a few days before the booked event. The most worrying situation is that they are uninsured and using potentially dangerous non CE Approved or Type approved spit roasting machines.

To top it all, many of these cowboys sit at home watching the TV while the animal is cooking in their garage. The following day they deliver it and re-heat it. This I understand is called "pre-cooked", but of course we don't know when it was cooked or left over from do we ?

Trading Standards are now so concerned with the increase of these cowboys that there is debate and action being taken as we speak.

After consultation with the authorities Peter has learnt that an interesting situation may occur..........

If you hire a non-CE or Type Approved machine, and if the caterer has any insurance, (which is doubtful) an insurance policy in the caterers possession becomes null and void.

Should a guest have an accident or injury, the guest would then look to the caterer, (who is now uninsured) and then look to the host for compensation. It would be at the discretion of the hosts insurance company as to whether of not they "paid out". If they declined the guest would be within their rights to go after the client and try to prove negligence, putting the client's worldwide assets at risk.

This is from the Department of Trade and Industry .........."If you fail to comply then you will be obliged to take your product off the market, and you may also be liable to a fine and/or imprisonment".

There is a good old fashioned saying "you get what you pay for".