Eating at Horse Shows?

[Penniless]

Firstly, don't want to be accused of advertising so won't put our website address for it down here (and no, it's not our stud website either), but most of you know that we recently lost our TB stallion and our main showing broodmare, and are about to lose another of our broodmares (the one a lot of you have been asking about), SO - we need to earn some money and have therefore gone ahead and bought ourselves a mobile catering trailer (don't laugh!). We've now got all our qualifications, insurances, permissions, etc, but now need advice from you lot.

We've got our menu sorted (and it won't just be the usual burgers, bacon rolls - we're also doing baguettes and build your own salad, plus veggie options too) but we're having a dispute with our vet as to what soup to offer in winter. Pathetic isn't it - but he got quite carried away when we disagreed with his choice of tomato soup. We said most competitors would go for a chicken soup and roll, but he said no to that. His first choice was tomato and then agreed that his second choice would be chicken noodle soup - so need all your advice. If you're freezing cold at a showground in winter - what soup would you go for? Do hope you don't agree with Ollie, our vet. (He did come out to do a wind test on one of yearlings for Donny sales next week, but aferwards spent too much time in the catering trailer).

Apologise for putting it in the New Lounge but wasn't sure whether to put it in here or Soapbox (nearly said Soupbox then!).

Also, another debate - another friend reckons fried onions have to be with burgers - we disagree and say its just salad. Whose right? Onions surely for hot dogs only!

 

[scotsmare]

Chicken soup or broth.

Onions - personal choice but could be burgers or hot dogs!

Hope you have lots of fun and success with the trailer

 

[GinaB]

To be awkward, I'd rather go for vegetable soup

But yes, if choice was either chicken or tomato, defo chicken.

And yes! You can't have a burger without onions!

 

[itsme123]

Choice of both soups.

If people want fried onions with their burgers, let them.

If you give people choice you'll do well. This is why the likes of Subway do better than the average sandwich shop, because they let you choose what you want instead of having 'pre chosen' ingredients.

 

[hellspells]

Well at our shows you can mix and match and onions and bugers to go in some peoples mind (not mine though!).

On regards to soup. I do disagree with your vet!!! Tomato def or even better would be something really homely like vegetable. Its doesn't have to cost the earth to do (if you plan on doing it yourself!). Good seasonal (and local) veg is great - you may even get a local grower to do you a good deal if you had sign that said 'all veg sourced from.....'

Good luck!!

 

[Hullabaloo]

Sorry - tomato soup for me. Or I wouldn't mind something like carrot and corriander or parsnip. I'm not keen on chicken soup and it means you'd have to do 2 soups if you were going to cater for vegetarians.
Definately onions with the burgers.

 

[cjdjivanovic]

Spicy soups are extra warming (just to throw a whole new ingredient into the mix) ha! ha! Apologies for junior moment.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Onions if wanted!

Soup - if you have a chicken soup you need a veggie option too! There are plenty of yummy veggie soup options that you could go for.

 

[Koda]

I would go with tomato personally. I find it does not run the risk of being tasteless and bland like chicken soup can be when cooked in large amounts at once. But that's just me!

I also LOVE onions on burgers as well as hot dogs. I'd say better to have them than not.
All the best

 

[minerva]

oddly - pumpkin! my sister had a soup stall for a while and that was the overall best seller, she also did a popular chicken noodle both with rolls and butter.
I would have anything going on burgers so yes to onions

 

[PapaFrita]

I wouldn't want onions with burgers, and I think slinky makes a good point about having a veggie option for soup.
Either soup would be fine for me though

 

[GinaB]

Oh and stew would be a good winter seller! I would quicker go for it during the winter

 

[welshied]

if you go for tomato you are catering for vegetarians aswell and i would sooner have tomato than chicken and it would proberbly be more cost efficient for you aswell

 

[TS_]

I'd go for tomato soup (sorry). When I used to ride and help out all day at riding school I took a thermous (sp?) of tomato soup with me + bread/roll = yumm

Do not like chicken soup one bit as it vaires so much from being ok to bland and horrible.
I think offer onions, you don't want to tell people they can't have something as it'll put them off.

 

[minerva]

thats a point, i had "stovies" at the highland game fair and they were Lush - ummmmm could just eat them now

 

[WandaMare]

1st choice Pumpkin, 2nd choice Tomato, 3rd Winter veg.

OH wouldn't come to show unless onions with burger

.

Good luck with your new venture, sounds like could be hard work but hopefully fun aswell

 

[Chico Mio]

Yup, you need a veggie soup or you are immediately cutting your customer base. I'd go with Winter Vegetable or some other such whimisical name. You can use any sort of vegetables and it may never be the same twice, but it would be very economic to make as you could just buy what was on offer. Be careful with potatoes in soup, it tends to go a bit funny if you try and keep it over or freeze it - something to do with the starch I assume.

Of course, if you are offering chicken in salad or rolls and are buying, cooking and stripping whole chickens, you do have the basis of good chicken stock with the carcases, so maybe you could to chicken AND a veggie one!

For me, onions with everything! If I ate burgers I would want them. TBH you could get away with raw onion rings in the salady bit, but fried are nicer and don't take long on the griddle if you pre-boil them.

 

[flowerlady]

Well I'd want Vegetable or Tomatoe (not chicken). Also if you say it will be possibly freezing cold fried onions (not salad in winter summer yes but not dead of winter). or am I misunderstanding.

 

[EmilyRG]

Tomato soup please

And yes, definately onions with the burger

Good luck! x

 

[Ladybird]

I'd go for tomato out of that choice, but my choice would be carrot and coriander.
If you're only doing one soup I'd go with something veggie, keep them quiet lol.
(I have nothing against veggies, I was one until my bacon craving got the better of me)

Onins are def. a preference thing, I'd have them there on offer.

My friends mum has a van she takes to the local shows and seems to do quite well so good luck!

(Oh and I think the kids like to buy their ponies polo's so could be worth having them in stock!)

 

[muffinino]

I was going to say vegetable soup, like a winter vegetable one, before I read all the replies. I like one poster’s idea of doing a deal with a local grower, whereby you get a good deal for saying ‘all veg sourced locally from...’ – that would encourage me to buy, tbh. If you’re only going to do one type, I would say go with a vegetarian one, as you’re not excluding people then. I like the idea of pumpkin but some people may not be adventurous, so you may want to play it safe if you can only do one type and go with veg or tomato.

As for onions, I would give people a choice as I don’t like them but I know many people who would be put out by not having the choice. Plus, even though I wouldn’t have them on my burger, the smell of them cooking would tempt me to the stall to buy as it’s irresistible!

 

[Goya]

Well done on having Baguettes and salads. I get so fed up with burgers,with or without onions!
Just to put a cat among the pidgeons--I prefer mushroom soup! (sorry)

 

[Penniless]

Thanks to you all so far - you are eager to help! Free cup of tea/coffee or chocolate to anyone buying a burger from us when we get started (mind you, you'll have to come to Newmarket/Ely area).

Scotsmare: Thanks for the comments.
GinaB/-Charlie_/hellspells and everyone else: Onions are being offered with everything but for us personally, never known anyone to have burger with salad and fried onions on top of that (what a sheltered life we've led).

Veggie option will always be available as other half of Penniless (Kerry) is a veggie herself, and whatever is left over at the end of the day - we either throw away or eat ourselves. Good job we've got three guards dogs on the yard - sausages, bacon and burgers could be coming their way.

PapaFrita: We're going to keep to the Anglia area for the time being, but when we expand to Argentina - you'll be the first to know.

GinaB: Definitely not a stew. It's bad enough that I am considering tomato soup, when I hate the stuff.

Minerva: We don't have left-overs from our roast, so sorry no "stovies".

The menu is on our website, but will I get into trouble if I put the website address down here for you all to look at? I'll give you a clue - Take the first initial of Kerry - followed by the first initial of Colleen - then follow that up immediately by an abbreviated spelling of Snacks (miss out the cks and replace with an x), finishing with co.uk.

So if anyone gets a chance to look at it - tell us your thoughts. We've done the rounds checking everyones prices out and seeing what's on offer, and know that around here we are no more expensive (sometimes cheaper) than a lot of others. Will log in later tonight to read any more thoughts but now horses are calling.......

Your help is greatly appreciated in helping us with this new venture.

 

[stencilface]

Can you copy the Pret a manger tomato soup recipe - thats just the best soup ever! As are all their soups tbh. Maybe you could do more of a stew/casserole/rissotto that could still be served in a (large) soup cup, but can be slurped or eaten with a spoon? Sometimes a thin soup isn't enough

Wraps are good (falafel for veggies) and make sure you NEVER run out of chips - they ran out at the BRC champs, and I was desperate!! Chips and cheese or mushy peas are my favourite winter warmers - although I am northern - so depends on your demographic!!

 

[ladyt25]

Being a veggie myself I think you'd have to do 2 soups if you want to cater for veggies OR a decent veggie soup. Personally I am not a fan of tomato soups unless they are spicy (ie tomato and red pepper) so i would go somewhere down the line of a minestrone or a sort of curried veg soup (I also find normal 'winter veg' soups a bit bland/too thick!) Maybe that's just me though - I like spice!!!

Depends who much food you want to do i guess. I know chicken soup is popular so if you could do that and one veggie one then great but otherwise as said I would go for something spicy so not a tasteless veg soup.

As for onions - each to their own. I love fried onions so I'd have 'em - on my (veggie) burger!

 

[Penniless]

[ QUOTE ]
Well done on having Baguettes and salads. I get so fed up with burgers,with or without onions!
Just to put a cat among the pidgeons--I prefer mushroom soup! (sorry)

[/ QUOTE ]

We like you! We also get fed up with just the burger type of things and I personally prefer Mushroom soup as well. Now, really am going out to get my horses in

 

[rolyview]

tomato soup for me lol

or a vegetable soup or stew

def onions for burgers tho!!!

 

[ester]

tomato or a really good chunky vegetable soup.

 

[Chico Mio]

Just had a look at the site - looks good and your prices seem very reasonable.

I would suggest changing the word 'in' to 'using' in the line about separate utensils, but that's just me being pedantic.

Cheesy chips -mmmmmmmm sound yummy

 

[Sophiesmum]

Potato & leek or french onion!

Must admit, it's lovely to get something other than traditional burger van fare. Our local show centre(which does have kitchen facilities) does a storming trade in cheese and onion toasted sarnies!

Good luck