Food at Shows and Events etc

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trottingon

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What food would you like/do you like at shows and events?
I am considering buying a catering trailer, and would appreciate your views on what to stock/serve.
If I use myself as an example, I show ponies, and although I love a bacon buttie and cup of tea for breakfast when I arrive, I'd like a bit more variety than chips or a burger for my lunch. I would like more fresh food and healthier options, like wraps, boxed salads,quiche or a baked potato or rice with a decent "homemade" curry or vegetarian chilli, perhaps grilled chicken in pitta with salad, and items such as pieces of fruit.
Sausages and burgers at shows are usually bland and poor quality.
When I have been on various diets over the years, weightwatchers or slimming world etc I have really struggled to get suitable low fat food whilst at shows, so that could be an option.
I'd also like to keep prices reasonable, £3.50 for a bun and 2 pieces of bacon isn't my idea of value for money.
Now unless I go down a specialist route, I am fully aware that (good quality!) burgers, sausages, bacon butties, and chips will be my top sellers, but I am trying to decide what I can serve alongside these that is a little bit different but would be in demand, and am hoping you as the experts will have some ideas?
If you are like me and too busy getting ponies ready to make a packed lunch, what would get your tastebuds working at a show? Who knows, with your help we may just end up revolutionising mobile catering for everyone to enjoy!
 
im vegatarian so I would say anything vegi as i normally end up with either chips or just a bread roll! baked potatoes would be good, paninis or toastys and the most important thing is real coffee!!
 
Although I don't get out to comps very much anymore, when I do, I am VERY restricted to what I can eat as I have a wheat intolerance, and so burgers, sausages, butties, cakes, and sometimes even chips are out of the question. So I would be more than happy wih things like boxed salads and jacket potatoes with a selection of fillings.
 
I'm a skinflint and take a camping stove to make tea and back butties I'm afraid! In these days of cut-backs, and with entries being what they are......one has to do what one can to save the pennies...!

Whatever you do though, don't fry your onions on the same plate as everything else like some do....

UGH!

Good Luck!
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I am in a related trade and fully agree that people want healthier tastier food alonside the old fat-laden favourites.

My only concern for you is not your menu choices but if restricting yourself to shows and events you will make enough to justify keeping the van/trailer unused for the greater portion of the year. It's a big outlay for a few shows. Also, unless it can all be done on board the van, then you will need premises for prep work and storage that fulfil EHO requirements.

Good luck, I weould love to know how this pans out for you.
 
Tea & toast! There was a tea & toast van at one of the music festivals last year, queues were huge! Nothing better mid-morning or afternoon when it's wet :)

Otherwise, I am veggie too and always struggle at shows. Like you mention, I would love to see jacket potatoes, quiche & salad boxes, decent sandwiches & real coffee.

Best of luck with it :)
 
Another vote for something decent veggi, I usually end up with fried onions & plastic cheese slices in a bun. One van used to do this mega vegi fry up in a bun, it was awesome. I think quiche & boxed salads would be good, what about baguettes?? For cold days, home made soup & jacket spuds.
 
My Mum and I always used to talk about doing this as what you get is rubbish at shows.

Deli sandwiches where you can choose nice types of bread and mixture of lovely fillings, home made soup, jackets, stew and roasties etc!

Getting hungry just thinking about it!
 
I wish the vendors would use decent bread and not the bog standard plastic burger rolls also not many have a clue to cook bacon, limp white fat isnt nice, bacon should be crisp if you ask for well done it still only comes almost cooked!!! yes nice baked potatos and the other peeve is crappy tea, a huge mug with milk and a cheep tea bag then some luke warm water added then the bag fished out a few seconds later isnt good , a known brand bag in a mug then milk on the counter for the customer to add is the way to go..
good luck with your plan...
 
I would love hot chocolate made with all milk. Just doesn't taste the same made with hot water and a splash of milk yuk. Food wise jacket spuds with a variety of fillings and pasta (hot & cold)
 
Something vegetarian, and without mushrooms! I'm veggie and the most common veggie options always seem to include mushrooms which I also hate. Normally the only options are chips/cheese in a bun, or those horrible stodgy american muffins that I can only ever eat half of before I throw them away.
 
trottingon said:
I would like more fresh food and healthier options, like wraps, boxed salads,quiche or a baked potato or rice with a decent "homemade" curry or vegetarian chilli, perhaps grilled chicken in pitta with salad, and items such as pieces of fruit.
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exactly these things! you can't beat a jacket potato with chili on a cold or wet autumn day, but on a summer day, a wrap with chicken and salad would be preferable. I guess you'd need to judge the weather on the day as to what you'd sell most of!
A lack of vegetarian food is also a bit of a bug bear.
At my local folk festival they usually have mainly veggie food, and houmous and falafel in a pitta bread with salad, and vegetarian chili nachos with salsa and sour cream are always popular.
we usually have the same catering van at each of the riding club shows we go to, and one person always makes sure she emails and orders her veggie burger the day before as she knows if they sell out there wont be anything else for her to eat!
I think your choice might be limited by how much space you have as well! good luck!
 
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