We at Big Roast are proud of the delicious and varied canapé choices we offer. We suggest three to four canapés per person served perhaps an hour before the

main Hog Roast meal and we of course supply a waiter or waitress to serve them from a tray.

We have created a menu to cater for all tastes. We offer meat based choices like our ‘ Lamb Kofta Balls with a Minty Yoghurt Dip, or Vegetarian based like our ‘ Green Pea and Parmesan Mini Quiches and of course fish choices like our ‘ Mini Tartlets filled with Smoked Salmon Mousse’.

All our canapés are freshly and individually prepared just before the event and transported in custom made containers to ensure that these delicious but delicate treats arrive in perfect condition at the event venue.

We decided on  ’ Porchetta’  as the Italians know a thing or two about food and they certainly know what herbs and spices work with Pork.

What we do is coat the pork loins with a Porchetta ‘ rub ‘ made from fennel, garlic, rosemary and lemon. The loin is then left to marinate for at least 24 hours by which time the herbs and spices have become infused in the meat but it is when we start to cook that the real magic starts.

The slow roasting over the charcoal Spit lets the meat juices take the herbs deep into the meat giving it extra succulence and of course that special Italian flavour.

After cooking we let the meat rest and once carved we drizzle over a Rosemary and Lemon sauce to complete this delicious and different kind of Hog Roast.

There are many reasons why a Whole Hog isn’t the appropriate package, usually because it serves up to 120, so although ideal for larger events it certainly isn’t ideal for more intimate gatherings of around 30.

This is where a Lamb Roast comes into it’s own as a Whole Lamb Roast, serves up to 45 making it the ideal choice for smaller parties wanting a complete animal as the centrepiece of their event.

Lambs are obviously much smaller than a fully grown hog which is certainly an advantage when it comes to cooking times. A Whole Lamb roast can be cooked in 2.5 hours as opposed to the 6 required for a Hog.

Big Roast roasts their lambs very simply with only salt and Rosemary as seasoning and we believe it is the better for it, allowing the delicate taste of lamb to come through. We serve this simple but delicious roast with Mint sauce.

South London has always been the ‘ Poor Relation ‘ to North London which is a complete mystery as South London, in our opinion, has it all.

Big Roast have done Hog Roast events beside or in the shadow of some of South London’s spectacular settings. Richmond Park, Battersea Park, the 02 Arena are just some locations unequalled anywhere else in London.

Being less crowded than north of the river allows it to be more green and leafy with wider tree lined streets a norm and private gardens much, much bigger than those of  their northern neighbours.

These much larger gardens enable or clients to book large Hog Roast events without hesitation and of course from our point of view this usually means easier access and choice of set-up areas.

South London has one main advantage and that is the luxury of space.

One of the main issues when choosing a package seems to be the time required to prepare and cook it.

Usually private house parties don’t have these issues or problems as the host or hostess is usually there getting the house ready for there guests and therefore there to welcome our chef but preparation and cooking times can become an issue when the event is being held in an outside venue and with perhaps access only being allowed a few hours before the guests arrive.

It is because of this that we offer the choices we do with a Whole Hog requiring our chef to arrive 7 hours before serving time, our Spit Roasts requiring 4 hours and our Barbecue option requiring about an hour.

We at Big Roast are happy to discuss any issues our clients may have as we are certain we have the solution.

Battersea is of course is one of the best known parts of London thanks to it’s iconic landmark, known throughout the world,

Battersea Power Station. Unfortunately the power station has fell into a very sad state of disrepair thanks to years of squabbling between various business interests and the planners but nevertheless it is still a dramatic backdrop to a vibrant, developing borough.

Big Roast do a variety of Hog Roast  events throughout London but for some reason our clients in Battersea seem to favour our Spit Roasts which are 2, 3 or 4 Pork or Lamb Loins roasted over an open charcoal spit.

Maybe they are attracted by the flexibility our Spit Roasts offer as it’s possible to have either Pork, Lamb or a mixture of both with 2 Pork and 1 Lamb Loin being the most popular.

The benefit of these mixed packages is that our clients can offer their guests a choice of meat while still be assured of the Crackling which for a lot of people, is the star of a Hog Roast event.

The Big Roast team were happy to celebrate their 50th Chelsea Hog Roast at a private party  last week. This makes Chelsea our top borough for Hog Roast events with Fulham coming a close second this season with 47 events.

Being based in Wimbledon means Chelsea is one of our neighbours and therefore a popular destination for our chefs as travel time and stress is reduced dramatically. As Chelsea is one of the smallest boroughs in London, in fact the second smallest, it may seem surprising that it came out top for number of Hog Roast events this year but then again although one of the smallest it also happens to be the most densely populated borough in the whole of the UK which may go some way in explaining the statistics.

Kensington & Chelsea, to give it it’s full title, covers the Notting Hill area which of course stages the biggest street party inEurope, the Notting Hill Carnival and we at Big Roast have many regular clients who book their Hog Roast with us during the Carnival.

These are always lively affairs with the noise, music and constant bustle of people in the streets giving a unique atmosphere to these private parties. A little known fact  is that Kensington & Chelsea has the highest life expectancy inLondon, 83.1 years for men and 87.2 for women. So a big thankyou from the Big Roast team to the 50 clients from Chelsea who booked their Hog Roast events with us this season.

Almost half of our Hog Roast events are corporate affairs, better known as Office parties.

We are usually contacted by someone from a company who has been landed, without any experience,

of organizing a staff party for 150 colleagues and it is with great relief when they realize that we can take over and fulfill all their catering needs.

Once we know the number of guests, number of vegetarians and if there are any religious requirements to take into account, we can get to work.

We suggest the best salad combinations, the most practical vegetarian options and of course, the choice of meat.

Big Roast also offer plates and cutlery eitherChinaor paper and we can also provide extra staff when required, to help serve drinks etc.

It is because of this ‘ one stop for all ‘ service that Big Roast is a corporate favourite.

There was a time when the only Vegetarian option offered  was some old nonsense like a ‘ cabbage burger ‘  or the infamous ‘ nut cutlets’.

But today we at Big Roast are happy to be able to offer a wide selection of Vegetarian quiches, tarts, stuffed tomatoes, stuffed  peppers , frittatas and tortillas.

All choices are served as individual full portions with only the tomatoes and peppers served in twos.

The only problem we have when doing a Hog Roast event with  Vegetarian options is actually keeping the meat-eaters away as all our choices are both delicious to look at as well as to eat.

Big Roast are proud to be able to accommodate all tastes and requirements.