Thirty years of catering and Hog Roast Petworth is yet to find an event that a slow-roasted hog doesn’t improve. Birthday in the back garden? Hog roast. Black-tie wedding reception? Hog roast. Someone’s nan turning 80 in a village hall? Absolutely, without question, a hog roast.
It sounds like a bold claim but we stand by it entirely. There’s something about the sight – and smell – of a whole pig turning on the spit that just lifts the mood of a place. People gravitate toward it. Conversations start around it. It becomes the centrepiece before a single plate has been served.
So when a client rang up to say they were throwing a barn dance for 150 people, our immediate thought was: well, this is going to be a good one.
Hog Roast Petworth’s catering manager Olly took the lead, and if you know Olly, you’ll know that “rise to the occasion” is basically just his default setting. He started with a whole free-range pig – sourced responsibly, because the quality of the animal is where it all begins – and had it cooking low and slow from the afternoon through to the 7:30pm serving time. That’s the kind of patience that pays off. By the time guests were lining up, the pork was pulling apart effortlessly, the skin had gone that deep, golden shade that makes people fight over the last piece.
Served in soft buns with stuffing, applesauce and proper crispy crackling, it was the sort of food that brings a barn to a brief, appreciative silence before the noise picks back up again.
Alongside the hog, we had mixed salad and coleslaw on offer – fresh, punchy and exactly what you want to balance out the richness of the pork. These weren’t afterthoughts. Just actual sides worth going back for.
As for the guests skipping meat, we rustled up grilled vegetable kebabs loaded with chunky fresh veg, optional halloumi, sweet chilli sauce, flatbreads and tzatziki. Colourful, flavourful and not a bland compromise in sight.
Everyone danced, everyone ate well and – we’re fairly confident – everyone slept soundly afterwards.
Got an event coming up? Whatever it is, we’ve got a hog roast that fits. Get in touch with Hog Roast Petworth and let’s talk.