FAQ

Why should I choose hog roast catering?

Hog roast catering is such a convenient way to enjoy a party; particularly large ones. It is a cost effective way to feed a lot of guests. Using just one pig, we can serve up to 200 people at a time, you just can’t beat that for convenience or quality. Even if you’re having a smaller party, or a party tailored towards the young ones, hog roast catering is still a brilliant idea. All of our machines can be adapted into your standard barbecue, allowing you to cook your child’s favourite meal, which let’s face it is burgers and hot dogs! There is so much variety you don’t have to cook just pigs. We are convinced you will enjoy our services and we intend to keep it that way.

How much will a hog roast cost me?

Did you know that a Hog Roast can serve up to 200 people using just one pig? With that in mind, it’s perhaps no wonder that hog roast catering is growing in popularity for those wanting to throw large events at small costs, especially when there is so much variety.

We do however price each of our events on an individual basis, taking into consideration a number of factors. For a quote for your event please do complete our online enquiry form and we will be able to have a quote with you either the same day or at the latest the next day.

What is a hog roast?

A hog roast is typically done in one of two ways. First of all, a pig is sourced from a local farm in the West Midlands (usually within ten miles of our base in Nuneaton) and is prepared to be roasted with our signature method to ensure the perfect crispy crackling that everyone loves! However the rest is up to you… you can choose from our wide range of side dishes and salads to accompany your meat to provide your guests with a delicious meal.

Spit roasting V.s Hog roasting

Perhaps one of the more stylish options when enjoying a roasted pig is the spit roast option. This option sees the pig skewered on a metal pole and rotated over a flame for you and all your guests to marvel at. It is certainly an extravagant and entertaining way to roast a pig, and will always create a wonderful atmosphere at any event. The second option is to use one of our hog roast machines as an oven. All of our machines are adaptable in this way. This method is simply known as hog roasting. The pig is placed into the machine and cooked over a low flame until ready. It might now have the ‘wow’ factor as spit roasting, but it is a quick and easy way to get the job done and tastes just as good!

What’s the end result?

The end result when spit roasting or hog roasting is the same – a tasty treat for everyone to enjoy.

Do you cater for vegetarians?

Yes of course, we won’t let anyone go home hungry! As long as we have prior notice we will cater for any dietary requirement. We have some fantastic options available for our vegetarian guests, but the most popular being our grilled vegetable and halloumi skewers. Paired with one of our delicious sauces in a wrap makes a lovely meal for the vegetarian guests. Our skewers can also be prepared for any vegan guests without the halloumi.

Is my venue suitable to have a Hog Roast? 

The answer is most definitely yes, we can cater absolutely anywhere! Throughout our many years of experience, we have catered at hundreds of venues and come across many challenges that we have always overcome. So rest assured that your venue will be suitable for a hog roast, and it’s also very likely that we have catered there before too!

Our machines are designed to travel across any terrain and our catering team is very resilient to ensure that the show will always go on!

Are the machines easy to use if we hired one?

Absolutely, we deliver and collect the machines from your address and can guarantee that our machines are CE marked products, meaning they not only work to the highest standard, but can also be assembled in just ten easy minutes. All of our machines come with instructions detailing how they can be assembled and operated. On delivery your chef will run through a key points with you to make sure you are fully confident in using the machine and creating a fantastic hog roast.

Can you cater for us?

Yes, we can cater for you or you can self cater, it is up to you. Depending on the menu you select, we can provide a catering team and chef to do all the cooking and preparations for you. This is a popular option with a lot of our guests as planning an event can be a tricky and sometimes stressful time. Our catering team however will take care of all that for you, so all you have to do is relax and enjoy the occasion.

What type of events do you cater for?

We cater for any type of event. Birthdays, christenings, anniversaries, wedding receptions, town or church fetes, corporate hospitality and team building exercises and many more. Basically, if you are planning an event in the Midlands that a lot of guests are going to attend, we can cater for that. We can of course cater for low key affairs too, such as more private or intimate events.

How many people does a hog roast feed?

One of the biggest advantages in hog roast catering is that it can serve any number of people. Using just one 50kg pig, added to the variety of accompaniments that we provide, we can serve between 100 to 200 of your guests. Of course, if you were planning something a little more personal, we can simply use smaller pigs to cater for that. We have all the bases covered.

What else can a hog roast machine do?

You might be interested to know that a hog roast machine can be used to cook more than just pigs. You can also use our machines to cook up to thirty five chickens, strip loins or beef joints which gives you that much needed added variety. Our machines can also be adapted into your every day barbecue, meaning you can also cook burgers, hot dogs and other traditional barbecue food, particularly useful if you have children attending.

How long does the pig take to cook?

Depending on the size of the pig, it can take between 6 and 10 hours to cook. Generally the rule is 1 hour of cooking for every 10 kilos of meat.  If we are cooking the pig on site at your event, many factors can adjust the expected cooking time, for example on a summers day, heat loss from the machine will be minimal, therefore, the cooking time can be expected to reduce by an hour, likewise, on a cold winters day, there will likely be an extra few hours cooking time needed. Location can also affect the cooking time, an indoors event will take less time to cook than an event held outdoors, for the same reasons as mentioned above.

How long will you stay at the event?

We will stay at the event for three hours for a standard hog roast, this includes setting up and tidying away, both of which take about half an hour. For larger events and wedding buffets please speak to a member of our team to discuss time scales etc. We will always ensure that we clean the area thoroughly before we leave and take all rubbish with us when we vacate the venue.

What will we need to supply?

You will not need to supply anything, Spitting Pig Midlands will come equipped with everything you have asked of us and all the tools necessary to do the job. On occasion we may ask for an electricity or water supply, but we will ask you about this prior to the event.

What if the weather turns bad before our big event?

The beauty of our machinery is that they can be used to cook and serve inside and outside. There are a number of choices in the event of bad weather. Firstly, with the permission of the venue management, we can cook and serve the pig indoors, all we need is a large, clean and well ventilated area, free of people walking through. (The hog roast machine will become very hot during cooking.) Secondly, we can cook the pig outside and bring it indoors to serve. Lastly, we have a range of marquees which we are more than happy to bring to accommodate our machine and to protect your food. The weather hasn’t managed to stop us yet, in fact, one of our events even saw rain, sleet, snow, hail, wind and sunshine in the matter of hours! Even that didn’t stop us!

Will you provide staff to serve the pig?

Along with your food, there will always be a chef and catering assistant to cook, carve and serve your roast. In addition to this, we can also arrange front of house staff, waiters, waitresses and additional catering assistants for larger bookings.

Are all Spitting Pig staff fully trained?

All of our staff have experience working with the public and have impeccable customer service skills. All food handlers are trained to at least Intermediate Food Hygiene Standards and have all been fully briefed on the importance of Health and Safety in the workplace. All of our staff have been trained and briefed on HACCP and regularly carry out risk assessments at venues. Some of our staff are also fully First Aid competent and have successfully passed the ‘First Aid in the Workplace’ course.

Will the meat be hot throughout the event?

The meat and stuffing will be hot during serving time as they are kept hot by the hot plate beneath the spit roast itself. Crackling will also remain hot throughout this period. We cannot however, guarantee that everyone who wants it will get it!! Crackling is always first come first served!!