Turning 100 years old is quite an achievement! While living to see your hundredth birthday is becoming increasingly common, centenarians still only make up 2.5% of the total UK population, meaning it’s not often we get to celebrate a three-digit birthday at Hog Roast Smethwick!
So, when Abby reached out to us a few weeks ago to ask if we would do the honours of catering for her dad, Tommy’s 100th birthday, we couldn’t say yes fast enough!
It turns out the whole family had chipped in to make the occasion as amazing as possible, so Abby was able to hire a function hall at a very swish hotel for the evening, as well as a few rooms for those travelling from afar. She also had plenty of room left in the budget for one of Hog Roast Smethwick’s more detailed menu plans – the Hog Roast Dining Experience, which includes canapes and desserts, along with two main-course options, sides and a meat-free dish.
Our catering manager, Lee, was in charge of making sure everything about the service was seamless for the client, so he and the team made sure to arrive at the venue well before the guests did. Using their time wisely, Hog Roast Smethwick’s crew set up all of our cooking equipment at the back corner of the hall so as not to get in the way of the celebrations.
Next, they fired up the Hog Masters and immersed a full-size pig, which had been scored, rubbed with salt and doused in water, in our homemade sage and onion stuffing. This creates the well-seasoned flavours that our pigs are renowned for!
While the pork sizzled and spat on the grill, Lee and the team quickly rustled up side salads, buttered new potatoes and gourmet coleslaw, along with canapes, which consisted of chicken satay skewers, an Indian selection, roasted duck, smoked Scottish salmon and mini quiches. They also cooked handmade beef burgers and vegetable and halloumi kebabs on the grill to give the guests some extra options to choose from.
When the party kicked off at 6pm, Hog Roast Smethwick made sure that Tommy was the first to receive a plate of our delicious food, followed by the rest of the guests!
Everyone was over the moon with the assortment of foods on offer, and by the time it came to dessert, the group were singing Hog Roast Smethwick’s praises!