Our team members at Hog Roast Aykley Heads often wake up early to get started on a hog roast, as it takes several hours to cook but for an event we catered nearby recently, the serving time was actually at 5am! Durham University’s St Mary’s College asked us to cater their Midsummer Ball, which is their last ball of the year (they have one per term, so three annually). The Midsummer Ball is always the biggest event of the year for St Mary’s College students, and it includes food, dancing, and all kinds of entertainment through the night until 6am when there’s a college photo taken. However, before the photo this year, there would be a scrumptious hog roast provided by yours truly at Hog Roast Aykley Heads.
This year was the fifth year in a row that we catered this amazing event, and with such great repeat custom, we know we must be doing something right! We provided plenty of food for 550 hungry students, with our tasty hog roast rolls definitely doing the trick for the post-celebration munchies. When we make our pigs in buns, it’s after roasting the hog for hours and hours, slowly but surely, and then letting it rest a little while before carving away. We slice off all the crackling to fill trays and do the same with the gorgeous meat, and then stuff bits of both into fresh, floury bread rolls (or wraps, if preferred), top with our own apple sauce and sage and onion stuffing, and let the guests add their own condiments. Then all that’s needed is devouring this piece of heaven!
On the day of the ball, we set up our equipment, serving tables and gazebo in the beautiful college grounds and roasted several hogs to perfection. Just before 5am, the queues began and we got ready for the onslaught of hungry students! Hog Roast Aykley Heads loves filling tummies and making our customers and their guests happy. Mandy, our Head Chef for this year’s event, said that despite the unsociable hours, we’re already looking forward to returning in 2019 for our sixth year!