Event catering: making time for those finishing touches
Scotts of Carshalton uses Rationals to grow outside catering business
Recently, the outside catering business at Scotts of Carshalton has really taken off. On busy weekends staff can cater for up to twelve big buffets. Scotts has come a long way from the original family business of selling meat from a horse and cart. There are 8 chefs and 16 waiting staff for events, with extras drafted in as necessary, as well as 14 people in the butcher’s shop, deli and kitchen.
“We’ve only got a tiny galley kitchen,” explains Alan Dye of Scotts of Carshalton. “So as we expanded the catering side of the business we needed to choose cooking equipment that could multi-function to give us a wide variety of menu options. We started off with two Rational SelfCookingCenters and have recently got a third – the new whitefficiency model. The Rationals are essential to our operation as space is so tight. We couldn’t do without them.”
All the cooking for the outside catering business as well as the deli counter in the shop, is done using three Rational SelfCookingCenter combi-ovens, one of which is the new SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency. This features HiDensityControl and Efficient LevelControl, functions that deliver outstanding cooking quality while allowing chefs to maximise output, since they can load up to 30% more food into the same size cooking cabinet. Together they also reduce energy consumption by up to 20% and cut production time by up to 30%, compared to previous models.
“Each week we roast about 30 hams and other joints as well as making pies, pastries and baguettes. The pies are completely home-cooked – we make both the filling and the pastry. Overnight roasting is great in the Rational, the joints are perfect every time, with very little shrinkage. We flash roast gammon in honey and brown sugar and can even roast whole suckling pigs. Using the Rationals we can cook beef medium or rare with absolute precision. We are known for the quality of our roasts,” adds Alan Dye.
On busy weekends Scotts can cater for up to twelve buffets. Their special expertise is in lavish gypsy weddings where there are upwards of 100 guests – the biggest one hosted 1000 guests. Some of the popular dishes include marinated chicken portions, hot wings, huge gammon joints, scotch eggs, chicken drumsticks and sausage rolls. At these weddings presentation is paramount and Alan Dye uses his skills at carving fruit and vegetables to make huge, elaborate table displays.
“The SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency is brilliant and so easy to use,” he says. “It means I have time to concentrate on perfecting the presentation – it’s my trademark. The new Rational is fast and has the same temperature from the top to the bottom of the oven. We don’t need to swap the trays about which saves a lot of work. This is invaluable when catering for a big function.”
Another area in which the Rational triumphs is in health and safety compliance. On a recent Public Health inspection the inspectors were impressed with the Rational’s memory stick, which logs everything that has been cooked, making all actions traceable. Being able to download the HACCP information makes it easy to control and report.
“I can only say good things about the Rational SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency,” Alan Dye finishes off. “It is just brilliant. The company itself has given us excellent backup and the Rationals are the only cooking equipment we use now apart from hog roasters and BBQs for outside events.”
For information and brochures, or to arrange to come to a free SelfCookingCenter® whitefficiency® ‘Rational CookingLive’ seminar, contact your dealer, freephone Rational UK on 0800 389 2944 or see www.rational-UK.com. Visit the iPhone store for the Rational SCC Expert App.