Beware of Imitations

Both hog roasts and bar services can be overdone, with disasterous effects. The Hog Roast Service is Rutland's premiere al fresco catering service. You can trust us to get everything right for you on your big day.

Our Catering History
Jenny and John ran a popular country gastro-pub and funtions facility in Buckinghamshire before moving to Rutland.

They also farmed a 5 acre small holding on which they reared their own livestock and grew vegetables for their restaurant. Using their home-reared rare-breed pigs they provided regular hog roasts in the pub's extensive gardens.

Jenny was head chef; John was responsible for the bar trade but also founded The Hog Roast Service. This provided an al fresco dining experience independent of the restaurant's main kitchen. The Hog Roast Service grew in popularity and the rest is history.


Introducing The Team

As licensee and Head Chef Jenny Warrington ran a traditional country kitchen specialising in game dishes through the winter months. These included offerings from 'the keeper's bag', i.e. birds and animals that needed to be culled but were not considered game: rooks, squirrels etc.

Jenny's restaurant offered a challenging selection of game, but through the closed season she earned a reputation for fresh fish specials. Her philosophy with seafood was to buy the best and serve it simply.

Lobsters, cock crabs and eels were regularly bought in live.



  


Game Just Arrived At The Door...

  

For a chef with a game kitchen every morning at the Warrington's pub was like Christmas morning. Anything could be hanging from the hooks that lined the wall outside the kitchen door.

On other occasions the 'guns' would collect in the bar and hang a few brace from hooks in the fireplace.

Al Fresco Celebrations

  

John redeveloped a former games room into a dining louge and opened it up to the gardens which he landscaped to accommodate events. For seated parties, in excess of 100 guests, marquess were provided and linked to the pub, n.b. the covering in the photograph is not a tiny marquee but the housing for a rodeo bull.



Functions And Events

  

The pub was one of very few in the locale that had the capacity to hold wedding receptions, functions and events in its dining rooms. As such Jenny & John made events catering a major part of their business.

We thank the bride in these pictures, Rachael Coles, for the following comments:

"Jenny & John hosted our wedding reception for us. We had a really memorable day which was mainly down to Jenny & John and their team for whom nothing was too much trouble. The food was great and our guests were made to feel so welcome and relaxed - we had a lot of comments afterwards about how well hosted the wedding had been - everyone (young and old) had a fabulous time.
"Jenny & John also hosted a Sunday lunch party for us after the Christening of our baby girl, Sophie, when again we had a wonderful day.
"Congratulations on your special day - I'm sure you will have a wonderful party with Jenny & John looking after you.
"Kind regards
"Rachael Coles"





Never one to split hares, John ensured that these were prepped and jugged as a pair


  

John developed the pub's reputation for serving fine ales at their best and his cellar work was recognised by the CAMRA Good Beer Guides, 2008/9 & 10.

He was also 'The Countryman' of the pub in that it was he that encouraged fur and feather to be brought in, and it was he that would convert it into kitchen-ready meat.

More Fur and Feather...

  

In shooting country the culling of pest species tends to take place at the end of the season, so as not to disturb the game.

The omnipresent rabbits and pigeons tend not to appear on the food market before February, but
their culinary merits are massively undestated. These are some of the finest meats with the greatest character. When they are prepared by somebody that loves their craft you will be spoilt for many of the birds that are considered to have more pretige.

The American Invaders...

  

On our neighbouring estates there has been a move to eradicate the north American grey squirrel to enable our indiginous reds to reestablish themselves. As ever we consider it criminal to kill and to waste. If an animal has to be culled then our kitchen was there to accommodate in the recycling process.

Also from America the signal crayfish is taking over our inland waterways and destroying our native fauna.




  

Laura has been an invaluable member of Jenny & John's team. She is a criminology graduate and her great passion is for eventing, a sport at which she really is rather good. It was our delight that she was able to fit us in between the two.

Now we are living just minutes from Burghley, we hope we may be invited to offer our services there, and may see Laura competing... Indeed we hope to get the opportunity to serve her a pork bap so exciting it will make her event...

Having moved up from Hertfordshire we were of course Sarries fans, but we'd moved into the heart of Saints country. Laura's family even have a box at Franklins Gardens and she is known to skive off with some consistency on important rugby dates. Now we find ourselves in Tiger's country where they still think that The Men In Black go around in dark glasses looking for three-eyed monsters.


  

Emily enjoyed great popularity in the Globe’s restaurant, being a very efficient and personable waitress. She provided an excellent back up for Jenny in the kitchen, where she collated all the ingredients chef would want, and cleared those that were no longer needed without ever having to be asked. Emily made up starters, plated-up mains and prepared puddings.

John told her repeatedly not to squander her life on education, but youngsters never listen... Emily is going from college into International Relations. She is pictured practicing the latter in Peterborough, sorry, Tanzania: can you spot Emily?


  

Sally joined the team in recent months and has delighted us with her hard-working ethos, common sense and adaptability. She has taken on the toughest kitchen jobs and, when Jenny took time out at Whittlebury, and left John in charge of the kitchen (silly girl), on what should have been a quiet time, but wasn’t, Sally adapted immediately to the challenge. She took on Emily’s role and, with no instruction whatsoever, assumed control of the restaurant and began expertly plating-up dishes and orchestrating service to the tables.

Sally is a sailing sort of sailing stock and recently went on a sea cadet's jolly sailing the tall ship Atlantis. She has yet to tackle Rutland Water though, with Jenny & John taking on a modest version of a tall ship there, she could get an opportunity.


Ian is extremely lucky to be Laura’s other half, and we are very lucky that she introduced him to the team. Ian is the mainstay of our beer festivals along with many of our functions and events.


The Rutland Team: Josh, Sophie & Amie
The Rutland Team: Josh, Sophie & Amie.


Telephone: 07730810635 / 01572737581 Email: john@thehogroastservice.co.uk The Hog Roast Service @ 2015