The heat has had everyone in high spirits, particularly our young whipper-snapper Chesney, who just loves the prospect of a choc-ice beneath the midday sun! Along with Ches, many other of our fully trained and qualified technicians, including Barry who works alongside Chesney, enjoy the prospect of a great summertime in the midst of the Ribble Valley.

            With the summer comes the huge increase in orders for our superb hog and spit roaster machines. Much in demand to take care of all of the hog and spit roast events throughout the nation and beyond, we’re braced for the rush! Having nearly sold out of our stock already, our factory is working flat out in order to keep ahead of the rush. This year, as every year before it in the past ten years, has seen a marked increase in hog roast machine sales from our factory. This is both due to the increases in quality we are committed to making and also an increased awareness as regards the brilliant cooking method embodied within the spit and hog roast. Our work rate has never been quicker and the spirit of pushing to meet our clients needs has helped to galvanise a spirit that is already high due to business being good and the weather being high.

            This summer we are working on a new programme in order to broaden our scope in the realm of hog and spit roasting even further. Although it is the case that our premium burners within the entire range of al of our hog and spit roasters cook pigs and other animals to a beautiful and golden crackly hue, it is true that we want to truly combine history with the present. To do this, we have embarked upon our most ambitious programme yet; the fully controllable charcoal spit and hog roaster. Relying on our huge re-investment into the research and development of this project, we aim to take the best from the charcoal roaster (which is the unmistakable char-grilled flavour as well as the vast enhancement as regards the theatrical display at an event) and combine it with ultra-modern features, such as mobility and, crucially, our ability to control the heat levels produced in a real-time fashion. This, my friends, is no mean feat.

            First of all, we wish to maintain our quality levels, so any product we produce in this format must be at least as reliable as our most well-known commercial gas hog roasters. The challenges are surprisingly huge. First of all, the nature of utilising such a fuel as charcoal is that once its hot, its hot. The lack of apparent scope to alter the heat levels once the charcoal has reached its optimum temperature is something that our technicians and engineers have really had to ponder for some time. Also, the machine must retain the same levels of mobility, ease of use, versatility and build quality that have made us synonymous with the exquisite. At no point did we wish to think of taking any steps back in order to move forward.

            Yet, in order to truly master the arena of the hog roast, it was always apparent that we had to make a machine that was capable of combining every classical element of the scenario. And coal is pivotal in this. Many caterers would like to see a machine of this sort, yet we are fully aware that none were expecting such an ambitious approach housed within keeping the temperature levels under continuous control, whilst also maintaining all of our design and manufacture commitments. The level of ambition has, indeed, been high. But we would have it no other way.

            The charcoal roasters have passed their theoretical design stages and are now in the rigours of continuous testing. Throughout this programme, the machines are intensively used, over and over again and in varying conditions. With such testing, it will become apparent just how effective these machines are, and also ascertain, to some extent, how much impact they will have on the catering market. We have included a lot of consultation from our friends and affiliates in the catering industry, both mobile and static, and the results so far show a huge degree of promise. Where many still don’t see the benefits of using charcoal (as workload is slightly increased on behalf of the respective caterer) and this is understandable enough, many of our caterers feel that in order to maximise on the whole sensory experience of the hog roast, real burning coals would be a real bonus.

            So here’s for this summer and the World Cup. Our charcoal roasters are impressing in every aspect of the preliminary tests, lets hope, in testing, that the field test results tally with goals and victories!