Supplier Spotlight

Event Catering from The Land Doughver

I’m very pleased to shine the Supplier Spotlight on another of our favourite suppliers today. Event catering is a very important part of any celebration or party. We want you to be thrilled with your suppliers for your event. And that’s why only people we know and trust are on our preferred suppliers list. I have always found James and Pete from The Land Doughver great to work with. Just as importantly, their pizzas are mouthwatering, and they are frequently trying new taste combinations to go alongside old favourites! I found their chilli & lime absolutely sublime!

To give you more of an insight into their event catering business I asked a few pertinent questions:

Name & Business Name

James, The Land Doughver

Area You Cover

Mainly Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, but we do travel further afield for certain events.

Any Awards You’ve Won

We have been asked, but we have not as yet entered any award competitions, mainly due to them being held in the ‘peak season’ when we are just too busy. Maybe we will enter some soon and see how it goes.

Describe Your Style

Rustic and Relaxed with an underlying attention to detail.

How did you get into your event catering business? What inspired you?

Back in 2018 a very good friend of ours, Mike (affectionately known as ‘Chi-Chi’) sadly passed away after a battle with cancer. He was a larger than life character and the heart and soul of any event or party. In true form, a party was held to celebrate his life. Catering for this party, a mobile wood fired pizza van. Mike often said that life was only worth living to the full and to take any opportunity that came your way. With this in mind and a healthy push of emotion and a belly full of pizza, the cogs began to turn. The following morning with this thought now all consuming, a quick search on Ebay found the perfect vehicle – a Land Rover Defender 110. A call to my good friend, and now business partner Pete, confirmed this should become more than just an idea. Neither Pete nor myself had any experience in catering. With a banking and engineering background we both knew this was going to be a monumental learning curve. We purchased the Land Rover and after several months of preparation, learning and practicing, our business began to take shape. Our Landy, now nicknamed ‘Chi-Chi’ in honour of our good friend, has now become a regular at weddings and events all over the south.

What do you like about working at Great Betley Farmhouse?

Two areas we consider vitally important when working at any venue are the people we work with and the setup of the venue. Great Betley farmhouse excels at both. Kim and her team are professional throughout, providing a personal approach to every event from weddings to corporate. You really feel it is far more than a business for them and that no detail is overlooked. The venue itself is stunning, with the old country, family owned farmhouse and the acres of serene and beautiful fields, ideal for any special occasion.

Having worked with Kim on several occasions we would not hesitate to recommend Great Betley Farmhouse to anyone looking to hold an event. You will not be dissapointed.

At Great Betley we encourage sustainability and being environmentally friendly, how does your business support that ethos?

Sustainability and being environmentally friendly is very close to our hearts at The Land Doughver. Whilst you may think a wood fired oven is not particularly eco-friendly, we source all our logs from sustainable sources. Our suppliers are part of the ‘One tree planted’ scheme. For every order placed, a new tree is planted. All logs are checked by us to ensure the moisture content is below 20%. This ensures a far cleaner burn with less pollutants. We are working hard to phase out all plastics and to use only biodegradable and compostable packaging. All our plates and napkins are biodegradable, and any bottles we use are made of recycled and fully recyclable plastics.

We try to avoid any food waste by carefully managing our food orders and only ordering what is required. Any leftovers are distributed to local organisations to distribute among those less fortunate.

What advice would you give to couples to help them to plan and enjoy their celebration in respect of your business?

Where possible use reputable suppliers and companies with a proven track record. Such companies should help make organising your big day as simple as possible. Organising a wedding can be a huge undertaking, so allow your suppliers and organisers to take some of that pressure away, so you can concentrate on the finer details. We realise that budgets can be tight, but don’t necessarily go for the cheapest options on paper, as these may cost you more in the long run, both financially and time wise.

At The Land Doughver, we aim to provide an all encompassing approach, using our experience to provide you with a stress free, relaxed, yet high end catering option. From enquiry to delivery, we will work with you to ensure your big day is one to remember for all the right reasons.

Photo credits:

https://www.scottcarneyphotography.com/

https://www.olivejoyphotography.co.uk/