At Pavilions of Harrogate we love food and we know food plays an important role in events.
Our in-house caterers, Kings Catering Company have been with us for 27 years. Ian is incredibly passionate about food and serving the very best to our clients.
Ian has visited over 300 local producers so he can be sure where his produce is coming from and he also cooks all of his food on the day. He is a big believer in “live cooking” which means your meal is served to your table, straight from the oven.
We caught up with Ian to find out a little bit more about what inspires him and we also asked him to share one of his recipes with us.
Q. How long have you been a chef for and why did you want to become a chef?
A. 42 years. I decided to become a chef and I’m passionate about food and I like making people happy and the two go together really well!
Q. What has been your most memorable event at the Showground?
A. I love doing the Business Club Lunches and enjoy the challenge of catering for big numbers. These events always have around 500 people attending. I also love the Great Yorkshire Show, who doesn’t?! My team and I thrive on the challenge of it, from the build up through to the live days.
Q. Favourite dish to cook?
A. Sticky toffee pudding! My recipe is top secret and made using all local ingredients for that extra bit of luxury.
Q. Why do you use local suppliers?
A. Using local suppliers means we support the local economy. I’ve also built relationships with them over the years which means I get a reliable service and quality products. One of the biggest challenges we are facing in a post Covid world is balancing and adapting to supply issues. Suppliers don’t carry the stock like they used to but having good relationships with my suppliers means that they will always try and help me.
Ian very kindly gave us his meringue recipe – easy to make and tastes delicious! All ingredients are available from Fodder, our farm shop.
Ian’s fool proof meringue
Ingredients
100g of egg free range whites – Ian uses local supplier Ian Taylor
200 g of granulated sugar
To serve
Double Cream – Ian uses local supplier Dales Dairies
Fresh berries
Fruit coulis
Method
Whisk egg whites until very stiff, add in the sugar and whisk again, then pipe onto grease proof paper and leave in your warming drawer or cool oven overnight, you can make nests or swirls
Then fill with whipped Dales Dairies double cream (or another brand) and fresh berries and pour over fruit coulis. A great easy dinner party pudding it’s also gluten free!
