SM leaders' resources Catering 101 | Page 2

BE PREPARED: Glenarm is a wonderful, picturesque spot. There is no convenient Pizza delivery, fast food joints or big city shops. Yes, you will have the all new GRUBHUB and some very fancy onsite vendors - but with a little bit of forethought (and clever delegation!) you could probably tackle some group catering more easily than you think! and it doesn't have to be pot noodles and beans. You can go to places that sell expensive expedition food. Open the packet, add water and heat. Or you can cook for yourself. It is not difficult, it just needs a bit of planning and preparation! Follow these simple tips and you can eat well, and spend less time at camp preparing and cooking. To save time washing and tidying why not bring disposable plates and cutlery. You know that the plates/bowls/cups/cutlery are clean before you use them AND you don’t have to get them washed – or have the problem of lost or broken crockery or cutlery! Large, cheap food containers are easy to get in most large super markets. They help to keep the food clean and tidy. You can prepare much of what you will eat at home (or get some one else to do it) and then pack it and bring it ready to cook. No need for peeling, slicing etc, nor for dumping waste from onions, peppers, salads, fruit etc! There are no fridges or freezers at Summer Madness – so thoroughly cook your meat in advance (even a week or two in advance), let it cool, put it into a sealed container and freeze it and bring it frozen. When defrosted it can quickly be heated and is ready to serve much faster – and you know that it has been properly and thoroughly cooked!. IF you take it out of the freezer just before you leave on Friday and carry it in an insulated container it will not defrost until Saturday, at the earliest, and will still be good until Monday/Tuesday – even in hot weather! If you have Visitors/day trippers coming on Sunday (parents of the people in your care, church members, people who have had to work on Friday, Saturday, Monday etc.) get them to bring the food for Sunday and Monday with them! (You need to be very careful of food that is cooked at home and brought hot to Summer Madness – it is often only warm by the time it gets to you!) If you are BBQing sausages (this is good for any time) put them in hot/boiled water for at least 10 minutes. It part cooks them and removes much of the fat. When you put them on the BBQ no spitting, no big flames, no split sausages, no sausages burnt on the outside and raw in the middle; when they are nicely browned they are ready to eat! Always check to make sure that meat (especially chicken, sausages and burgers) is cooked the whole way through. Often cooking on gas cookers with light-weight pans means the pan is hotter than usual; in this case the meat can look cooked on the outside but may still be not fully cooked in the inside!