Party catering in the UK was on something of a downward spiral. If you had been invited to any sort of event in the seventies and eighties, you were very likely greeted by not just questionable dress sense but food of questionable origin. To this day, the thinking behind party food at events in the UK will be studied by sociologists for many years, it was that bad. All common sense seemed to go out of the window in favour of finding the most boring, bland and dreary possible foods that could be sourced. It was shameful time for catering and only the haircuts of the era were decision of even poorer judgement. But there was something exciting on the distant horizon that was to start blowing away the cobwebs that had settled on common sense, and that was the hog roast in Denbighshire.
It remains to be seen who can take the credit for helping hog roast enjoy its current renaissance in the world of catering, but should their details be made known, a knighthood would be some just reward. The hog roast was like a breath of fresh air after decades of catering tedium. Plates of cold pizzas and sad looking salads were about to consigned to the dustbin and mini kievs about to given the heave ho. Real cooking was back on the menu at events across Denbighshire, Wales and the UK...and about time too.
So just why did hog roast prove to be so popular? Well, it has been popular before, albeit a long time ago. Remember those castles that we mentioned earlier? They would almost certainly have been host to some of the very earliest hog roast Denbighshire events, and what great nights they must have been. You just could not get more atmospheric or historic than a hog roast in a castle. These would have been events with esteemed guests, indeed royalty would have been present on many occasion it is safe to suggest. Hog roast certainly has history and the medieval feast was on its way to making 21st century history too, by enjoying a new wave of popularity.
One of the funny things about hog roast is the reaction you often get from people who have yet to try it. For some reason they tend to think of hog roast as a quick snack that is not particularly special, but how wrong they would be, in fact it is worth remembering just what is involved in the cooking and preparation of a hog roast and why it makes this one of the greatest catering solutions that there is.
Next time you are invited to a hog roast in Denbighshire, have a good long look at the caterer and the work they are doing. It may look as though it is an easy enough job but that would only tell half the story. The hog roast caterer has been looking after that whole pig and cooking it slowly for six hours! It seems like an incredibly long time but that is what it takes to get the perfect hog roast. If you want that intense hog roast flavour and that deliciously crispy crackling then you simply have to give the pig the six hour treatment. But there is more to it than that. The pig that is being roasted away is not any old pig but a really good quality pig that will have been chosen just for the occasion in question. Once the caterer knows how many people are coming to the event, they can pig a suitably sized pig to meet those needs. But how do you get that incredible flavour? Surely six hours will dry out the meat until it tastes of nothing? Well, without the right amount of fat on the pig, that would be an issue but the fat serves its dual role by keeping the meat moist and the adding flavour too, making this one of the most succulent, delicious and most wholesome feasts that there is.
If you were ever in any doubt about hog roast as a great catering solution or whether it would work well as the main meal at your Denbighshire event, there is no need to worry as the past, present and future of hog roast would suggest it will be just fine!
