Reading · England
Hog Roast Hire for Norcot
From the first smell of roasting pork to the last piece of crackling, a hog roast makes the food part of your event in Norcot.
- Weddings, day or evening
- Fêtes, fairs and shows
- Club events and presentations
Hog roast hire for Norcot
Hog roast hire for your event in Norcot
Hog roast hire takes the cooking off your hands. We get there early, put up the cover and roast for hours, ready to carve when you are. Popular choices include crackling, halloumi skewers and coleslaw, and we are frequently booked for christmas fairs and corporate events.
For a place the size of Norcot, your own garden is often the best venue: space to cook, no venue hire and no cooking for you. Let us know how we reach the garden. Our chef carves in front of your guests, so every roll gets hot pork and a piece of crackling.
Planning the cooking spot
Most gardens, car parks, yards and fields work with a little planning. Here’s what helps:
- Permission from the venue or landowner
- A safe distance from walls, tents and trees
- A way to wheel the roaster to the spot
Not sure about the cooking spot? Send us a photo and we will tell you honestly.
On the menu in Norcot
- New potatoes
- Salads
- Spit-roast lamb
- Halloumi skewers (V)
- Crackling
- Hog roast rolls
- Rotisserie chicken
- Apple sauce
- Vegan burger or sausage (Ve)
- Roast or jacket potatoes
- Coleslaw
- Stuffing
Diets, allergies and alternatives
Not everyone eats pork, so plan an alternative. A few pointers:
- Label the vegetarian and vegan food clearly
- Find out who does not eat pork, and order an alternative for them
- Remember that stuffing generally contains gluten, so ask for the allergen list
- Request gluten-free rolls for coeliac guests
We’ll agree a contact for the day, ideally not the host, so you can enjoy yourself.
A second roast, lamb or chicken, gives people a choice.
What a hog roast costs
The biggest factors are:
- The number of people
- Busy dates such as summer Saturdays
- How easy it is to reach the spot
- The journey to the venue
Extras such as lamb, chicken, more sides or china crockery add to the cost, so we list each one in the quote. Keeping it simple keeps it affordable.
Getting an accurate quote
Good details mean a good quote. Please include:
- Rules from the venue or landowner
- The address or postcode
- Your menu choices
- Rough numbers
The quickest way to get a price is to tell us the date, where the event is and roughly how many. A picture of the cooking area helps. Send us your details through our quote form.
Hog roast hire around Norcot
Norcot is about 2 miles west of Reading, in Reading. From village halls to gardens and fields, events around Norcot suit a hog roast. We cater 34 places across Reading, from the larger towns to small villages.
A green space like Round Copse is tempting, but a gas-fired roaster there needs the landowner’s say-so, typically the council’s. After a service at Tilehurst Methodist Church, the hog roast can be ready at a nearby hall or house.
Anywhere in RG30 and RG31, we can roast on site for your guests. Local streets include Ash Road, Tay Road and Tyle Road; an event on any of them works well with outdoor space and a way in. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Tilehurst Within (1 mile south-west), Tilehurst (1 mile west), Horncastle (1 mile south), Little Heath (1 mile west) and Fords Farm (1 mile south). Within a short drive, we also cover Caversham (3 miles north-east), Shinfield (5 miles south-east), Arborfield Garrison (8 miles south-east), Whitley Wood (4 miles south-east), Sonning Common (4 miles north-east) and Whitley (4 miles south-east). Norcot is one of the larger places we cover in Reading, with plenty of venues for events.
Other landmarks nearby include Battle Hospital (1.3 miles east) and Royal Berkshire Regiment Museum (1 mile east). Within reach you’ll find South Lake and Moor Copse Nature Reserve.
- Schools near Norcot include Prospect School (1 mile south) and Battle School (1.3 miles east)
- Local pubs include The Butchers Arms (0.6 miles north-west)
What we serve, dish by dish
Stuffing and apple sauce
Sage and onion stuffing and apple sauce are the classic partners, cutting through the richness of the pork.
Roast pork
The hog roasts slowly for hours, so the meat is tender and juicy, and it’s carved fresh as people come up.
Occasions we serve in Norcot
Slow roasting can’t be faked: tender pork and proper crackling.
Here’s what people in Norcot most often book a hog roast for:
- Fêtes, fairs and shows
- Work summer parties
- Wakes and memorial gatherings
- Summer garden parties
For a fundraiser at a school like Meadow Park Academy, the roaster can cook on a pitch agreed with the school.
Questions to ask before booking
- What crockery is supplied
- Whether travel is included
- Staffing on the day
- What the cooking area needs: space, cover and access
The process
We arrive hours before you want to eat, since slow roasting cannot be rushed. The smell generally brings people over long before we carve. Because the roast takes hours, daylight is worth planning: around Norcot, it stays light until about 9:25pm at midsummer, while in December the light goes at about 3:55pm, so winter bookings need lighting from mid-afternoon.
- Send us your date, numbers and address.
- We check the space and quote.
- We arrive early, set up under cover and start roasting.
- The chef carves and the team fills rolls or plates.
- We clear up and go.
Before we arrive
- Ask about allergies and dietary needs beforehand
- Give us final numbers a week or so before
- Check there’s nothing overhead or close by that could catch the heat
Getting a price
Every event is quoted on its own, based on numbers, menu, timings and distance. Tell us about your event for a quote: use our quote form.
Read more
For planners, venues and organisers
If you’re organising for someone else, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a fête committee, let us know who we’ll deal with on the day. We will keep you both updated.
Planning on behalf of a committee? One clear contact makes everything easier, particularly when timings shift.
A hog roast or other catering?
Compared with a barbecue, a hog roast cooks in one go and is carved for everyone, instead of food coming off the grill in batches. See our guide to hog roast or barbecue. For larger numbers, a hog roast is typically good value, since one roast goes a long way. The menu, extras such as china and the serving time all affect the final price.
What you get with us
- Carved by our chef in front of your guests
- Self-contained: roaster, cover and serving kit
- Slow-roasted at your venue, not reheated
- Halloumi skewers and a vegan option too
Read our prices page or our hog roast cost guide.
Your questions about a hog roast in Norcot
We’re gathering after a service at Tilehurst Methodist Church: can you cater?
Yes, at a home, hall or venue nearby with an outdoor spot for the roaster. Food is generally served at the reception venue rather than the church. Send us the address.
Could you cook in Round Copse?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, usually the council, and many parks do not allow cooking. Check with them first, and tell us what they say.
Is hog roast hire catered or DIY?
Both are available: we can cater fully or hire out the machine. Most people choose catering.
Is all of Reading covered?
Reading is part of our area. Get in touch for a price.
Can you be flexible on serving time?
We’ll be as flexible as we can. Give us a contact on the day and we will fit around changes.
What meats can we have?
Pork is the classic, and you can add spit-roast lamb or rotisserie chicken. Vegetarian and vegan options are available too.
What is hog roast hire?
We bring the roaster, roast the hog on site for hours, then our chef carves it and our staff serve, with stuffing, apple sauce and crackling.
Will people get crackling?
It is: the skin turns to crackling and everyone gets some.
Also in Norcot
- Slow-roasted on site for hours, outdoors at your event
- Carved to order by our chef, with stuffing, apple sauce and crackling
- Not just pork: spit-roast lamb, chicken and vegetarian choices
- Served when you’re ready, and we tidy the serving area afterwards