Medway · England
Hog Roast Hire for Rochester
We bring a hog roast to Rochester and nearby, cooking slowly at your venue and serving it hot, with our staff looking after the serving.
- Festive gatherings
- Gatherings after a funeral
- Parties at home
Hog roast hire in Rochester
Hog roast hire in Rochester, slow-roasted on site
A hog roast is one of the simplest ways to feed a crowd in Rochester: a single slow roast, carved to order. We bring the roaster, the cover and the serving kit, and we serve and tidy up afterwards. Typical bookings include wakes and memorial gatherings and clubhouse events, serving coleslaw, halloumi skewers and hog roast rolls.
There are lots of options in a town like Rochester: your own garden, a club, a hall or a pub garden. We’ll agree where the roaster goes beforehand. Plates come as standard, and china crockery is available on request, quoted separately.
How the day works
It is a relaxed, well-organised set-up. Arrival and serving times are agreed beforehand, use the cooking spot you’ve chosen, and get on with roasting and serving. Planning an evening hog roast in Rochester? Sunset is around 8:50pm in late May, 9:20pm at midsummer and 7:00pm in late September; once it is dark, we need light at the carving station.
- You share the when, where and how many.
- We look at the cooking area and send a price.
- We arrive early, set up under cover and start roasting.
- Our chef carves and our staff serve.
- We clear up and go.
Preparing for the day
- Collect dietary needs and allergies in advance
- Give us final numbers a week or so before
- Keep the spot clear of buildings, marquee walls and overhanging branches
Ask for a quote
When you’re weighing up caterers, check what each quote actually includes. Ours lists it clearly. For a quote, send us your details through our quote form.
Planning help
Common questions in Rochester
Can you do a hog roast in Broomhill Park?
Only if the landowner, usually the council, allows it. Ask them first, and tell us what they say.
How far is Rochester from London?
About 27 miles from central London.
Can you be flexible on serving time?
Because the roast takes hours, we plan from your serving time, and a cooked roast can be held for a while if things run late.
What happens when we hire a hog roast?
You choose the date, the menu and the serving time; we do the rest. All we need is a place to cook outdoors.
How do you work out quantities?
We size the roast to your numbers, so a good estimate matters. We’ll confirm the menu in the quote.
Do we need our own staff?
You do not need anyone else: our chef carves and our team serves and clears.
What happens after service?
Our staff clear the serving area, and we take our equipment with us.
Can we have lamb or chicken?
Pork is the classic, and you can add spit-roast lamb or rotisserie chicken. There are vegetarian and vegan options as well.
Planning for dietary needs
Not everyone eats pork, so plan an alternative. A few pointers:
- Request gluten-free rolls for coeliac guests
- Collect allergies with your RSVPs
- Tell us about vegetarians and vegans so we bring enough halloumi skewers and vegan burgers or sausages
- Label the vegetarian and vegan food clearly
We bring the cover, the carving table and the serving kit, so you only need to provide the space.
A second roast, lamb or chicken, gives people a choice, priced in the quote.
A hog roast or other catering?
Next to a buffet, a hog roast is hot, freshly carved and feels like an occasion. Buffets can sit out for hours. Adding lamb, chicken, extra sides or china changes the price, so each one is itemised. Keeping it simple keeps it affordable.
Why us?
- Carved by our chef in front of your guests
- Timed around your day
- The classics: stuffing, apple sauce and crackling
- Choices for people who don’t eat pork
See how we price or our hog roast cost guide.
About the food
Stuffing and apple sauce
Apple sauce brings sweetness and sharpness go with the pork perfectly. Note that stuffing generally contains gluten.
Crackling
Crackling is what people queue for: golden, crunchy and salty, straight off the hog.
Rochester: venues, access and local tips
Rochester is about 27 miles east of London, in Medway. From village halls to gardens and fields, events around Rochester suit a hog roast. We bring hog roasts to all 68 towns and villages in Medway. We cater events right across the region, from Rochester to Canterbury (about 26 miles away).
For anyone arriving by rail, Rochester has its own station, Rochester station. For a christening or gathering after a service at a church such as Church of St Nicholas, the roaster can be set up at a hall or home nearby.
We cater events across ME2, ME1, ME3 and ME4 and the streets around it. Whether your event is on High Street, Gundolph Square and Station Road or anywhere nearby, we will bring the roaster to you. Rochester sits on or near the A2 and A226, which makes travel to your event easy. Close by, we cover events in Strood (1 mile west), Borstal (1 mile south-west), Cuxton (2 miles south-west), Lower Bush (3 miles west) and North Halling (3 miles south-west). We also serve nearby towns such as Gillingham (4 miles east), Chatham (3 miles south-east), Rainham (5 miles south-east), Park Wood (5 miles south-east), Lordswood (4 miles south-east) and Twydall (4 miles east). Being one of Medway’s larger places, Rochester has lots of places with room for a hog roast.
A little further out are Huguenot Museum (less than half a mile east) and French Hospital (within half a mile south-east). Within reach you’ll find Gad's Hill and Rede Common.
- Schools near Rochester include Fort Pitt Grammar School (1 mile south-east) and Temple School (1.2 miles north)
- Local pubs include Royal Crown Hotel (under half a mile east)
- Other local spots include City of Rochester-upon-Medway (under half a mile north) and Former Ordnance Store At Chatham Gun Wharf (1.2 miles east)
Occasions we serve in Rochester
Rolls are easy to eat standing up, which makes a hog roast ideal for relaxed events, while plates and sides suit a sit-down meal.
People around Rochester book us for small gatherings and big outdoor days alike. For example:
- Village fêtes and school fairs
- Weddings and receptions
- Parties at home
- Corporate events
Thinking of a hog roast in Broomhill Park? Cooking in a park needs the owner’s permission, normally the council’s, and many parks do not allow it.
What to look for in a quote
- Which meats, sides and extras are included
- When payments are due and what happens if plans change
- Where the roaster goes and what it needs
- Allergen information for every dish
Towns and villages near Rochester
Other occasions in Rochester
What a hog roast costs
A few things make the biggest difference to the price:
- Season and day of the week
- Distance from us
- Which meats and sides you choose
- The serving time and how long we’re on site
UK price guides vary widely: roughly £10 a head for a simple roll, rising past £20 with more included. Every event gets its own quote, so you know exactly what you’re paying for.
Details that help
To check availability and the cooking area, tell us:
- Rough numbers
- Your date and serving time
- Any extras, such as lamb, chicken or china
- A picture of the cooking area
Planning ahead? Popular dates fill up early, especially summer Saturdays and December Fridays. Tell us your date and we’ll check it: fill in our quote form.
Should I cook it myself?
We also hire out the hog roast machine for confident cooks. You cook and carve it yourself; we’ll explain what’s supplied and how it works when we quote.
You could go for a cold buffet, but hot, freshly carved roast pork is a different experience, especially outdoors.
Before you choose a spot
It’s worth planning the cooking area in advance. We look for:
- Space away from buildings, marquee walls and overhanging branches
- Parking near the spot
- Any venue rules sorted in advance
Not sure about the cooking spot? Send us a picture and we will tell you honestly before you book.
On the menu in Rochester
- Stuffing
- Apple sauce
- Spit-roast lamb
- Crackling
- Rotisserie chicken
- New potatoes
- Vegan burger or sausage (Ve)
- Roast or jacket potatoes
- Salads
- Coleslaw
- Halloumi skewers (V)
- Hog roast rolls
- Roasted on site for several hours, outdoors under cover
- Freshly carved pork with crackling, stuffing and apple sauce
- Not just pork: spit-roast lamb, chicken and vegetarian choices
- Served when you’re ready, and we tidy the serving area afterwards