The Mobile Lunch Company

05/08/2024

I have had the pleasure of cooking at The Tudor Barn, Milden three times in the last six weeks - fabulous building and location. Two Hen parties and last Saturday a Stag party where all the visitors dressed up in the supplied Tudor costumes. At their request I created a suitable banquet. Here is the menu and a couple of foodie photos!

15/07/2024

I had a busy evening last Saturday - Paellas and Eton mess for 77 people at a birthday party. Birthday girl sent to me the following note:

"Just wanted to say a huge thank you for last night so many compliments about your fabulous food. Sue 😎"

And here are some foodie photographs - anyone recognise the location?

10/07/2024

Summer may or may not be here but English strawberries are available for desserts! Here are some recent creations: Biscoff cheesecakes, Eton messes plus lime cheesecakes. What's not to like?

16/06/2024

Here is a review of the below hen party posted by the Hen herself!

"David catered a 3 course meal for my hen do and was absolutely brilliant! My sister and friends organised the whole weekend as a surprise and the dinner David put on was my favourite part. The food was amazing (special shout out to the Olive Tapenade and Red Salad!) and he was so professional and friendly. They had given David an idea of my favourite foods and he absolutely delivered with his menu. Thanks again David!"

And here is one from the Hen's sister who played a big part in the organisation!

"David cooked a fantastic 3 course dinner for 20 people for my sister’s hen do. He was professional, polite and friendly, and the food was delicious. He’d designed the menu with a variety of choices to suit everyone as well as theming it around my sister’s favourite foods. Would highly recommend for any event. Thank you so much David - you made the whole weekend really special!"

10/06/2024

Last Saturday I had my first experience in cooking on a glamping site (Sportsie Sanctum). A lovely group of ladies on a hen party weekend. The hen loves all Greek food so here is the menu I created for the evening along with a few foodie photos!

08/03/2024

I received the following review.

Corporate Event in Clare, Sudbury CO10 8PJ
Absolutely delicious!
5 star
The Mobile Lunch Company was a delight to work with. From the first contact to the end of service David's communication and attention to detail were second to none. The paellas (both vegan/vegetarian and meat versions) were simply delicious, with ample portions for all 60 hungry eaters. I would highly recommend them and look forward to our next event.

5 star QUALITY OF SERVICE

5 star VALUE

5 star COMMUNICATION

27/02/2024

At the end of January, I completed my 40th lunch during the shooting season (the best since 2019/20). Here are a few reviews published on www.GunsOnPegs.com;
Quote
Mr S.C
“At the end of the day, we all sat down to a wonderful lunch prepared by their chef, David. Various wines, beers etc were also available”.

Mr P.S.
“Just got home from an end of Jan day and shot some great birds, well presented and rounded off with great hospitality and food”.

Mr J.E.
“Finished the day with a hearty shepherd’s pie wonderfully prepared by chef David and eaten in the comfort of the gun room”.

Mr D.F
“This was followed by the superb lunch, home cooked with high-quality ingredients and a range of alcoholic and soft drinks”.

Mr J.E.
“The elevenses were great and the freshly prepared curry lunch was superb”.
Unquote

Now onto the season of hen / anniversary / house / birthday parties etc. Here is a photograph of prawn cocktails I prepared last Saturday, as one of the starters for a hen party!

26/01/2024

In addition to going out and cooking with my mobile kitchen, for corporate events, hen parties and shoot lunches, for over a year I have been cooking lunches twice a week in Great Dunmow at the Rowena Davey Centre. Two course lunches served at 1200 on Tuesdays and Thursdays with ever changing menus for predominately the over 55's. Here is this week's menu, me hard at work and one of the Ecclefechan tarts (served with damson whisky cream!)

06/11/2023

As this is the "Great British game week" I shall be cooking up a couple of venison dishes for one of my regular customers. A deerstalker's pie and a venison pasta bake. Here are some pictures of some other game related dishes I have created in the past. They are a raised mixed game and prune pie, cured pigeon breast on radicchio with pickled pears, wild boar wrapped artichokes, partridge pasanda and a pheasant liver pâté.

22/09/2023

I arranged a cold buffet for a 40th wedding anniversary, the other day, and received this nice message from the couple:

Hi David,
A belated but nevertheless sincere thank you for providing such a lovely meal on the 10th. We had so many comments on how lovely the dishes looked and how very tasty they were which we thoroughly agree with.
As requested, here are some photos of the laden table!

28/08/2023

I prepared and presented a cold buffet for a lovely couple in a fabulous house in Boxted for the third time, last Saturday. This time there was freshly carved gammon with pineapple, chicken coronation and mixed bean, watermelon, mint and feta salad with quick pickled red onion plus extra bits and pieces. The lady of the house is very artistic and took these lovely photographs!

09/08/2023

I have been kept busy with my twice weekly lunches in Great Dunmow plus weekend work at all sorts of different venues and at my favourite, The Tudor Barn, Milden. Last Saturday it was prawn cocktails to start with and yesterday it was steak and mushroom pies, in Great Dunmow. Accompanying this were roasted baby potatoes plus a selection of other roasted vegetables including cauliflower, with lemon and parmesan, aubergine, baby corn, butternut squash and English asparagus!

24/07/2023

Some more summery meals including raised chicken, ham and egg pies with coleslaw, potato salad and apple chutney, plus a different take on a Greek salad; Base is courgetti (spiralised courgettes), then there are roasted tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, asparagus and baby sweetcorn. Finally there are chickpeas, quick pickled red onion, feta and mint. Fresh, tasty and healthy!

06/07/2023

Adding a couple of foodie summer photographs.
Firstly a small smoked fish platter. Hot smoked wild sea trout pâté on chive blini, topped with slices of gravadlax. (An olive tapenade in the background)
Secondly milk chocolate cheesecakes topped with English strawberries.

04/06/2023

I cooked recently for a birthday party, locally. The main event was a freshly cooked chicken and chorizo paella but to start with, I created some sharing boards (or edible art, perhaps?)
Anyway here is the "thank you" note plus a photograph.

09/05/2023

Did you try any of the "Coronation quiche"? Well I made two for my twice weekly community lunches in Great Dunmow, today.
I added some bacon and onions to mine.
For dessert, what else but "Queen of puddings"! Thursday's lunch is going to "Coronation chicken" followed by "Bakewell tart"!

08/03/2023

Hello I haven't posted for a while! I am still out and about cooking and creating meals for parties and corporate events. Last Saturday I was over at the lovely Nedging Hall for a black tie 30th birthday dinner and I have a couple of photographs of the starter to share. It is burrata, feta and mozzarella on a bed of lemon dressed rocket with artichoke hearts, mint and basil. In addition to this there is an olive tapenade plus a mushroom and garlic pâté. To mop everything up there is garlic rubbed, toasted French bread with olive oil and chili flakes. It took quite a while to create 30 of these but they looked good and tasted "amazing" (apparently!)

31/12/2022

Hello and good afternoon! I hope you all had a great Christmas and are looking forward to 2023?
Many thanks to all my lovely clients, customers and followers for their support this past year and I miss the doorstep chats when I was delivering meals.
Things, by necessity, have moved on. You will be aware of the Avian Flu problem around here but it has been much worse, all summer, in the parts of France that produce millions of partridges for export to this country. The result of this is that many shoots in this area have not been able to get any stock and are therefore unable to offer shooting days and of course what traditionally would be my busiest time of year has gone rather quiet. On the positive side I have picked up some work producing lunches in (the warm and dry) Rowena Davey centre in Great Dunmow on Tuesdays and Thursdays which leaves me free to pick up extra work on Saturdays!

If you have a big birthday or celebration coming up in 2023 do please consider some catering - and don't forget that I have a fully equipped mobile kitchen, so I can come to you and not get in your way in your kitchen!

I am also posting a short slideshow of just a few of the meals that I have produced over the last year.

Many thanks again and may I wish you a happy and peaceful 2023.

07/11/2022

A close-up foodie picture taken of one of my paella dishes, by a guest at a birthday party that I cooked for, last month!

03/11/2022

I received the following review from the family I cooked for last weekend (see post below);

Quote
David, the Mobile Lunch Company, catered for a family group of 18 last Saturday evening. We were staying in a trio of cottages at Wattisham Hall Holiday Cottages (also excellent) and David turned up in good time with his trusty trailer and spent 3 hours preparing a lovely meal for us. The beauty of having his own unit is that he did not get in the way and the whole event went very smoothly, the food was excellent and to top it all he is a very nice chap. We would use him again and certainly recommend him. Ian
Unquote

Thanks

31/10/2022

I cooked for a lovely family at a new (to me) location, last Saturday. It was in a fabulous spot and it made me think that we are so lucky in the Essex / Suffolk borders to have such a large number of fantastic, privately owned halls / barns / holiday rentals.

I have cooked at many private houses and village halls but my favourite places, where I have often cooked more than once are (in alphabetical order); Bressingham Hall and High Barn, Highwayman's Self Catering Guest House & Events Venue. (sadly closed), Little Tey Barn (sadly also closed), The Tudor Barn, Milden, Apple Tree Lodges, Nedging Hall, Partridge Lodge, The Suffolk Escape, Stowlangtoft Estate, Suffolk Retreats, The Suffolk Escape and finally Wattisham Hall Holiday Cottages.

Thank you to all the owners who have let me cook for your guests and please keep up the referrals!

I hope all your bookings are good ones.

30/10/2022

02/10/2022

Based near the Essex / Suffolk border we will travel a radius of about 40 miles.

28/09/2022

Where possible we always buy locally - fruit and veg from Mitchee's Fruit and Veg, meat from Hards of Halstead and fish from Starfish. Support your local suppliers!

11/09/2022

As we head into autumn is now the time to start planning for that winter party?
It might be a family reunion, an anniversary or that Christmas do?
Perhaps you don’t want to go to all the trouble to cater for it, yourself or perhaps the venue doesn’t have suitable facilities?
Well, The Mobile Lunch Company has the answer with a fully equipped mobile kitchen. As long as I can park off the road and near to where you want to eat, I wont even get in your way in your kitchen, for most of the time!
I don’t have fixed menus but work with each client to create a menu which is suitable for you and your guests, it could be a hot or cold buffet, with or without starters and desserts.
As the shooting season is going to be a damp squib this winter, it means that I am even available on Fridays and Saturdays (for most of the time). Dinner party, lunch party, hen party in private homes, holiday rentals, village halls, barns and fields – I have done them all!
Please visit Facebook or www.themobilelunchcompany.co.uk for more information, pictures and some past menus.
I look forward to hearing from you.

06/09/2022

For the third year on the trot I went and created a cold buffet for a lovely couple, a couple of weeks ago, to celebrate a birthday!

I think your pictures are great, Barbara and thanks for the review!

"David,
I have been meaning to message and say thank you as it was a huge success with the food (as usual!). Everyone was commenting on how good it was. I don’t think my pictures are great because everyone was so keen to get stuck in so I was in a rush!! I have attached them anyway!
Thanks for another brilliant lunch and sorry for the late feedback!"

05/09/2022

I cooked for a local big wedding anniversary last Saturday and most enjoyable it was, too. I received this "thank you" note from the lady of the house.

"Dear David, What a splendid lunch you prepared for us all. So many compliments were being given about the wonderful food you prepared. It all looked so appetising and tasted delicious. Thank you so very much for all your hard work and a meal of the highest quality"

02/09/2022

Okay we are now in the game shooting season! Unfortunately so many shoot managers have decided not to offer days for this season, so the good news is that I have days available (including some Saturdays) that I could come and produce you tasty lunches / evening meals! Do get in touch. Freshest produce cooked for you on site!

31/07/2022

English summer garden party, anyone?
Sharing boards with crudités, freshly made dips, plantain chilli crisps, mixed olives and colourful tomatoes, baked Camembert (escaping!) with freshly baked bread. Smoked salmon and smoked salmon pâté on home made blini and to finish a freshly prepared Eton Mess. Blissful!

21/06/2022

Individual raspberry, pistachio and lemon curd trifles along with sharing platters are proving to be very popular this month!