Truckers show horsey set the way to behave

Christmas comes early in our house, as my wife, Niki, sets about some serious shopping in mid-October, knowing that I am likely to be fully committed to work beyond that point and unable to assist.

Likewise, our three-year-old, Charlie, came home from nursery singing about a "little old geezer", who has gradually become the more recognisable "Little Lord Jesus".

One thing that always remains a constant at Christmas is that the odd function catches you out. We had two functions which virtually ran into each other - the first was for a couple of local transport firms, while the second was an "at home" for some of the local horsey set.

I was full of concern over the prospect of nearly 300 truck drivers out on a Christmas do, made even worse when the client rang to check whether they could have big portions. But the event had been costed on the basis of generous portion sizes.

All our staff commented on how easy the function had been, with no aggravation from the clients. The only problem in the kitchen was that the four vegetarians were conspicuous by their absence and the person with the gluten-free diet didn't materialise until the dessert.

On the following day guests treated our team as if they were very much the hired help, and although it was for much smaller numbers, it was a far more onerous event.

In common with other diary writers, this is my last column. I hope you have enjoyed some of the insights into the world of event catering. The original brief was that we should include both the high points of our businesses and the problems that we encountered.

Many of these have been concerns over staff and, in parting, I am sure that many of you will relate to the following:

l A member of staff who could completely trash a roll of clingfilm in seconds, rendering the free end untraceable.

l The feeling you get when you walk into a room to brief 80 staff, only to find that you are 29 staff short.

l The call from a client who had brought his Labrador puppy to site - the puppy had scrounged titbits from every member of staff, only to return home and be violently ill in the middle of their lounge.

Life goes on, chaos and carefully planned functions hand-in-hand. I hope that you have enjoyed my rambling thoughts over recent years.

Robert Alvarez is proprietor of Phoenix Hospitality event caterers in Towcester, Northampton