Celebrating 35 years in business next year, Blitz Catering is run by former RAF chef David Evans, whose father Frank set up the business on the 1st April 1990. Following nine years in the armed forces travelling the world, honing his skills and expanding his food horizons, David became his dad’s wingman at Blitz before taking control when he retired in 2014.
With a small team including two chefs and two front-of-house personnel, Blitz Catering serve
the hard-working and hungry team at Claas UK. Founded in 1913, Claas is one of the world’s leading companies in agricultural engineering and provide tractors, combine harvesters, loaders and forage harvesters, as well as digital solutions to the agricultural sector.
With over 120 employees based on site plus visiting suppliers, customers and guests daily, the days fly by for the Blitz Catering team who serve as many as 160 covers each day.
Chef David Evans said:
“There is no such thing as a quiet day here and no one day is ever the same. After running the catering here for over 30 years, it’s something the business has plenty of experience in and actually something we all thrive on. Our seasonal menu changes weekly and we source everything locally so a lot of creativity and care goes into the dishes,” says David.
“I would describe it as great home-cooked food that you wouldn’t always have time to cook yourself but we also have a salad bar, freshly made sandwiches and monthly specials. We want our guests to be excited by the lunch experience so everything is carefully cooked and produced from scratch.”
“In addition to the regular menus and services in the restaurant, there is always plenty happening at Claas UK that requires some creative food solutions. It could be special breakfast conferences, snacks and nibbles for meetings and business lunches, grab and go options, canapés or even five-course menus for award nights. Our annual award dinners in particular, which recognise Claas UK team members, enable us to go big and offer a fine dining experience. Last year we served 120 fillet steaks.”
Keeping faith in the Country Range
A Country Range customer for over 30 years, David explains just why he has always kept faith in the brand; “When it comes to price and quality nothing beats Country Range in my opinion. I’m proud to have used the brand for decades because the store cupboard ingredients such as seasonings, herbs, flour, pasta and sauces offer fantastic flavour, consistency and value. The salad dressings are a personal favourite of mine and very popular on our salad bar.”
Still passionate about the armed forces, David works as an RAF cadet instructor in his spare time and is a strong advocate for chefs to travel the world and learn about the many different languages of food. “I would tell any young chef to travel and see the world. It just opens your eyes to so many new cultures, experiences, people, cuisines and ingredients,” he says. “There is nothing better than seeing, learning or trying something new and then taking it back to the kitchen to put your own stamp on it.”
“Nothing beats Country Range in my opinion. I’m proud to have used the brand for decades because the store cupboard ingredients offer fantastic flavour, consistency and value.”
