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Pork Store
About us
I’m often asked “what made you decide to start your own BBQ business?” Good question. It’s not a natural career choice for a lad from Stockton, an industrial town in the North East of England.
I finally decided to set up in 2015 because I was sick of telling people how I would like to do it one day. It was time to bite the bullet.
I’ve always had a passion for food. Most of my time at University was spent on the sofa watching episodes of Rick Stein or Keith Floyd as they travelled the world, drinking wine and occasionally cooking exotic-looking food.
After finishing University I took up a job in New Zealand. It was here that I first got involved in outdoor catering. I lived in a house of five blokes, all with healthy appetite. Almost every night was spent sat outside using our gas-powered cheap BBQ. There was something about relaxing after a day’s work, sat on an outdoor sofa, drinking a beer with meat on the grill.
I worked with Fred (the most Kiwi of all Kiwis) who would be out fishing every Sunday, before putting the freshly caught snapper with eggs on the BBQ for our breakfast on the Monday. If Rick Stein ever goes to New Zealand and makes another Food Heroes series, they should go no further than Fred. Absolute legend.
It was New Zealand that first started making me think about the business side of things. New Zealand is, for me, the home of the great (I resist the urge to say gourmet) burger. We lived in Auckland and were spoilt by a number of trendy restaurants offering amazing fast food. Queenstown, a ski town in the South Island took things up another level with the Internationally renowned Fergburger. With no social media and no advertising, this fast food institution was the talk of New Zealand, relying purely on word of mouth (to compliment the huge mouthfuls of the best burger you will ever eat).
After finding myself an Irish Lady in Auckland, we decided to move onto Australia after a few fantastic years in NZ. Sydney was our new home and... show more whilst our tiny apartment wasn't great for the outdoor lifestyle we had previously enjoyed- there would be no shortage of opportunity to get in front of a roaring BBQ.
I worked for one of the Premiership Rugby Club’s in Sydney and part of my role involved coordinating the match day catering for home games. We would regularly cater for over 2000 people on our range of random BBQs. I always felt that we needed to ensure everything was the highest standard, so I introduced Wagyu burgers to the match day crowd. They went down a storm.
In Sydney I learnt that catering was very hard work (it’s not always sunny in Australia) but also that I loved the satisfaction of feeding a large crowd.
When we moved back to the UK in 2012, we made London our new home. Street food was really taking off in the capital at the time, with loads of fantastic markets spread across the City. We lived in North London - a stone's throw away from the vibrant Camden Food Market and a short tube ride from Borough Market.
Another relocation in 2014, this time to Newcastle, led me to finally get the wheels rolling for the business. With my trusty sidekick Keith, we set out on a 7 hour journey to Essex to take a look at the BBQ of choice. It was a thing of beauty and the deal was sealed that day. Pork Store was born.
Our first gig was a rugby event in Corbridge. We thought it would be a cruisy first event, serving mainly children. By the time the food was cooked we had a queue of 60 hungry kids waiting for our experimental burgers. All went well, with great feedback, and we were on our way…
We have lots of big plans for the business, with the main focus on catering at more events across the North East.
With my better half being Irish, and her family prominent pig farmers in County Mayo, there is also a great opportunity to grow the business in the West Ireland. We have already catered at a number of functions across the Irish Sea (including our own wedding!) and have some really exciting events lined up for 2017.
Stay tuned.
OJ
Pitmaster show more
I finally decided to set up in 2015 because I was sick of telling people how I would like to do it one day. It was time to bite the bullet.
I’ve always had a passion for food. Most of my time at University was spent on the sofa watching episodes of Rick Stein or Keith Floyd as they travelled the world, drinking wine and occasionally cooking exotic-looking food.
After finishing University I took up a job in New Zealand. It was here that I first got involved in outdoor catering. I lived in a house of five blokes, all with healthy appetite. Almost every night was spent sat outside using our gas-powered cheap BBQ. There was something about relaxing after a day’s work, sat on an outdoor sofa, drinking a beer with meat on the grill.
I worked with Fred (the most Kiwi of all Kiwis) who would be out fishing every Sunday, before putting the freshly caught snapper with eggs on the BBQ for our breakfast on the Monday. If Rick Stein ever goes to New Zealand and makes another Food Heroes series, they should go no further than Fred. Absolute legend.
It was New Zealand that first started making me think about the business side of things. New Zealand is, for me, the home of the great (I resist the urge to say gourmet) burger. We lived in Auckland and were spoilt by a number of trendy restaurants offering amazing fast food. Queenstown, a ski town in the South Island took things up another level with the Internationally renowned Fergburger. With no social media and no advertising, this fast food institution was the talk of New Zealand, relying purely on word of mouth (to compliment the huge mouthfuls of the best burger you will ever eat).
After finding myself an Irish Lady in Auckland, we decided to move onto Australia after a few fantastic years in NZ. Sydney was our new home and... show more whilst our tiny apartment wasn't great for the outdoor lifestyle we had previously enjoyed- there would be no shortage of opportunity to get in front of a roaring BBQ.
I worked for one of the Premiership Rugby Club’s in Sydney and part of my role involved coordinating the match day catering for home games. We would regularly cater for over 2000 people on our range of random BBQs. I always felt that we needed to ensure everything was the highest standard, so I introduced Wagyu burgers to the match day crowd. They went down a storm.
In Sydney I learnt that catering was very hard work (it’s not always sunny in Australia) but also that I loved the satisfaction of feeding a large crowd.
When we moved back to the UK in 2012, we made London our new home. Street food was really taking off in the capital at the time, with loads of fantastic markets spread across the City. We lived in North London - a stone's throw away from the vibrant Camden Food Market and a short tube ride from Borough Market.
Another relocation in 2014, this time to Newcastle, led me to finally get the wheels rolling for the business. With my trusty sidekick Keith, we set out on a 7 hour journey to Essex to take a look at the BBQ of choice. It was a thing of beauty and the deal was sealed that day. Pork Store was born.
Our first gig was a rugby event in Corbridge. We thought it would be a cruisy first event, serving mainly children. By the time the food was cooked we had a queue of 60 hungry kids waiting for our experimental burgers. All went well, with great feedback, and we were on our way…
We have lots of big plans for the business, with the main focus on catering at more events across the North East.
With my better half being Irish, and her family prominent pig farmers in County Mayo, there is also a great opportunity to grow the business in the West Ireland. We have already catered at a number of functions across the Irish Sea (including our own wedding!) and have some really exciting events lined up for 2017.
Stay tuned.
OJ
Pitmaster show more
3 recommendations and reviews from 2 people
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Referral from
April 8, 2017
Leanne B. asked:Looking for companies that do hog roast catering. ThanksCharlie W. replied:https://www.facebook.com/porkstoreUK/
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Referral from
February 2, 2016
Sylvia G. asked:What and where is pork store?Owain J. replied:Hi Sylvia, I own Pork Store. It's a mobile catering business serving American-style BBQ. Bit more info on the Facebook page www.porkstore.co.uk Thanks. Owain
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Referral from
January 6, 2016
Jade N. asked:Just looking for a rough estimate price for catering for around 50 people? And any recommendations :) thanks!Owain J. replied:Hi Jade, not sure on the kind of catering you are looking for, but I run Pork Store, a mobile BBQ smoker. All my suppliers are from Low Fell. Bit more info at www.Facebook.com/porkstoreUK
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