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12
Jul 2023
Last Updated: 12/07/2023
Harrogate caterer who serves monarchs at Great Yorkshire Show celebrates 60th birthday
This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID.
A Harrogate caterer who has served a number of royals celebrated his 60th birthday and 21 years of catering at the Great Yorkshire Show yesterday.
Ian King, owner of King’s Catering, founded the company with his wife 27 years ago and, for 21 of those, has served thousands of people every day when the annual show takes place.
The traditional royal visit means Mr King has prepared meals for King Charles III, Princess Anne, and the late Queen Elizabeth II.
He said the current monarch “loves smoked salmon sandwiches and loose Earl Grey tea”, while his sister “always asks for ginger beer".
Monarchs are provided with a checklist to indicate their likes and dislikes ahead of the show and, said Mr King, only request “the use of local produce".
The company initially served canapes at the agricultural show but took on the challenge of catering for the entire show in 2012.
That same year, the show was rained off after just the first day. With heaps of leftover stock and a heavy heart, it’s fair to say Mr King described this as his least favourite memory of the show…
Read more:
- Harrogate businesses offering unmissable discounts to attract punters during Great Yorkshire Show
- As it happened: Day 1 at the Great Yorkshire Show
The Great Yorkshire Show generates “10% of the company’s annual turnover”, according to Mr King, and is “the busiest and biggest week of the year.”
He said covid was a “very cruel” time for the company but added:
“We’re back and we’re bigger and stronger than ever. This show is what we work towards all year.
“Providing breakfast on the first day goes well the rest of the show is plain sailing!”
Mr King arrives at the showground at 4am each day during show week to prepare and said “the camaraderie of it all makes it so enjoyable".
This year, the caterer spent his milestone 60th birthday cooking up a storm for the Duke of Gloucester – and thousands of other show attendees.
Find more information on King’s Catering here.
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