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The NCASS
#CatererMotivator
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Delightfully Delicious was launched in May 2019 after a change in circumstances led founder, Jessica Skinner, to reconsider her career options and life ambitions. Catering trailer ‘Leslie’ underwent a renovation to transform her from a tired looking horsebox to fully functioning bar on wheels
After obtaining an NCASS Level 3 Hygiene and Food Safety certificate, purchasing Fernando the Ford Fiesta to tow the trailer and reading up on everything compliancy related, Jessica was finally able to fulfil her dream of owning her own business.
Here she sits down to tell us how her first few months in business have been.
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Hi Jessica, thanks for catching up with us. So, what’s the reason for launching Delightfully Delicious - did you have any catering experience before?
I’d been working as a property surveyor in Edinburgh and I’d had a few things happen – such as my Dad being ill, me needing a back operation and being made redundant - that made me change my outlook on life. I realised that I wanted to be doing something that I enjoyed and move away from an office-based role. I’d always loved baking as a child and in fact, I’d worked part-time at Nandos when I was at university and loved being in a customer service role and dealing with the public.
You’ve really chased your dreams then! How did you decide on your menu?
Growing up I loved breakfast food such as waffles and milkshakes, so really the menu was based on my own favourite food from childhood.
I change the menu a lot to fit around what fruit is in season and every month I’ll change a few things and put on a special. My friends and family had to put up with eating a lot of waffles when I was testing menu items until the point where they were literally saying “no more, no more.”
What was the first event you trialled your waffles and shakes at?
The first two were Pride events in East Lothian and Aberdeen, but the first proper long event we did was Wildhood Festival in Kinross. It was a great atmosphere and I would have loved the chance to look around but we were just too busy.
We’ve got our first wedding booked for next year and initially we’ve mainly being doing street food events – we’ve got a resident spot at The Yard and we’ve done Rogue Village in North Berwick twice so far. We’ve also taken our waffle machines into offices and recently did the Festive Feast at Glasgow University, so we’ve been busy this year.
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Where do you source work opportunities?
I look through the NCASS work opportunities and send out a lot of emails to get into street food events. Many things come through online and on Facebook, plus a lot of it comes down to word of mouth and people seeing the Delightfully Delicious trailer at events and enquiring. I’ve also had traders recommending me to street food organisers recently.
That’s really nice of them. So have you found other traders welcoming?
Street food traders are very welcoming, in fact, my favourite thing is the free trading that goes on between us. It’s like “if you give us a waffle, we’ll give you a toastie.” It’s great.
You had two EHO visits this year – were they as scary as you thought?
Once we had the trailer ready, we received our first visit from an EHO. I was quite nervous for it and made sure I was really organised, but within a few minutes of the EHO being in the trailer he deemed us low risk due to the fact that we were selling waffles and shakes. He said I was well prepared as I had the NCASS Due Diligence folder sat on the side.
The second EHO that visited was fine too – she asked me the same sort of questions in general but went into a lot more detail and luckily I knew what to expect. Right from the beginning I made sure I followed the guidelines set out in the NCASS due diligence folder and it was fine.
What’s your favourite thing about being in catering?
I love dealing with the public, especially when they collect their food and I see the look on their face and they’re like “aww that’s amazing” - I love getting that response. The street food atmosphere is also incredible and other traders are so friendly; if a trailer gets stuck for example, they’re happy to give you a push. It’s a very friendly job sector to be in.
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What do you think your USP’s are as a business?
My products are homemade wherever possible and many customers have commented on the fact that they like our seasonal specials and generous portion sizes.
Do you think aesthetics has helped you to get noticed at events?
It has been important, a lot of people have come up and had a look inside the trailer and are wowed by it. Even when we’ve done farmers markets and have set up the stall with homemade hot chocolates and waffles, passers-by have been really impressed. Again, I’ve had work opportunities come up after being noticed at events so it’s important that I make everything look as nice as possible.
Best thing about NCASS membership?
I think the due diligence folder is amazing – I’d have been a bit lost without it, especially preparing for the health inspector as having the information, guidelines and tick boxes in front of us made sure that we were prepared for everything. The allergens form is very useful. NCASS membership is really good, especially when you’re a new traders setting up as I knew that I was following everything by the book.
Have you got any advice for people looking to pack up the 9-5 for catering?
It’s been a lot more work than I initially thought it would be, especially in terms of preparing for an event. At the end of the day, I might be working more hours running a business but I’m a lot happier than when I was doing an office job as I’m doing this for me. It’ll all be worthwhile in the end but if you’re starting out, make sure to get everything set up with NCASS as soon as possible. Read through your Due Diligence folder and if you need any advice then ask for it. I’ve spent the past year converting the trailer and getting everything ready and if I hadn’t followed the guidelines and been a member from the beginning, I’d probably be having to go back and change things.
If you could sum up delightfully Delicious in three words, what would they be?
Fun, Friendly, Delicious.
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Fancy being the next NCASS Caterer Motivator?
Get in touch at editor@ncass.org.uk with a little bit about your business and links to your website and social media platforms, and we'll be in touch.
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