Little Chef

[PK99]

Really? To me they tasted like actual vomit

Only tasted like....?

 

[Jody]

Really? To me they tasted like actual vomit

That's some tasty vomit!

 

[Andy in Germany]

Too young to remeber all the Little Chefs we went to

The only thing I was interested in is whether they had the Orange lollies on the way out. Damn they were good

View attachment 727825

Now those I remember...

 

[Jody]

Now those I remember...

Hopefully for the right reasons

 

[T4tomo]

Cooked to order? Well I guess it was when they'd unfrozen it. And the fruit was fresh before it got into the can.

pray tell which of these came from the freezer? I've give you the fruit cocktail was canned, but the fruit cocktail is a canned food.

 

[antnee]

That Menu takes me back, must admit I used a few when I was working . though as someone else said they varied from one to another you soon found out which ones were ok,other than that once I'd found a decent transport cafe I would stick to it.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

OK, Mrs BF has been interrogated, and to the best of her recollection, in the mid 80s or so, here's the breakdown of some ingredients

Fresh:
Bread, bacon, tomatoes, eggs, cheese, milk, coleslaw, wrapped butter pats
Frozen:
Sausages, hash browns, steaks, breaded fish, chips, ice cream, burgers
Tinned:
Beans, fruit (incl. cherry topping)
Longlife/ambient:
Pancake mix, condiments, oil, tea

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I seem to remember in the 1960s/70s that on a long journey through North Wales then the only easy options were the food vans and Little Chef

My Mum would not even go near a food van because she thought they were unhygienic

Little Chef allowed you to just pull off the road and then get back on quickly
and appeared hygienic and of reasonable quality FOR THE TIMES and quite modern(ish)

they did make some attempt to compete - but they just didn;t seem to have the right corporate mindset and once there were quicker options that were just as easy to get to then they got overwhelmed

Didn;t they recruit Heston Bloominghell to do a revamp of the menu at sometime??
Always seemed like exactly the wrong person to choose to me!

 

[T4tomo]

OK, Mrs BF has been interrogated, and to the best of her recollection, in the mid 80s or so, here's the breakdown of some ingredients

Fresh:
Bread, bacon, tomatoes, eggs, cheese, milk, coleslaw, wrapped butter pats
Frozen:
Sausages, hash browns, steaks, breaded fish, chips, ice cream, burgers
Tinned:
Beans, fruit (incl. cherry topping)
Longlife/ambient:
Pancake mix, condiments, oil, tea

frozen steaks - did they deep fry them?

 

[gbb]

There are plenty of places in the UK to get good food.

But the quick food for travellers places (Motorway services, transport Cafes, Little Chef & their ilk) aren't among them, and never have been. But even then, part of the reason Little Chef disappeared is that expectations have risen, while their quality didn't.

Oh of course, thousands, but it depends on an individuals expectations.
For me, you won't get 'good food' for less than say £30 a head nowadays (there will be exceptions of course)
For that (for me) it means its freshly cooked with fresh natural ingredients.

Take almost any pub chain, fast food outlet et al...they churn out processed, probably fatty food at a pricepoint. And thats fine, i use such places all the time, but its often not 'good' food. Its acceptable for the pricepoint

Even then, it can go wrong. On holiday once we were looking for a snack. A meal deal sandwich seemed the obvious quick answer. No, lets get a fresh crab sandwich at the harbour i thought, treat ourselves to something not stuffed with processed crud. We paid double the amount.....it was garbage.

Its all down to an individuals expectations/needs. Some will think McDs is perfection, some thought Little Chef was ok, some think they are all garbage, We'll never get concensus.

 

[neil_merseyside]

Really? To me they tasted like actual vomit

2 minutes in warm water, 2 mins in a microwave and 2 minutes on the hotplate works in some economical pubs I'm told 🤐

 

[gbb]

frozen steaks - did they deep fry them?

If we're talking Little Chef here, no, almost everything was griddled. Inevitably, almost everything came out a freezer, the steaks as well.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

If we're talking Little Chef here, no, almost everything was griddled. Inevitably, almost everything came out a freezer, the steaks as well.

No, that's not correct. Post 82 refers.

 

[Brandane]

pray tell which of these came from the freezer? I've give you the fruit cocktail was canned, but the fruit cocktail is a canned food.
View attachment 727836

Love those prices!
Given in both old money and pounds/pence, which puts those prices around 1971. Sirloin steak with onions, tomato, and chips - 55 pence 😄.

 

[T4tomo]

Steak from Freezer -Straight to griddle to defrost of cook in one go?

I've done that with bacon, but never steak. I bet you didn't get asked how you wanted it done.