Horse Racing: Cheltenham prepares for catering bonanza

Letheby & Christopher, the Cheltenham racecourse caterers, are prepared for a hectic time at next week’s National Hunt Festival.

They will employ 2,000 staff to serve 22,000 meals, 15,000 bottles of champagne, 20,000 bottles of wine, 50,000 bottles of beer, 60,000 bottles of minerals, 3,000 gallons of tea and coffee, 14,000 portions of chips, 20,000 hamburgers and hot dogs, 28,000 sandwiches, and a further 10,000 packed lunches for staff.

The reason for sponsorship by brewing companies becomes apparent when seeing the spectacular consumption of their products.

In 2000, racegoers drank over 84,000 pints of Guinness, and over 200,000 pints of the leading brands, including Foster’s, John Smith’s, Beamish and Courage Best.

The Tented Village alone will house between 6,000-8,000 guests on each day, and 100 private boxes in the main and Tattersalls grandstands will cater for a further 2,000.