Peterborough restaurateur’s new venture is smokin’

David is the man behind the city’s roast dinner institution Sundays, now in the Cathedral precincts, but for more than a decade a fixture in Cumbergate.

It was there where he fulfilled an ambition, running the premises as BBQ Nights three evenings a week cooking beef, pork, ribs and chicken low and slow in the smoker American-style. He had fallen in love with the cuisine travelling coast-to-coast across the USA.

With the new premises still taking shape, BBQ Nights became a pop-up and built up a huge following.

Then the coronavirus lockdown came.

“A couple of months into the first lockdown with Sundays at the Cathedral and BBQ Nights not able to open, I began to get a little bored and was missing proper bbq so I thought I’d fire up the smoker - and to justify it (our smoker is 200lt +) we posted on our social media asking if any one would fancy a BBQ Nights delivery,” said David. “ The response was nearly instant.

“The offer was essentially our popular ‘BBQ Nights Platter’ (smoked meats and sides); delivered smoked and cooked and cooled: then by just re-heating in the oven and adding drinks our customers could have their own BBQ Nights at home.”

The venture proved so successful, David came to the point where he was delivering up to 100 meal boxes every couple of weeks - great with the restaurant being shut and no outside catering events going ahead.

And while he could definitely smoke more racks of ribs and beef brisket, it would have been difficult to deliver many more boxes with his resources.

Then came the new venture, which takes off on January 1, teaming up with delivery network www.yummy.co.uk.

“After sending them some samples (which they loved) everything happened quickly,” David added. “Our smokehouse is just over the border so for our link up with yummy we have re-branded as ‘The Lincolnshire Smokehouse’.

“For us it’s an unusual situation at the moment in the catering industry; having a couple of weeks off over Christmas and yet knowing we’ll be busy in January with the Lincolnshire Smokehouse.

“In such a trying year for so many people and businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector, we feel very lucky to have been able to adapt our offer and continue to provide a product we love so much ourselves to our customers.

“Whilst we all can’t wait to have Sundays and BBQ Nights back to normal as soon as possible, as a business we’re keeping busy and are a little excited about this new venture.”