CHEF Jim Chester brings a whole new meaning to meals on wheels when he's on the road with the Roaming Bistro.
He sells food from a van – sure, that's nothing new – but it's a step up from hot dogs.
Jim's customers can choose from dishes such as slow-cooked belly pork hot pot, chargrilled salmon salad wraps with salsa and sour cream or even a full Sunday roast.
"It's proper homemade food," says Jim, of Sandiacre, who caters at private parties, weddings, a day centre and from the car park of a local pub.
Everything is freshly cooked inside the Transit van which is kitted-out with an industrial-sized oven, a fryer, microwave, fridges and a sink.
Jim, a father of two teenage boys, says: "Vans like this normally do burgers and hot dogs. With me being a trained chef I didn't want to be tied down to any food and wanted to change the menu.
"I designed the kitchen to enable me to do a lot of different types of things.
"And this was less expensive than buying a restaurant with loads of overheads."
Jim, who trained at Clarendon College in Nottingham straight from school, can be found in the car park of the Blue Bell pub in Sandiacre every Friday night.
From 5-9pm he cooks 40 to 50 meals, all served in recyclable brown cardboard boxes.
"I put menus on every table. Like a bistro I change the menu each week with specials but people have their favourites which they ask for every week.
"They come out and order and the food is cooked to order, like normal restaurant type service" says 46-year-old Jim, who previously worked in kitchens at the Trent Bridge Inn, Nottingham City Hospital and was head chef at the University of Derby for seven years.
One of his specialities is his handmade pies, from traditional steak and ale or lamb shank and mint to veggie chick pea and ratatouille and luxury fish and seafood.
He does serve burgers and sausages but they are good quality meat from Bowleys Butchers, Sandiacre, and the bread rolls are supplied by The Bakery in Sawley.
They're served with Jim's "proper chips".
"I use fresh local ingredients wherever possible. I make all my own chips. You are not going to get a takeaway unit that makes their own chips."
Monday to Friday Jim drives to a day centre in Radford where he cooks lunch for 30 pensioners each day.
"They get a two-course meal for £4.50 which might be bangers and mash, homemade pies or a roast dinner. There's no frozen veg. It's all fresh mash, cauliflower and carrots," says Jim.
The meal is rounded off with homely puddings of apple pie, jam roly poly or apricot crumble.
Jim's weekends are spent at small public events, like Stapleford carnival, weddings and private parties.
He travels the Midlands but most of his work is in Notts and Derbyshire.
"I did a wedding reception in West Bridgford recently. It's a really trendy idea for a van to pull up and serve chicken tikka kebabs or fish and chips."
"I've done parties at people's homes for 30 to 40 people and I've also done charity events at weekends with 400 to 500, although some of them just have a cup of tea," says Jim, who as a one-man band doesn't have the scope to attend events with thousands.
Trade shows have also brought in business.
At Raleigh's three-day show in Eastwood he fed 650 hungry bike stockists from all over the country with chicken curry, slow cooked pork goulash and bangers and mash.
"I don't have set menus. I want to discuss with the customer what food they're looking for. The most any meal is sold for is £5 – it's very reasonable. That's important to me. I'm giving good quality homemade food at a good price."
One couple rented two holiday cottages in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, and hired Jim to cater for their son's 18th birthday celebrations.
"I did an Indian meal on the Saturday night and a roast dinner on the Sunday," says Jim, whose business has all come through word of mouth.
When he bought the vehicle two years ago it was a normal Transit van.
A specialist company cut a hatch into the side and built the kitchen to his specification.
The exterior was designed by local businesswoman Amber Ward, of lovelycuppa.co.uk, who also came up with the name.
From the walls hang his certificates including a City and Guilds qualification and five star hygiene rating.
He set up the business when he left the police force after ten years in the job.
"I was always conscious of the fact I always wanted to work for myself and that it may not be do-able if I left it to my 50s.
"I had always had the idea in my head. It was a goer, it was something different.
"It's something I'm really proud of – it's unique.
"One of the great things about this is you're cooking somewhere different all the time, for different people and it's a different menu so it's never boring."
For more information visit www.theroamingbistro.co.uk
