Guest Author - Fay Olinsky

Monday morning, first job of the week. 3 am start today. Packed equipment and packaging last night. Start by cooking off 40 slices of lightly fried bread.

Slice 40 portions of succulent but firm special Italian plum tomatoes and 40 slices of Bury Black Pudding.

Count out enough packs of top quality Dry Cure Streaky bacon…the leanest looking.
Pack 7 cartons of fresh orange juice. 7 miniature mustard pots. Pack all the food into cool bags and load the van.

4.30 am I drive to the Kensington Hilton where I will be meeting the client in the underground car park. Big MPV arrives with the client and the Brand manager of Nurofen Express, plus the driver.

All I know at this stage is that I am cooking breakfasts for 40 DJ's and associates as a promotion for Nurofen.

BBC London, Radio One, Heart, LBC, Magic, Kiss, Capital and Virgin.

We arrive at the first venue in W10 a nice gated building with a forecourt. Immediately I see where I can set up without causing any stress (client thought we could do all the cooking in the foyers of the Radio Stations…but this in my experience is a risky chance to take..it all depends who is on reception) In the forecourt there are still tables and chairs set up for summer lunchtimes…

I put three aluminum tables together and poke cardboard under the legs to minimize the wobbles. Out comes my huge old George Forman grill and a very long extension cable. The radio Station agrees for use of a plug as long as the reception get a few bacon butties! I set the bacon on the George Forman and leave it to cook. Next I plug in my little mini hob and place the big flat iron griddle on top to cook the eggs. Two lightweight hot-plates are plugged in next and all the plates are set out ready. Once the first batch of bacon has cooked the fried bread slices and the black pudding go onto the grill. That way the bread absorbs the flavour of the bacon and any excess fat is drained off on the slope. Healthy wicked breakfast-!! The tomatoes cook in their own juices on the hot plates gently so they don't loose shape.


Two radio Stations are in the building where I am cooking. Two more are in W.1 and the last 2 are Capital in Leicester Square and Virgin in Golden Square.

My little outdoor kitchen set up is gathering attention…bacon and eggs in the early morning mist captures the imagination and the hunger pangs of the staff whose canteen is a few hours from opening. I have to offer a few bribes.

The client had bought Thermos bags as I had suggested. I had stacking rings and thermal packaging. I suggest we don't do as she thought….pack up and re-set up as and when at each location. I had a word with the reception manager and he agreed we could cook all the drops there…that cost a dozen egg muffins!

Once the plates of breakfast were assembled steaming hot, golden fried egg perfectly cooked, crispy bacon, black pudding and fried bread topped with tomatoes. They were thermal sealed and stacked in the Thermos bags. Taxi took the client to the next drop and brought her back to collect the final pack. By that time I had also cleared away, washed up with my little portable sink and hot water arrangement, cleaned up and fed the reception staff…somehow I don't quite believe that a radio station has 16 staff on reception duty!

Just as we get into the taxi the spits of rain start…thank goodness we had finished! Finally I am dropped off at The Kensington Hilton car park with all my equipment. We are 1 hour ahead of schedule...perfect!

So all the early morning DJ's and their teams were treated to the breakfast above along with a glass of orange juice and some promotional gifts and promotional material on Nurofen Express.

I drive back home and arrive for my own breakfast at 9.30 am.

I love early morning jobs…it's like getting a whole day off free once it is finished.
I also love the unpredictability of the jobs I do….it could have been a complete disaster! I love the feeling when I am finished and clearing up at least half an hour earlier than planned and the elation when driving home after a successful event.

I admit it takes organisation and the correct equipment but as I am totally out of control re the final venue it can be risky…I could have been cooking out of the back of a taxi! I am so glad they let us stay put to cook at the first venue because it was obviously impossible at the following locations…even unloading the taxi would have been impossible.

Fortunately I have done this sort of thing many times so realised the we were very lucky with our 'al fresco kitchen' and judged that we would be totally foolish to take a chance on the other places. Also the Thermos bags keep the food piping for at least an hour…because the traffic at 8 am was a nightmare. It took 25 minutes to get to London and 105 minutes to return along the same route.


There were apparently 3 other different promotional drop offs to Radio stations this morning but not many can compare to a hot Bacon and Egg Breakfast delivered to your desk!

I often think I would like to be a baker…working through the night and coming home at sunrise…that would be my dream of a perfect life.