Eat to the Beat ensured that crew, artists, production and BBC personnel at the Pyramid stage, Other Stage and Interstage area were well catered for at Worthy Farm, 26th – 30th June 2019. Producing breakfast, lunch and dinner for five days; a steady stream of snacks and refreshments; band riders, incorporating numerous dietary requirements, along with post show spreads makes the number of meals and sheer volume of produce used eye watering!
In fact, this year’s festival saw over 24,000 meals served by a 64 strong Eat to the Beat team. They used 2160 kilos potatoes, 4000 bananas, 80 litres of tomato ketchup (which is enough to fill a bath) and served 400 homemade pizzas. Whilst its crew members were clocking up, on average, a staggering 40000 steps per day.
Sustainability is always at the forefront of Eat to the Beat’s service delivery. This is across the board, from recyclable and biodegradable disposable service ware and effective waste management to developing menus that offer plenty of tasty alternatives to meat dishes including vegan options and securing local produce wherever possible. Eat to the Beat reduced the quantity of beef it served by 30% from 2017 and served 10% more vegan meals than 2017. And, in line with the festival’s pledge to ban single use plastics across the site, there were zero bottles served in any of their dining rooms.
Commenting on Eat to the Beat’s twentieth successful year at Glastonbury, Mary Shelley-Smith, global operations director said: “Having delivered catering for crew and artists for 20 years, Eat to the Beat is now undoubtedly part of Glastonbury’s history. As events go, they really don’t get any bigger. A quick look at our numbers for this year’s festival; the quantity of meals served, the sheer volumes of produce needed or how many team members were involved and how hard they worked, is indicative of that. We’re incredibly proud of our long-standing relationship with Glastonbury and look forward to working with the team for many more years to come.”
