Image: Lancashire Cricket
The Lancashire Cricket Club (UK) has announced the food and hospitality services company Sodexo Live! as the club’s first-ever Official Culinary Partner after signing a five-year contract.
‘Lancashire Cricket’ stated that Sodexo Live! is a global leader in hospitality services in the sports and leisure industry and the agreement will see the company deliver an enhanced premium hospitality and event experience at the Lancashire Cricket Club home ground – the Emirates Old Trafford in Stretford, England (UK). The agreement includes the delivery of the catering for conference, events and hospitality.
The Lancashire Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire (Northwest England) in English cricket. The club has held first-class status since it was founded in 1864. Lancashire’s home is the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Stretford, England (UK) although the team also play matches at other grounds around the county.
The 50,000-capacity Old Trafford is a cricket ground in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England (UK). It opened in 1857 as the home of the Manchester Cricket Club and has been the home of the Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1864. From 2013 onwards it has been known as the Emirates Old Trafford due to a sponsorship deal with the Emirates Airline.
The Sodexo Live! is a company based in France that provides food and hospitality services for events at venues like stadiums, arenas and conference centers.
‘Lancashire Cricket’ further stated that Sodexo Live! plans to build a strong casual workforce of approximately 150 from the Greater Manchester and North West area contributing to the local economy and the community. The food will be overseen by Sodexo Live! Executive Head Chef Andy Hare – as well as the Emirates Old Trafford Head Chef Nic Ashurst – who has worked at the venue for 37 years – and will work collaboratively to develop the club’s culinary offering.
Working together, Sodexo Live! and the Emirates Old Trafford – which has undergone a £75 million redevelopment over the last 15 years – will introduce exciting and diverse menus designed to elevate the dining experience across both hospitality and conference and events held at the venue.
Stated Daniel Gidney, Chief Executive at Lancashire Cricket, “I would like to welcome Sodexo Live! to our family of partners as The Official Culinary Partner of Lancashire Cricket and the Emirates Old Trafford. Sodexo Live! is a worldwide hospitality brand with a proven track record of enhancing the culinary experiences across sports venues, conference centers and global events. Over the past 12 years we have quadrupled in size and our scale now requires an enhanced platform to really focus on the next stage of our growth. We know there is an increasing demand for varied, creative and distinctive menus that are tailor-made for different audiences across a range of events that we hold at the Emirates Old Trafford. We believe Sodexo Live! has the expertise and the vision to make a real difference to our food offering and enhance the whole event experience across cricket, conferences and concerts at the venue.”
Added Gidney, “This is a partnership that is incredibly exciting and we’re really looking forward to working with the team in the coming years to support us achieve our ambitious growth aspirations.”
Commented Claire Morris, head honcho, Sodexo Live! UK&I, “We are absolutely delighted to partner with Lancashire Cricket and the Emirates Old Trafford. This collaboration represents a fantastic opportunity to bring our food expertise in event catering and hospitality to one of the most iconic global venues located in the North West of England. Furthermore, we feel incredibly proud to be selected as the club’s first ever Official Culinary Partner in its 160-year history. We thank Lancashire Cricket for putting its trust in us as our Experience Makers plan to deliver a standout service. We are committed to creating an exceptional stadium experience for the fans and the visitors ensuring that every matchday and event is memorable for the visitors regionally and from across the world. Our team is eager to begin this exciting journey and contribute to the continued success of Lancashire Cricket and Emirates Old Trafford.”
Few items on the menu will have a regional flare including ingredients from the local suppliers across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and the North West. Example new hospitality dishes include:
Tandoori Spiced Cornfed Chicken
Bombay spiced fondant potato, glazed garden vegetables, Maharashtrian butter masala sauce, and coriander oil.
Crispy Hake ‘Kyiv’
Panko breaded line-caught fillet of hake filled with wild garlic, caper and shallot butter finished with sauted Ormskirk ruby potatoes and watercress salad.
Baked Keralan Aubergine
Tikka spiced vegetables, paneer, Bombay spiced fondant potato, Maharashtrian butter masala sauce.
Glazed Cardamom and Saffron Custard Tart
Nutmeg chantilly, yoghurt sorbet, crushed pistachio.
Social impact sits at the heart of Sodexo Live! and through its food offering it will make a difference by working with the social enterprises such as Change Please and Half the Story Biscuits. Change Please is a well-established coffee brand that works with the homeless to give them employment and training opportunities to build a better life. Half the Story Biscuits is similar, where it creates job roles within its bakery for those who have also experienced homelessness.
Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.
Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.
« Previous News: Dubai BC edge-of-the-seat Coca-Cola Arena game
