HOW TO….
… RUN A SOUP STALL
Putting up the stall
In advance:
Book all those working. A firm arrangement whether paid or voluntary. 2 or 3 on site. Do a
risk assessment. Liaise with site organizers. Discuss position of stall, visit site, check if it is
level enough (bring your own timber pieces if necessary to level it). Arrange where electricity is coming from and when. Discuss arrangements for site passes/tickets. Arrange
when you will come on site. Assemble equipment: As far as possible get everything into
one place, ready to load into an estate car or van.
You will need:
Market stall and tarpaulin. Include ratchet straps from tent if windy.
Signage – attract people to the stall with a BIG electrically lit sign. Make a bamboo
frame, clingfilm it and use latex glue to cover with wet strength tissue. Cut out black
paper letters and glue on. Other signs, black marker pen on card, give soup prices etc.
2 Gas rings and either full cylinders or spares so you can change
an empty one (remember spanner).
Fire proof pads to go under rings (ideally timber
and lithoplate or other metal).
HOW TO…
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RUN A SOUP STALL
Windshields sufficient to stop gas flame from being blown about too much. Wooden
panels hinged so they go round 3 sides of the gas ring, far enough away for big pots
to be put on the ring. (DC can lend one)
Gas lighter to light gas.
Electric lighting. We want to attract people so good lighting is well worth the effort.
Festoon cable and bulbs (in bank store?). Allow for about 200w behind the big sign
(3 x 60w). 2 x 60w over the soup serving positions. A string of small bulbs can be
included for decorative use.
Electric leads to plug into the supply and plastic to waterproof connections.
Any decorative features - eg Little handmade lantern festoon along front of stall –
don’t need to work as lights but look good against light.
Take with you:
Cable ties, rope, wire, gaffer tape, masking tape, string. Tools including knives,
scissors, pliers, torches. Water carrier, water and clean bowl, towel and soap for
handwashing. Dry powder fire extinguisher, first aid kit, rubbish sacks, spare thick
bamboo poles.
On the day:
Allow at least 2 hours to put up the stall (more if weather is bad). It is much safer to
have plenty of time, including time to collect forgotten items. As you put it up test
everything, including lights (before you put them up and immediately they are in
position) and lighting gas rings. Aim to have space for a vehicle behind.
Erect stall using the stall plan. Check
it is level (water in a bowl will tell
you). Put the electrically lit sign in
place on ground, ready to raise.
Attach upright poles to it and festoon
cable onto it. Erect as in diagram,
attaching it with cable ties to the
market stall uprights.
Stretch tarpaulin over and down the
back. Secure it with weights or tie to
vehicle to provide weatherproof corridor behind counter for servers to use.
Put up the décor and the lights over the counter, then tablecloth (big enough to tape
to legs) and gas rings on pads with windshields. Know where you have put spares,
safety equipment, tools etc. Safety equipment should be easily accessed, tools can
be in a locked vehicle behind stall. If very windy rig big sign off front legs. Once stall is
rigged someone has to stay with it all the time..
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HOW TO…. RUN A SOUP STALL
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The Soup.
For Bentham Bonfire you will need:Minimum of 125 insulated cups.
2 big full pots of soup (empty by the time the fireworks went off—30 to 40 minutes.
2 packs of 100 napkins (from Duxburys);
Bread – 9 French Sticks from Barwises (mixture of brown and white). Each cut into 14
-15 slices (probably actually used 8 French Sticks) and put in clean carrier bags in a
large clean lidded plastic box.
Making the Soups (with thanks to Denise Henshaw):
‘Tomato’ (Suitable for vegans).
Giant tin chopped tomatoes;
4 tsps Marmite;
1 litre tomato juice;
4 tsps dried Thyme;
1.25kg Puy (speckled) Lentils;
Olive Oil;
1.25 kg Red lentils;
15 –20 tsps Bouillon veg. stock
10 -12 large onions.
Water to fill pan
Chop onions and sauté in oil till transparent. Add other ingredients, cover, bring to
boil and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Partly liquidize with a hand held blender.
Leek and Potato
10 lb box of leeks from Flowerfields (2 not used, probably actually used 8lbs);
12 large potatoes;
8oz butter;
4 large onions;
15 - 20 tsps Bouillon veg. stock in enough water to fill pan;
Pepper.
Gently saute leeks and onions in butter, add chopped potatoes and stock, bring to
boil and simmer for 30 minutes or so. Liquidise with a hand held blender.
Both soups were equally popular and nobody said they didn’t like either of them.
You will need to take:Large Tablecloth – a white single sheet taped onto legs so it won’t blow;
2 plastic square tubs for napkins;
Very big bread bowl;
2 big pans of soup (Looking Wells 2 biggest) divided into 4 less full pans for carrying;
Looking Well big Thermos full of boiling water to add if needed;
2 ladles (serving), 2 wooden spoons (stirring);
A smaller pot of thinner soup that can be added if more is needed;
Tea towels and clean apron each;
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HOW TO…. RUN A SOUP STALL
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Washing up bowl of water for handwashing and hand cleaning gel
Small hand towel or paper towels for drying hands
Donation Box and sign
Tub, money bag and float for taking money. It is best to put takings progressively into
someones zipped pocket
Polystyrene cups , lids (not used much) and plenty of plastic spoons (kids find it
easier with a spoon sometimes). We used 125 cups.
Rubbish bags. Attach to stall.
Table Layout
2010 - 2 soup servers and 1 money collector, plus David Clough to deal with technical
problems. 2011– 4 people behind plus technical person and bread server out front.
Signs at front: ‘Tomato’ and ‘Leek and Potato’ in front of big pans
‘Homemade soup and bread - £1.50’ (in 2010)
‘Donations to Looking Well’ and ‘Postcards for sale – 50p each’
Signs behind us hung from back wall:
‘Thank you to sponsors’ (listed) and the Soul Soup tea towel poster
Above stall, the large lit sign saying HOT SOUP
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HOW TO…. RUN A SOUP STALL
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Timing for Bentham Bonfire
2.15 pm
Met and loaded car and drove to site to set up stall.
2010 position was excellent (right near the lighting socket, and room for vehicle
behind). Once erected, stall needs someone there all the time.
5. 00 pm
Start heating soups up at Looking Well. Would need much longer if soups had been
frozen. Soup took about 30 minutes to heat up from cold.
Bread was cut up at Looking Well and put in clean carrier bags. All went in a large
plastic box with lid and carried to site. Bags make it easy to put bread into big bread
bowl without touching it.
6.00 – 6.15 pm
We carried heated soup from Looking Well to site. Carrying soup is easier by hand
rather than sloshing in a vehicle. One on each side. Make sure pots are NOT FULL.
Needs 2 people with hands at same level or it easily tips towards lower person. Otherwise works well (though quite heavy for a longish walk). Best to have a cloth/gloves to
protect hands holding pot from spilt hot soup. Might be easier to make a thicker soup
and top up and thin on site with flasks of boiling water/stock.
6.45 pm
Once soup had bubbled on site, we turned gas very low or even off until people started
arriving. You hardly need to turn it on again because it holds its heat so well.
From when people started arriving it was a constant stream.
3 people were essential to keep it efficient.
We needed all the space and there wasn’t much time to sell anything else. It was
enough just doing the soup.
A few stragglers asked if there was any soup left after the fireworks – we had about
one cup! Not worth making enough for after fireworks because everyone leaves.
It took about 45 minutes to de-rig. Need a torch to check for bits on the ground
because there is not quite enough light from the floodlights
The donations box only had £2 in it. It might be better to charge more.
Ali and David Clough
Pioneer Projects (Celebratory Arts) Ltd
Draft 2 Dec 2011
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