NCASS is the Nationwide Caterers Association, the membership association for independent food and drink businesses. We have been helping independent hospitality thrive since 1990.
The NCASS podcast seeks to discuss and shed light on the world of independent hospitality, talking to a range of individuals with expertise in the sector. We seek to educate, inform and entertain on all matters catering.
What does it really take to start and grow an independent hospitality business? In this episode, we chat with three legends of Birmingham’s food and drink scene — Jack Brabant (Digbeth Dining Club), Tom Maher (Original Patty Men), and Henry Poultney (Grace + James).
From street food beginnings and Krispy Kreme burgers to running neighbourhood hubs and navigating rising costs, it’s an hour of honest stories, practical insight, and pure indie hospitality gold.
Whether you're running a business, starting one, or just passionate about great food — this is the episode for you.
18 Mar 2025
Member Spotlight: The RTG Kitchen
In our first Member Spotlight podcast episode, we interview The RTG Kitchen to find out more about the catering business.
Operating in London, The RTG Kitchen is a street food business that prides itself in providing fresh, delicious and high quality Caribbean cuisine.
RTG owner Okeima Scarlett discusses his introduction to food, how he got into hospitality, starting up his own business and navigating the successes and challenges that come with that.
Find out more about The RTG Kitchen: https://www.instagram.com/thertgkitchen/
Read more NCASS Member Spotlight interviews: https://www.ncass.org.uk/resources/be-inspired/
24 Feb 2025
How to Succeed in Event Catering: Applying for Events and Festivals
In this episode of the NCASS podcast, NCASS CEO Alan Fox, NCASS Director Mark Laurie and Greg Gabriel of NCASS Member The Mixing Jug discuss applying for events and festivals.
Poring over best practices, tips on how to make sure your application gets noticed and the value of being transparent with event organisers, we seek to dive right into the nitty gritty of applying for events and how you can give yourself the best chance of succeeding at any event / festival you're looking to trade at.
We have loads of resources and content on the topic of festival and event catering that you can check out here: https://www.ncass.org.uk/ncass-guides/
Look out for more episodes covering this topic coming soon.
28 Nov 2024
Why You Need a Website with KitStart
NCASS explores the importance of a web presence for independent hospitality businesses with KitStart's Emily, who reveals how a bespoke website can drive more sales and customer engagement than social media alone.
30 Aug 2024
Succeeding with a Coffee Business with Mike the Casbah Coffee Man
This episode is the second part to the last episode, where we spoke to Mike about his time working in hospitality.
In this episode you can expect lots of invaluable insight and advice as to how to make a success of a mobile coffee business such as key things to be aware of, the value in paying attention to detail and much more.
You can find out more about Casbah Coffee and get in touch with Mike here:
Casbah Coffee (@casbahcoffeeman) • Instagram photos and videos (https://www.instagram.com/casbahcoffeeman/)
24 Jul 2024
Tricks of the Trade with Mike the Casbah Coffee Man
In this episode of the NCASS Podcast I am joined by Mike Brennan who for many years ran the Casbah Coffee Man mobile coffee unit. Mike reminisces about his journey into independent hospitality, the challenges he faced and how those were overcome.
Mike remains incredibly passionate about coffee and the industry and is keen to pass on his knowledge, just as he shares his wealth of expertise regarding the realities of trading as a mobile coffee unit here.
Find out more about Mike and get in touch with him here
Casbah Coffee (@casbahcoffeeman) • Instagram photos and videos (https://www.instagram.com/casbahcoffeeman/)
Look out for the second part of this episode coming soon!
29 May 2024
Signs of Success in Independent Catering
In this episode of the NCASS podcast, we welcome Becky and Sarah from the Account Managers team to discuss common enquiries they deal with, advice they give to people looking to embark on a journey in independent catering, some positive signs they get when people call up and lots more.
18 Dec 2023
Conquer Your Compliance
In this bitesize episode we discuss getting your compliance in line and keeping things in order, so you can trade legally with peace of mind. During the winter and quieter trading periods, it is a good idea to ensure all of your compliance needs are in hand and up to date. Listen as we run through a few areas to focus your attention on and get ahead of the game.
6 Dec 2023
Talking Tech With Our Own IT Crowd
Jamie and Jon are back for the second part of our episode shining a light on the wonderful work the NCASS tech team do.
As well as lifting a lid on just how the NCASS operation works from a tech point of view, we get a little bit foodie and discuss favourite eating establishments, and find out what dream catering ventures both have in mind!
4 Dec 2023
Providing A Voice for Independent Business
We know that running your own independent hospitality business is tough, and we aim to help make the reality of this easier any way that we can. One aspect we focus on is to provide a voice for your business in the ear of government and governing bodies for the sector. In this bitesize episode we run through how we strive to do this, looking specifically at our current #empowerindependents campaign, aimed at bringing about much needed tax reforms for the sector.
Find out more about our #empowerindependents campaign here (https://www.ncass.org.uk/empower-independents/).
20 Nov 2023
Why You Should Invest in Training
When it comes to running your business, training is one of the most rewarding investments you can make.
We know that the winter months can prevent a significant amount of downtime and quiet trading periods for hospitality businesses, but this presents an opportunity to work on other areas of the business - in this bitesize episode we discuss why it is a good idea to make use of this time to get your team up on their training.
Find out more about the extensive range of training courses we offer here:
Training | NCASS (https://www.ncass.org.uk/training/)
3 Nov 2023
Are These The Tech Guys You're Looking For?
In this episode, Jamie and Jon from the NCASS tech team join Andy on the podcast to highlight the work the team does and how significant it is to supporting the overall NCASS operation. We disclose the reality of what goes into the membership experience from a technology point of view and the impact this has had both internally and externally.
Stay tuned for part two of this episode where we delve into food interests, run with an amusing 'little chef' analogy and explore some dream food business ideas!
20 Sept 2023
Effective Allergen Management with Ani – part two
In this second episode of our focus on effective allergen management, Scott Randles of Ani App and Fiona West join me again as we carry on the discussion from the first episode. We explore the different challenges when it comes to managing allergens in either a fixed site or mobile business, talk about cross-contamination, the social impact of allergies when it comes to dining out and other prevalent considerations allergens pose to both caterer and consumer.
Find out more about ANI here:
ANI - Allergen & Nutritional Information (ani-knowyourfood.com) (https://www.ani-knowyourfood.com/)
14 Sept 2023
How Safe is Your LPG Usage?
Mobile and event catering are synonymous with the usage of LPG gas within independent hospitality. Making sure that this usage is handled safely is of the utmost importance to keep the sector safe for all involved. We brought in NCASS' own Gas Safety Consultant Marc Rowson to answer some quickfire questions around the safe use of LPG in independent catering and to discuss what steps could be taken to further safeguard the industry.
Find out more about the NCASS Mobile LPG Gas Safety Initiative here (https://www.ncass.org.uk/news/important-new-ncass-lpg-safety-initiative/).
29 Aug 2023
Effective Allergen Management with Ani – part one
In part one of this episode we bring NCASS partner Ani App to the table as we discuss all things allergens within the world of independent hospitality. Allergen awareness is becoming ever more important in society and there is a lot for caterers to comply with when it comes to handling and managing their allergens effectively.
Listen now as we portray the reality of dealing with allergens, build up a picture of best practices and try to impart some useful tips.
Find out more about ANI here:
ANI - Allergen & Nutritional Information (ani-knowyourfood.com) (https://www.ani-knowyourfood.com/)
19 Jul 2023
Mapping Out a Timeline of Success in Independent Catering
On the second episode of our discussion with Andrew James of The Catering Accounting Company, we explore financial scopes and constraints that are essential to ensuring a business venture doesn't die in the first year and instead can build on success in the years following. Mapping out a timeline of success for any business is necessary, and this is no different when it comes to a catering business.
Find more about Andrew and The Catering Accounting Company here (https://www.catering-accounting.co.uk/).
21 Jun 2023
Planning for profit with Andrew James
Joining us on this episode of the NCASS podcast is Andrew James - director of James, Stanley & Co and The Catering Accounting Company - as we explore the importance of goal planning at the outset of setting up a catering business and important tips to help you set up for success. Sure the business side of things may not be as fun or exciting as the catering side of things, but it is essential if you want to remain in business or achieve any degree of success. Andrew stresses this and delivers some great lessons that can be of help to all caterers.
Find more about Andrew and The Catering Accounting Company here (https://www.catering-accounting.co.uk/). All NCASS Members are eligible for a 20% discount on The Catering Accounting Company's services - find out more by clicking here (https://www.ncass.org.uk/rewards-partners-suppliers/the-catering-accounting-company/).
Look out for the second part of this episode in which we will continue this discussion and get more tips from Andrew.
3 May 2023
Nightmare Food Hygiene inspections
In this episode of the official NCASS podcast, we continue to set straight some myths that linger when it comes to food hygiene inspections. With our in house Environmental Health Specialist Fiona West we gain a greater insight into what life is like as an Environmental Health Officer and Fiona walks us through some nightmarish experiences she's had while conducting hygiene inspections.
At NCASS, we cannot stress enough the value in being adequately prepared when it comes to your food hygiene inspection. We have put together this handy guide that breaks down how the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme works and how you can ace your next rating.
Download the guide for free now at:
NCASS Food Hygiene Rating Scheme Guide (mailchi.mp) (https://mailchi.mp/ncass.org.uk/food-hygiene-rating-scheme-guide)
Stay tuned for further episodes coming out soon!
28 Feb 2023
Debunking Food Hygiene inspection myths with a former EHO
In this inaugural episode of the official NCASS podcast, we speak with our in house Environmental Health Specialist Fiona West to lift the lid on all things EHO. Join us as we discuss the wonderful world of compliance, seek to debunk some myths when it comes to food hygiene inspections and to look at things from an Environmental Health Officer's point of view.
Food Hygiene inspections are of great significance to any (independent) food and drink business and can have a massive impact on the success of the venture - the better prepared you can be for it, the greater chance of achieving a higher rating you will have!
You can download the EHO Inspection Checklist that we mention in the episode at the following link:
https://mailchi.mp/ncass.org.uk/food-hygiene-rating-scheme-guide (https://mailchi.mp/ncass.org.uk/food-hygiene-rating-scheme-guide)
Look out for the follow-on episode in which we talk with Fiona some more.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
138,417
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 56 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
35
Social presence
94
YouTube
86
Engagement
60
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