Not any more. Enter Spier’s, a start-up that is determined to make hearty salad the dish of the day. We caught up with founder Ben Spier to find out what Battersea Studio members can expect from the salad supremos.
Tell us a little about you and your business.
We’re all about hearty and healthy lunches and we aim for quality and quantity at a fair price! I have a mate with whom I play football, who’s quote is now at the top of our list of reviews: “[I] was really really impressed and that’s from someone who generally despises salads! Tasted like a treat not a chore.”
How did you get started?
It’s in the blood. Our mum ran a one-woman catering company when my brothers and I were little (and I don’t just mean feeding us!) back “when you couldn’t get hummus in the shops”.
I loved creating big, colourful dishes with her and a few years ago I thought I’d see if I could prep and sell them at weekend markets. I asked a mate to help build an insulated trailer, I catered for events including a wedding for 200 people and enlisted family members to help as and when.
I started looking for a permanent spot for a regular audience but was put off by prohibitively high rents until I walked past a phonebox with a poster explaining that it could be rented out and thought, aha! If I could attach shelves in the door and put a fridge inside, I could sell from there at a fraction of the cost…
On 3 May 2016, the phonebox in Bloomsbury Square became a new lunchspot. The summer was great and everyone was incredibly complimentary.
What drew you to Battersea Studios?
It seems a fun spot with an interesting mix of people working in different sectors. There are a fair few start-ups so we’re hoping we’ll be recognised for what we’re trying to do, and that people will be quick to give us feedback – the negative is particularly helpful to us!
There is lots of potential for us to cater for meetings on site, too. We hope there’ll be a good atmosphere and positivity around our food from a hungry, enthusiastic audience. We’re keen to do events and without many other food spots nearby, being on site means you can dodge the winter weather.
What can customers expect from the Spier’s menu?
It will change every couple of days – we move with the seasons.
Come autumn and winter, it will feature ingredients like sweet potato, chickpea, nutmeg, chilli and coriander in a balsamic dressing and butternut squash, feta, orange and red cabbage.
We’ll also do a couple of stews – I can’t wait to start doing my beef and ale stew and the aubergine, chickpea and butterbean version will hopefully go down well too!
Customers choose whatever they fancy from the day’s dishes, fill the box and add a meat or fish skewer if desired. We can also put it all into a wrap or on top of a jacket or sweet potato.
We serve generous portions measured by the container size rather than weight so you know exactly what it will cost before you pay.
What’s your favourite dish?
Difficult… Today I really enjoyed our beetroot, fig, feta, rocket and tomato salad. I love our celeriac remoulade, too – that’s my mum’s favourite and with her exacting standards, it has to have a mention.
What is the appeal of running a small business?
I love the buzz of people enjoying our food and coming back for more. It helps the business to grow but it is also satisfying on a base level – like many others I love hosting, making good food and drink and sating people’s appetite!
I also love innovating with our food and the logistics of service, working out the best way of doing things to keep the plates spinning.
Describe an average day?
Up at (very) silly o’clock. I take deliveries, check the kitchen is clean then wash/chop/cut/saute/blanche/skewer/roast/bake as appropriate for several hours.
At 10:30 I ensure the kitchen is tidy and ready for service then begin service (with a smile!), learn as much as possible, clean down, work out the next day’s menu, order for the next morning’s delivery, do paperwork, marinade chicken for overnight flavour development and finally head home for dinner and sleep dreaming of fun new recipes.
What’s the future for Spier’s?
I would like it to grow whilst maintaining the highest possible quality. So perhaps more locations but also to grow in other ways – working with schools giving lessons about food and nutrition as well as running a small business. I haven’t worked out the logistics but I think learning in that practical environment would be great experience.
