Christmas in July with Clems! - Clem's Chicken Shop, Newton

Our allergy-friendly section - how's that for choice?

Establishment: Clem's Chicken Shop, Newtown
Cuisine: Chicken takeaway and catering
Allergy information: they offer an amazing range of dairy, egg, nut, gluten free dishes and are very helpful with any requests (thank you, Spiro!)
Suggestions: their gluten-free bbq chicken is fantastic but I'm especially a fan of their baked mushrooms which are also gluten free and their vegan ratatouille

Requesting catering for a variety of allergies and dietary requirements is always a challenge. This year, when we were looking to cater our Christmas in July celebrations at work, we had more people with specific needs than in previous years so we wanted to be sure everyone had some good options. 

Thankfully, we've now been turning to the awesome folks at Clem's Chicken Shop for our wintery feasts for the last few years and every year, they've delivered amazing food and service.

This year was no exception. We contacted them a week out from Christmas in July with our numbers and dietary requests and they sent us back a sample invoice with all the allergens clearly marked. The number of safe options were pretty staggering so we cut a few dishes down, still ending up with enough choice for everyone and the Clem's team, particularly Spiro, made this selection process smooth and simple. The day before, they did a final confirmation of our order and assured us that all was set to go.

A hearty feast indeed!

Then on the day, Spiro delivered our food and was an absolute champ. He helped get all the food up the stairs, then stuck around to help us lay it all out in order, advising us which sauces best went with which dishes. He also brought out the signs that they had printed out for us, further explaining the ingredients and checking that we were happy with everything. They had even marked sunflower free dishes in case anyone might have a sunflower allergy. He really went above and beyond and the committee and I really appreciate his effort on the day and the team's effort in preparing our food!

And of course, we feasted well!

The clearly marked gluten-free chickens, all with guarantee of no allergen traces.

Staff walked into a sprogged up room spilling with the aroma of freshly cooked food and the sounds of carols and eagerly lined up to fill their plates. The chickens were juicy and delicious and out of the allergy friendly options, the mushrooms and the carrots went beautifully with them.

Apologies for the blurry photos - but those carrots and that Ratatouille were delicious.

For our vegetarian staff, the Potato Bake with onion and bacon was a big hit and quickly disappeared. For the staff who are vegan or have dairy and egg allergies, they had a gorgeous Ratatouille that was delightful and packed to the brim with beautifully cooked vegies. We also had a lovely, fresh and tangy coleslaw to counter the hot dishes.

As the lunch went on, it was a joy to see staff loving the food and going back for seconds and thirds. We ended up with a fair amount left over and that all disappeared too!

These baked mushrooms were easily my favourite.

Overall, it was a brilliant day and the food just topped it off for everyone. It can definitely be daunting dealing with caterers but dealing with Spiro and Clem's continues to be a real pleasure and we are especially grateful for their ongoing fantastic assistance with our many allergy and dietary requests! Communication is always easy and their service is top notch, I couldn't recommend them more if you're after some hearty catering and need to ensure catering for different allergies and diets. 

Or if you're out in Newtown and feel like some great takeaway, you can just drop in to their shop on King St!