Racegoers can be assured of some winning fare at the John Smith’s Grand National meeting at Aintree this year. Letheby & Christopher’s close attention to detail and meticulous preparation ensure its racecourse catering adds a special touch to the raceday experience.

Letheby & Christopher, part of the sport, leisure and hospitality sector of Compass Group UK & Ireland, is a company steeped in tradition and has a catering relationship with horseracing that dates back to 1889. The company is the UK’s leading horseracing caterer, providing catering and corporate hospitality at many of the country’s prestigious courses such as Cheltenham, Goodwood and Newmarket as well as Aintree.

Letheby & Christopher leaves nothing to chance when it comes to catering for the 140,000-plus racegoers descending on Aintree for the John Smith’s Grand National meeting. Preparations start as early as October, with menu tasting and planning taking place throughout the winter months. Work gets under way in earnest seven weeks before to ensure this huge catering operation runs smoothly. There are over 40 public bars around the course, including the Aintree Pavilion, which can take up to 10,000 racegoers. For renowned hospitality catering, there are the Princess Royal Restaurant and Merryman Boxes in the Princess Royal Stand, the Sefton Suite at the County Stand, and the Devon Loch and Monaveen Boxes at the Queen Mother Stand.

There are further luxurious boxes with a fantastic panoramic view in the prestigious Earl of Derby and Lord Sefton stands which opened in 2007. Or for a bespoke culinary experience, there is the newly-built Paddock Lodge, overlooking the parade ring. The 5,400-strong Letheby & Christopher team are always on hand to quench racegoers’ thirst, serving up 120,000 pints of lager, 75,000 bottles of beer and 40,000 cups of tea and coffee at the event.

Great people are at the heart of Letheby and Christopher’s success, and the company recruits all year round to ensure it has the best people to maintain the high standards established for this world-famous event. They are well looked after by a dedicated staffing and training team which arranges travel, food and accommodation to ensure
their welfare up to and during the three-day meeting. With the appointment of 250 managers and supervisors, the Letheby & Christopher team ensures catering at Aintree is truly memorable.