NosH&Jumper

NosH&Jumper

Now We Are Five

Wednesday January 21st 2009

Now We Are Five

The years seem to have flown by, but Harbour & Jones has reached its 5th birthday this month.  When we started back in January 2004, we knew that if we stuck to our principles, employed great personalities and had a little bit of luck we could set up a great business.

To celebrate five wonderful years we have put together a few salient facts about ourselves and the number five.

5 facts about H&J – then and now

• In January 2004 we had 1 employee, now we have 310
• Back then our turnover was £0, in 2008 it was £15 million
• In the last 5 years we have spent over £17 million on food
• From 1 client account we have expanded to27
• Since 2004 we have conducted 27 Gastro Tours for staff and clients around Soho and Borough Market with Jenny Linford

5 facts about the number Five

• 5 is a Prime number.  In fact it is the only Prime number to end in 5
• Almost all amphibians, reptiles and mammals that have fingers or toes, have five of them on each extremity
• The five natural senses are sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch
• Chinese five spice incorporates the five basic flavors of Chinese cooking — sweet, sour, bitter, savoury and salty.
• A Perfect fifth is the most consonant harmony and is the basis for most western tuning systems.

5 things you didn’t know about Patrick

• He has an ‘O’ Level in Welsh
• He has served lunch to Saddam Hussein whilst being closely monitored by two bodyguards
• He loves reading historical biographies and has just finished a fascinating book on Catherine the Great
• Some of his favourite all time movies are Zulu, the Longest Day and Meet the Fockers
• He bluffed his way in the midnight show at The Lido in Paris by getting out of a large Limo and pretending to be a Prince from Tatooine!  This resulted in VIP treatment, front seats and complimentary champagne

5 things you didn’t know about Nathan

• He is Welsh but cannot speak it, although his singing of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (the Welsh National anthem) is coming on nicely!
• He was mistaken for Andrew Ridgley whilst on holiday in Greece
• As well as being fanatical about Manchester United and Welsh rugby he is also taking lessons in ballroom dancing at Len Goodman’s dance school
• He was recruited to make TV commercials for a whisky company whilst on holiday in Thailand.  The payment was meant to be £5000 every time the ad was shown, but he never got a penny as he was incomprehensible.  Some things never change!
• He doesn’t read much other than tenders, but loves movies and series of a swashbuckling nature such as Sharpe, Hornblower and even Star Wars, but his favourite film is Escape to Victory

5 reasons to choose H&J

• Our people – a happy, motivated team who offer outstanding levels of service
• Our passion for food – simple, delicious, locally sourced and seasonal
• Our experience and knowledge – we know our business inside out, what works and what doesn’t and how to fulfil our clients’ needs
• Our creativity – where others see problems we will find solutions
• Our sense of fun – we work hard, enjoy ourselves and can’t wait to get to work in the morning

Finally, a word from our first client who believed that Harbour & Jones could deliver a better service than the big catering companies:

“We are just about to celebrate our fifth anniversary with Harbour & Jones.  Being their first client has given us a special relationship which has grown over the years. They were and continue to be a breath of fresh air. We are always pleased to see them and listen to their solutions to any problems we might encounter. Even though H&J has grown, the individual care and attention to our needs has been maintained. They deserve every success”.

Now We Are Five  Now We Are Five 
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