Hello there. I’m James Morgan and the founder/owner of The Clean Meal Company.
When I started the company in 2021, I’d come from a background of working in restaurants, bistros, brasseries, and specialist catering companies across Europe for over 25 years.
I launched the business after being made redundant by an international film production company I’d been working for in the UK. Sadly, I was an economic casualty of the Covid pandemic, but it opened the door to an opportunity I’d wanted to pursue for many years – starting my own catering business.
It’s been a voyage of discovery along the way. Some of the lessons I’ve learnt have been challenging, but far more have been positive and have helped the company to succeed, thrive, and grow.
Part of that success has come from meeting tremendously generous, supportive, and helpful people at the right time. There’s been the odd slice of luck, here and there, and a lot of hard work too.
The result has seen four diverse services emerge that offer different eating and dining experiences for a wide range of people.
Event & Hospitality Catering
I had a wealth of experience in event catering from working with specialist catering companies and at the film production company. This provided a great platform to create the Event and Hospitality Catering Service that has become the cornerstone of the business.
We have catered at prestigious sporting events, such as the Henley Regatta and Polo Tournaments, as well as catering for many business functions and weddings.
Locally, we provide catering at Aldershot Town Football Club for match days, corporate events, and various other functions held there. The ground is located just down the road from our commercial kitchen at the Princes Hall Theatre site and has become a terrific partnership (as well as a lot of fun: “C’mon the Shots”).
Private Catering
My experience from working in restaurants, bistros, and brasseries created a perfect background for launching a Private Catering Service. It has allowed my team to create stunning meals and extend their repertoire of menus and dishes.
We have catered for garden parties, BBQs, birthday parties, anniversaries, and all sorts of celebrations and business functions. We have also provided meals for some exceptionally special moments. One of the most memorable occurred a year after I’d launched the business, when a lovely lady contacted me to ask if I could provide a Christmas lunch for her and a friend (who had a terminal illness). It was an honour to do so and has given me a poignant memory I will never forget.
Nutritious Lunchboxes
This is where everything started, in 2021.
I had always had an interest in nutrition and how well-prepared meals could help people to improve their health and lifestyle. So, I combined my knowledge with the expertise of Rory Larkin (a registered nutritionist and specialist development chef) to create a range of lunchboxes that could help all sorts of people.
My team have embraced this too, helping to develop the lunchboxes so they include seasonal produce to create loads of variety. We now deliver lunchboxes to people who want to lose weight, individuals who want to improve their diet, and athletes with specific dietary needs that can help them to improve their performance.
We also deliver our lunchboxes to businesses for employees to enjoy, and to many individuals who simply want to enjoy tasty food every lunchtime.
It is quite usual for my team to create and deliver over 500 of these each week and we continue to grow our customer base every month.
Wedding Catering
In 2023 we catered for our first wedding after a guest at a private event we were catering for, asked if we catered for weddings too. This has now become a growing part of The Clean Meal Company’s services, not least after I had looked for catering for my own wedding and was staggered by the cost that some companies were charging for their services.
Our wedding catering service has been designed to be comprehensive (including providing crockery, cutlery, glasses, and drinks/bar services, where required). It has also been priced to be as fair to customers as we can.
We’re happy to offer all forms of wedding catering, from formal sit down wedding breakfasts to quirky, theme-based meals. It all adds to our ability for creating a special day for the happy couple and their guests.
What’s Next?
I’ve been delighted to see The Clean Meal Company grow and thrive. That success has been due to a lot of hard work and support from the talented team of qualified chefs and staff who are part of The Clean Meal family.
The opportunity presented to me in 2021 to create something so worthwhile has become a reality. We arrive at our commercial kitchen in Aldershot with smiles on our faces, ready to create amazing food and dining experiences for our customers.
Food has the power to bring people together for the best of reasons: to celebrate family gatherings, meeting with friends or business colleagues, or simply to have a good time. It also serves to look after the well-being of people who need a healthy diet – just one of the reasons why I remain passionate about our lunchbox services.
So much of how The Clean Meal Company has developed has resulted from customer feedback and support. I’m looking forward to seeing where we go next and continuing to create high-quality and delicious food for all of our customers, old and new.
