That’s the recipe for success for Fire & Ice which has rapidly become a welcome sight at weddings, birthdays, and corporate functions, plus community events such as the Peel Carnival, Food and Drink Festival, Castletown Tin Bath Races, and the Southern 100 Motorcycle Show in 2021, to name but a few.
Fire & Ice is owned and run by Katryna Baptist and her husband Matthew. Katryna grew up in the Isle of Man, and the couple had what they describe as ‘corporate lives’ in the UK before deciding on a career change. That brought them to the Isle of Man in 2020, and the launch of Fire & Ice just after the end of the first lockdown. The timing certainly made it more challenging to get a new venture up and running, so Katryna and Matthew are very grateful for the generous support they have received from the Manx public which has helped establish Fire & Ice as one of the Island’s best-known catering businesses.
The couple are passionate about using the best quality produce, and as much as possible from local producers, including Isle of Man Meats. “We buy lots of different meats because our menus are so varied,” says Katryna. “For example, we have different products at a wedding than we would have at the Isle of Man Food Festival. We buy most of our meat from Andreas Meat Co, such as brisket, pork shoulder, steak patties, Cumberland sausages and streaky bacon. We’ve had so much praise about the Manx meat we use, and we are so proud to be able to buy local. It really is top-quality meat, and from a chef’s perspective is brilliant to cook with because of its consistently excellent quality.”
If you haven’t tried it already, next time you see Fire & Ice make sure you tuck into their famous pulled pork which is based on a Jamie Oliver recipe. Or, if you want something with a bit more fire and spice, go for the homemade steak chilli which is equally popular. “We make it with 22 ingredients, so it’s packed with flavour,” says Katryna, “and we serve it with homemade salsa, soured cream, jalapenos, lime, Manx cheddar and over nachos, in a wrap, as a quesadilla, with rice or a combination of all of those!”
For the vintage vehicle fans out there, the catering business uses a 1983 Peugeot J9 which has the same engine as when she was fighting fires in France. Following a recent respray and internal refresh for 2022, she is now shinier than ever!
The engine was a star attraction during a winter residency at The Fynoderee Distillery in Ramsey where Fire & Ice also provided catering for event evenings. “We tailored a different menu each time to complement the occasion and the cocktails,” said Katryna, “and we even created and served a Festive Feast menu of four courses, all from a fire engine!”
To say the least, Fire & Ice keeps Katryna and Matthew very busy – but somehow they also find time to run a campervan hire and sales business (www.campervannin.im) , and a marketing collective called Blue Island Guys ! It just goes to show what you can achieve when you are fuelled by good, wholesome, nutritious Manx food!
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