Wow what a year we have had and really its been Soul Fries’ first proper year. So considering we haven’t done a blog post for a while (ahem over a year) we thought it was time to do a recap of how our 2021 has gone.

So, with lots of people to thank I want to begin by thanking everyone who came and ate our loaded fries I (Charly) and Tony whole heartedly know, we wouldn’t be where we are now without all of you foodies, so a massive thank you from the bottom of our loaded hearts.

We came out of our Soul Fries-olation in Feb and we began the year in a couple of empty pub car parks, we threw ourselves in and with Tony taking the reins and me working full time at the nursery (shout out to Baker Street), I would come along and join Tony straight from work and be there to serve you your fries in the rain. Alongside this we tested out some DIY load at home kits but needless to say we were probably a little too late off the mark for those, however those of you who were lucky enough to try one, we again thank you for your support.

We powered on through the colder months (brrrr) with a few more car park pop ups, still trying to work out quantities and ensuring we had as little waste as possible. The guys in Chepstow gave us our first ever sell out and it will always be a special place in our hearts.

The spring time came and we had our first collaboration with the guys at Harrys Cider (we love you guys and the cider), we were still working things out and as everyone keeps telling us every event you do you will learn something new, which is so true and actually it’s a precious thing to always keep learning. A few more weekend spots at both Harrys and Quantock Brewery and we were finally getting into our groove and Soul Fries was beginning to get a good rep around the Somerset parts.

June came along and I think that was around the time the “road map” was announced. For once mine and Tonys outlooks had switched, he was the positive Polly and I was the realistic Robert, just kidding I’ll always be the optimist, but Tony was right and we could look forward to a busy summer of Soul Fries, with the weddings we had booked and the brew pubs still going ahead as planned.

Middle of June and we had our first wedding!! BIG STEP !! as we had planned for some weddings the day we set up Soul Fries and the pressure was on, however we needn’t have worried, everyone loved the fries, it was a great wedding to start off with and the happy couple were just amazing and even the rain didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits.

We continued to have events every weekend, debuting at Zulu Alpha in July, with a few more weddings, a couple of veggie and vegan ones too, one even in my hometown of Torquay in a place where I had previously been a bridesmaid for a friends wedding, bringing back all types of memories (it’s funny where the world takes you). My mum helped us with that event and I’m pretty sure she loved being part of the Soul Fries front of house.

August saw our biggest event yet WOOFSTOCK!! Our first festival, a dog festival in Dartmouth, what more can a dog lover and foodie ask for? August was also a month where we continued to trial different dishes out, lots of fun seeing what everyone likes and what is the most popular. We survived the summer and there was no stopping us, lots going on but all worth it.

We powered though September continuing to learn especially with how to improve our wait times. Then October saw a slight seasonal menu change (don’t worry the duck will be back again soon) and it’s always fun coming up with new ideas. The colder months drew in and although we were still doing private events and brew pub pop ups, we were gearing ourselves up for a Soul Fries biggie, BBC Countryfile Christmas in the Park. Now this was a BIG event for us but we smashed it and I am so proud of everyone involved for those three days, we 100% couldn’t have smashed it without you!

So that wraps up our 2021 and all I can say is we cannot wait for 2022 to kick off, we will be back soon, with lots more love to give. Keep your fr-eyes peeled and again a massive thank you to all the lovely couples who hired us for their special day, the brew pubs for having us, everyone who has helped us out at events and the foodies who came and enjoyed our loaded fries, you give us what we need to continue this adventure!!

Charly and Tony xx

It’s been a while since we updated the blog section so we thought with the days growing darker, colder and the end of what has been a brutal 2020 fast approaching why not write an update.

Well where to begin, or continue.. we came out of Lockdown in the late spring hoping to keep the last of our summer events and successfully launch Soul Fries. Sadly due to the restrictions imposed by the government one by one all of our events had to be postponed until next year. However we didn’t let this get us down.

We pushed on, moved to Bristol and set up Soul Fries the best we could. Spending some of the summer months doing a weekly pop up at a riverside pub was a great opportunity for us to test out our different dishes and iron out any hiccups. A great success with great customer feedback made us look forward to future trading opportunities, pop ups and potentially debuting at a Christmas Market.

However the pandemic had another idea as anyone reading this will be aware. Lockdown 2.0 came with the summers end. Once again we were asked to stay home. Having somewhat anticipated this we made the decision to hibernate Soul Fries for the winter a little earlier than we originally wanted. Everything was cleaned and put away in storage waiting to be brought out again in the new year.

Now our focus is on staying healthy, safe and planning for the re-launch of all re-launches as early as we can in 2021. Lots of love to those who ate our food this summer and to everyone reading this post. Fingers crossed 2021 is a much brighter year.

Stay Safe and Merry Christmas.

Tony & Charly.

Now that most of us find ourselves with a little more time on our hands I thought I would sit down and write our second blog entry. Here goes..

All of a sudden it was February, which meant the school holiday’s had begun in Chamonix. This meant both Charly and I were being kept busy cooking for and entertaining the many families from all over France and the world who had come to enjoy what the mountains offered. Unfortunately the Snowfall this season wasn’t the greatest, largely due to high temperatures, which put a little dampener on some peoples moods.

On our days off we managed to get up into the mountains a few times but we also continued to build, plan and establish Soul Fries. With emails and phone calls flying in and out we managed to secure quite a few private and festival bookings and really knuckle down a timeline for what we needed to do when we got back to the UK late April. The upcoming summer season looked exciting and promising.

Sadly towards the end of February the mood changed in Chamonix. Firstly we heard about the North of Italy and before we knew it the rest of Italy being quarantined to try and fight the spread of Covid-19. More and more the news covered other parts of Europe and the world also experiencing outbreaks of this new virus.

When France announced that the country would go into lockdown Charly and I had to make the call to leave our home in Chamonix, earlier than planned, and make our way back to the UK.

The spread of Covid-19 is now having a BIG impact on everyday life in most of Europe, the UK and the rest of the world. With death tolls in Italy and Spain increasing at an alarming rate.

We will continue to plan from our base in the UK and are still hoping to be up and running by June 2020.

For now stay safe, stay at home and look after each other!

Having lived together in Chamonix Mont Blanc - France, for the past five years, we have made the huge decision to move away from the mountains to set up Soul Fries for this coming Summer 2020. Living in the French Alps has been an amazing time of our lives, snowboarding in the winters. Summers spent hiking, camping and swimming in the glacial lakes. However the time has come to make the move to the United Kingdom.

I (Tony) am a Cook and have worked in various kitchens throughout Chamonix, Canada, and my home country of New Zealand. During that time I have learnt many different techniques and honed my cooking skills. Charly, originally from the United Kingdom, and the face of Soul Fries, has worked in Cocktail Bars, Restaurants and some of Chamonix’s High End Chalets, as well as a season spent on the Super Yachts. Charly has the ability to make anyone from any walk of life feel special and welcome.

Together we make up the the team who want to share our flare, experiences and relationships we have had with food, in the form of ‘Soul Fries’ to everyone in Bristol and the South West.

We hope to keep this blog going with updates and snippets of the journey ahead. The road ahead might be a daunting one but we are ready for this new adventure.

For now watch this space as we continue to set up and hope to see you all soon.

Bring it on!

Tony