The Caterer Blog

The Olympic Games, that most venerable institution, is almost here again.

Soon we'll be drinking in the spirit and ideals of ancient Greece reborn anew in China.

Yes, there'll be much revelling at this showcase of the pursuit of excellence and the chance it provides for individuals to reserve their place in history, and no doubt the odd dropped baton or two.

And of course, we'll all be cheering on our plucky, poorly-resourced team GB, maybe even Dwain Chambers.

There'll be the drug scandals, naff mechandising and of course Tibet. Yes, it's all there in the mix and inevitably with the handing over of the torch at the closing ceremony thoughts of London 2012.

But before we get there, we'll have a chance to watch 14-year old diver Tom Daley compete in China as the second youngest-ever male Olympian to represent GB, and that, in part, will be thanks to Sodexo.

It seems given even a hint of a theme those good people in Yorkshire will run with it, hence as the Beijing Olympics get under way we have the Pudding Pentathlon.

Yes sports fans, while pudding is not the obvious choice of althletes it is at least 100% performance enhancing drug-free.

The sweet, which follows fast on the heels of Yorkshire's Black Swan's take on the Credit Crunch, has been created by the Best Western Monkbar hotel in York's head chef Dave Asbury and has five different desserts from the five continents represented by the Olympic Rings.

The desserts lining up under the starter's gun are:

Europe - bread and butter pudding

Oceania - peach melba

Asia - banana fritters

America - key lime pie

Africa - taste of Africa (a tiramisu-style dessert layered with Kenyan coffee sponge).

Quite enough to keep any human-rights protester fuelled and comfortable up their pylon of choice for days.

Sodexo in Olympic hopeful sponsorship deal>>

Tourism industrygroup set up for 2012 London Olympics>>

With Team GB and most of the nation still in shock at our Olympic success, those kind people at the Sofitel London Heathrow have created a new cocktail to bring us back to our senses.

The Gold Rush is available now in the hotel's library bar at £13, just ahead of the predicted Olympic fervour of the winners' parade set for the 16 October in London.

The cocktail, served in a Martini glass and following on in spirit from the recent Pentathalon Pudding, comprises Goldschlager, Noilly Prat (!), and Chambord topped with Champagne and a glacier cherry to garnish.

So go for gold and order one at the bar to get you in the mood for 2012.

Sodexo in Olympic sponsorship>>

British Olympic success will drive tourism to the London 2012 Games>>