hostess trolley

I have lovely happy memories of my nan using hers every time there were lots of us at hers for dinners! It was used very regularly even if just for warming the plates up! When she became unwell but before she passed away, my mother gave it away to an local old peoples home, I was miffed because I would have loved to have been offered it. It may have meant my cooking would appear to be a little more organised at the very least! I only hoped they were able to use it what with health and safety regulations within such settings and food hygiene rules, I think it would've ended up as bin fodder personally, shame. My nan adored it.

My second one is not ugly. It's made of teak and has two internal shelves, both heated, and a heated glass top which has a teak cover. The top and cupboard can be used independently. Have you guessed that I love it.

My sister and I share the hostess trolley! Use it a lot at Christmas and when we have people round for supper. Not sure how we are going to get it the three miles down the road between houses now. It use to travel in the camper van, which they have just sold! Maybe I'll have to attach a small motor and ride it!! ?

anne53 doesn't that conjure up a wonderful image!

I love my hostess use it every time we entertain, often. Would like to know how you make meringues in it Kittylester.
Mostly use it as a plate warmer and to hold vegetables on the way to the table, within 10 minutes or so. Wouldn't risk much longer as mine cooks on l believe.

Can someone enlighten me as to what exactly is a hostess trolley, my late MIL used to bring us our tea and cakes on a gilt trolley which she used to trundle in from the kitchen but reading these posts I see that they are heated ?. I must admit Ive never imagined one with heating too. I will google it as soon as ive done this. However the people who use them must have huge houses to need to push a trolley laden with food into the dining room.
I dish up in the kitchen and we either eat there or in my living room which has a huge dining table and the whole journey is a matter of about 6 steps. Most houses nowadays are eating/dining ares anyway so what purpose is a trolley ?

Is it a type of oven?, you lot have really cheered me up today, lol, I just cant stop singing that daft Victoria Wood song now.

I keep mine in the dining room, it's too heavy to move around. We use it to keep food warm until we are all sitting down. My MiL used to have a gold trolley - its not like that at all!!It's a heated cupboard thing, ethel

I make meringues in the usual way and put them in the trolley to 'cook' rather than putting them in a cool oven. I usually put a folded teatowel in the door to slow it down even more and often just leave them in there all day (or overnight).

I'll find a link to one like mine and post it.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Philips-Hostess-Heated-Trolley-/112018029149?hash=item1a14cb7a5d:g:x9IAAOSw1DtXJexT

Mine is like this but has a heated solid glass top rather than the dishes.

It's not an oven, it keeps things warm after they've been cooked. There is a heated cabinet, with another heated section on the top which contains three Pyrex serving dishes with lids. The cabinet section will keep a large joint or a turkey warm, or large casseroles, plus plates. When there are only four or five of us eating, I, like you, dish up in the kitchen, but we used to have eight or ten people to dinner of three or four courses and they were long leisurely affairs, so anything you put in a dish on the table would soon go cold. It was invaluable then, but the only time I use mine now is at Christmas. And these days, with my back, I couldn't bend backwards over anything, let alone a hostess trolley!!

where on earth would you store something like that, my kitchen has just got room for appliances and a tiny table (no chars at present as Im updating them).

kitty ive just looked it up, never seen one like that before but isn't it a fire risk using a vintage appliance like that overnight and leaving the teatowel in the door. I would never sleep.

Not been incinerated yet ethel! The elements are covered and it is very low wattage. As I mentioned, mine has a wooden top that sits on the heated glass top (when it has cooled) except when DGS2 was going through his switching phase and we gradually became aware of a smell of charred wood. He had switched the top on! We now unplug it at the wall when not in use.

I don't keep mine in the kitchen but we have a big dining room.

Ethelbags, how many chars do you currently employ ?

Could you send one to me please ethel, if you can dispense with her??

Like many others, my trolley hardly gets used, BUT I still wouldn't be without it, if only to warm plates. Can't stand hot food on cold plates.

I have a simple gadget thing which warms plates. It is fabric covering electrical coils, and takes up no more room than a pile of dinner plates, as it folds back on itself.
As it's fabric it is easy to store. It releases my second oven for food.
I have heated a maximum of 8 plates, have had it for ages and it cost about £12
I think.

We bought from Lakeland 3 plastic plate warmers. All you do is put one on the plate, then the next plate and warmer etc and heat in microwave for 1 minute. It keeps them warm for a while.

Is it true that if you buy a Hostess trolley on Amazon, it comes with a year's subscription to Woman's Weekly?

No,, I think that's People's Friend, Alea, which describes itself as best read with a biscuit and a cuppa, kept warm on the trolley no doubt. The cuppa that is. Or maybe the reader.?

Amazon was just a twinkle in someone's eye when I bought mine and people's friend was considered very racy!!

Occurs they now cone with a free franny perm, shawl and rocking chair!

Omg, I misread franny. Sorry Kitty

Peoples Friend racy? Mind you, I've never read it!

Type read kitty! How many times do I have to remind myself!

Granny perm!! Actually, and various other errors!

Oh I should have realised it was granny. I thought you actually MEANT franny - which I misread -but thought it must be some kind of frizzy perm when I read it again. My initial reaction was a bit eye-watering tho people do all kinds of things....

Peoples Friend brings back memories of my friend's mum reading it and knitting the patterns from it.