Circus Sauce is not any old run-of-the-mill restaurant: it’s great food and entertainment rolled into a magical after-show experience at Gifford’s Circus. SUE BRADLEY meets head chef Ollie Halas

CHEF Ollie Halas is a man of many talents. Every few days he has to build a restaurant in a new town or village and dream up a three-course menu using the best fresh ingredients he can find in the locality – a task he repeats at least a dozen times throughout the summer.

And as if this wasn’t enough, he and his small team of chefs prepare delicious dishes in a tiny kitchen and put on a puppet show to keep diners entertained too.

It’s all in a day’s work for Ollie, the man at the helm of Circus Sauce – Gifford’s Circus’s on-site restaurant that will taking its place alongside the big top when it goes up on Marlborough Common from August 24 to September 4.

The Wiltshire slot is especially exciting as it represents home ground for the chef, who grew up in Malmesbury.

“From the very beginning, the philosophy of the restaurant has been to give diners a taste of the town or village in which the show is being performed,” explains Ollie.

“The food we serve has to be seasonal and fresh. In Marlborough I like to use Andrews Quality Meats; they sell the most amazing produce.”

Meat is always a key element of the Circus Sauce menu, but this year Ollie will be increasing his order to cover the new field food offering – Gifford’s version of street food – which will include delicacies such as braised brisket buns, Asian slaw, deep fried courgettes and lamb brochettes.

Over the weekends, the Field Food wagon will be open before the show starts so that visitors can feast on crispy bacon sandwiches or healthier options such as granola and yoghurt. Gluten and dairy-free options will also be available. Freshly-made pizza will be on sale during the intervals.

It sounds like a tall order for Ollie and his kitchen crew, especially within the confines of their wagon, but he says he enjoys every minute of life at the circus, so much so that he’s now in his fifth year with Gifford's.

“I love being part of it all; there’s never a dull day when you’re on the road,” he says.

“My mum took me to see a performance when I was 11 but I never thought I would end up working for it.

“Running Circus Sauce is hard work, but we get to see some amazing places and I have a brilliant time, living alongside acrobats, jugglers and a range of other international acts.

“We even put on a little puppet show for our guests during the evening: this year there’s a pirate theme.

“Our aim is for customers to leave with a huge grin on their faces knowing that they’ve eaten something truly unique in an unusual location.”

Ollie, whose career history has included working at renowned restaurants such as Bibury Court, Barnsley House and Cirencester’s Made by Bob, has amassed an enviable collection of butchers, greengrocers, fishmongers, farmers and allotment growers over the years.

He also spends time researching what’s new and exciting in each of the circus’s locations before the big top arrives.

For him one of the best things about his job is coming up with recipes to make the most of the finest ingredients he can get, which he prepares with sous chef Dave Cross, Michelin-trained pastry chef Joe Limbrick, Dan Brown and restaurant manager Jack Bull.

Circus Sauce has been part of Gifford’s Circus since 2003, three years after the Gloucestershire-based company’s burgundy wagons first started to roll.

Ollie’s day starts early, with visits to suppliers to pick up the day’s ingredients before he can start preparing enough food to serve to diners on large sharing platters in the twinkly candle-lit restaurant after the last performance has come to an end.

“This is a restaurant like none other: it’s a place where guests sit down at long tables next to people they don’t know and get talking to each other and even swapping telephone numbers at the end of the evening,” he says.

“We watch people coming in and possibly looking a bit anxious to begin with, but entering into the spirit of the restaurant and having a great time.

“Very often, if there’s room, some of the performers will join the guests to eat, and we’ve had some of the musicians coming in and performing too.”

Ollie’s tour with Gifford's lasts just over five months, after which he’s planning to spend time travelling around Asia and working in Australia.

‘Any Port in a Storm’ is this year’s Gifford’s Circus and audiences are promised ‘spine-tingling performances that ooze drama, exuberance and style’.

Award-winning screen and stage director Cal McCrystal has returned for his sixth consecutive year to direct the unique Baroque-inspired show, which is influenced by the paintings of Diego Velasquez. The story is set in the Spanish court of King Philip IV in the 17th century.

Tickets for Any Port in a Storm can be bought from the Gifford's Circus website at www.giffordscircus.com or the box office on 0845 459 7469.

Places for Circus Sauce can be booked through the website and box office. Booking is essential as tables are often sold out before the show starts.