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Jacket Potato Van: Gas or Electric, and What Are the Fit-Out Rules?

Red jacket potato catering trailer with a stainless steel serving hatch at a UK outdoor market

Red jacket potato catering trailer with a stainless steel serving hatch at a UK outdoor market

First of all i love this site!..very useful indeed.. i need some advice if possible.

Ive got an empty catering trailer and i am going to turn it into a jacket potato van with a griddle etc.

I want to know should i go electric or gas or even both?? Trying to keep the cost down as much as possible..i know il need a generator regardless so getting a bigger kva one isn't an issue.

Regarding the electrics im a qualified electrician and can sign off all installs and appliances.

Whats best?

Im stuggling to find someone to refit the whole van so ive got a joiner who will do it and found a gas safe engineer to do the gas.

I need to know what regulations there is like do the worktops have to be stainless steel?

Is there any rules i have to follow?

I know that i need 2 sinks etc

All help would be greatly appreciated


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Jul 03, 2026
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by: MobCater

This is a smart set of questions to sort out before you start cutting into the trailer, because getting the fit-out right first time saves a small fortune later.

On gas or electric, the honest answer for a jacket potato van is usually both. Your oven is the thing that decides it. A potato oven runs hot for hours at a stretch, and making that much heat from electricity will drink fuel and lean hard on your generator all day. Gas gives you cheaper, steadier heat for that kind of sustained cooking, so I would put the oven and the griddle on propane and run everything else, the lights, fridge, till and card machine, off the electric side. Being a qualified electrician is a real advantage here because you can wire and sign off the electrical side yourself and keep those costs down, while the Gas Safe engineer you have found handles the propane appliances and pipework. That split tends to give the lowest running cost and lets you get away with a more sensible generator size.

On the worktops, stainless steel is not the only material the law allows, but it is what every EHO expects to see and what will sail through inspection. The actual rule is that food surfaces must be smooth, hard wearing, non-absorbent and easy to clean and disinfect. Stainless ticks all of that, it is what the trade uses, and I would not fight it.

You are right about the sinks. You will need a separate hand wash basin kept just for washing hands, plus a sink for washing food and equipment, and both need hot and cold running water. Most councils want that as a minimum, so build it in from the start rather than retro-fitting it later.

For the rest of the rules, register as a food business with your local council at least 28 days before you trade, work to the Safer Food Better Business pack for your daily records, and get the gas installation certified with an LPG safety certificate and an annual gas test. Your EHO is the best person to confirm anything specific to your council before your joiner starts the build.

Best wishes

David

Disclaimer: Gas installation and maintenance must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Never attempt gas work yourself. Check gassaferegister.co.uk for qualified engineers in your area.

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