So you have volunteered to hare a trail, you rash person. There are two key things we expect you to do:

• Lay a good trail

• Organize the On-On (see below)

Responsibilities

Trail:

• Meeting point + directions;

• Inform the Trailmeister/Mistress (TM) and add details to the MeetUp event page;

• Decide where the beerstop is (if needed);

• Beer for the beerstop/circle is someone else's problem (see below);

• Route & trail (see our "Trail Guide for Hares").

On-On:

• Where (and tell the TM);

• Food & drink (see our helpful notes below).

Food & Drink 1 - The Beerstop:

Please ask the Beermeister Coordinator (BMC) who the Beermeister/Mistress (BM) is for that evening, so that you can contact the BM directly to make arrangements and discuss location of the beer stop/circle.

The BM is responsible for drinks and nibbles for the beerstop and for the circle at the end, but you need to show the BM where the beerstop will be located (showing is much more reliable than telling, and a lost beerstop would not improve your hash).

Meet the BM at the start 15-30 minutes beforehand, to arrange to place the car at the beerstop.

Food and Drink 2 - The On-On:

On-On AT HOME (yours or somebody else's)

You are responsible for the food and drink at the On-On, but ask for someone to help you, at least for the first couple of times. We really appreciate that you open your home to the hash, and we want you to have time to enjoy yourself and your guests.

How many people? Get the RSVP number from MeetUp, but remember this could be incorrect, so food should be easy to "stretch" if extra people come.

Plan to spend no more than 15 CHF or 15 Euros per person (covering food, drink, sundries such as disposable plates, disposable cutlery, barbecue charcoal...).

Plan simple food that is easy to prepare and serve. If you need ideas please ask. Think about how you could "stretch" the food if more people turn up than you planned for. For example by buying a couple of extra loaves of bread.

Remember we usually have some vegetarians, so provide a no-meat alternative where appropriate.

Note on quantities: If you take a recipe for 4 people and just multiply everything by 10, you will have enough food for 40. When "grossing up" to catering quantities, aim to provide about 60gm of pasta or rice and 60gm of meat or fish per person. It sounds mean but it works fine. Fill out the meal with cheap items such as big bowls of salad and fresh bread. Go easy on expensive items such as cheese, meat and fish.

Cleanup:

At the end of the evening, have some bin bags ready, and ask hashers to help you clean up. Leave yourself the minimum to do after everyone has gone.

Recover your costs:

Calculate the amount owed per person by dividing your total expenses by the number of hashers. The amount should not exceed 15 CHF, and if it is less, that is what each hasher should be asked to contribute. Ask a reliable hasher to take round a bowl or hat and collect the money for you. Please make sure everyone pays so that your costs are fully covered.

On-On AT A RESTAURANT

Negotiate with the owner or the chef to get a meal for around 25 CHF or 20 Euro. Something like a starter and main course is usually possible, often including a quarter litre of wine per person. To keep the cost down, make it clear we want tap water and open house wine. Make sure there will be a vegetarian option if somebody asks for it. Write down what was agreed, give a copy to the restaurant and bring a copy with you to the run.

If no deal, try another restaurant.

If the cost has to be significantly more than 25 CHF or 20 Euro, warn the attendees on MeetUp as soon as possible so that they can be given advanced notice.

At the On-On make it clear that you are the contact with the restaurant, so nobody else is entitled to change the arrangements (for example, order extra drinks on the common bill). If some hashers want additional wine, they should pay for it separately. BEFORE people start going home, get the bill from the restaurant, check it, and tell everyone what they need to pay.

NOTE: If you don't want to be the restaurant contact on the night, make sure that somebody else takes this role (usually the GM or another MMC member) and introduce this person to the restaurateur.

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A quick recipe for Hash Vegetable Soup
Concocted by DT

(3 litres, serves 12)

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled

• 4 carrots

• 4 leeks, cleaned

• 4 cooked beetroot

• 4 onions, peeled and halved

• 12 cloves of garlic, peeled, whole (don't be alarmed, the garlic will cook and blend so you don't notice it, but the taste will be improved)

• 3 litres stock (some of this should be wine)*

• olive oil

• herbes de provence (plenty)

• salt and pepper

For that finishing touch:

• 200ml liquid cream (creme fraiche)

• 100gm bacon bits (lardons)

• croutons (make 'em yourself by toasting bread)

• freshly-chopped parsley

2 heavy-bottomed pan(s), total capacity about 5 litres, with lid. This is so you can have a separate pan for the vegetarians.

Slosh olive oil into the pan and gently fry the onion and garlic until they are soft and still white.

Chop the veg into big chunks. Cram the chunks into the pan and stir to cover with flavoured oil. Put on the lid, and leave to sweat on low heat for 5-10 minutes, while you check the wine is still OK.

Pour in the stock, fling in the herbs, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

NOTE : At this point you can let the soup go cold and re-heat it just before the hash.

Grill the bacon bits till they are just crisp. Bring the soup back to the boil. Turn off the heat and mash some of the veg to thicken the soup (I use a hand-held liquidiser) leaving some of the veg as chunks. Then add the bacon bits to the carnivore's pan, but not to the veggie's pan. Check the taste. Add salt, pepper, gin and anything else it needs to meet your exacting standards. Put the lids back on and leave to stand while you run the hash. If you can leave the pans in a haybox(**) they'll stay warmer, but it's not critical.

The finishing touch :
After the hash, bring your soup back to boiling point, then turn off the heat. Make a generous swirl of cream on top of each pan. Sprinkle on freshly-chopped parsley and nice crisp croutons. Serve with chunks of fresh bread and plenty of good red wine. (At this point you will be seriously embarrassed if you forgot about bowls and spoons.)

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* STOCK: (skip this if you know about stock already) 2 stock cubes (Delia recommends Maggi) crumbled into hot water. Add wine and/or water till you have enough. It's not a disaster if you forget the stock cubes. Note : For carnivores, chicken stock works well. For the veggies use vegetable stock.

** HAYBOX: A cardboard box bigger than the pan, with the space packed with crumpled newspaper.