Mobile catering teams
You’re making soups, rice dishes or sauces at a temporary site. Your container needs to keep opened cubes dry without making them harder to transport. Before packing glass, check the festival rules.
Who is this advice for?
Cooks preparing plant-based menus or catering for people with allergies
You’re looking for a recipe that suits your dishes and the people you’re serving. ‘Vegetable’ or ‘plant-based’ in the name doesn’t guarantee it’s free from wheat, celery, soya or traces of other allergens. Check the label for every product.
Teams keeping an eye on salt
You’re comparing a standard recipe, a reduced-salt version and a product labelled as having no salt. The claim on the front of the pack doesn’t replace checking the ingredients and nutritional information for the product you choose.
What should you check before buying?
For festival cooking, start with the dishes you’re making and the people you’re serving. Then work out how much you need and choose a storage option that suits the travel involved and the venue’s rules.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Transport and storage | Storage advice, how securely the container closes, its empty weight and whether the festival allows glass. | If I move equipment around often, I want to keep the cubes dry without carrying a heavy jar or taking one somewhere it’s not allowed. Around 36% of consumers prioritise this. |
| Salt and allergens | Ingredients, allergens and the difference between ‘reduced salt’ and ‘no salt’ claims. | When serving a group with different dietary requirements, I need to check the exact recipe before using it. Around 29% of consumers put this first. |
| How much to prepare | The number of cubes or tablets and the recommended quantity for the product you choose. | When I’m planning several dishes, I want to work out how many cubes to bring without assuming every product uses the same quantity. Around 21% of consumers prioritise this. |
| Menu and recipe | The type of stock described on the pack and whether the ingredients suit the dish you’re making. | For a specific menu, I first look for a flavour base that suits the dishes, then check its ingredients. Around 14% of consumers prioritise this. |
Mistakes to avoid
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Assuming ‘vegetable’ means ‘allergen-free’
Bouillon cubes described as plant-based or vegetable may contain allergens. Carrefour’s product pages for classic Maggi KUB OR and Auchan’s vegetable-flavour stock, for example, list wheat in the former and celery and soya in the latter.
Before cooking, check the ingredients and allergen information for the product you’ve bought. Keep its packaging, or a clear photo of the label, close to hand.
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Packing a glass jar without checking with the festival
A jar adds weight to your kit: Carrefour’s product page for its 2 L glass jar gives an empty weight of 1.2 kg. Whether you can use it also depends on the venue’s rules.
Ask the organisers whether glass containers are allowed. If you can’t confirm, pack an airtight, non-breakable container and keep the packaging information.
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Confusing ‘reduced salt’ with ‘no salt’
A relative reduction doesn’t mean there’s no salt. According to Carrefour’s product page, the Maggi KUB OR version labelled as having 25% less salt is compared with the average of bouillon products on the market, excluding reduced-salt versions.
Compare the exact claim, nutritional information and ingredients of the products you’re considering. Don’t assume they all meet the same requirements.
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Decanting the cubes and throwing away the label
Without the box, it’s harder to check the ingredients, allergens, best-before date and batch number for the cubes you’re using.
Keep the original packaging with the container and don’t mix products with different labels.
Brands and retailers to know
Maggi
The KUB OR range includes a classic recipe and a version labelled as having 25% less salt, as well as various stock recipes.
- According to Carrefour, the classic KUB OR box shown contains 32 cubes and weighs 128 g.
- Carrefour’s product pages for both versions checked list wheat. Check for other allergens in the product you choose, too.
Knorr
Knorr France offers traditional stocks, products labelled as having no salt, organic options, stock tablets and stock pots.
- These product ranges make it easier to look for a recipe based on its format or salt claim.
- Before cooking with a specific product, check its recommended quantity, ingredients and allergens on the packaging.
Carrefour
The retailer stocks its own-brand bouillon cubes and glass jars.
- Its product pages include a beef stock with 15 cubes weighing 10 g each and a 2 L glass jar.
- Carrefour says the 2 L jar weighs 1.2 kg empty. Check with the organisers before using it at a festival.
Auchan
The retailer offers, among other products, a vegetable-flavour stock in a box of 12 cubes weighing 10 g each.
- The product page gives a recommended quantity and advises using an airtight container after opening.
- This recipe lists celery and soya, and may contain traces of other allergens. Check the label before using it for a group.
Bouillon cubes and stock tablets on Joybuy
These products let you explore different cube and tablet stock recipes for festival dishes. Choosing a storage container is a separate decision: check each product’s recommended quantity and label before working out how much to bring or serving anyone with dietary requirements.
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MAGGI KUB 25% Less Salt Vegetable, 120 g
For vegetable-stock dishes when you’d like to consider a recipe labelled as containing less salt. The stated 25% reduction is compared with the average of bouillon products on the market, excluding reduced-salt versions. This product is not ‘salt-free’.
The product lists celery and may contain traces of eggs, milk and gluten. Check the label, along with the number of cubes and recommended quantity, before planning how much to serve.
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Maggi Kub Or, bouillon cubes, 128 g
For seasoning soups, sauces and rice dishes, provided the ingredients suit the people you’re serving. The recipe is described as plant-based, but contains wheat and may contain traces of eggs, milk, celery and mustard.
Store the cubes in a cool, dry place. Check the packaging for the number of cubes and recommended quantity for your dishes.
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Knorr Herb & Olive Oil Bouillon, 15 tablets, 150 g
For dishes that would benefit from the herb and olive oil flavour profile described for this product. The pack contains 15 tablets and weighs 150 g.
Before working out how much you’ll need, check the recommended quantity on the packaging. Check the label for allergen information, too.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a glass jar to store opened bouillon cubes?
No. Auchan’s vegetable-flavour stock product page recommends using an airtight container after opening, but doesn’t specify glass. For a festival, check whether glass is allowed before packing a jar, and keep the packaging information with the cubes.
How should you store bouillon cubes during a festival?
Keep them dry and away from heat and moisture. If you put them in an airtight container after opening, keep the labelled box so you can check the ingredients, allergens, best-before date and batch number.
Are vegetable bouillon cubes always allergen-free?
No. Auchan’s product page for its vegetable-flavour stock lists celery and soya, as well as several possible traces of other allergens. Check the ingredients and allergen information on the label of the product you plan to use.
What should you keep with bouillon cubes used to prepare food on site?
Keep the packaging for every product so you can check its ingredients, allergens, best-before date and batch number. If you decant the cubes, clearly match each container to its packaging, and ask the organisers what rules apply to cooking on site.