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Frequently asked questions
Event catering questions, answered.
The questions we hear most about event catering, answered plainly. Weddings, corporate events and private celebrations across Buckinghamshire, London and 60 miles around Leighton Buzzard. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
How much does event catering cost per head?
It depends on the menu, the numbers and the level of service, so every quote is built for the event and priced plainly, with nothing hidden in the small print. A 20% deposit secures your date and the balance is due three weeks before. If you want to try the food first, a tasting for two is £150 + VAT, taken off your invoice when you book.
What is included in your catering?
Everything the food needs: our chefs, serving staff and all the cooking and serving equipment. We arrive hours ahead, set up either a gazebo kitchen or work from the venue kitchen, serve, and clear down afterwards. All we need from the site is power, water and parking. Browse our menus to see what we cook.
How do bookings and payment work?
A 20% non-refundable deposit secures your date, paid by bank transfer. The balance is due three weeks before the event, and you can adjust your final guest numbers up to four weeks before. That order matters: numbers are settled first, so the final invoice always reflects what we are actually cooking. Contact us to check a date.
Can you cater for dietary requirements?
Yes, as standard rather than as an exception. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, nut free and halal options are built into every menu, allergies are looked after properly, and child portions are available. Guests with dietary requirements get the same standard of food as everyone else, not a lesser plate brought out at the end.
Are you insured and certified?
Yes. We carry full public liability insurance, hold a five-star food hygiene rating, and our staff are certified. If your venue needs to see certificates before the day, we supply them on request, and we are used to liaising with venue teams directly so you do not have to pass paperwork back and forth.
Do you run bars and drinks service?
Yes. We are fully licensed for alcohol and can arrange a Temporary Event Notice where the site needs one. We serve wine, beer, prosecco, cocktails, spirits, mocktails and soft drinks, and can build a drinks menu around the event. There is no corkage if you would rather supply your own alcohol.
How far ahead should we book wedding catering?
Six to twelve months ahead is typical for a wedding, and popular summer Saturdays go first. We cater one wedding a day, so once your date is booked it is yours alone, with our chefs, kit and events team committed to it. Read more about our wedding catering services or check your date with us early.
Do you do tastings?
Yes, at our unit in Leighton Buzzard. You sit down, try the food, talk through the day and change anything you like before the menu is fixed. A tasting for two costs £150 + VAT and is deducted from your final invoice when you book, so trying us first effectively costs nothing.
Can we change the menu after booking?
Yes. The menu is built around your day rather than picked off a set list, and it usually evolves after the tasting. Final guest numbers can be adjusted up to four weeks before the day, so seasonal tweaks and late dietary additions are part of the normal process, not a problem.
What service styles can we choose?
Plated service, tray service or buffet, and within those anything from sharing feasts and grazing tables to live-fire barbecue, canapés and a classic seated meal. Most couples combine styles across the day. Have a look at our menus to see how the building blocks fit together.
Do you do evening food?
Yes. A late-night evening menu keeps the dance floor fed, from sliders and hotdogs to tacos and grazing boards. It is one of the most appreciated parts of a wedding, and we plan it with the same care as the main meal so it lands just as the party needs it.
Can you cater at our venue?
Almost certainly. We work anywhere within roughly 60 miles of Leighton Buzzard, including London and all of Buckinghamshire, and we are venue-independent. We bring a gazebo kitchen where the venue has none, work happily from a venue kitchen where it does, and liaise directly with your venue, florist and DJ.
How many guests can you cater for?
Around 150 for a seated meal, and considerably more for standing or casual service. We have fed summer parties of 200 and festival-scale crowds, and our corporate events client list includes FIFA, Netflix, Pinewood Studios and the National Trust. Tell us the headcount and the room and we will tell you honestly what works.
What do you need from our office or venue?
Power, water and parking. Everything else comes with us: chefs, serving staff, cooking equipment and a gazebo kitchen if there is no kitchen on site. We arrive hours ahead to set up, run the service, then clear down completely, so the space is back to normal for the next working day.
Can you handle working breakfasts, lunches and conferences?
Yes. Alongside party catering we run working breakfasts, lunch bowls, sandwich lunches, set day-delegate menus and grazing tables for all-day meetings. The set menus on our menus page were built exactly for this, in classic, premium and signature tiers, with dietary options as standard throughout.
Which areas do you cover?
Everywhere within roughly 60 miles of our Leighton Buzzard kitchen, which covers London, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and most of the home counties. Distance is rarely the deciding factor, so if you are on the edge of that circle it is always worth asking. What our clients say is on our reviews page.
What private events do you cater?
Birthdays, milestone celebrations, garden parties, christenings, bar and bat mitzvahs, and memorials. A fortieth in the garden gets the same attention as a wedding for 150 because we only take one event a day. The food scales to the occasion and the register of the day, celebratory or quiet.
Do you provide staff as well as food?
Yes. Chefs, serving staff and bar staff all come with us, along with the kit they need. You will not be carrying plates at your own party. We set up before your guests arrive, run the service through the event, and clear everything down at the end of the night.
Can you cater a party at home or in the garden?
Yes, garden parties are some of our favourite jobs. We bring a gazebo kitchen so your own kitchen stays out of it, and we cook whatever the weather. All we need is power, water and somewhere to park the van. The barbecue and sharing menus suit gardens especially well.
Do you handle the cleanup?
Completely. Setup and clear-down are part of the service, and we aim to leave a borrowed kitchen cleaner than we found it. One client wrote in a review that we left the village hall kitchen spotlessly clean, which is exactly the standard we hold ourselves to at every event.