Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the
Answers to the
What time do your staff Arrive?
Generally our team will arrive around 2 hours prior to the time of eating. For bigger events you can expect the first members of our team around 3 -4 hours prior to the time of the first food being served.
How many waiting staff do you supply?
Depending on the style of catering and event type, we supply one waiting staff member to 10-20 guests.
Plated and waited events are more staff intensive compared to when sharing boards are served.
Subject to availability we can supply staff just to clear at buffet service events.
Do you lay the table?
We lay the table with cutlery and glassware as standard at dinner parties for up to 25 people.
For weddings we generally ask that you lay up the table along with any decs supplied by yourselves.
No problem if you’d prefer us to do this. Just let us know and this will be reflected in the staffing charge.
Do your staff help serve drinks?
Yes. We are happy to help serve any welcome drinks supplied by yourselves. This is standard procedure when supplying canapes and will be reflected in your staffing charge on your invoice.
We also replenish any bottles of drinks such as wine or water for the table through the course of the meal, however we don’t generally pour by the glass.
What are the general responsibilities of your FOH Team?
If you opt for our staff our FOH team will serve welcome drinks, canapes, all food, replenish wine and any table drinks and clear the tables as standard.
Yes our chefs are generally included within the price, whether it’s a BBQ served buffet style or a sit down meal for 150 people.
Do you cut and portion the Wedding cake?
We can do this on request at a charge of £50
We are supplying our own bar, can you staff it?
We don’t generally offer bar staff to run DIY bars supplied by yourselves. We may be able to offer something if the time you would like your bar manned correlates with the time we are serving the food
What do you require at a marquee wedding?
Flat ground, running water, power, access for our vehicles and at least a 6 x 6 metre catering tent. As long as we have these things we are good to go.
We can discuss specific power requirements directly with your marquee and power supplier.
Is a site visit required?
Usually a brief discussion regarding your venue over the phone will suffice. Generally if the marquee company are happy with popping up a tent, we are happy to cook in it so a site visit isn’t always necessarily.
We do carry out site visits on venues and locations where circumstances, layout and logistics are more complex.
When do you set up?
Depending on the size of the job we usually like to have our kitchen set up at least one day prior to your event. We will sync in with your marquee company on this and make sure we arrive once our catering tent is up.
For smaller jobs and events some distance away we may set up on the day but ensure it is always long before any guests arrive.
Do you supply crockery, cutlery, glassware and linen hire?
We supply our own crockery and cutlery within the price as standard for dinner party catering up to 25 people.
For all crockery, cutlery and linen hire at larger events we can recommend Cudmore Event Hire.
We do supply the serve ware for our food such as canape boards, veg dishes, serving spoons, sauce jugs etc as standard which is included in the price.
What size plates do you require?
For our Plated and Waited option 10-11 inch for starter plates, 11-12 inch for mains plates and 8 – 9 inch for dessert would be preferable.
For sharing food and anything served buffet style, slightly smaller plates are fine. Any questions let us know.
How many plates and items of cutlery are required for our event?
We advise adding on 5% of each item to cover loss or breakage on event day. I.E for an event for 100 people order 105 starter plates, 105 mains plates etc.
What Glassware do we need?
We would recommend 2 flutes per person, 1 water glass and 1 wine glass as standard. This covers fizz welcome drinks and water and wine for the table.
Obviously its worth swapping or adding glassware should you need to. For example if you’re looking to have Pimm’s for welcome drinks it might be worth getting in some highballs.
Do you supply your own kitchen equipment?
Yes we supply all our own equipment. Each job is different, some venues won’t require any of our commercial catering equipment, whereas marquee weddings and other venues will require our full kitchen set up. All of which will be reflected in your invoice.
Do we need to supply refrigeration?
We use are commercial cool box “igloos’ where possible for the safe storage of food. For larger events we would require the hire of a fridge trailer which can be sourced through Taddle Farm Tents.
How many Canapes do you advise?
We advise a minimum of 3 canapes per person although these won’t last for long. The average number of canapes for reception drinks are 4 – 6 per person.
How long should we look to serve canapes for?
Most people look to serve canapes for 1.5 to 2 hours. Our waiting team will do their best to ensure canapes last for this duration of time and that guests each get their fair share.
We also put some boards of canapes back specifically for the bride, groom and wedding party whilst photos are being taken so you don’t miss out.
How many plated choices are we entitled to for each course?
As standard we offer one choice for the group on each course and cater for any dietary requirements in addition.
We can offer additional choices for each course but they would be subject to and additional charge of £2.50 per person plus VAT.
Does the plated menu come with veg and potatoes?
Yes. We serve potatoes and seasonal vegetables to the centre of the table in addition. This is included in the price.
Do you require a pre order?
Yes we require a pre order stating how many people would like each option at least 2 weeks prior to your event.
What about Dietary Requirements and allergies?
We cater for all dietary requirements on request. Let us know what you need and we will ensure your guests are catered for on the day.
For severe allergies our usual protocol is to omit the item from the whole menu.
Do you need a table plan?
We would ask for a table plan for larger events highlighting where each meal choice is sat. This ensures a smooth service, with our waiting staff knowing exactly where to go with each dish.