Party Catering Options Explained

Last updated 2026-08-27 · 8 min read

Catering is usually the largest single line in a party budget and the one with the widest range of answers. The same forty-person party can cost £150 or £1,400 to feed, and the difference is mostly about how much work you are willing to do.

Four ways to feed a party

Venue catering

If the venue has a kitchen, they will usually want to feed you - and at hotels and restaurants it is normally compulsory.

In its favour: nothing to arrange, transport or clear away. Dietary requirements handled as routine. No risk of a caterer failing to turn up.

Against: the most expensive option, limited menu flexibility, and service charge on top - commonly 10-12.5%. Ask whether the per-head price includes it, and whether it applies to a buffet as well as a served meal.

Always ask about a tasting for larger bookings. Most venues will arrange one, sometimes credited against the bill.

External caterers

The right answer for a hall or dry-hire venue with more than about 30 guests.

What to establish before booking:

• Does the venue permit external caterers? Many with their own kitchen do not. Some have an approved supplier list you must use.
• What does the caterer need? Kitchen access, power, water, table space, and how long to set up.
• Are staff included? Drop-off catering means food is delivered and you serve it. Full service costs more and includes serving and clearing.
• Do they provide crockery, cutlery, glassware and linen? Often a separate hire charge.
• Who clears up, and do they take rubbish away? A significant consideration at halls with no bin collection.
• Food hygiene rating. Check it - ratings are public on the Food Standards Agency site.
• Public liability insurance, which the venue may require anyway.

Doing it yourself

Much cheaper, and entirely reasonable for a children's party or an informal gathering. Beyond about 40 adults it stops being sensible - the volume of food, transport, storage and serving becomes a job rather than a task.

What makes it work:

• Choose cold food. Hot food for a crowd needs equipment you probably do not have. Cold buffets scale; hot meals do not.
• Prepare the day before wherever possible, and keep the day-of work to assembly.
• Check refrigeration at the venue. A hall fridge is often small. Cool boxes are usually necessary.
• Bring more than you think of serving spoons, bin bags, cling film, kitchen roll and foil trays.
• Delegate specific dishes if people offer, rather than leaving it open. "Could you bring a big salad for twenty?" works; "bring something" produces four bowls of crisps.

Food trucks and street food

Increasingly common and well suited to outdoor or informal parties. Pizza vans, burger trucks, paella, curry, ice cream.

Practicalities: they need vehicle access and a level place to park, they may need power, and they have minimum spends - typically £500-£900. Serving speed matters more than menu; ask how many covers an hour they can do, because a single truck serving 100 people creates a very long queue.

How much food to order

The most common error is ordering far too much. Useful benchmarks per adult:

Children eat roughly half an adult portion but are far less predictable. For a children's party, individual boxed portions work better than a buffet - less waste, much easier allergy control, and no scramble.

Adjust for the timing: a party spanning a mealtime needs proper food, one from 2-4pm needs considerably less than people assume.

Drinks

Rough guidance for a three-hour party: half a bottle of wine per drinking adult, or three to four drinks each across the evening. Soft drinks are consistently underestimated - allow at least a litre per person including water, more in summer.

If the venue is unlicensed and you want a paying bar, you will need a Temporary Event Notice from the local council. Giving alcohol away at a private event does not require one; selling it does. Apply at least ten working days ahead.

Where you can bring your own, check corkage. It is charged per bottle and occasionally high enough that the venue's own bar works out cheaper.

The things people forget

• Ice. Always more than you think, and it is bulky to fetch mid-party.
• Serving equipment. Tongs, spoons, cake slice, a sharp knife, a bottle opener.
• Somewhere to put dirty plates, or they end up on windowsills.
• Food for suppliers. The DJ and photographer are there for hours; most contracts expect a meal.
• Labelling. Every dish, especially at a buffet. See allergies and dietary requirements.
• Containers for leftovers. Otherwise it goes in the bin.
• Keeping food out of the temperature danger zone. Cold food should not sit at room temperature for more than four hours.

Where to save, and where not to

Save on: canapes, which are expensive per mouthful; elaborate desserts, when there is already a cake; branded soft drinks; and spirits, if a wine-and-beer bar would do.

Do not save on: quantity of the basics, since running out of bread or soft drinks is far more noticeable than a shorter menu; staffing, if you have more than 50 guests; or dietary alternatives, which should be as good as the standard option rather than an afterthought.