How to hire
Match the cook to the occasion first. A wedding and event caterer runs hog roasts, buffets or served dinners with staff, while a cafe or takeaway shop suits everyday eating rather than a hundred guests. Venues matter as much as menus: some halls keep an approved list of caterers, marquees and fields need a team that brings power, water and shelter, and town-centre kitchens may not travel. When you first enquire, give the date, the venue, guest numbers and the style of service you want.
Check the hygiene rating before you book. Every caterer selling food should be registered with its council [4], and most appear on the Food Standards Agency ratings register with a score from zero to five [1]. Type the trading name plus Telford into the register search and check the address that comes back matches. A top rating reassures, a low one needs an explanation, and no entry means you rely on the firm's word alone. Registration itself is free and should happen at least four weeks before a new business starts trading [2].
Pin down allergens and dietary needs early. The law requires clear allergen information, and the Food Standards Agency publishes guidance caterers should follow for handling the major allergens [3]. Tell each caterer your exact needs, from nut allergies to halal, vegan and gluten-free diets, and ask how the kitchen keeps those plates separate during a busy service. If food is packed for direct sale, such as buffet boxes labelled for guests, full ingredients and allergen labelling applies [3]. A caterer that answers in specifics earns the booking; one that waves the question away does not.
Get two or three itemised written quotes on the same menu and guest count, so you compare like with like [9]. Each quote should name the dishes and portions, staff numbers and hours, hire items, travel and setup, deposit and balance dates, and what happens if guest numbers change. Ask whether waiting staff are included or billed separately, since staffing can double or even triple the base food cost at staffed events [7]. Treat an outlier as a question rather than a bargain, and ask what is included or left out.
Read the small print before you pay a deposit. Good caterers publish deposit bands, minimum orders and a deadline for final numbers, which protects both sides when plans shift. Agree the final guest count date, the balance deadline, the cancellation charges and who supplies what the venue does not, from tables to rubbish removal. If a mobile bar is included, agree the drinks range, whether guests pay or you do, and what minimum spend applies, since bars often run on a deposit against guest spending [6]. Keep every quote, invoice and message thread together.
On the day, check the setup covers food safety as well as showmanship. Hot food should arrive hot, cold food kept cool, and serving areas clean and covered, with allergen dishes clearly marked and kept apart. Agree who clears plates, takes leftovers and removes rubbish before the first plate is served. After the event, check the final invoice against the quoted menu and guest count, query extras you did not agree, and keep the paperwork with your event file. If you run one of the firms listed, use the Claim a listing link to send updated detail.
Telford and Wrekin Council holds the local paperwork. Every caterer should be registered with the council at least twenty-eight days before opening, and that covers home kitchens and mobile or temporary setups such as stalls and vans [10]. Anyone selling from a public spot may also need street-trading consent, and alcohol needs the right licence behind it, so ask the venue what its permissions already include before you promise guests an outdoor bar [10].
Marquees, village halls and community centres often hold no licence of their own. Selling alcohol, putting on music or dancing, or serving hot food late at night in such a venue needs a Temporary Event Notice from the council [11]. Apply at least ten clear working days before the event for a small fee, and agree with the venue and the caterer who serves the notice, since without it the bar and the late-night service cannot legally run.
Place the venue on the map early. If it sits in one of the borough's eight conservation areas, from the Severn Gorge to Wellington, ask what its permissions already cover before planning an outdoor setup [12]. Lawley is growing as a large new residential development [14]. Wherever the party lands, send the caterer the postcode, the unloading point and the parking position with the first enquiry; gorge-side venues around Ironbridge share managed museum and council car parks, so the vans need a confirmed place to sit [15].
Book early enough for the date to be free. Event catering in the UK is typically booked between four weeks and half a year ahead, with larger and peak-season dates needing the most notice, since caterers use the time to fix staff, menus and site logistics such as power, water and waste [13]. From first contact expect a menu conversation, a tasting for a wedding, an itemised quote, a deposit with written terms, a final-numbers deadline, then setup, service and an invoice checked against the quote.
Pricing
As of autumn 2026, rough Telford ranges run like this: a wedding breakfast averages around thirty to sixty pounds per head, rising for a premium multi-course menu with table service [6]. Buffets average fifteen to twenty pounds per head, a hog roast sits in the same band, and barbecue catering averages twenty to twenty-five pounds, with canapés and evening food extra [6].
Everyday and office jobs cost less: sandwich platters and buffet catering run from around eight to twenty-five pounds per head depending on menu and service level, while corporate events with hot buffets or bowl food sit nearer twenty to sixty pounds [7]. A mobile bar for a wedding typically costs around two hundred pounds to set up, usually against a deposit and a minimum guest spend [6].
Guest numbers move the price most, since fixed costs for equipment, travel and staff spread across more plates, while small parties often face minimum charges [6] [7]. Staffed service costs far more than drop-off delivery, formal plated menus need more hands than a buffet or hog roast, and peak summer Saturdays book out first, so compare each quote on total cost rather than the headline per-head figure.
Ask whether each quote includes VAT, since food supplied in the course of catering is standard-rated, and confirm whether delivery, staffing and hire sit inside the per-head price or land on top [8] [7]. Get the menu, guest numbers, staff hours, hire items, price, deposit and cancellation terms in writing before you pay anything, and keep the final invoice beside the quote [9].
A wedding breakfast moves with courses, service style and season. A plated three-course dinner with table service needs more hands than a buffet at the same guest count, and summer Saturdays book first, which is why two quotes for the same menu can still differ. Fix the menu and the service style before comparing figures [6].
Hog roast and barbecue prices turn on guest numbers more than appetite. The animal, the rig and the crew cost roughly the same whatever the headcount, so small parties often meet a minimum charge while big ones bring the per-head figure down. Ask what sits inside the price, since salads, desserts and the bar usually sit outside it [6].
Office and family buffet prices turn on service rather than food. Drop-off platters with disposable plates cost far less than the same menu with staff, crockery and clearing, and weekday dates come in lower than Saturdays. Tell the caterer which version you want before the quote, or the totals will not compare [7].
Red flags
Cannot be found on the hygiene ratings register under the trading name you were given [1].
Quotes a wedding or large event without asking guest numbers, venue access or serving times.
Gives one per-head figure with no breakdown of food, staff, hire, travel and VAT [7] [8].
Asks for full payment in cash long before the event, with no written terms or cancellation terms [9].
Waves away allergen or dietary questions instead of explaining how the kitchen handles them [3].
Will not put the menu, guest numbers, price and date in writing before taking a deposit.
Shows no business address, company record or working phone on its own site or listing.
Cannot say which kitchen will cook your food or which council holds its registration [1] [4].
Names no deadline for final guest numbers or balance, leaving the total open until the week of the event.