probably a long shot, but anyone know any caterers?

need a family event doing in Sept but looking around at random restaurants/professional caterers it's looking pretty exorbitant and being skint, price is key. Middle Eastern ideally as there's lots of veggies/vegans attending (natch..)..Any ideas much appreciated, thanks

Where? Seem to remember there was some chat in the food or restaurants thread about some Indian catering that they strongly recommended.

I think that might have been Babur for a wedding and I'm not sure it would fit the budget being described here, albeit it is amazing. I'd maybe contact indian veg on chapel market and see if they did catering.

All depends on what you need and how many people you are catering and of course the budget, doing private events we need to make money (being caterer myself) as well, otherwise potentially we can lose income from not doing market or something like that.

You can try to approach street food traders, not many middle eastern, but can find for sure. Other option, would be approach local restaurant, agree in advance the menu and just get it collected/delivered. They would run the kitchen anyway.

Try to buzz https://www.instagram.com/ceylonkothu/ if you need in London

SE London - Brixton/Herne Hill

thanks. that does look interesting, starts at 25 quid a head which seems to be the going rate for buffet; premium menu is 40 quid a head which is too steep as there'll be 100+

As you're local they're pretty open to negotiations so worth having a chat!

thank you - very useful getting the perspective of a professional. I'd be looking at a buffet style, not a 3 course meal; and there'd be around 120 adults there.. I know it comes down to what you choose to eat, but as a rough guide for, say, a relatively simple Turkish/Lebanese style spread, what do you think I should be looking at per head?

top tip on the street food people, will investigate further

You could probably order loads of delicious mezze and nice bread from Levante for less than £10 pp, dunno if they'd take an order of that size but definitely worth asking.

yeah that's something I've been thinking about - there's a few decent Turkish places round here that might do something for us. There is a professional kitchen at the venue, so place to work/serve also..

babur does look great though. will go and eat there and ask them. thanks!

Umana Yana (Caribbean) has catered Brixton CC Xmas parties in the past, plenty of options for non meat eaters.

Herne Hill next to the park

of course, I know it well, but somehow had forgotten about it - thanks for the memory jog!

You are probably looking up to £14-£17/head, this should cover food, staff, prep, travel. You can always try to quote for 80-90% people coverage if buffet style and just have some random nibbles around. Turkish thing, bread will fill the majority of guests pretty quickly.

You can try to go through https://togather.com/ website, find the suppliers you like and just contact them directly via social media, rather than platform. Platform takes a cut on you and supplier, so price can look pretty high.

Just to add another suggestion - these guys have an amazing stall on Exmouth Market and catered a mate's wedding. It might have been the best food I've ever eaten at a wedding.

https://www.spinachandagushi.com/

Around West london there are plenty indian vegetarian caterers that are very good and geared up for mainly the religious events and weddings.

that is super helpful, thank you

fab, thanks

Here's another suggestion: https://www.humdingers.org.uk/
I've used them loads of times and they're really good - although I admit that the owner is a good friend of mine so I get a discount. They'll do anywhere in London (and probably further afield too) and have a range of different options, including quite a few vege/vegan ones. Worth discussing with them - also, I agree with previous posters that you probably only want to cater for about 80% of the people that you're inviting otherwise you'll have lots of leftover food (whatever caterer you use). Good luck with organising the event!

If Middle-Eastern is your thing, check around the industrial units in Park Royal. Used a couple in the past for some events, though I don't remember which ones exactly. I believe Awafi and Sweetland, although Sweetland's website only shows their desserts.

Edit: We bought veg options too, but I don't remember them being that great. Nothing compared to the variety and satiation levels of Punjabi food anyway.

En-root is also local (herne hill / brixton). Plant based only but delicious. Also massive vote for Umana Yana (guyanese).

all sorted now, thanks for all the suggestions. Will report back after the event - hopefully with a recommendation...