Catering and event hire in Canterbury
If your Canterbury celebration is near the Cathedral and guests are walking to the reception, set food timings using the group’s likely arrival time. Canapés work well where people will arrive gradually and gather before the main meal.
Bring the food and event setup together
Start with what you want the day to feel like. You might want canapés while the wedding photographs are taken, lunch that fits a conference break, or hot pizza as guests arrive at an evening party. If you need a marquee, tables, crockery or a photo booth as well, we can work those into the same enquiry. Fables is based near Peterborough and travels to Canterbury for pre-booked events. For an event elsewhere in England, browse our city catering guides.
Catering for your occasion
Weddings
Choose food for the whole day or just the part you need. A drinks reception can start with canapés, followed by a sit-down wedding breakfast or sharing platters. A vintage pizza horsebox or street food can serve your evening guests. Give us separate daytime and evening numbers so we can plan each service around your timetable.
Corporate events
Book breakfasts, buffet lunches, canapé receptions or hot food for meetings, conferences and staff celebrations. Let us know if guests have one short break or several shifts. The service window helps us decide where to put the food and how quickly your group can be served.
Private parties
For a birthday, anniversary or family celebration, pick a menu that suits how guests will eat. A staffed buffet works indoors when everyone is ready at once. A barbecue or pizza horsebox can suit a relaxed outdoor reception where the venue has room for cooking and serving.
Choose food that works for your event
Compare serving styles before you settle on a menu. The space, the number of people eating at once and the time you have to feed them are as important as the food itself.
Pizza horseboxes
Stone-baked pizza cooked at your venue. Serve it as the main food at a party or bring it in for the evening part of a wedding.
BBQ and grill
A relaxed hot-food option for celebrations and staff events with an agreed outdoor cooking area and a plan for wet weather.
Buffets and grazing
Compare a staffed buffet for a meal with a grazing display guests can visit as they mingle. Tell us which role the food needs to play.
Canapés and receptions
Serve small bites while guests arrive, network or wait for the next part of the day. Agree the serving window and whether you need waiting staff.
Street food
Set up an informal meal for an evening reception or company celebration. Decide where guests will queue and whether they’ll eat standing or at tables.
Breakfast and afternoon tea
Start an early meeting with breakfast, or plan sandwiches, cakes and tea for a seated celebration or a longer meeting break.
Event hire to go with your catering
If you’re starting with a garden, field or empty room, tell us what the venue already has. We can quote for the extra items you need and plan when suppliers can set up around the food service.
Marquees and outdoor cover
Plan space for dining, serving and dancing, with room for the team to work. We’ll need the proposed location, available ground and delivery access.
Furniture, crockery and staff
Ask about tables, chairs, tableware and waiting staff. Confirm quantities and service hours in the quote so you know what is included on the day.
Photo booths and finishing touches
Add a photo booth or other hire for the part of the day guests will use it. Share the floor plan so we can discuss where it fits without blocking access.
What does catering in Canterbury cost?
Our published package guide uses typical weddings of 70–110 guests. It gives the following figures to help you plan. For your own event, we quote against the menu, guest numbers, venue access, serving times and any hire or staffing you need.
Pizza horsebox or street food
£700–£2,000+
Typical wedding package guide
Canapés
£10–£18 per guest
Published typical price guide
Planning a catered event around Canterbury
The first useful detail is the venue postcode. Two venues close to each other can have very different supplier entrances, working spaces and access times.
A ceremony near Canterbury Cathedral
If guests will walk from the cathedral precincts to a separate reception, plan around the time it takes the whole group to arrive. Share both venues and ask your reception venue for the supplier entrance. A brief drinks and canapé service can work while guests are still gathering.
Canterbury Cathedral Lodge informationDinner and dancing in a city-centre room
Where one room has to switch from meal service to dancing, agree who will move the tables and how long the reset takes. Ask which prep and clearing areas stay available after dinner so the catering team can leave the dance-floor area clear.
Supplier access and setup
For a city-centre venue, ask for the supplier entrance and any delivery window set by your venue. A phone number for the on-site contact helps the crew find the correct gate on streets with several similarly named buildings.
Catering venue checklistWhat organisers say about Fables
One wedding customer reported that Fables served pizza to all 130 guests and that the service ran smoothly. In verified Add to Event reviews, a corporate organiser praised the team’s organisation and food, and another customer described how the team arranged pizza catering at short notice.
How to book
Tell us about the event
Send the date, venue postcode, approximate guest numbers and which parts of the day you want us to cater.
Choose your menu and setup
We’ll check availability and discuss which menus, serving arrangements and hire work at your venue.
Review your quote
Check the food, agreed service times and hire items together. Share any venue restrictions before confirming.
Canterbury catering questions
Can I book pizza for the evening if another caterer is doing the wedding breakfast?
Yes. Tell us when evening guests will arrive and when the main meal is due to finish. We’ll discuss the position for the horsebox and the serving window around speeches, dancing and the other supplier’s plans.
Evening wedding pizzaCan a pizza horsebox serve at a city-centre venue in Canterbury?
It depends on the venue and vehicle route. We need a suitable place to turn and park, room to serve guests, and electricity. Ask the venue for its supplier entrance and loading arrangements, then send us the postcode and photos of the proposed pitch.
Horsebox venue planningWhat can you do if our venue has no kitchen or outdoor power?
Tell us what the venue can provide before choosing a menu. A horsebox still needs a suitable pitch and electricity. If the venue cannot supply power at the agreed location, ask whether we can provide our own and include it in the quote.
Catering venue checklistCan you serve a corporate lunch in a short break?
Share the break length and how many guests will arrive together. We can discuss an appropriate menu, serving position and whether to stagger arrivals. Confirm the serving timetable when you agree your booking.
Corporate catering optionsCan I combine catering and a marquee in the same quote?
Yes. Share your postcode, guest numbers, available space and plans for dining and dancing. Tell us if you also need tables, chairs, lighting or waiting staff so those can be priced as part of the same brief.
Marquee site planningHow should I plan for bad weather at an outdoor event?
Agree where guests can eat and how they will reach the serving point if it rains. Tell us what cover is available and check the venue’s rules for cooking or equipment under it. We’ll discuss a layout that works for the agreed menu and site.
Outdoor event planningWhat information do you need if daytime and evening guest numbers differ?
Give a separate estimate for each service and tell us what food is already planned. For example, a drinks reception, meal and evening pizza may each have a different headcount. We’ll use those numbers when discussing portions and timing.
Wedding catering optionsDo guests pay for food at the event?
The event organiser books and pays for catering in advance. We agree the menu, guest numbers and serving times with you so your guests can be served as part of the event.
Can catering be timed for guests walking between two Canterbury venues?
Give us the ceremony finish, the reception address and a realistic arrival window. We can talk through a short arrival service, or plan the main meal for when most guests will be ready to sit down.
Do you cater outside Canterbury as well?
Yes. We are based near Peterborough and cater across the UK. Share the venue postcode so we can check travel, availability and setup for your particular booking.
Get a quote for your Canterbury event
Send your date, venue or postcode, approximate guest numbers and the food or hire you have in mind. If you are still choosing a venue, tell us which area and serving style you are considering.