Catering and event hire in Durham
A reception on Durham’s historic peninsula can put the guest entrance and supplier loading route on very different approaches. If you have a ceremony or photographs by the River Wear before the reception, allow enough time for the group to reach the venue before food service.
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 Durham 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 Durham 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 Durham
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.
Access on Durham’s historic peninsula
If your Durham reception is near the Cathedral, check which supplier entrance your venue can use and how equipment reaches the function room. Flag steps, gradients, cobbles or a long carry before choosing a menu that needs an outdoor unit or substantial equipment.
Durham Cathedral venue informationA River Wear celebration with an indoor option
If the setting is beside the river, agree an indoor service point in advance and check how guests and staff can move between the two locations. Tell us which tables, shelters and access routes are available in each layout.
Supplier access and setup
Confirm whether a vehicle can reach the supplier door and ask about gradients, steps and cobbles along any equipment route. Share the venue’s current access instructions before a vehicle-based option is discussed.
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.
Durham 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 Durham?
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 a Durham riverside celebration move food indoors at short notice?
That is easier if the venue has agreed the alternative room and equipment route in advance. Ask when it needs a decision, and send both layouts so we can discuss food that suits either space.
Do you cater outside Durham 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 Durham 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.