HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire a wedding caterer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Wedding caterers need no licence, but they are food businesses. Here is what to check, what to ask and what the quote must say.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a wedding caterer in five steps

  1. Ask the venue firstApproved-caterer list, outside-caterer fee, kitchen, power and water. It narrows the wedding caterers you can use.
  2. Check the rating and registrationFood hygiene rating and inspection date; the council the caterer is registered with.
  3. Taste before you signA tasting of the dishes you will actually serve.
  4. Collect dietary needs earlyAllergies by name and table, sent in writing by the deadline.
  5. Read every line of the per-head priceStaff, crockery, linen, service charge, VAT and the evening food.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No register or licence applies to wedding caterers as such in any UK nation, and no cookery qualification is required by law. What does apply is food law: a wedding caterer is a food business, so the checks below are about registration, allergens and hygiene, not a trade card.

Ask the wedding caterer which council they are registered with and for a recent reference from a host.

Food business registration and hygiene rating for the wedding caterer

Registration with the council is compulsory for any business that prepares, cooks or sells food, including people baking at home and mobile traders, and must be done 28 days or more before trading in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland a wedding caterer registers with the local authority too, with advice from Food Standards Scotland. The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, run with councils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, gives a 0 to 5 score after inspection; Wales and Northern Ireland put it in law, while in England showing it is voluntary. The wedding caterer is rated like any other registered food business; a 5 means very good hygiene, and anything under 3 needs explaining.

Ask the wedding caterer for the name of the council it is registered with, then check with that council if in doubt. Ask the wedding caterer for their rating and the inspection date, and look it up on the Food Standards Agency ratings site. gov.uk →

Allergen information from the wedding caterer

Every registered food business must tell customers when food contains any of the 14 allergens named in food law — celery, gluten cereals, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soya, sulphites and tree nuts — and handle them properly in the kitchen. For food served loose at your event, the wedding caterer can give it in writing or by a clear notice saying how to ask.

Send the guests' allergies in writing and ask the wedding caterer for an allergen list for every dish or item. gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation terms

A wedding caterer who charges for the work counts as a trader in law, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes reasonable care and skill part of the deal. Do not count on a 14-day cooling-off period: regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes catering and leisure services booked for a set date from the cancellation right, so the wedding caterer's own written terms usually decide what happens to your deposit.

Ask the wedding caterer for the booking terms in writing and check the refund rules for cancelling and postponing. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

A wedding meal cooked and served at the venue is catering, standard-rated at 20%. Wedding caterers over the £90,000 registration threshold have to charge VAT and list it separately from the price.

Ask the wedding caterer for the VAT number and whether per-head prices and the service charge are before VAT. gov.uk →

“Have you catered at our wedding venue before?”

A good answer: A wedding caterer who knows the kitchen and the venue's rules, or will visit before quoting.

“What is your food hygiene rating and when were you last inspected?”

A good answer: A 4 or 5 with a recent date the wedding caterer can point you to.

“How many staff serve the wedding breakfast?”

A good answer: A ratio of waiting staff to tables, chefs on site, and a catering manager for the day.

“How will you keep allergy meals separate and get them to the right guests?”

A good answer: Named plates, a table plan from you and staff briefed on who is who.

“What happens if the timetable slips — speeches run long?”

A good answer: A wedding caterer who plans hot food around speeches and holds dishes safely.

“Does the price include the evening food?”

A good answer: A clear yes or no, with the evening buffet priced separately if not.

“What are the dates for final numbers and payment?”

A good answer: Written dates, with the rule for late changes.

Getting the quote right

  • Menu by course, service style and the guest numbers for the day and evening
  • Staff numbers and hours, including the catering manager
  • Crockery, glassware, linen and a field kitchen if the venue needs one
  • Service charge, and whether the per-head figure includes it
  • The wedding caterer's VAT number, with VAT shown apart from food, staff and service charge
  • Deposit, final numbers deadline, balance date and cancellation or postponement terms
  • Any outside-caterer fee the venue charges
  • Who actually attends: the catering manager, chefs and waiting staff, and whether they are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • No tasting before the contract
  • A hygiene rating the wedding caterer will not share
  • Staffing left vague for a plated meal
  • No postponement terms, only cancellation
  • Prices quoted without VAT and service charge shown
LOW
£15
TYPICAL
£35
HIGH
£60

What a wedding caterer costs: £15–£60 per head

Wedding caterers price per head, with staff, hire items, the evening food and service charge often listed separately. Wedding Caterer price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Wedding caterers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Tasting and menuThe wedding caterer runs a tasting and agrees the menu, service style and dietary plan.
  2. Final numbers and table planNumbers, allergies by table and the timetable confirmed by the deadline.
  3. Set-upKitchen or field kitchen set up, tables laid, canapés ready for the drinks reception.
  4. Wedding breakfastCourses served to the timetable, allergy plates to the right guests, held safely if speeches run long.
  5. Evening food and clear-downEvening buffet out on time; kitchen and hire items cleared.

Wedding breakfast
The main meal after the ceremony, whatever the hour.
Canapés
Small bites served during the drinks reception.
Field kitchen
A temporary kitchen for a marquee or barn venue.
Approved caterer
A caterer on a venue's list; others may be refused or charged a fee.
Service charge
A percentage added for staff; check whether it is in the per-head price.
Final numbers
The guest count you commit to by a set date.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the contract and final invoiceWith the menu served and final numbers — your record if the wedding caterer disputes anything.
Check the hire returnsCrockery and linen counted back against any breakage terms.
Report illness promptlyIf guests fall ill, tell the wedding caterer and the council food safety team where it is registered.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked jobs, so yours on the wedding caterer helps the next couple. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: they are asked to put it right before your review is published.

STEP 1Put it to the wedding caterer in writingSend the wedding caterer a short written account — cold courses, missed allergy meals, too few staff — with the remedy you want. Reasonable care and skill is an implied term of the booking under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015; a service that cannot be done again can be compensated by a price reduction.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the wedding caterer below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3Food safety, or a trader who will not engageIf you suspect food poisoning, see a doctor and report the wedding caterer to the food safety team at the council where it is registered. For anything else, no regulator oversees wedding caterers. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about wedding caterers to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the wedding caterer will not returnIf the wedding caterer still will not pay, you can claim yourself: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a wedding caterer: questions people ask

Not a licence as such, but registration: a wedding caterer is a food business and must be registered with its council. Alcohol sales, or hot food served after 11pm at an unlicensed place in England and Wales, need licensing separately.

Ask the wedding caterer for the rating and the date of the last inspection, then search the business name on the Food Standards Agency's ratings site. The scheme covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

£15 to £60 per head, typically around £35. The wedding caterer price guide breaks the range down, and the search above lists wedding caterers in your area.

Only if the venue allows outside caterers. Some have an approved list or charge a fee.

Popular dates go early; book once the venue and date are fixed, and get the tasting in before signing.

You collect them; the wedding caterer must give allergen information for every dish and manage them in the kitchen.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: CatererHow to hire: Canapé CateringHow to hire: Buffet CateringHow to hire: Hog RoastHow to hire: Wedding Cake MakerHow to hire: Wedding PlannerHow to hire: Mobile Bar HireHow to hire: BBQ CateringAll 701 hiring guides →

Wedding caterers near you

Wedding caterers in LondonWedding caterers in ManchesterWedding caterers in BirminghamWedding caterers in GlasgowWedding caterers in BelfastAll wedding caterers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — food business registration
  2. Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK) — allergen guidance for food businesses
  3. Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK) — the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme
  4. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  5. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  9. nidirect — small claims process
  10. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  11. Catering, takeaway food (VAT Notice 709/1) — 1.3 Supplies in the course of catering are standard-rated; 2.1 Ordinary meaning of catering
  12. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  13. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register