Gazebo in the garden
Garden party street food
from £14 per guest
- Pad thai cooked to order
- Massaman or green curry with jasmine rice
- Vegan stir fry
- Cooked to order under our gazebo
- £5m public liability insurance
- 5-star food hygiene
- Cooked fresh on site
Thai party catering
Party catering in Essex, London and across England
Garden parties, anniversaries, engagements, christenings and family get-togethers. We cook, serve and clear up while you spend time with your guests.
- From £14 per guest
- 20 to 300 guests
- Set-up and clear-down included
- Rated 5.0 on Google
Hosting a party is hard work if you are also doing the food. Private party catering should take that away completely, and that is what we aim for. We arrive, set up our kitchen in your garden or hall, cook everything fresh, serve your guests and leave the place tidy.
Our private clients range from 20 people in a back garden to 300 in a village hall or marquee: silver and golden wedding anniversaries, engagement parties, christenings, retirement do's, family reunions and parish celebrations. Guests from two to ninety-five have all found something to love.
- We cook in your garden, hall or marquee
- Mild dishes for children and spice-shy guests
- Eco plates and cutlery, no washing up
- Leftovers boxed up for you to keep
Quick answer
How much does private party catering cost?
Our party catering starts at £14 per guest for street food mains with jasmine rice, £17 for a main and two spring rolls from hot food stations, and £24 for spring rolls, chicken satay and one main with two staff. A hot served buffet for 50 guests starts at about £850.
See prices and examplesPopular party catering formats
- Garden party: we put up our gazebo on the lawn or patio and cook to order, like a private street food market.
- Hall or marquee buffet: hot food stations with two or three mains, starters and dessert.
- Canapé-style party: starters served through the evening for a relaxed standing party.
- Sit-down family meal: sharing platters brought to the table, Thai style.
Catering for home and garden parties
Many private parties happen at home. We bring our own cooking equipment, so we do not need your kitchen, and we set up on a patio, driveway or corner of the garden. Guests come to the food, chat with the chef and go back to the party, and you never have to leave your own celebration to check on the oven.
A menu that suits everyone in the family
Family parties are where dietary needs pile up: a vegan niece, a coeliac uncle, children who only eat noodles. We plan the menu around your guest list, keep a mild option for anyone nervous about spice, and label everything clearly.
Popular party menus pair chicken satay and spring rolls with massaman curry, green curry and pad thai, finished with mango sticky rice.
Village halls, clubs and marquees
For bigger parties we cater in village halls, sports and social clubs, pubs with function rooms and hired marquees. We work to the venue's access times and rules, use the hall servery if there is one, and leave it clean.
Your home, looked after
We are used to working in people's gardens and homes. We protect surfaces, work around children and pets, and take our rubbish away with us. One client mentioned we were very tolerant of their hungry labrador, which we were.
Sample menus
Party catering menus
Every menu is built around your event. These are the combinations clients ask for most, with the starting price for each.
Homes and village halls
Hot party buffet
from £17 per guest
- Choice of two or three mains
- Jasmine rice
- Two spring rolls each
- Served hot from food stations
Anniversaries and big birthdays
Party food stations
from £24 per guest
- Spring rolls and chicken satay
- One main of your choice
- Mango sticky rice (from £6.99)
- Two members of staff
Dishes our clients choose most
All cooked fresh on site by chef Nok. Tap a dish for ingredients, allergens and photos.
Prices
How much does party catering cost?
Private party prices per guest:
| Street food mains with jasmine rice | from £14 |
|---|---|
| Main plus two spring rolls from hot stations | from £17 |
| Spring rolls, satay and one main, with two staff | from £24 |
| Mango sticky rice dessert | from £6.99 |
| Minimum spend | £750 |
Set-up, cooking on site, plates, cutlery and clear-down are included.
Examples
What it costs in practice
Guide prices for the food, worked out from our published per-guest prices.
- 50guestsHot buffet at home50 × £17 per guestfrom£850
- 60guestsFood stations with starters and staff60 × £24 per guestfrom£1,440
- 100guestsGarden party with a cooking station100 × £14 per guestfrom£1,400
How it works
From first message to empty plates
- 1
Tell us about your event
Date, venue, rough guest numbers and the kind of food you like. A quick form or a phone call is enough.
- 2
Get a tailored quote and menu
Mihai sends a quote with menu suggestions and answers your questions. Tasting sessions are available for weddings.
- 3
Lock in your date
A deposit secures the date. We confirm final numbers, dietary needs and timings with you and your venue nearer the time.
- 4
Enjoy the day
We arrive early, cook everything fresh on site, serve your guests and clear away. You just enjoy the food.
Google reviews
What our clients say
We're rated 5.0 on Google. A few of our reviews, in our clients' own words:
“I booked Mihai and Nok for my mum's 60th birthday… they adapted their starters into canapés style plates for our casual dining event. Everyone was raving about the food and we didn't have any guests going hungry!”
“Mihai and Nok did a fantastic job of catering our Christmas party. The food and service were brilliant and all our guests loved it.”
“They set up their kitchen in our garden and it looked amazing… all of our 80+ guests loved the food and thought that the whole event was fan-thai-stick!”
Why choose us
Why book us for private parties
A small, family-run Thai kitchen with the paperwork, kit and experience of a big caterer.
Cooked by a Thai chef
Chef Nok cooks the dishes she grew up with: massaman, green curry, som tam and mango sticky rice, made the proper way.
Cooked on site, served hot
Nothing is reheated from yesterday. The woks and food stations go up at your venue and food comes off them hot.
Every diet at one table
Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free versions at no extra cost, and every dish labelled for the 14 allergens.
No venue kitchen needed
We bring the kitchen, and outdoors we cook under our own gazebo. Marquees, barns, gardens and fields are all fine.
Paperwork in order
5-star food hygiene, £5m public liability insurance, gas safety and PAT certificates, risk assessments on request.
One team, start to finish
Mihai plans your menu with you and is there on the day. Our Google reviews mention him again and again.
Areas we cover
Party catering near you
Type your town or postcode to see party catering in your area. We cover every Essex town and village, all 33 London boroughs and every county in England, with travel worked into the quote.
- Essex
- 310
- towns & villages
- London
- 33
- boroughs
- England
- 47
- counties
Our main areas
- Essex
- London
- Kent
- Surrey
- West Sussex
- East Sussex
- Suffolk
- Norfolk
- Buckinghamshire
- Derbyshire
- Birmingham
- Coventry
- Leicester
- Winchester
Essex, close to our kitchen
Every county and town we coverEvery county in England
Our main areas The rest of England, for larger events
Questions
Private parties: your questions answered
Something else on your mind? Call Mihai or send us your event details.
What is the minimum number of guests for party catering?
Private parties have a minimum spend of £750, which usually means about 30 to 50 guests depending on the menu. For smaller groups, have a look at our private dinner party service with a chef in your kitchen.
Can you cook in our garden?
Yes. Our portable cooking stations work in most gardens, set up under our own gazebo on the lawn, the patio or the drive. We will ask about access, parking and the space available when you book.
Do you bring plates and cutlery?
Yes. We serve on eco-friendly bamboo plates and bowls with cutlery and napkins, so there is no washing up for you.
Can we keep the leftovers?
Yes. Anything left at the end of service can be boxed up for you to keep.
Is Thai food too spicy for older guests and children?
Not the way we serve it. Dishes such as massaman curry and pad thai are mild, and we put chilli on the side so everyone can choose their own heat.
Can you cater for vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy needs?
Yes. Every menu has vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes at no extra cost, halal chicken is available on request, and every dish is labelled for the 14 major allergens. Tell us about allergies when you book; because we cook in shared facilities, we cannot promise a dish is completely free of any allergen.
Which areas do you cover?
From our kitchen in Chelmsford we cover every town and village in Essex and all 33 London boroughs, and regularly cater in Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire and Derbyshire, and in Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester and Winchester. For larger events we travel anywhere in England. Travel is always worked into your quote.
How do I book, and what deposit do you need?
Send us your date, rough guest numbers and venue and we reply with a tailored quote, valid for 24 hours. A 20% non-refundable deposit secures dates booked at least two months ahead, and bookings within four weeks of the event are paid in full. We take bank transfer, cards, cash and cheque, and companies can pay on invoice.
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Free quote · no obligation
Let's talk about your event
Send the date, rough numbers and the venue. Mihai will come back to you with a tailored quote and menu ideas.
- No obligation
- Tasting sessions for weddings
- £5 million public liability insurance
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Based in Chelmsford, Essex. Catering across Essex, London and all of England.