Dietary requirements are usually handled as an exception process: a list of names, a few separate trays, and a member of staff pointing. It works better as a design decision made at the menu stage.
Collect requirements at invitation stage
Put vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy fields on the invitation or registration form. Chasing them by email two weeks out produces an incomplete list every time. Send us totals rather than names — we cook to numbers.
Vegetarian and vegan: build in, do not bolt on
Indian and Bangladeshi cooking carries a full plant-based repertoire as standard — lentil, paneer, vegetable and rice dishes that stand on their own rather than acting as a substitute. Our approach is to place them in the body of the buffet, not at the end. Vegan requires one extra check, because dairy appears in places guests do not expect, so flag vegan numbers specifically rather than folding them into "vegetarian". Full range on the vegetarian and vegan page.
Gluten-free: the honest version
Many Indian dishes are naturally free from gluten-containing ingredients, but breads are not, and a shared buffet is a shared environment. We can plan a menu around gluten-free choices — see gluten-free Indian catering — but we will not promise a guest with coeliac disease an allergen-free environment, because our kitchen handles multiple allergens and that promise would not be true.
Allergens: what we can and cannot say
Allergen information is available on request. Please tell us about allergies and dietary requirements before ordering or confirming your event. Our kitchen handles multiple allergens, so we cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment. That wording is deliberate: it lets a guest with a serious allergy make an informed decision rather than a hopeful one. Our allergen policy sets it out in full.
Halal, and mixed rooms
Meat and poultry come from trusted suppliers providing halal-certified products, no pork is handled and alcohol is not used as an ingredient. That means most mixed rooms can eat from one buffet. Jaflong is not independently HMC-certified — if a guest or family requires a particular standard, contact us before ordering.
Label everything, visibly
The single highest-impact thing a host can do. Every tray marked vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free where applicable, and an indication of spice level. Guests with requirements should never have to find a member of staff to ask a question about their own dinner.
Portioning for dietary groups
Order plant-based dishes for more than the declared vegetarian count. At almost every event we cater, meat eaters take the vegetarian dishes too, and a tray sized exactly to the declared number empties before the guests it was intended for reach it. A useful rule: size the vegetarian section for around double the declared number.
Choosing a tier with dietary needs in mind
Dish count is what buys inclusivity. Bronze £25 gives 1 starter, 2 mains and 1 side, which leaves little room to serve every group properly. Silver £35 (2/3/2) is the realistic minimum for a mixed room; Gold £45 (3/4/3) and Platinum £60 (4/5/4) give comfortable coverage.
Next steps: browse the full catering menu, check package prices per head, build a quote with your date and guest count, or send an enquiry. We cater across Richmond, Twickenham, Kingston upon Thames and every area we serve.
Written by the Jaflong Tandoori catering team, family-run in Richmond since 2008 and led by owner Syed Bashar. Last reviewed September 2026.