Office catering fails for boring reasons: it arrives at the wrong time, there is not enough of it, or nobody labelled the vegetarian tray. Here is how to order halal Indian catering for a mixed London team and get it right on the first attempt.
Portion planning for real offices
Two rules of thumb we use after around 500 events. For a working lunch where people eat at their desks, plan on people taking less than they would at an evening buffet — but order for 100% of the headcount, not the RSVP count, because walk-ups always happen. For a celebratory team lunch with a proper sit-down, appetites go up and the buffet needs to look full at the end of the queue, not just the start.
Dish count matters more than volume for satisfaction. A Bronze £25 spread (1 starter, 2 mains, 1 side) works for a straightforward lunch; Silver £35 (2/3/2) is the point where a mixed team with vegetarian, meat-eating and spice-averse colleagues all find something they want. Gold £45 (3/4/3) and Platinum £60 (4/5/4) are for client-facing occasions.
Delivery windows
Our catering service runs from 11am onwards by prior booking — the restaurant kitchen itself opens at 4pm, so a midday delivery is always a pre-arranged catering booking. Tell us the time food must be on the table, not the time you would like the van to arrive, and tell us about building access: loading bays, goods lifts and reception sign-in all add minutes.
Delivery is free within 10 miles of our Richmond kitchen, which covers most of South West London. Between 10 and 20 miles we quote a delivery fee up front.
Keeping food hot without a kitchen
Most offices have a kitchenette and nothing else. We serve from professional warm holding in silver or copper chafing units, so food holds temperature through a staggered lunch hour rather than going cold at 12:20. We do not offer live chef stations — if you have seen those quoted elsewhere, it is a different service model with different costs.
Mixed teams, allergens and labelling
Halal sourcing removes a barrier for some colleagues without limiting anyone else: our meat and poultry come from trusted suppliers providing halal-certified products, no pork is handled, and alcohol is not used as an ingredient. Jaflong is not independently HMC-certified — worth stating plainly if a colleague asks.
Label every tray. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free items should be identifiable without asking anyone. Allergen information is available on request; please send dietary requirements before the order is confirmed. Our kitchen handles multiple allergens, so we cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment — the detail is on our allergen policy page.
Budgets and paperwork
Per-head tiers make budget approval straightforward: multiply headcount by £25, £35, £45 or £60 and you have the catering line. Payment is 50% deposit and 50% balance; we do not operate credit accounts or PO payment windows, so build that into your finance approval rather than discovering it late. Public liability documentation is available on request for supplier onboarding.
Recurring lunches
If you run a monthly team lunch, fix the delivery time and rotate the menu instead of the schedule — it removes most of the coordination overhead. Our office lunch delivery page covers standing arrangements, and corporate catering in London covers larger formats.
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.