"How far in advance should we book?" has a short answer and a useful one. The short answer is earlier than you think. The useful answer depends on what kind of date you are asking for.
Lead times we would actually recommend
| Event | Suggested lead time | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Wedding (single day) | 6–12 months | Venue, tasting and final numbers all sit inside this window |
| Multi-day wedding (Mehndi, Nikah, Walima) | 9–12 months | Three dates to align, often across different venues |
| December office party | From September | Roughly fifteen usable weekday slots in the month |
| Conference or large corporate event | 3–6 months | Procurement and delegate numbers take time |
| Community, school or PTA event | 2–3 months | Committee sign-off and hall availability |
| Office lunch or board lunch | 1–2 weeks | Enough to plan delivery and dietary needs properly |
| Iftar or Eid event | As soon as dates are known | A fixed set of evenings, all in demand at once |
What booking early actually buys
Not a discount — our per-head tiers are the same whenever you book: Bronze £25, Silver £35, Gold £45, Platinum £60. What it buys is the date you wanted, a tasting slot before you commit, and time for your menu and dietary planning to be considered rather than rushed. Weekend and seasonal dates fill first.
What we need to hold a date
A confirmed date, venue, rough guest count and a 50% deposit. The remaining 50% is the balance. We do not run credit accounts or purchase-order payment windows, so if the booking goes through a finance team, start that conversation at the same time as the enquiry.
What can change later — and what cannot
Comfortably adjustable up to a few weeks out: dish selections, guest count within reason, service timings, dietary requirements. Difficult at short notice: the date itself, a large jump in guest numbers, and a venue change to somewhere beyond our free delivery radius (free within 10 miles of our Richmond kitchen, quoted fee for 10–20 miles).
Tastings
A tasting menu is available by arrangement and is chargeable — we do not offer free tastings. Plan it for the middle of your timeline: after you have shortlisted, before you finalise the menu. Request one via book a tasting.
Late enquiries
Ask anyway. Midweek dates and daytime slots survive longest, and short-notice office and community catering is often perfectly possible. Our catering service runs from 11am onwards by prior booking; the restaurant kitchen opens from 4pm. What a late booking costs you is choice of date, not standard of food.
A simple rule
Book the caterer as soon as the venue is confirmed. The venue determines load-in, kitchen access and distance — the three things that shape every catering decision that follows.
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.