Jaflong has been cooking Indian and Bangladeshi food in Richmond upon Thames for years, from our kitchen at 16 Ashburnham Road, Richmond TW10 7NF. This guide is written for people planning something local: a wedding at a riverside venue, a birthday at home in Ham, a team lunch in Kingston, a school or community event in the park. It covers what Indian catering in Richmond really involves — costs, service styles, access, timings and dietary planning — using our own terms rather than industry generalities.
What Indian catering in Richmond usually looks like
Most local events fall into one of three shapes. The first is drop-off catering: food arrives hot in sealed containers, you serve it yourself. This suits house parties, office lunches and community halls with their own tables. The second is a self-serve or staffed buffet, where we set up chafing dishes and keep the food at temperature through the service window — the most common choice for weddings and larger private parties. The third is food stalls and live-style serving for fairs and outdoor events, which we have run at Ham Fair and Hollyfield events over several years.
Which one fits usually comes down to the venue, not the food. A hall with a service kitchen makes a staffed buffet easy. A marquee in a garden needs more planning around power, level ground and shelter. If you are unsure, tell us the venue name and we will tell you what we have already done there or what we would need to check.
What it costs per head
Our catering is priced per guest, by package:
- Bronze — £25 per head, from 20 guests. One starter, two mains, one side.
- Silver — £35 per head, from 25 guests. Two starters, three mains, two sides. This is the most popular choice locally.
- Gold — £45 per head, from 30 guests. Three starters, four mains, three sides.
- Platinum — £60 per head, from 40 guests. Four starters, five mains, four sides.
Those figures cover the food and its preparation. Staffing, premium crockery, table linen, dessert stations and late-night snacks are add-ons, quoted separately so you can see what you are paying for. Anything outside the package structure — an unusual dish count, a multi-day wedding, a mixed menu across two events — is handled as a bespoke quote rather than squeezed into a tier. You can see the current figures and what each tier includes on our pricing page and the pricing FAQ.
Delivery across the borough
Delivery and setup are free within 10 miles of our Richmond kitchen, which covers most of the borough and a good deal of Kingston. Between 10 and 20 miles we charge a delivery fee, quoted up front. Beyond that we look at each enquiry individually rather than promising a service we cannot run well.
We keep a page for each area we serve, with local venue notes, parking and access details and the dishes that get ordered most there:
- Catering in Richmond — riverside venues, town centre offices and Richmond Hill homes.
- Ham and Petersham — village halls, Ham Fair and Richmond Park–side events.
- Twickenham, St Margarets and Whitton — rugby weekends, clubhouses and family celebrations.
- Teddington, Hampton and Hampton Hill — halls, schools and garden marquees.
- Kew, Mortlake, East Sheen, West Sheen and Barnes — the north-east of the borough.
- Kingston upon Thames, Kingston Vale, Norbiton, Surbiton and New Malden — corporate lunches and large private parties.
The full list is on our areas we serve page.
Menus that work for a Richmond crowd
Our kitchen is Bengali and North Indian. The dishes that travel best to local events are the ones that hold temperature without drying: lamb rogan josh, butter chicken, tandoori mixed grill served promptly after setup, chana masala, saag paneer, biryani and a simple dal. Tandoori items are best when the serving window is tight; slow-cooked curries are forgiving if guests arrive over an hour or two.
A practical rule for mixed groups in this borough: keep at least one mild main, one vegetarian main that is genuinely substantial rather than a side, and one dish with obvious heat. Guests self-select and you avoid the classic problem of a buffet where half the table only eats rice.
Dietary requirements
All our meat is halal. We cook vegetarian and vegan dishes as standard, and we can plan a gluten-free selection when you tell us in advance — see gluten-free catering. We are honest about limits: our kitchen handles nuts, dairy and gluten, so we describe what is in each dish and let guests with severe allergies make their own decision rather than claiming a free-from environment we cannot guarantee. Our Food Standards Agency hygiene rating is 5.
Timings and access
Two things derail local events more than anything else: parking and kitchen access. Around Richmond town centre, the river and Twickenham on match days, loading is the constraint, not distance. Tell us where we can pull up, how far the food has to be carried and whether there is a lift. For park and green-space events, confirm whether vehicles can come on site or whether everything is carried in.
For a buffet we normally arrive 60–90 minutes before service. For drop-off, we aim for a tighter window agreed with you, because the food is best eaten within a couple of hours of arrival.
Booking and tastings
Dates are held with a deposit, with the balance due before the event; the exact terms are set out in your quote so there are no surprises. Tastings are available and are chargeable — they involve a real cooking session rather than samples — and we will tell you the cost up front when you ask.
Weddings usually need the longest lead time, especially for summer Saturdays and multi-event weekends. If you are planning a Mehndi, Nikah and Walima across several days, read how we cater three events in one week and see wedding catering in Richmond.
How to get a price for your event
The fastest route is our quote builder, which walks through guests, date, service style and menu. If you would rather just describe the event, use the enquiry form or call 020 8332 1339. WhatsApp is 07436 026277 and email is jaflongcatering@gmail.com. When you get in touch, the four things that let us quote accurately first time are: the date, the venue, the guest count and whether you want the food dropped off or served.
