Office Christmas catering is a capacity problem disguised as a food decision. Every business in South West London wants the same three weeks in December, and most of them start looking in November.
Why September, not November
December has roughly fifteen usable weekday event slots once you exclude the last week and the weekends most teams avoid. Every caterer in the area is working from the same fifteen. Booking in September does not just secure a date — it secures your preferred date, which is usually a Thursday or Friday in the second or third week.
Booking early also gives your finance team time. Our terms are 50% deposit to hold the date and 50% balance, with no credit accounts and no purchase-order payment windows. In September that is a routine approval; in late November it is a scramble.
Christmas lunch versus Christmas party
They need different catering:
- Daytime office lunch: shorter window, people return to work, appetite moderate. Bronze £25 (1 starter, 2 mains, 1 side) or Silver £35 (2/3/2) usually reads right.
- Evening party: longer, guests drink, food needs to hold temperature across a staggered arrival, and the buffet still needs to look generous at 9pm. Gold £45 (3/4/3) or Platinum £60 (4/5/4).
Our professional warm holding in silver or copper chafing units is what makes the evening format work, since most office venues have no kitchen at all.
An Indian Christmas spread actually solves problems
The traditional Christmas menu is the hardest one to make inclusive: vegetarian, vegan and halal colleagues all end up with the token plate. A Bengali and North Indian buffet inverts that — the plant-based dishes are among the best things on the table, and our meat and poultry come from trusted suppliers providing halal-certified products, so most of the team eats from the same buffet. Jaflong is not independently HMC-certified; we say so rather than implying otherwise.
What to confirm when you book
- Date, time food must be on the table, and headcount (order to headcount, not RSVPs)
- Building access: loading bay, goods lift, reception sign-in, security passes
- Table length available for the buffet
- Dietary requirements — collect them on the invite, not by chasing
- Clear-down time, especially in a serviced building
Delivery is free within 10 miles of our Richmond kitchen and quoted for 10–20 miles. Catering service runs from 11am onwards by prior booking.
Late booking
If it is already November, ask anyway — the dates that survive longest are Mondays, Tuesdays and daytime slots. What you lose by booking late is choice of date, not quality of food.
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.