An outdoor event uses the same food as an indoor one and almost none of the same plan. Here is what genuinely changes when the room has no walls — drawn from years of catering fairs, festivals, garden parties and community events around Richmond.
Heat retention becomes the main engineering problem
Indoors, a buffet holds temperature comfortably. Outdoors, wind does more damage than air temperature. That means covered service, chafing units working harder, and a serving position chosen for shelter rather than for the photographs. We serve from professional warm holding in silver or copper units, and outdoors we would rather site them somewhere sheltered and slightly awkward than exposed and central.
Access and ground conditions
Ask three questions before anything else: how close can a vehicle get, what is the surface between the vehicle and the serving point, and is there cover if it rains. A hundred metres of wet grass between the van and the table changes set-up time significantly, and it is the most common cause of a late start at outdoor events.
Power, water and waste
Most gardens and park-side sites have none of the three. Confirm what exists rather than assuming, and agree who is providing bins — waste at outdoor events is routinely forgotten and always noticed.
Timings drift, so plan for a window
Outdoor events run late. Guests arrive across an hour rather than in ten minutes, and speeches slip. Build the plan around a service window rather than a service moment, and expect a second wave of eating later than you would indoors.
Menu choices that survive outside
Slow-cooked, saucy dishes hold beautifully. Rice holds well under cover. Breads are best served in batches rather than piled at the start. Anything meant to be crisp is at the mercy of the weather, so treat it as a bonus rather than a centrepiece.
Garden parties versus public events — two different services
For private garden parties and outdoor celebrations we deliver and set up buffet service exactly as we would indoors. For fairs, food festivals, school and PTA events, charity fundraisers, Rotary and club events and leisure-centre occasions, we attend with a food stall — a genuinely different operation with different requirements. Details on our food stall catering page and festival and outdoor catering page.
One thing to be clear about: we do not offer live chef stations as on-site theatre for private or corporate events. Food stalls at organised public events are not the same service and are not offered on that basis.
Distance and delivery
Delivery is free within 10 miles of our Richmond kitchen — which covers most park, garden and community sites across Richmond upon Thames, Twickenham, Teddington and Kingston — and quoted between 10 and 20 miles. Catering service runs from 11am onwards by prior booking, so daytime outdoor events are straightforward when arranged in advance.
Have a wet-weather answer before you need one
Decide in advance where service moves to if it rains, and tell us. A marquee, a hall, or a covered terrace — any answer is fine, no answer is not.
Costs
Per-head tiers are the same outdoors: Bronze £25 (1 starter, 2 mains, 1 side), Silver £35 (2/3/2), Gold £45 (3/4/3), Platinum £60 (4/5/4). Booking terms are 50% deposit and 50% balance.
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.