Private Party Catering in West Sussex

Based in Petworth in West Sussex, Cruickshank's provides BBQ, hog roasts, champagne parties, canapés and lamb roasts. They cater for large events such as weddings as well as small scale intimate dinner parties with a personal chef service.

What do you need to know from an organiser in order to provide a comprehensive quote?

We always like to know how many guests will be attending. Will it take place in a field or an indoor venue? How many vegetarians will there be? Do you have a budget and if so how much per head or in total will it be? Most importantly, can we come visit the venue to get a feel for the space?

What advice would you give to a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?

I would always ask for a few sample menus. It would also be good to see some images of the food. It would be good to also talk with them over the phone or in person. Ask for recommendations as well.

Please tell us a little bit about how and why you started the business.

I have been cooking all of my life and decided I wanted to be a chef at a very young age. I went to college part time and worked as a training chef for the 5 star hotel chain Marriott. I then worked in a few London restaurants for a few years. I have always wanted to work for myself, and decided one Christmas Day that I would start my business on January 1st 1997. From that day I have never looked back.

Please tell us about a booking you've had through Add to Event, how did it go? Would you recommend us to others?

I had an enquiry for a dinner party on New Year’s Eve. The enquiry requested catering for a bunch of friends who had rented a cottage for the weekend and wanted to have a chef come in and cook for them. You can see it was a real treat for them all. They were the nicest bunch of people I have ever met and they had the cutest dog. They started out with canapés and drinks, then all sat down to be served. I could see they were having the best time.