Vintage Crockery Hire in England

Alice's Vintage Pantry is a professional vintage china hire and afternoon tea catering company based in Altrincham, Cheshire who cater and supply their pretty items for all manner of events. Here they suggest some great questions to ask a provider for when looking for a similar service for an event.

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

For us to provide a full and accurate quote we need some basic information from the customer. Firstly the event date and location so that we can check our availability. Secondly the estimated number of guests attending the event. And finally an idea on the type of service or catering that the client is looking for (we provide a range of services and catering). With that information, we are able to provide an accurate quote detailing the price and what would be included.

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

The first thing to look for when choosing a supplier is evidence of experience of catering for events similar to yours. Look for reviews on social media and on their website, see if they have shared recent images of events they have catered for, and ask for references if you aren't happy with what you have found. Catering for a baby shower for 20 people is very different from catering for a wedding or corporate event for 150, make sure the experience of your provider matches what you need. Make sure you have a conversation either on the phone or face-to-face with your caterer, it's a great way of working out if they understand what you are looking for and a great way to check you can work with them. It's all very well providing great food, but you also need to know that your caterer can communicate well and work with you to make your event a success. The service you receive is an important part of the catering!

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

I've always loved to bake and cook, and to entertain, so when a small collection of vintage china was given to me by a friend it sparked the idea of starting a vintage afternoon tea company. It began with that little collection of vintage china, an awful lot of baking and recipe testing, and a website. Almost 9 years later we have catered for hundreds of events, from birthday parties for 10, to corporate events for 200. Providing great quality food, beautiful vintage china and exceptional service from the first point of contact has been our ethos. In recent years we have branched in to creating beautiful grazing platters and sharing boards to add to our catering offer, still combining high-quality food with an eye-catching design. We love it and look forward to each and every event.

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

We cater for so many events, each and everyone is different and memorable in its own way. From corporate events, weddings and birthday parties to hen parties, baby showers and even funerals. Add to Event is a great way of reaching out to a wide range of suppliers that can help make your event as perfect as you want it to be. We've had great success in finding clients we perhaps wouldn't have otherwise found, so I recommend the platform to all of my event supplier friends.