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Food Comes First

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4.9 | 64 Reviews
We are professional caterers based in East Sussex; we cater for events across the South East. From private dining to weddings, music festivals to paellas and barbecues; we can cater for any event and occasion.

Services we provide

CaterersCaterers
BBQsBBQs
Paella CateringPaella Catering
Private ChefPrivate Chef
Private Party CateringPrivate Party Catering
BuffetsBuffets
CanapesCanapes
Vegetarian CateringVegetarian Catering
Vegan CateringVegan Catering
Wedding CateringWedding Catering

About Food Comes First

Food Comes First is based in East Sussex and we cater for weddings, events and dinners across the Sourh East. We have 25 years of experience and have built an excellent reputation since starting Food Comes First in 2017..

As well as running Food Comes First we have a quirky and friendly beach cafe; The Bathing Hut Cafe, in St Leonard’s on Sea.

We have a strong emphasis on freshly prepared food with an innovative edge and enjoy vegetarian and vegan food; any meat or fish we cook is strictly from sustainable and ethical sources.

We have established ourselves as one of the best wedding caterers in the area. Weddings are individually tailored to your needs and are very diverse. From bbqs to fork buffets, sharing boards, dinners, afternoon teas and canapés. In the last couple of year we have done a Swedish Wedding, a Spanish wedding, an Italian wedding, a Thai wedding, two vegan weddings, several BBQs and an afternoon tea wedding as well as traditional sit down three course wedding breakfasts. We can also offer evening options. We work closely with a few venues and suppliers locally so please ask if we can help you plan your perfect day.

For our dinner parties and private dining we draw influences from the Middle East and the Mediterranean but we also enjoy creating Modern British Food menus and these menus tend to use local producers and seasonal food when we can.

Over the last year we have developed relationships with many customers and are now listed as the chosen caterers for several holiday homes; please ask if you are looking for somewhere to stay. We are keen gardeners and foragers and use our own produce to make cordials, chutneys and liqueurs from seasonal garden and hedgerow finds.

We are really happy to discuss any menus; however off beat! We have a friendly and inclusive approach to our clients and have developed much of our business through word of mouth. We look forward to hearing from you.

Typical Clients

Weddings, Dinner parties, BBQs, Canapés, Paellas, fork buffets, finger buffets, Vegetarian and Vegan Catering, Music Festivals. Our clients range from local clients wanting simple buffets, private catering for friends and families, events for the music industry and weddings and parties across the south east.

Reviews

Food Comes First

4.9

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64 Reviews
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5 Star Review
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Wonderful

Helen was so patient, understanding and wonderful with us, and of course, the food was delicious!! Highly highly recommended ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❤️ Thank you for helping us make our magical day so tasty

Reviewed by: Noa O
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28th Sep 2026
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5 Star Review
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Great Professional Service

The quality of food and level of service provided by Helen was exceptional. We had a big corporate company lunch for 150 people on site and everyone commented on the lovely food and the beautiful presentation. We would definitely recommend Food Comes First and will be looking to book them again if we have future events.

Reviewed by: Lara C
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18th Sep 2026
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Delighted!

Helen and her team worked very hard to make our wedding celebration special. All the guests commented on the delicious and varied food; something for everyone and just what we wanted. Thank you Helen and Food Comes First and well done!

Reviewed by: Spike S
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1st Jun 2026
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5 Star Review
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Highly recommend

Helen was easy to work with and communicated well. We had a tasting session and together came up with the perfect canape and interesting bbq menu for our 170 guests. On the day everything worked like clockwork. Our guests loved the food and praised the staff, who worked tirelessly in the very hot weather. And our thanks to Sian and Pat who presided over breakfast the next day for 50 guests - it was all excellent, especially Helen's homemade muesli. And everything was cleared away and left clean and tidy. Food Comes First was perfect for our event!

Reviewed by: Linda B
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30th May 2026
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5 Star Review
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All round winner

Delicious food, and so gracious and incredibly good value. All our guests were so impressed and we ate healthy portions ourselves too. Thank you Helen!

Reviewed by: Beth C
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11th Oct 2025
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