A Taste for Celebration: Two Decades of Events, Food and Memory
From country garden parties to candlelit wedding breakfasts and quiet family gatherings after a farewell, the way we celebrate and mourn, always circles back to food. It’s there to welcome guests, to comfort, to mark the moment. Behind the scenes, someone makes sure it’s done right. And for the past two decades, across East Sussex and beyond, that someone has often been Kendale Catering.
Now approaching its 20th anniversary in 2026, Kendale has quietly become one of the region’s most trusted names in event catering. Based in the heart of East Sussex, the team works across Kent, Sussex and parts of Surrey, supporting everything from formal weddings to informal gatherings, with a kind of flexibility that can only come from experience.
What’s striking, speaking to those who’ve worked with Kendale, is not just the quality of the food but the way it’s never treated as a one-size-fits-all solution. No identical canapés in carbon-copy marquees. Instead, it’s a process rooted in collaboration: menus that reflect the tastes and tone of the people at the centre of the day. Some want something traditional; others want a twist. Some don’t know what they want yet but know they want it done well.
There’s something reassuring about how they work. This is not the shiny, showy kind of catering that chases headlines. It’s steady, thoughtful, detail-led. The sort of team you want in your corner when you’ve got 100 guests arriving, or a small group of friends gathering for something deeply personal. Weddings, summer feasts, funeral teas, Kendale has done them all, often for multiple generations of the same family.
At a time when many event services lean into spectacle, there’s something refreshing about a company that focuses instead on substance. From plates designed for 30 to large-scale spreads for over 300, it’s not the numbers that drive Kendale it’s the occasion itself. What does this moment call for? Who are we feeding? How should it feel?
Those kinds of questions have guided them for nearly 20 years and as they head toward that milestone anniversary in 2026, it’s clear they’ve built something lasting. Not a brand in lights, but a reputation grounded in trust, hospitality, and the knowledge that food, at its best, can say the things we sometimes can’t.
To find out more about Kendale Catering or to explore their bespoke approach to events, visit
www.kendalecatering.co.uk
