Kent · England
Barbecue Catering in Hartley, Kent
Hosting a barbecue in Hartley without doing the cooking: we bring the barbecue, the food and the staff.
- Big birthday parties
- Club open days
- Reunions and family get-togethers
Planning an event in Hartley?
About our BBQ catering in Hartley
Barbecue food is at its best straight from the grill, which is why we cook and serve as your guests come up. Give us your serving time and we’ll plan around it. On the menu are halloumi skewers, coleslaw and chicken skewers, and we are often booked for neighbourhood parties and fundraising days.
Country barbecues near Hartley are hard to beat on a summer evening. Plan shelter in case it rains. Our chef cooks everything thoroughly, with separate equipment for raw and cooked food.
Perfect for your event in Hartley
A full barbecue menu, not just burgers
Barbecues work for lots of occasions around Hartley. Popular choices:
- Informal weddings
- Big birthday parties
- Summer parties in the garden
- Close and cul-de-sac parties
Summer fairs and sports days, for a school such as High Weald Academy, often want a barbecue.
Questions to ask before booking
- Any travel or access charges
- Allergen information for every dish
- The deposit, balance and cancellation terms
- What the price includes, item by item
How we price a catered barbecue
We don’t use a fixed price list, because every event is different. The main factors are:
- How many people are eating
- Site access
- Plates or china
- Busy dates such as summer Saturdays
Compare like for like: menu, sides, serving time, staff, plates and travel. The cheapest quote is not always the best value.
Details that help
When you enquire, please mention:
- The address or postcode
- Allergies we should know about
- The date and when you’d like to eat
- An estimate of numbers
For a quote, send us a few details: your date, your venue or postcode, how many people and any menu choices. Fill in our quote form.
Towns and villages near Hartley
More for events in Hartley
Hartley barbecues: local tips
Hartley is about 8 miles south-east of Paddock Wood, in Kent. Planning a catered barbecue in Hartley? We cover the whole area. Hartley is one of 922 places in Kent we cover. You can also see our page for Canterbury, about 28 miles away.
Within reach of Hartley are historic houses such as Scotney Castle (4.4 miles west). Historic venues frequently limit cooking on site, so ask early if you are booking one. A green space like Crane Valley is tempting, but a catered barbecue there needs the landowner’s say-so. The High Weald National Landscape is within about 2 miles of Hartley, a lovely setting for an outdoor barbecue. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about open cooking and vehicles, so check with yours.
We bring barbecues to events all over TN17 and the streets around it. Local streets include Hartley Road, Campion Crescent and Hartley Court Gardens; an event on any of them works well with outdoor space and a way in. If your venue is just outside Hartley, we also cover Swattenden (1 mile east), Cranbrook (1 mile north-east), Baker's Cross (2 miles north-east), Gill's Green (2 miles south) and Beal's Green (2 miles south). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (13 miles north), Royal Tunbridge Wells (11 miles west), Tonbridge (13 miles north-west), Kings Hill (14 miles north), Foley Park (14 miles north) and Paddock Wood (8 miles north-west).
Well-known places in the area include Benenden Hospital (4.7 miles east) and Sissinghurst Castle (3.8 miles north-east).
What happens on the day
Before service, we set up the grill and the serving table on the agreed spot. Then our chef cooks and the team serves for as long as we have agreed. Sunset in Hartley is about 8:50pm in late May and 9:15pm in late June, so most summer barbecues are served in daylight.
- Send a photo of where the barbecue could go.
- We check it and send a price.
- We grill outdoors at your event.
- Our team serves hot food through the agreed time.
- We clear up so you do not have to.
Preparing for the day
- Think about where the smoke will drift
- Make sure the cooking area is away from walls, tents and trees
- Name a contact for the day
How to get a price
Planning ahead? Popular dates fill up early, so ask early for summer Saturdays and December. Send us your date for a quote: use our quote form.
Read more
Working with your venue
If you’re a venue or event planner, we can fit around your other suppliers, sharing timings and a site plan.
If you’re planning an event on someone’s behalf, whether you’re a planner, a PA or on a committee, tell us who our contact on the day will be. We will keep everyone in the loop.
Planning for dietary needs
A little planning helps everyone eat safely. A few tips:
- Collect dietary needs with the RSVPs
- Ask us to label vegetarian and vegan food
- Request gluten-free rolls
- Let us know roughly how many children are coming
After service, our staff clear up, so there’s very little left for you to do.
A hog roast and a barbecue together cover every taste.
Hartley questions
Is Hartley close to London?
About 39 miles from central London.
Can you do a barbecue at a venue in the High Weald National Landscape?
Yes, though some venues in protected landscapes have extra rules for caterers; ask your venue. We will work to whatever the site needs.
How much choice do we need?
You do not need everything. Pick a mix of grilled and slow-cooked meats.
Can you serve the barbecue on plates?
Of course. A barbecue works as a plated meal with sides.
Do you leave the area tidy?
Our staff clear up after service, and leave the area tidy.
Do you cover Hartley?
Yes. We cater across London and the South East, Hartley and the rest of Kent included. Tell us the venue and we will quote.
What if it rains?
We bring cover for the grill, but guests will want shelter too.
Is barbecued chicken safe?
That’s one of the best reasons to have it catered: raw and cooked food are kept apart, with separate tongs and boards.
The menu, dish by dish
Halloumi and vegetable skewers (V)
Some guests will be vegetarian, and halloumi skewers give them a proper hot option.
Sausages
Cooked through and browned on the grill, they’re the easy crowd-pleaser.
Why a catered barbecue beats doing it yourself
Next to a hog roast, a barbecue offers more variety, which helps when some guests do not eat pork. A hog roast feeds everyone at once and makes a centrepiece, so for bigger events, why not both?. Travel matters for the price: we include travel in the quote. Give us the address for an accurate figure.
Why Hartley hosts choose us
- Planned to your running order
- Serving and clearing done for you
- Sides to make it a full meal
- Vegetarian and vegan options as standard
Read how we price or menu ideas for your barbecue.
What the cooking area needs
The cooking area is the main thing to plan. A quick checklist:
- Somewhere the smoke can drift away from open windows
- Clearance from walls, marquee sides and overhanging branches
- Room for a serving table next to the grill
Not sure about the cooking spot? Send us a picture and we will tell you honestly.
What we serve
- Chicken skewers
- Salads
- Halloumi skewers (V)
- Coleslaw
- New potatoes
- Beef brisket
- Jacket potatoes
- Beef burgers
- Sausages
- Vegan burger or sausage (Ve)
- BBQ ribs
- Pulled pork
- Our chef at the grill, so you don’t have to be
- A full barbecue menu, not just burgers
- Vegetarian and vegan options: halloumi skewers and a vegan burger or sausage
- Served when you’re ready, and we tidy the serving area afterwards