Buckinghamshire · England
Funeral Wake Catering in Downley
Slow-roasted, carved in front of you and served hot: a hog roast for the wake in Downley and across Buckinghamshire.
- Scattering-of-ashes gatherings
- Pub and club wakes
- Gatherings at the family home
Funeral wake catering in Downley
What a hog roast costs
A few things make the biggest difference to the price:
- The serving time and how long we’re on site
- How many people are eating
- Crockery choices
- Menu choices and extras
For larger numbers, a hog roast is usually good value, since one roast goes a long way. Extras, china and longer service add to it.
What to tell us
Here’s what we’ll ask:
- Rules from the venue or landowner
- A picture of the cooking area
- Rough numbers
- The venue or postcode
The quickest way to get a price is to send us your date, venue and numbers. A picture of where the roaster could go helps us check the space. Fill in our quote form.
Funeral wake catering in Downley, slow-roasted on site
Funerals are generally planned within a week or two. Contact us as soon as you have a date, and we will give you a quick answer. Typical bookings include celebrations of life and family get-togethers after a service, with halloumi skewers, salads and rotisserie chicken.
Near Downley, wakes are often at home or in the hall. Tell us about lanes and the ground. We bring the roaster, the cover and everything we need to cook and serve, and we leave the spot tidy when we go.
- Location
- Downley (HP13)
- Area hub
- Buckinghamshire
- On the menu
- Hog roast rolls, stuffing, apple sauce, crackling
- Alongside
- Chicken, lamb, halloumi skewers and a vegan option
- Quotes
- Contact us for a quote
- Updated
- 26 October 2026
Arranging a wake in Downley
Downley is about 2 miles north-west of High Wycombe, in Buckinghamshire. We bring a hog roast for the wake to wakes anywhere in Downley, as long as there’s an outdoor spot to cook. Downley is one of 263 towns and villages in Buckinghamshire where we cater. We cater events right across the region, from Downley to Reading (about 16 miles away).
A club or hall near Downley gives space for everyone and outdoor room for the roaster. For family travelling by train, the nearest station is High Wycombe station, about 1.8 miles south-east. The Chilterns National Landscape is within about 5 miles of Downley, and rural venues there may have narrow lanes, so tell us about access.
We cater wakes across HP13 and the streets around it. Local streets include Willoughby's Walk, Gray's Lane and West Court; a wake on any of them works well with outdoor space and a way in. Neighbouring places where we cater wakes include Naphill (1 mile north), Hughenden Valley (2 miles north-east), High Wycombe (2 miles south-east), Terriers (2 miles east) and Four Ashes (2 miles east). Larger places within reach include Aylesbury (12 miles north), Chesham (8 miles north-east), Marlow (5 miles south), Amersham (8 miles east), Beaconsfield (6 miles south-east) and Chalfont St Peter (10 miles east).
Well-known places in the area include Wycombe Hospital (1.7 miles south-east) and West Wycombe Rural (2.2 miles west). The countryside around Downley includes Prestwood Local Nature Reserve.
- Nearby schools include The Tower (1.4 miles south-east) and The Royal Grammar School (1.6 miles east)
- Local pubs include Le De Spencers Arms (0.6 miles north)
Planners, venues and businesses
Marquee suppliers typically set distances for cooking equipment, so tell them a hog roast is coming. The roaster stays a safe distance from the marquee.
If the event is on someone else’s land, you’ll need the landowner’s permission for cooking and vehicles. Get that agreed before booking.
Occasions we serve in Downley
If the service runs late, the food waits.
Whatever the occasion in Downley, a hog roast feeds a crowd well. We’re often asked to cater:
- Wakes at a local club
- Remembrance days
- Hall gatherings after a service
- Home wakes
For a service at a church like St. James the Great, choosing a wake venue nearby helps older guests.
Questions to ask before booking
- VAT, if it applies
- When payments are due and what happens if plans change
- Allergen information for every dish
- What the cooking area needs: space, cover and access
Why a carved hog roast beats a buffet
Compared with a cold buffet, roast pork on a plate with potatoes is more filling. Distance is part of the price: we include travel in the quote. Give us the address so the quote is accurate.
Why us?
- Our staff serve and clear
- Rolls with stuffing, apple sauce and crackling
- Self-contained: roaster, cover and serving kit
- Choices for people who don’t eat pork
See how we price and the cost guide.
Downley: your questions answered
Can you do a hog roast at a venue in the Chilterns National Landscape?
Yes. Some venues there have rules about cooking and vehicles, so check with yours. We will follow the site rules.
What’s the nearest station to Downley?
High Wycombe station, about 1.8 miles south-east of the centre.
Do you need power or water?
Not to cook, because the roaster is gas-fired. Tell us what’s available and we’ll plan around it.
Can you cater in Downley?
Yes. We cater across London and the South East, including Downley and Buckinghamshire. Tell us the venue and we’ll quote.
Can we hire the machine and cook it ourselves?
DIY machine hire is available. We’ll explain what’s supplied and how it works when we quote.
Do you provide china?
We bring plates as standard. If you’d like china, ask and we will add it to the quote.
What’s the price?
It depends on numbers, the menu and how long we’re on site. Send us the details and we’ll quote.
What if the service runs late?
We wait: a cooked roast can be held for a while.
What the cooking area needs
The roaster needs the right spot, because it cooks outside for several hours, and a little planning goes a long way:
- A contact for the day who isn’t immediate family
- Space away from the building and any trees
- Approval from the landlord or committee
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise.
From the roaster
- Vegan option (Ve)
- Stuffing and apple sauce
- Hog roast rolls
- New potatoes
- Salads
- Rotisserie chicken
- Coleslaw
- Halloumi skewers (V)
What comes off the roaster
Stuffing and apple sauce
No hog roast roll is complete without sage and onion stuffing and apple sauce, cutting through the richness of the pork.
Rolls and gluten-free rolls
Everything goes into a soft roll, easy to eat standing up. Ask for gluten-free rolls if you need them.
Places near Downley
What else we do in Downley
Diets, allergies and alternatives
A little planning helps everyone eat safely. Here are a few tips:
- Halal isn’t offered, so arrange it separately
- Keep the alternatives labelled
- Plates are easier for older guests than rolls
- Give us numbers for the alternatives
We clear away discreetly once everyone has eaten.
Ask about china.
The process
Slow roasting is the whole point: hours of gentle heat make the pork soft and juicy while the skin turns into crackling. It rests for a short while before carving. Wakes in Downley are usually in the afternoon, which is daylight for most of the year, but by late December it’s dark at about 3:55pm.
- Contact us as soon as you have a date.
- We confirm the space.
- We cook on site.
- Our staff serve without fuss.
- We leave the venue tidy.
Getting ready for the day
- Pick a flat, open area outside for cooking
- Ask about allergies and dietary needs beforehand
- Send final numbers in good time
Get a quote
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many people, plus when you’d like to eat. We will confirm availability and send a price. Send us your details through our quote form.
Related guides
- Cooked where you are, slowly, over several hours outdoors
- Our chef carves the pork, with stuffing, apple sauce and crackling on the side
- Vegetarian and vegan choices, plus lamb or chicken if you like
- Served when you’re ready, and we tidy the serving area afterwards