The Garden Catering: Key Facts
Fresh food made in-house, beautifully presented, delivered by our own drivers in our fleet of electric vehicles.
The Garden Catering is an established, family-run catering company based in Chessington, Surrey. The business was founded in 2000 as a food shop in Richmond upon Thames, and our catering arm followed in 2002, since then we have been providing premium office and event catering to businesses across London and Surrey.
We are a caterer, not a middleman. Every order is prepared by our own chefs in our own production kitchen, carefully packed by our team, loaded into our fleet of electric delivery vehicles, and delivered and served by our staff.
This gives us complete control over the quality and reliability of every order, from the moment the food is prepared to the moment it arrives with our client. Unlike catering companies that outsource preparation, delivery or event staff, we do not rely on third-party caterers or subcontracted delivery companies.
Our food is transported in temperature-controlled boxes to ensure it arrives fresh, at the correct temperature and beautifully presented, just as our chefs intended.
Because every part of the operation is managed by our own team, we can respond quickly and effectively if anything unexpected occurs. Clients have direct access to our office team, allowing any questions, changes or concerns to be dealt with promptly.
For us, quality is not simply about the food. It is about controlling every part of the experience, from our kitchen to our vehicles, our staff and ultimately our client.
At a Glance
- Founded in 2000, and still run by the same family
- Catering arm established in 2002
- Based in Chessington, Surrey, serving London and Surrey
- Over 1,000 events delivered each year
- Over 400 corporate clients served each year
- Over 90% of our business comes from returning clients
- Food Hygiene Rating: 5 (awarded 3 February 2026 by the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames)
- Own production kitchen, own chefs and staff, own delivery vehicles
- 100% electric delivery: our two electric vans make all of our deliveries
- Temperature-controlled transport
- No third-party catering or subcontracting
- Direct customer support
Our Journey and Milestones
2000: The Beginning
In 2000 a franchise was established with New Covent Garden Soup Company to set up a retail shop in Richmond upon Thames selling fresh, healthy food. The shop traded until 2004, when we closed it to concentrate entirely on catering.
2002: The Garden Corporate Catering
In 2002 The Garden Corporate Catering was founded, set up in response to demand and to expand the operation of the existing premises. The website, thegardencatering.com, was registered in November 2002 and has been online ever since.
2005: Dedicated Catering Production
Following several successful years serving local clients, our catering operation moved into a dedicated production kitchen on Park Road, Kingston upon Thames. This allowed us to increase capacity and develop the systems and kitchen infrastructure needed to support a growing client base.
2009: A Larger Kitchen on South Lane, Kingston
As demand grew, we moved to larger premises on South Lane.
2012: Our Signature Marinades and Great Taste Awards
In the years leading up to 2012, our chefs and founders invested a great deal of time in finding new ways to enhance our recipes, either by marinating in advance or by cooking from the outset with combinations of oils, herbs and spices to add a further dimension of flavour. This is where many of our marinades were born, and they are still used in our kitchen today.
In 2012, The Garden Catering received three Great Taste Gold Awards from the Guild of Fine Food for our Indian, Mexican and Provençal marinades. At the time, Great Taste awards were given as Golds; the scheme has since moved to its current 1, 2 and 3-star system.
2015: Early Investment in Electric Delivery
In November 2015, more than ten years ago, we introduced our first electric delivery vehicle, a Citroën Berlingo Electric van. This was an early step in our commitment to reducing the environmental impact of our operations. Today, our two electric vans make all of our deliveries.
2016: Moving to Chessington
In 2016 we moved our kitchen from South Lane to Unit 5, Chessington Trade Park, in Chessington, Surrey.
As the business continued to grow, in 2020 we relocated to a modern 4,000 sq ft production kitchen and warehouse at Unit 6, Chessington Trade Park, Cox Lane, Chessington KT9 1TW. The building is owned by the Founder’s property company rather than rented from a landlord. This long-term approach to property ownership helps us manage our operating costs and keep control of our overheads, allowing us to offer clients competitive and transparent pricing without compromising the quality of our food, service or equipment.
2021: The Garden At Home
During the Covid-19 pandemic, we launched The Garden At Home, a recyclable home-delivery service across West London. It allowed us to keep operating, retain our team and put our professional kitchen to productive use during an exceptionally difficult period for the hospitality industry.
2024: Investment in Solar Energy
In July 2024 we invested approximately £80,000 in a commercial MCS-certified solar system with battery storage at our premises, with over 40kW of inverter capacity and backup batteries, reducing the environmental impact of our operation, reliance on grid electricity and capacity to export surplus electricity to UK Power Networks. Our electric vehicles are charged from this system.
2025: Our Own Software
In 2025 we introduced our own automated in-house software to run our operation.
Today
From a small food shop in Richmond upon Thames, The Garden Catering has grown into an established, independently operated catering company serving businesses and organisations across London and Surrey. Our continued investment in our people, kitchen, vehicles, technology and energy reflects our long-term commitment to quality, reliability and responsible business.
We hold the top Food Hygiene Rating of 5 (Very Good). See our rating on the Food Standards Agency website.
See the original documents behind this timeline in Our Archive.
