In London, the question behind a wedding menu is often not what you will eat but who is allowed to cook it. Most of the capital’s wedding venues are hotels and clubs with their own kitchens. A smaller group are historic halls and houses that hire out the building and bring in a caterer. That decides who writes the menu, whether you can choose your own caterer, who pours the wine and how the price per guest is built. This guide sets out how the 61 London venues on 5 Star Weddings handle food and drink: who cooks, the chefs and restaurants behind the kitchens, how wine and corkage work, and what to settle at the tasting.
Who cooks at a London wedding venue
Of the 61 London venues, 45 are recorded as catering in house, three allow either the venue’s kitchen or your own caterer, seven are recorded as using outside or approved caterers, and six carry no catering entry. In house means the venue’s own team writes and cooks the menu, so the tasting, the wine list and the bill come from one place.
The three that allow a choice are 116 Pall Mall, The Landmark London and One Whitehall Place. At 116 Pall Mall, Searcys is the in-house caterer, and external caterers may work on dry hire with the second-floor kitchen and a caterer damage deposit of £1,800 including VAT. St. James’ Court, A Taj Hotel, recorded as in house, also allows private caterers and dry hire.
Other venues leave no choice. The Hurlingham Club cooks under Head Chef Andrew Grahame and does not offer dry hire. At Spencer House the in-house team caters every event and external caterers are not used. The Greenhouses cooks its own modern Middle Eastern sharing menu, from starters to desserts.
Hotel kitchens and the chefs behind them
At the grand hotels the restaurant often sets the standard for the wedding menu. At The Dorchester every menu is created for the wedding, with vegetarian, vegan and caviar-led menus possible, and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester holds three Michelin stars. The kitchen at The Ritz London has held a Royal Warrant for Banqueting and Catering Services since 2002, The Ritz Restaurant holds two Michelin stars, and the wedding menus draw on its seasonal British cooking. The Savoy has three Gordon Ramsay restaurants on site, among them the Michelin-starred Restaurant 1890.
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, which serves historic British cuisine, and offers wedding menus with beverage packages. At The London EDITION the hotel’s own kitchen is led by Berners Tavern from Jason Atherton. InterContinental London Park Lane cooks every wedding in its own kitchen, and Theo Randall’s Cucina Italiana cooks regional Italian menus for private celebrations.
Smaller houses give the menu a single hand. At The Lansdowne Club the wedding menus are written by Executive Head Chef Henry Brosi, and The Library by Henry Brosi takes a chef’s table dinner. The Berkeley puts the pastry of Cédric Grolet at the centre of its offer. Brasserie Blanc designs its menus with patron chef Raymond Blanc, using fresh seasonal produce prepared on site, and at Sheraton Grand London Park Lane the Park Lane Chefs cook every wedding.
Caterers the venue names
Where the venue does not cook, the caterer’s name is part of the booking. Gray’s Inn is catered by Searcys, in residence since January 2025, with menus built on seasonal British produce from named suppliers, among them London Smoke and Cure salmon, Greyfriars English sparkling wine and Notes Coffee. At 8½ London the exclusive caterer is Blue Strawberry, and catering at Fulham Palace is exclusive to Bovingdons Catering. Menus at 60 Great Queen Street are written individually by Moving Venue, catering at No.4 Hamilton Place is by Food-by-Dish, with a choice of menus and wines, and Plaisterers’ Hall publishes a menu pack from Company of Cooks.
Several historic properties work from an approved list instead. Syon Park runs catering through the estate’s approved suppliers, such as By Word of Mouth and Rhubarb, and does not bring in outside caterers. Strawberry Hill House is hired dry, so you choose from an approved list that includes K.alm Kitchen, Peapod and Greenleaf, and agree menu, service and drinks with them directly. At Eltham Palace English Heritage keeps a list of accredited caterers, including Indian specialists, and One Marylebone also uses approved caterers. At The Royal Horticultural Halls, a dry hire venue, caterers must come from the approved suppliers list, and a supplier outside it adds a buyout fee.
An approved list is a separate contract from the venue hire, so ask what the caterer charges beyond the food.
Wine, cocktails and corkage
Drinks are where in-house and hired-in arrangements differ most. At Gray’s Inn, Greyfriars English sparkling wine is among the named suppliers, alongside Champagne and fine wines. Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has an in-house sommelier who advises on wines, and Claridge’s describes a celebrated cellar and expert sommeliers. Silver Fleet arranges consultations with the head chef and a wine specialist, and Brasserie Blanc has a wine list that leans towards French wines. The Greenhouses pairs its sharing menu with a curated wine, cocktail, beer and spirit list, and at Corinthia Hotel London the mixologists design signature cocktails to suit the couple.
The rules on bringing your own differ. Corkage applies to wine at The Hurlingham Club. At Trinity House on Tower Hill, a dry hire venue, bridal parties may bring their own beverages without a corkage charge under the ceremony special, with two waiters and glassware included at no additional cost. At RSA House the hire fee includes all food, beverage and service staff, whereas the published menu price at Plaisterers’ Hall leaves out venue hire, drinks, staffing and VAT. Packages vary too: the sample wedding package at One Whitehall Place includes two glasses of sparkling wine or a sparkling wine cocktail, half a bottle of house wine per person and a glass of sparkling wine for the toast.
What a meal costs per guest
Few venues publish a food price, and the figures are not like for like, so read the basis as well as the number. The Goring publishes private dining set menus at £80, £90 and £110 per guest for spring and summer 2026 and £95, £110 and £130 for autumn and winter 2026 to 27, including VAT, with an optional 15% service charge; cheese and tea, coffee and petits fours are extra, and room hire, drinks and accommodation are not included. One Aldwych gives £95 per person for a three-course private dining set menu, VAT included, which is not a wedding package. The Company of Cooks pack at Plaisterers’ Hall lists a three-course set menu from £80 per guest, food only and excluding VAT, with a two-course menu at £70 and a choice menu at £105 plus VAT.
Haymarket Hotel gives dining from around £150 per guest, and the Hurlingham Signature package starts at £240 per guest including VAT, subject to minimum numbers. For what the venues charge for the space itself, see our guide to London wedding venue prices.
Tastings, dietary needs and allergens
A tasting is where a menu becomes specific. Sofitel London St James invites every couple to a menu tasting with the culinary team. At Shangri-La The Shard, London the Bespoke Wedding Package is planned with the executive chef at a private tasting, and at Kimpton Fitzroy London the Executive Chef leads menu planning and tastings. RSA House includes a menu tasting for the couple, and at One Whitehall Place a tasting follows a confirmed booking.
Dietary and cultural menus are recorded in several places. The Langham London offers kosher and halal catering for parties of any size. Sheraton Grand London Park Lane says it has the only dedicated kosher kitchen in the West End, so a kosher wedding is cooked in the building. One Aldwych cooks vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, kosher, halal and allergen-specific menus, and Tudor Barn Eltham offers halal, vegan and custom dietary menus throughout.
Under food information rules that apply in England, a food business must declare the presence of any of 14 major allergens in the food it serves, and the information must be accurate and easy to get. Ask for the allergen information for your menu before the tasting, so that guests with allergies can be checked against it.
Four questions settle most of it:
- Who cooks, and can we choose a different caterer?
- What is in the per-guest price, and what is charged on top?
- How is wine priced, and is there corkage?
- Is the tasting included, and for how many people?
If guests will stay on site, see where guests stay for a London wedding. For venues that can be taken as a whole, see our guide to exclusive-use wedding venues in London, and for every London venue on 5 Star Weddings, see the London venues page.
Updated 31 October 2026
