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Food Comes First

4.9 | 57 Reviews
We are professional caterers based in East Sussex; we cater for events across the South East. From private dining to weddings, music festivals to paellas and barbecues; we can cater for any event and occasion.
Canapes
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Services we provide

About Food Comes First

Food Comes First is a family led business based in East Sussex. I have 25 years in catering both as a chef and in management. As well as running Food Comes First I help my husband Richard; to run our quirky and friendly vegetarian beach cafe; The Bathing Hut Cafe in St Leonard’s on Sea.

We have a strong emphasis on freshly prepared food with an innovative edge and enjoy vegetarian and vegan food; any meat or fish we cook is strictly from sustainable and ethical sources.

We have established ourselves as one of the best wedding caterers in the area. Weddings are individually tailored to your needs and are very diverse. From bbqs to fork buffets, sharing boards, dinners, afternoon teas and canapés. In the last couple of year we have done a Swedish Wedding, a Spanish wedding, two vegan weddings, several BBQs and an afternoon tea wedding as well as traditional sit down three course wedding breakfasts.
We can also offer evening options.
We work closely with a couple of venues and suppliers locally so please ask if we can help you plan your perfect day.

For our dinner parties and private dining we draw influences from the Middle East and the Mediterranean but we also enjoy creating Modern British Food menus and these menus tend to use local producers and seasonal food when we can.

Over the last year we have developed relationships with many customers and are now listed as the chosen caterers for several holiday homes; please ask if you are looking for somewhere to stay.

We are keen gardeners and foragers and use our own produce to make cordials, chutneys and liqueurs from seasonal garden and hedgerow finds.

We are really happy to discuss any menus; however off beat! We have a friendly and inclusive approach to our clients and have developed much of our business through word of mouth. We look forward to hearing from you.

Typical Clients

Weddings, Dinner parties, BBQs, Canapés, Paellas, fork buffets, finger buffets, Vegetarian and Vegan Catering, Music Festivals.
Our clients range from local clients wanting simple buffets, private catering for friends and families, events for the music industry and weddings and parties across the south east.

Reviews

Food Comes First

4.9

57 Reviews
Quality
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Value
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5 star

91%

4 star

9%

3 star

0%

2 star

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1 star

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5 Star Review

Brilliant service

Helen is very reliable and the food was lovely! Such a great amount of food for the price, will definitely be recommending and using again when planning other events! Thank you so much again everyone loved the food!

Reviewed by: Molly B
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15th Jan 2025
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5 Star Review

Really cheerful and efficient

Everything was carefully prepared and presented and the obvious willingness to help generally was greatly appreciated. The quality and variety was also very good.

Reviewed by: Roger M
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5th Jan 2025
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Response from Food Comes First
Thank you so much Roger. We really enjoyed working with your friends and family. Wishing you all a Happy New Year. Helen
5 Star Review

Great food & Service

Helen and the team were fantastic, accommodating and the food was delicious. Thankyou again!

Reviewed by: Stacey P
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18th Dec 2024
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Response from Food Comes First
That’s my pleasure Stacey. Thank you so much. We were happy to help. Happy New Year and I wish you every success. Helen
5 Star Review

All guests were impressed.

Helen was amazing with the way she came and set up the food. Everything was so good. We and other guests will certainly look to Food Comes First for other parties.

Reviewed by: Phil P
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10th Dec 2024
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Response from Food Comes First
Thank you Phil. We were delighted to cater for your party and wish you a very happy retirement. Many thanks Helen
5 Star Review

Amazing food, professional service

Helen at Food Comes First made every effort to ensure both the wedding breakfast and the evening food for our wedding day was fantastic. She visited the venue with us on multiple occasions to discuss what we wanted and investigate the kitchen facilities before the day. The staff she brought with her to serve were professional and very pleasant. We are very grateful, thank you very much!

Reviewed by: Annabel L
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24th Sep 2024
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Response from Food Comes First
Thank you so much Annabel, We loved catering for your wedding. It was a really wonderful day. We wish you both every happiness in the future. Kind regards Helen

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