Hands up everyone who really looks forward to lunch time when in the office! Working lunches, team celebrations, client events, and away-days deserve better than a sad sandwich platter. If you're considering catering for a Surrey workplace, here's what's worth thinking about, and why you should be thinking about Indian and Indian-inspired food.

What to think about when catering an office event

Headcount and setting — a boardroom lunch for eight needs a different approach to a whole-office party for fifty.
Dietary range — offices are diverse by default. Vegetarian, vegan, allergies and spice tolerance all need covering.
Self-serve or fully hosted — whether you want food dropped off ready to go, a buffet set up and left with you, or full waiting service for a client-facing event.
Formal or informal — a client dinner calls for a different format to a Friday team lunch.
Timing around the working day — catering needs to fit round meetings and a working day, not the other way round.

Where Indian food fits in

It solves the mixed-team problem better than most catering: a large amount of genuinely good Indian cooking is naturally vegetarian, so a diverse office can eat from the same spread rather than everyone getting a different box. It's also got real range — from a light, easy grazing spread for an informal meeting, to a proper sit-down meal for a client dinner — so the same cuisine flexes across very different kinds of corporate event. And it reads as a genuine treat rather than routine catering, which matters when you're trying to make an office lunch feel like an occasion, not a formality.

The options available

Grazing hampers, private dining and self-serve hot buffets are the formats best suited to corporate events — from an informal team lunch to a proper client dinner.

See the full detail on each format, including what's included, on our catering page →

Why The Travelling Tikki

All our food is handmade fresh to order — including our own spice blends, roasted and ground in-house, with no artificial colours or flavouring. We only take on a small number of events at a time, so your team gets the same attention to detail we'd give any celebration — in the food, the presentation, and the small things that make an office lunch feel like an occasion. Meat comes from Rawlings & Kensett in Bookham and F. Conisbee in East Horsley, and vegetables from Layton's Green Grocers in Bookham. Let us know about any dietary requirements or allergies when you enquire, and we'll build the menu around your team.

Founder Parul has cooked in Angela Hartnett's kitchen at the London Evening Standard Night Market, and catered two of Tesla's UK launch events — the same care goes into every booking today, whatever the size.

"Everything The Travelling Tikki is about is very much a piece of my heart."

— Parul, Founder & Director

(Round & About magazine, Dec 2025)

What businesses and individuals say

"Absolutely amazing food enjoyed by the team and beautifully presented. Thank you so much for making it easy to host the buffet lunch and would highly recommend."

Our offer for corporate catering

We cater everything from a private dining evening for around six, up to a full office buffet for fifty, cooked fresh from our kitchen in West Horsley (GU23). We travel up to an hour to an hour and a half from there.

Corporate catering, quick answers

Do you cater for offices?

Yes — grazing hampers, private dining and hot buffets are best suited to corporate events, from around six for a private dining experience to an office party of fifty for a buffet.

Can you handle dietary requirements?

Every menu is built bespoke around your team, we’re happy to discuss your requirements.

How far in advance should a corporate booking be made, and can you invoice or take a purchase order?

As early as possible to make sure we’re not already busy on the day you need us! Yes we can invoice you. We also accept card payments.

More FAQs here or message us if you have further questions.

Planning a corporate event? Tell us your date, headcount and what you need, and we'll get back to you with options. Enquire now on our catering page.