Real per-head numbers for buffets, BBQs, hog roasts and giant-pan paella across Cornwall and Devon. No hidden fees, no inflated headline rates — just the price you actually pay.
Cold buffet £7.95ppHot buffet £16.95ppBBQ from £8.45ppHog roast from £9.15pp
Salt Wind Catering runs out of Redruth and covers every postcode in Cornwall plus most of Devon. Our prices include VAT at 20%, so the numbers below are the numbers on the invoice — nothing is added at quote stage and no admin fee tagged onto the bottom. Here is the honest breakdown of what each catering type costs per head, what moves the price up or down, and what is and is not included.
Most enquiries land in one of five buckets — cold buffet, hot buffet, BBQ, hog roast or giant-pan paella. Per-head ranges below are pulled from our live menu data; itemised quotes are returned the same day during office hours.
Cold buffet
Delivered, set up on platters
from £7.95 per head
Finger sandwiches, sausage rolls, savoury bites, salads, cake. Set up at your venue on disposable platters. Minimum 20 guests. Suitable for office lunches, wakes, small parties, christenings.
Curry and rice, chilli, slow-cooked beef, lasagne, veggie tagine. Arrives hot in insulated transit. Suitable for corporate lunches, larger family events, film/TV unit lunches.
Real charcoal, cooked at your venue. Burgers, sausages, marinated chicken, halloumi, pulled pork, salads, sauces. We bring the grill, gazebo and full cook team. 50 guest minimum on-site; smaller groups go via delivered BBQ packs.
Cornish pork joints, slow-roasted and carved on site
from £11.00 per head
Free-range Cornish pork, slow-roasted on-site. Rolls, apple sauce, crackling, stuffing, salads. The headline number depends on whether it is rolls-only or a full hog roast spread with multiple sides.
A 90cm paella pan cooked in front of your guests, or rotating street-food stations (loaded fries, halloumi wraps, vegan chilli, bao buns). Theatrical, weatherproof, and works for 50 guests up to festival-scale.
The biggest single lever. A hog roast for 40 carries the same fixed cook-team and equipment cost as a hog roast for 120 — so the per-head number drops sharply as headcount climbs. Below the 50-guest on-site minimum the maths stops working; that is where delivered packs make more sense.
2. Distance from Redruth
We are based on the A30 corridor in Redruth, which makes Truro, Camborne, Hayle, Falmouth, St Ives, Penzance, Newquay and St Agnes effectively local. Cornwall is free everywhere — no travel charge in the county, wherever the event is. Into Devon, Devon travel is free on orders over £1,500, or over £500 for Plymouth and Tavistock, and £1 per mile round-trip from Redruth below that — itemised on the quote, never hidden in the per-head rate.
3. Menu complexity
A single-protein buffet is cheaper to run than a multi-station spread. Adding live carvery, a dessert station, or premium ingredients (Cornish lobster, day-boat seafood, slow-cooked beef brisket) moves the per-head up. We always quote two or three menu tiers so the trade-off is visible up-front.
4. On-site vs delivered
On-site cooking is priced per head with the cook team included — the on-site rate (BBQ from £9.95pp, hog roast from £11.00pp) already covers the crew, the kit and the live cooking, so there is no separate day rate to budget for. The very top of the published range is the on-site Ultimate Cornish Land & Sea Feast BBQ at £42.00 per head. Delivered hot or cold buffets are simply the food, transit, and any travel supplement.
5. Date and seasonality
August Saturdays and bank-holiday weekends book out first because cook-team availability is tight — the published prices are the same, but the calendar isn't. Mid-week dates and shoulder-season (March–May, October) are the easiest to secure. Christmas-party season carries its own pricing — see the Christmas catering page.
“We had big pans from salt wind for our wedding and the food was AMAZING. Mark and his team could not have been more helpful throughout the whole process and were a dream to work with. Nothing was ever too much trouble and so many people have said how lovely the food was. I’d book them for another event in a heart beat!”
Kate Sullivan·Giant Pan — Wedding
“Just returned from my wifes 50th birthday party and the caterers were superb. Salt Wind Catering provided top quality food and plenty of it the party was for 50 people and we had plenty. Special mention for the amazing coleslaw and chicken they were totally scrumptious! Will definitely use again and can highly recommend Salt Wind thanks for your great service!!”
Paul brocklehurst·50th Birthday
“Saltwind came up to sunny Devon for Jo’s 60th party. Everyone absolutely loved the Hog Roast. We had a party of 55 and we were still finishing off the food at 3am. Mark and the guys were great and worked so hard to keep everyone fed. The crackling was awesome! And we all loved the beef as well! Was everything we wanted and more ! Cheers to Saltwind!”
Roger Palfrey·Hog Roast — 60th, Devon
“Salt Wind Catering were a joy to work with - clear communication & excellent food. They catered for 100 people with different dietary requirements and were so professional. I would recommend to anyone.”
Miren Elphick·Corporate — 100 guests
“We used SaltWind to provide catering support for our father’s wake. The team were very easy to work with and the food was outstanding. It was delicious, fresh, well presented and drew much praise from all who attended. First class and highly recommended.”
Tamar Sage·Wake
“The catering for our wake was well received by our guests, all of them gave back good fed back on selection of sandwiches, cake and scones. Thumbs up all round. Pasted on your details to several people who enquired as to who do the food.”
Susan Rule·Wake
“Fantastic would definitely recommend my daughter her friends and parents love it people are lovely thank you so much for everything”
Elizabeth Jenkins
“Can't thank you enough for the spread you put on today will highly recommend and will pass on your details to everyone I know for any future events”
Ben Griffiths
“We had bbq catering for a surprise 40th birthday. The team arrived on time & had a prompt & professional set up. There was a great range of food & it was all delicious. Everyone waa raving about the food. Will definitely be recommending them to everyone & will use them in the future.”
Annilee Richards·BBQ — 40th Birthday
“I have used Salt Wind for a few work events now and can highly recommend. Always tasty, fresh and delivered on time and have received high praise from all attendees”
Marie Clemow·Corporate Events
“Absolute brilliant! Couldn’t recommend a better company. Outstanding food, communication was amazing all so polite and forward.”
Richard Mitchell
“Catered for our wedding and would highly recommend. Amazing service and really good pricing considering the amount and quality of the food. We catered for 40 guests and although we had less turn up there was still way more than 40 people's worth of food. Really good range, plenty of different things for everyone, and they were more than happy to cater for our gluten-free and vegan guests, who told us the food was great”
Michael Gray·Wedding
“I recently booked Salt Wind Catering for one of our corporate events and I can honestly say they exceeded expectations in every area. From the initial enquiry through to the event itself, the communication was excellent – clear, responsive, and professional, which made organising everything straightforward and stress-free. On the day, the team were punctual, well organised, and seamlessly fitted in with the flow of the event. The food was outstanding. High quality ingredients, cooked perfectly, and presented beautifully. It wasn’t just “good catering food” – it was genuinely impressive, and we received a constant stream of compliments from both our staff and guests throughout the event. What really stood out was the level of care and pride the team take in their work. They understand how important reliability and presentation are at corporate events, and they delivered both effortlessly. It made a big difference knowing we were in safe hands. I would confidently recommend Salt Wind Catering to any business or individual looking for exceptional food and a professional, dependable service. We’ll absolutely be using them again for future events. — Owner, The Cleanno Group”
The Cleanno Group·Corporate Event
“Saltwind were recommended to us and we used them today at a Masonic Installation. Communications throughout have been brilliant, they delivered on time. The selection was tremendous- and hot and everyone was impressed by the quality food. Thank you Saltwind- we will definitely use you again Mandie Dingle Kerenza Lodge 273”
Mandie Dingle·Masonic Event
“We used salt wind for my father’s funeral and found the company offered efficient service with great food . Would thoroughly recommend them. Nov 25”
Martin Tamblyn·Funeral
“Thank you so much for salt wind catering for doing my wedding hog roast food. It was delicious and had a lot of compliments of how lovely and tasty the food was and everyone kept going back for more and there was still loads left over. Will definitely use again and recommend them. Again Thank you for the lovely food❤️”
Laura Sophie Christophers·Wedding Hog Roast
“Salt Wind Catering provided the food for our Dad's Funeral Wake. Previously we had a buffet from them for Mum's 90th birthday. On both occasions the food was absolutely perfect. I will use this company again without hesitation , the way it arrived , all boxed and ready to go made it so easy to just take the lids off and start eating ! Thankyou for lovely food in a convenient way , it made both occasions very special.”
Kathy Hendra·Wake & Birthday
“We had Salt Wind Catering help us cater for 40 guests at our parents anniversary. We were really impressed with how good the food was. There was plenty of it and we had lots of people asking for the caterers details for future events. We will definitely use these caters for future events.”
Phil Harper·40-Guest Anniversary
“What can we say. We had a fantastic day for my Mums birthday on 24th August. We found Salt Wind online and liked the look of the their options compared with some others we saw. They were fantastic from start to finish. Mark answered our emails promptly which gave us a lot of confidence in their service. On the day they arrived right on time, and the buffet food and pasties were delicious, as well as being boxed in a great way for us to arrange. We would definitely use them again for any future event.”
Daniel Simpson·Birthday Party
“The fantastic finger buffet for 20 people. The choices and quality of the food was excellent. And all delivered freshly made / cooked and on time. Thanks Saltwind.”
Brett Spencer·Finger Buffet
“Absolutely brilliant service. Used Salt wind for a birthday party this summer. They arrived promptly, the food was wonderfully presented in boxes and the portions were big! All the dishes were delicious, it truly made the party go with a bang and saved me hours of cooking! Would absolute recommend them and I will certainly be using their services again in the future! Thank you!”
Sarah Johns·Birthday Party
“We had an amazing day and the food for the day Was delicious on the 26th of August for our 25th anniversary. It was all fresh and delicious all put out with everything done for me. Didn't have to worry about anything everybody enjoyed the food so much. Definitely will use you again if we have any other parties thank you so much even had to add 10 more potions 4 days before, which didn't inconvenient you were so helpful to us and I didn't have to worry about anything. Thank you so much again Pictures of the food and of the day below We had the £8.95 per portion and it was delicious”
Pat Eggleton·25th Anniversary
“Thank you so much for the buffet for my husbands 60th. Everyone commented on how great it was. It looked amazing and tasted fantastic.”
Philippa Holden·60th Birthday
“Salt Wind have just done a last minute buffet for me to cater for seven people. I asked for the antipasti plater and I can honestly say it was amazing. From the selection of meat that had been made into roses, and different cheese to the selection of crackers and bread. It was out of this world.”
Vicky North·Buffet — 7 guests
“We recently used Salt Wind Catering for our wedding, and they were absolutely fantastic from start to finish. They provided a delicious summer buffet that our guests are still talking about – everything was fresh, beautifully presented, and full of flavour. The team were professional, punctual, and easy to work with throughout the entire process. They delivered exactly as promised, arriving on time and ensuring everything ran smoothly. It was also really reassuring to know they were just a phone call away if we had any questions. Overall, we were really happy with the service and would recommend Salt Wind Catering to anyone looking for reliable, high-quality catering. Thank you for helping make our day so special! Ruth and Charlie”
Ruth Rigby·Wedding
“Salt wind have just done the catering for our wedding anniversary party and we were so impressed. The food was absolutely fantastic and just what we wanted. It all looked so amazing and was so fresh and delicious. The fruit platter was especially good and perfect for a warm summers day. Their organisation could not be faulted either. We would heartily recommend them and would definitely use them again.”
Susan Negus·Anniversary Party
“Well what can I say - exceeded all expectations. The food was fabulous quality and there was so much of it. The communication ahead of our wedding was great too. And everyone I met from Salt Wind were so pleasant and accommodating. I wholeheartedly recommend them for any type of event. Thank you to all you guys!”
Ewa Skinner·Wedding
“The food and service provided was absolutely fantastic. Arriving a a chef outfit, transporting food to the tables. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. Thank you so much for doing this at quite short notice too, you certainly saved the day. Would definitely recommend and wil be rebooking for my husband's 60th next year and other events.”
Melinda King
“The service and food was faultless. Arriving in a chef uniform, carrying everything to the table. The food was beautifully packaged and presented and tasted lovely too. Thank you so much for being so helpful especially as it was quite last minute. Would definitely recommend.”
Melinda King·Event
“We had Salt Wind Catering for our wedding buffet on Saturday 21st June, the ease of ordering was brilliant and great communication throughout, the buffet was delivered and set up at our reception venue while we were in our ceremony so could not of been fresher. When we arrived at the reception we were absolutely blown away by the presentation and amount of lovely food which went down a treat. We would highly recommend this company, excellent service and value for money, thankyou from Simon & Carly”
Carly·Wedding Buffet — delivered
“We ordered the Children's Buffet Party Food through Salt Wind Catering for our daughter's 4th birthday party, and my husband and I were very impressed and pleased with their product and service--as were several parents at the party, who asked who we used! The food arrived on time, beautifully presented, fresh, and plentiful, with a lovely variety of food which is perfect for young children--pleasing even the pickiest eaters. The menu was customised for us, down to the sandwich ratios. I tend to be a "stress head" so using Salt Wind instead of attempting to do all the food myself, greatly reduced my stress and it was better than what I could have prepared anyhow (among other things, there'd be no way I could manage the hot options). Overall it was great value and I highly recommend.”
Anna Wasson·Children's Party — 4th Birthday
“So happy with our family get together today. I ordered our delicious cold buffet from Salt Wind Catering and I’m so glad I did. The food was delicious. Fresh and tasty. Great selection, friendly home delivery and so well packaged. Reasonably priced too. Will definitely be using again. Highly recommend this local company. 5*.”
Amanda Stevens·Cold Buffet — family gathering
“We booked Salt Wind at short notice for a party we had last week. Mark was very approachable, helpful and friendly on the phone and the man who delivered the food (Sam?) was also a credit to the company. The food was delivered on time and was really fresh and beautifully presented! The Vegetable Platter and the Fruit Platters were definitely show stoppers. Everything tasted delicious. Lots of our party guests commented on how lovely the food was and wanted your details (which we provided). If we ever have another event - we would definitely use Salt Wind again and we will be recommending them to all our friends. Thanks for all your help! Mary & Jimmy :)”
james o donoghue·Party
“Wow! What a wonderful spread provided by Salt Wind. My party guests were all impressed and everything was beautifully presented and tasty. Salt Wind were so helpful with dietary requirements and their customer service is excellent.”
st coxen·Party
“Absolutely amazing. Great selection and generous amounts. All fresh and beautifully presented. Everyone was very impressed. Will definitely use again in the future”
Hannah Parsonage
“Food was fantastic. Good selection. Arrived on time and they were easy to deal with. Ultimately, very happy.”
Furness Films
“They catered our work christmas party at short notice, the food was amazing, fresh and great variety. Cakes were sooo good everyone was very happy. Thanks guys.”
Suzannah Rawlings·Work Christmas Party
“5 * catering service. Fab food and lovely people. The grazing plater was amazing, all so fresh and well made. Highly recommend”
Shannon
“Thank you so much Salt Wind Catering. The buffet was gorgeous and loved all the homemade delights . Can't wait for you to cater for our wedding”
Severe allergies: Our kitchen handles nuts and gluten daily — for severe nut, peanut, hazelnut allergies or coeliac disease we cannot guarantee a trace-free environment. Please tell us at enquiry stage so we can advise.
Salt Wind Catering prices start at £7.95 per head for a cold finger buffet and £16.95 per head for hot buffets. Charcoal BBQ catering starts from £8.45 per head delivered (£9.95 cooked on-site), hog roasts from £9.15 per head delivered (£11 on-site), and giant-pan paella around £12.25 per head. Final price depends on guest numbers, menu choice, distance from Redruth, and complexity of the set-up.
Four things move the number most: headcount (bigger groups bring the per-head cost down), menu complexity (a cold finger buffet is cheaper than a live hog roast with three sides), travel (free anywhere in Cornwall; into Devon it is free over £500 to Plymouth and Tavistock and over £1,500 elsewhere, otherwise itemised on the quote), and whether we cook on-site or deliver.
Delivered buffets have a 20-guest minimum — a cold finger buffet for 20 starts at £159. On-site cooking has a 50-guest minimum across charcoal BBQ, hog roast and giant-pan paella — below that the on-site set-up cost outweighs the saving versus a delivered hot buffet. For smaller groups, things like seafood platters and afternoon teas are available.
Inside our core Cornwall delivery zone (Redruth, Camborne, Truro, Falmouth, St Ives, Penzance, Newquay) delivery is included for orders over the minimum. Cornwall — including North Cornwall and Bude — is always free. Into Devon, travel is free over £500 to Plymouth and Tavistock and over £1,500 elsewhere, itemised on the quote. We never bake a hidden fee into the per-head number.
Our catering prices include VAT at 20%, so the price you see is the price you pay — nothing is added at quote stage. Production catering is quoted per head +VAT, because productions reclaim it.
For events more than 21 days away, standard terms are a 30% deposit to confirm the booking and the 70% balance due 7 days before the event. Deposits are paid via Square invoice (card or bank transfer). For corporate and film/TV accounts we can arrange 30-day terms on application. Late payment is charged at 4% above Bank of England base rate per the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act.
Yes — every booking gets an itemised quote covering menu, headcount, travel, and any extras. The quote is locked in once you pay the deposit. If your guest numbers change before the event, we re-quote on the new headcount up to 7 days before the date.
Get a Quote
Get an itemised Cornwall catering quote
Tell us the event type, date, headcount and venue postcode. We send back an itemised quote — food, travel, any extras — the same day during office hours.
