Catering in St Ives — Art, Beaches, and Seriously Good Food
St Ives is one of the most photographed towns in Cornwall — and for good reason. Between Porthmeor Beach, the Tate St Ives, the cobbled streets of the old fishing quarter, Carbis Bay, and the harbour, it's a stunning place to throw an event. But catering in St Ives comes with its own challenges: narrow streets, limited vehicle access in the town centre, summer crowds, and parking that'll test anyone's patience.
You need a caterer who knows how to work around that. Salt Wind Catering is based in Redruth — about 25 minutes from St Ives — and we've been delivering across the town and surrounding area for years. We know which roads to use, where to park the van, and how to get a full hog roast setup into a clifftop garden without holding up the one-way system.
Whether it's a beach wedding at Carbis Bay Hotel, a gallery opening near the harbour, a birthday party in a rented cottage above Porthminster, or a corporate away day at Tregenna Castle — we bring fresh, handmade food that people actually talk about afterwards. We're fully self-sufficient. We bring our own kit, cook on-site, and serve.
What We Bring to Your St Ives Event
Everything we serve is freshly prepared, homemade, and built around proper Cornish ingredients. No packet food, no reheated trays. Here's what we offer:
Event & Party Buffets
Event & Party Buffets — Freshly made platters delivered to your St Ives venue. Holiday cottages in the Downalong quarter, rented houses above Porthmeor, function rooms at the big hotels, village halls in Lelant and Halsetown. Perfect for birthdays, christenings, wakes, and gatherings where you want proper food without the fuss.
Hog Roast Catering
Hog Roast Catering — A whole hog turning on a spit while your guests take in views across St Ives Bay. We source from trusted local Cornish farms and cook on-site — ideal for summer weddings in the grounds of Tregenna Castle, large garden parties around Carbis Bay and Lelant, and milestone celebrations where you want a centrepiece that stops people in their tracks.
BBQ Catering
BBQ Catering — Premium charcoal BBQs with proper meats, vibrant sides, and genuine smoke flavour. St Ives and BBQs are a natural match — perfect for laid-back beach-adjacent wedding receptions, surf club events, summer parties in gardens above the town, and celebrations at holiday lets around Ayr and The Belyars.
Giant Pan Catering
Giant Pan Catering — Authentic paella, aromatic curries, and more — cooked live in our giant pans. A real showstopper for outdoor events, festival-style celebrations, and large garden parties where you want the cooking to become part of the entertainment. For a town as visual as St Ives, live cooking is a perfect fit.
Grazing Platters & Boards
Grazing Platters — Savoury, sweet, vegetarian, low-gluten, brunch, fruit — we've got a platter for every occasion. Delivered across St Ives, Carbis Bay, and Lelant, available last-minute, 7 days a week — including same-day and next-day delivery.
St Ives Venues and Locations We Cover
Whether your event is at one of St Ives' famous venues or a private home, we handle the logistics so you don't have to. Here are some of the St Ives-area locations we deliver to and set up at:
Tregenna Castle Resort
Tregenna Castle is St Ives' landmark venue — a castle resort set within 72 acres of grounds overlooking St Ives Bay. It's one of Cornwall's most awarded wedding venues, with indoor and outdoor ceremony spaces for up to 250 guests. It also hosts conferences, corporate away days, and Christmas parties. The scale of the grounds makes it a brilliant setting for our hog roasts and BBQ setups.
Carbis Bay Hotel & Estate
Carbis Bay Hotel is perched above its own private Blue Flag beach, just a short train ride from St Ives town. With twelve licensed ceremony areas — including the iconic Wedding Hut on the sand, the panoramic Ocean Venue, and an outdoor garden pavilion — it's one of the most sought-after coastal wedding venues in Britain. The estate also handles corporate events and private celebrations of every size.
Porthgwidden & Porthminster
The beach cafes at Porthgwidden and Porthminster are licensed for ceremonies and private hire, offering relaxed beachside settings tucked into sheltered corners of the bay. They're popular for intimate weddings, birthday celebrations, and private events where you want sand underfoot and the sea as your backdrop.
Private Venues, Holiday Lets & Village Halls
Not every event happens at a formal venue. We deliver to and set up at private homes and gardens across St Ives and the surrounding area — Carbis Bay, Lelant, Halsetown, Nancledra, and Towednack. Holiday cottages and self-catering lets throughout the town. Gallery spaces and arts venues. Village halls, community centres, and sports clubs in the surrounding parishes. If there's road access and space for us to work, we can cater there — and we know which back routes to use in St Ives to avoid the traffic.
Not Just Gallery Openings
St Ives draws artists and tourists, but this is also a real community with year-round celebrations. We cater for everything here. Beach weddings and marquee receptions in clifftop gardens. Birthday parties from 18ths to 80ths. Funeral wakes and memorial gatherings handled with care and dignity. Christmas party catering when you want something better than a supermarket platter. Film and TV crew catering for productions filming in and around the town. Gallery events, September Festival celebrations, and surf competitions. And emergency catering and welfare support — we've worked alongside National Grid during severe weather, feeding communities and frontline crews.
Why Salt Wind?
We're 5-star food hygiene rated, FSB members, and NCASS registered. Freshly prepared in our Redruth kitchen using locally sourced Cornish produce — no packet food, no shortcuts. We handle delivery, and setup so you can actually enjoy your own event.
We've provided catering support for organisations including the NHS, National Grid, Cornwall Council, WWF, and Savills. Our hog roast and BBQ setups are fully self-contained — we don't need your venue's power, water, or kitchen facilities. We set up, we cook, we serve, we clear, and we leave the space as we found it.
Corporate & Business Catering in St Ives
St Ives is one of Cornwall's top destinations for corporate away days, team-building events, and client hospitality. Tregenna Castle offers conference and events facilities in 72 acres of grounds, and Carbis Bay Hotel provides a luxury coastal setting for company events. The combination of world-class scenery, quality venues, and easy access from the A30 makes St Ives an ideal spot for corporate gatherings.
Working Lunches & Meeting Catering
Need to feed a team for a planning day or a boardroom for a client presentation? We deliver fresh, homemade buffets and platter selections directly to your hotel meeting room or event space in St Ives. Our corporate menus include hot and cold options, and we always accommodate dietary requirements without needing to be chased.
Team Events & Away Days
For bigger occasions — summer BBQs on the castle grounds, Christmas parties, team-building events with sea views, or client hospitality on the coast — we bring the full outdoor catering setup. Hog roasts, charcoal BBQs, and giant pan cooking all work brilliantly for corporate events in St Ives where the setting does half the work for you.
Areas Near St Ives We Deliver To
St Ives is one of our busiest west Cornwall delivery areas, but we cover the whole county. If your event is near any of these areas, we can get to you:
Hayle — 10 minutes east. Three miles of golden sand and the Towans holiday parks.
Penzance — About 15 minutes west. Mount's Bay, the promenade, and Jubilee Pool.
Redruth — Our home base, about 25 minutes east on the A30.
Camborne — 20 minutes east. Community events and Trevithick Day celebrations.
Newquay — About 40 minutes northeast. Fistral Beach parties and clifftop celebrations.
Falmouth — About 35 minutes southeast. University town with a thriving harbourside events scene.
Frequently Asked Questions — Catering in St Ives
How far in advance should I book catering for a St Ives event?
For weddings and large events, we recommend at least 4–6 weeks — and for peak summer in St Ives, earlier is better. For buffets and platters, we can often accommodate bookings with just a few days' notice. For grazing platters, we offer same-day and next-day delivery.
Do you cater for dietary requirements?
Yes. Every menu we put together accommodates vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free guests as standard. If you have specific allergies or requirements, let us know when you enquire and we'll build the menu around them.
What's the minimum order or guest count?
There's no minimum for buffets and grazing platters — we cater for groups as small as 10. For hog roasts, you'll typically need around 60 guests to make a whole hog worthwhile, but we can do smaller pig options for groups of 30+.
Can you get catering equipment into St Ives town centre?
Yes. We know St Ives' narrow streets and access restrictions well. For platter and buffet deliveries, we can get to most addresses in the town centre. For hog roasts and BBQs that need more space, we work at venues with suitable outdoor areas — the hotel grounds, private gardens, and clifftop sites around the edges of town where there's proper vehicle access.
Do you provide plates, cutlery, and napkins?
Yes. All our catering includes biodegradable plates, cutlery, napkins, and serving equipment as standard. If you'd prefer proper crockery for a more formal event, we can arrange that too.
How much does catering in St Ives cost?
It depends on the service, guest count, and menu. Grazing platters start from around £30, buffets from around £8–12 per head, and hog roasts vary by size. Every quote is tailored — request a free quote and we'll price it up for you.
Do you cater for events outside St Ives?
Absolutely. We cover the whole of Cornwall and into Devon. St Ives is one of our busiest west Cornwall areas, and we regularly travel to Hayle, Penzance, Redruth, Truro, Falmouth, and everywhere in between.
Get a Quote for Catering in St Ives
Tell us what you're planning and we'll put together a menu that fits. Request a free quote or call us on 01209 206255. You can also email [email protected]. We're at 37 Fore Street, Redruth — 25 minutes from St Ives and ready when you are.