Taste and See Catering

What Taste and See Catering does

Taste and See Catering is a private, owner-operated event catering company based in Eccles, within Greater Manchester, UK. Originally founded in 2007 as Big Top Catering Ltd, the business was rebranded to Taste and See External Catering in 2022 as part of a restructuring that narrowed its focus to external event catering — weddings, corporate functions, family celebrations, BBQs, and conferences — and discontinued its former children's party service line.

The company operates with a small core team of 5 employees, supplemented by additional event staff charged at £20 per hour, and delivers free across Greater Manchester. Pricing is quote-based rather than published, with menus and offers presented on the company website. The business holds a 5-rated Food Hygiene standing and positions itself around local community engagement, including partnerships with Castle Community Centre and Patricroft Community Group CIC.

Commercially, Taste and See generates revenue per event under bespoke quotes, with no disclosed enterprise contracts, no parent company, no external funding, and no public revenue figures. The business model is fundamentally a local services operation: relationship-driven booking, in-house food preparation, and on-site or delivered service within a defined geographic catchment. Distribution is local and direct; there are no third-party platform dependencies mentioned.

Name

Taste and See Catering

Legal name

Taste and See External Catering

Website

https://tasteandsee.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Taste and See Catering is a small, Eccles-based external catering company serving weddings, corporate events, family celebrations, BBQs, and conferences across Greater Manchester with a 5-employee core team and quote-based event pricing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Catering Services

NAICS

Caterers (722320), Caterers (72232), Food Service Contractors (722310)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wedding & Reception Catering (HSACAGAD), Wedding & Social Event Catering (THAHAKAE), Corporate & Business Event Catering (THAHAKAA), Specialty & Dietary Catering (Vegan, Kosher, Halal, Allergy-Friendly) (HSACAGAH)

Keywords

• Event catering services
• Wedding catering
• Corporate catering
• Buffet catering
• Bespoke menus

Headquarters

HQ city

Eccles, Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Event Catering Services: One-time transaction-based catering services for events including weddings, corporate events, family celebrations, conferences, and barbecues. Services include staff, equipment (crockery, cutlery, glasses, napkins, tablecloths), setup, and clearing away.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Taste and See Catering provides full-service event catering for weddings, corporate events, family celebrations, BBQs, conferences and other private functions across Greater Manchester and surrounding areas. The service includes food preparation using homemade recipes, supply of equipment, on-site staff, setup and clearing away. Menus span cold buffets, hot buffets, breakfasts, BBQs, children's menus, canapes, bowl food, afternoon tea, wedding catering, corporate catering, celebration meals, and bespoke menus tailored to dietary requirements.

Product overview

Taste and See Catering is a catering service business based in Manchester, offering a comprehensive portfolio of food catering services for various events and occasions. The company provides multiple distinct menu categories including Cold Buffets (Luxury, Classic, Vegan, Lighter Bites), Hot Buffets, Breakfast, BBQ (three options), Children's Menus, Canapes & Bowl Food, Corporate Catering (Team Away Days, Picnic Style, Baguettes), and Celebration Meals (Evening Celebration, Afternoon Tea, Fork Buffet). The business also offers bespoke menu creation services for customized events. All services include staff setup, equipment provision (crockery, cutlery, glasses, napkins, tablecloths), and clearing away, with free delivery in the Greater Manchester area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cold Buffet A cold buffet catering package for events of varying sizes, offering a selection of cold dishes suitable for corporate meetings, family celebrations and casual functions.
• Hot Buffet A hot buffet catering package featuring homemade hot dishes for weddings, corporate events and private celebrations across Greater Manchester.
• Breakfast Catering A breakfast catering service providing morning food options for corporate meetings, training sessions and early-day events.
• BBQ Catering An outdoor BBQ catering service providing grilled food for parties, corporate events and family celebrations.
• Children's Menu A child-friendly catering menu designed for family events, parties and celebrations, with options suited to younger guests.
• Canapes and Bowl Food A premium canape and bowl food service for weddings, corporate receptions and cocktail-style events.
• Corporate Catering A dedicated corporate catering service covering meetings, conferences, training days and staff events with buffet, breakfast and bespoke menu options.
• Celebration Meals A celebration meal service including Evening Celebration Meals, Fork Buffet and Afternoon Tea options for anniversaries, christenings and family occasions.
• Afternoon Tea An afternoon tea catering service providing traditional and bespoke afternoon tea options for celebrations, weddings and corporate events.
• Wedding Catering A dedicated wedding catering service providing full-service food, staff, setup and clearing for weddings, with bespoke menus and dietary accommodation.
• Bespoke Menu Service A bespoke menu design and catering service creating custom menus tailored to specific events, dietary requirements and customer preferences.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Patricroft Community Group CICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaste and See works in partnership with Patricroft Community Group CIC who manage The Castle Community Centre. Taste and See directors are involved in managing this community organization, providing cookery courses, community events support, and employment opportunities for those needing a second chance.
• The Castle Community KitchencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Castle Community Kitchen to provide cookery courses in the community and other areas of Salford where lonely and vulnerable individuals can come together to cook, chat, and make new friends. The Castle Kitchen also provides food for local community events.
• Local SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnerships with local schools providing cookery courses and educational opportunities.
• Housing TrustsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with housing trusts in Salford to provide community cookery courses and support for local residents.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Create Food and Party Design: Create Food and Party Design is a UK events caterer providing bespoke menus for weddings, corporate events and private celebrations. Comparable to Taste and See in its focus on bespoke event menus with full-service delivery.
• Easy Gourmet: Easy Gourmet is a London-based full-service corporate and private event caterer offering breakfasts, lunches, buffets and fine-dining service. Comparable to Taste and See in its menu breadth (BBQs, buffets, breakfasts, corporate packages) and full-service delivery.
• Lettice Events: Lettice Events is a UK-based catering and events company providing full-service catering for weddings and corporate clients. Comparable to Taste and See in its full-service event catering model with emphasis on weddings and bespoke menus.
• Prestige Catering: Prestige Catering is a UK events caterer providing wedding, corporate and private party catering with full-service staff and equipment. Comparable to Taste and See in its full-service, off-premise event catering model and wedding/corporate segment mix.
• Payne & Gunter: Payne & Gunter is a London-based event caterer specialising in corporate functions, weddings and private celebrations. Comparable to Taste and See in its full-service event model (staff, equipment, setup), though serving the London premium market rather than Greater Manchester.

Broad incumbents

• Sodexo UK & Ireland: Sodexo is a major global food services and facilities management company with significant UK event and corporate catering operations. Comparable to Taste and See as a UK-based full-service caterer, but operating at enterprise scale across multiple service lines.
• Rhubarb Food Design: Rhubarb is an established UK corporate and events caterer serving corporate hospitality, weddings and private events. Comparable as a premium full-service event caterer with strong corporate emphasis, but operating at a much larger national scale than Taste and See.
• Searcys: Searcys is one of the UK's largest event and venue catering companies, operating restaurant and event services across heritage and corporate venues. Comparable to Taste and See as a full-service event caterer, but at significantly larger scale and geographic reach.
• Compass Group UK & Ireland: Compass Group is one of the world's largest contract food services companies, providing event and venue catering across corporate, sport and hospitality segments. Comparable to Taste and See as a UK-based event and contract caterer, but at massive institutional scale.

Emerging players

• Buffalo & Bear: Buffalo & Bear is a Manchester/North West-based independent events caterer specialising in BBQs, weddings and private dining. Comparable to Taste and See as a North West-based full-service caterer, though more focused on BBQ and street-food styling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-top-catering

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Taste and See Catering