Film & Production Catering
Film & Production Catering in London — Vlamber Catering
At Vlamber, we provide professional catering for film productions, TV shoots, advertising campaigns, music videos, photo shoots and commercial productions across London. We understand how a production day works — the early call times, the shifting schedules, the back-to-back meal breaks and the expectation that food arrives on time, every time, without exception. Our job is to keep your cast and crew fed, energised and focused so that the production can do its job. We deliver to studios, on-location shoots and production offices across London and Greater London.
What Is Film & Production Catering And Why Does It Matter?
On a production, the catering team is one of the most important logistical operations of the day. A well-fed crew works harder, stays longer and maintains the focus that long shoot days demand. A poorly planned meal break creates delays, low morale and the kind of tension that spreads through a set quickly.
On a set, the catering unit is more than a place to grab a sandwich. It is a sanctuary — a place to warm up, the one spot where the entire crew can come together. The quality of the food and the friendliness of the service set the tone for the entire day. A fantastic hot meal served with a smile in the middle of a long shoot can completely reset a crew’s energy and motivation. www.bigvenuebook.com
Average catering costs for film set catering in the UK are around £16 per crew member for smaller setups, though this varies significantly depending on the number of meal breaks, the level of food quality, whether the service is hot or cold, and whether craft services are included throughout the day. At Vlamber, our production catering packages start at £14 per person for a craft services setup and scale to full hot meal service across multiple breaks. www.bigvenuebook.com
What production clients need from a caterer:
Absolute punctuality
meal breaks run to a schedule and the caterer cannot be the reason they slip
Consistency
the same quality from the first day of the shoot to the last
Flexibility
call times change, schedules shift, locations move; the catering has to adapt
Variety
a crew eating the same food every day for a six-week shoot will notice; rotating menus matter
Dietary management
productions include crew members with a wide range of dietary requirements that need to be handled professionally and without fuss
Reliability
the caterer who has never let a production down is worth more than any other
What Productions Do We Cater For?
Full shoot day catering for cast and crew — breakfast, hot lunch, afternoon break and wrap snacks across single-day or multi-week productions.
Catering for advertising shoots in studios and on location across London. Often shorter in duration than drama productions but equally demanding in terms of timing precision and food quality.
Single-day or two-day productions with full crew catering — breakfast, hot lunch and throughout-the-day craft services.
Catering for fashion, editorial and commercial photo shoots — from a small team of ten to a full production crew. Often includes talent catering alongside crew catering.
Internal video productions, brand content shoots and social media content days — smaller crews with a need for reliable, good-quality catering without the full production infrastructure.
Long-form documentary shoots that may span multiple days, locations and schedules. We work with documentary teams to plan catering that is flexible enough to follow the production wherever it goes.
Catering for broadcast and live event production crews — crew meals, hospitality catering and talent catering coordinated around the event programme.
Catering delivered to or set up within studio facilities across London — Shepperton, Pinewood, Leavesden and studios across Greater London. We coordinate with studio facility managers to ensure access and setup runs smoothly.
How Prduccton Catering Works - The Vlamber Approach
Production catering is fundamentally different from event catering. The client is not a guest — they are a working professional on a demanding schedule. The food needs to serve the production, not the other way around.
Understanding the production schedule Before we plan a single dish, we understand the shoot day. Call time, meal break windows, wrap time, location and crew size are all confirmed before we propose a menu. We plan the catering around the production — not a standard catering schedule.
On-time delivery — non-negotiable A meal break on a film set is a fixed window. If catering is late, the entire production loses time. We build our logistics around the call sheet and confirm our arrival time with the production manager or coordinator. We do not miss meal breaks.
Hot food served hot Hot meals on set are served at the right temperature. We use appropriate equipment to hold and transport hot food and we time the service to the meal break — not to our convenience.
Rotating daily menus For multi-day productions, we rotate the menu daily. A crew eating identical food across a long shoot loses morale quickly. We plan variety across the shoot period and confirm the rotation schedule with the production in advance.
Separate catering for talent and VIPs (where required) Where productions require separate catering for cast, directors or VIP guests at a different standard from the crew, we manage both simultaneously — crew catering and a premium talent catering service — with no crossover in service.
Craft services — continuous throughout the day Craft services sit alongside the main meal service — a continuous supply of snacks, drinks, fruit and light bites available to crew throughout the day. We set this up at the start of the shoot day and manage it through to wrap.
The Structure Of A Producction Catering Day
A properly managed production catering day has a clear structure. At Vlamber, we plan all of it.
Time | Service |
Crew call time | Breakfast service — hot and cold options, coffee, juice |
Mid-morning | Craft services replenishment — snacks, fruit, hot drinks |
Meal break 1 | Hot lunch — main meal of the day |
Afternoon | Craft services — light snacks, energy, hot drinks |
Meal break 2 (if applicable) | Second hot meal or substantial snack service |
Wrap | Wrap snacks — light bites and drinks to close the day |
The exact timing of each service is confirmed with the first assistant director or production manager at the start of each shooting day and adjusted as the schedule changes.
Our Production Menus - Quality Food For Working Crew
At Vlamber, production food is not an afterthought. We cook properly, we source good ingredients and we present food that a crew is genuinely pleased to eat — not just fuel to get through the day.
Our production menus draw from a wide range of cooking styles:
Breakfast options: Full cooked breakfast, bacon and egg rolls on soft white baps, smoked salmon with cream cheese on bagels, avocado on sourdough, pastries and pain au chocolat, yoghurt pots with granola and fruit, overnight oat jars, fresh fruit platters, specialty coffee and tea
Hot lunch options: Slow-braised beef with roasted root vegetables and mashed potato, roast chicken with seasonal greens and proper gravy, pasta dishes (rotated daily — carbonara, bolognese, arrabiata, pesto), arroz meloso with chicken or seafood, slow-cooked lamb with couscous and harissa yoghurt, Thai-style green curry with jasmine rice, fish and chips (a crew favourite on British productions), roasted salmon with lemon butter and seasonal vegetables, spiced lentil and vegetable dhal with naan (vegan), stuffed peppers with rice and tomato sauce (vegetarian)
Craft services — throughout the day: Fresh fruit, energy bars, nuts and dried fruit, crisps, biscuits, chocolate, yoghurt pots, mini pastries, popcorn, crackers with hummus and dips, hot and cold drinks including specialty coffee, tea, soft drinks and water
Wrap snacks: Mini sandwiches and rolls, soup flasks, cheese and crackers, fruit, hot drinks
Our Production Catering Packages
All prices are per person per day, excluding VAT (20%). Prices are based on a standard single shoot day. Multi-day productions receive a reduced daily rate — ask for details. Minimum crew numbers and delivery fees apply depending on location.
From £14 pp per day | Self-serve | Min. 10 crew Continuous snack and drinks station — no hot meals
A craft services setup providing continuous light refreshments throughout the shoot day. Ideal for smaller productions with shorter shoot days or productions that source hot meals separately.
Craft station — available throughout the day:
- Fresh fruit (whole and cut)
- Assorted snacks: crisps, nuts, energy bars, biscuits, chocolate
- Mini pastries and traybakes
- Crackers with hummus and dips
- Yoghurt pots with granola
- Coffee (filter), tea selection, soft drinks, still and sparkling water
Setup and clear-down included
✅ All dietaries labelled | ✅ Replenished throughout the day
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From £19 pp per day | Delivered or staffed | Min. 10 crew A proper crew breakfast plus craft services throughout the day
Ideal for half-day shoots and productions where a hot lunch is not required — or where lunch is sourced separately.
Breakfast — served at call time:
- Bacon and egg rolls on soft white baps with ketchup and brown sauce
- Plain and fruit croissants, pain au chocolat
- Fresh fruit platter
- Yoghurt pots with granola and honey
- Orange juice, filter coffee, full tea selection, still and sparkling water
Craft services — throughout the shoot day:
- Continuous snack station (as above)
- Hot drink replenishment throughout
✅ All dietaries managed | ✅ Rotating breakfast menu for multi-day shoots
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From £28 pp per day | Staffed | Min. 15 crew Breakfast + hot lunch + craft services — the standard full production day package
The most complete single-day production catering package. Breakfast at call time, craft services throughout the morning, a hot lunch at the meal break and afternoon craft services through to wrap.
Breakfast — served at call time:
- Bacon and egg rolls on soft white baps
- Avocado on sourdough with chilli flakes and lemon (vegan option)
- Smoked salmon and cream cheese on bagels
- Assorted pastries and pain au chocolat
- Fresh fruit platter, yoghurt pots
- Coffee, tea, juice, water
Craft services — morning and afternoon:
- Full continuous snack station
Hot lunch — served at meal break:
- 2 hot main options (1 meat/fish + 1 vegetarian/vegan)
- 1 pasta or grain side
- Seasonal salads
- Bread rolls and butter
- Dessert: traybake or fruit
Sample lunch rotation — daily variety:
- Day 1: Slow-braised beef with root vegetables and mash + mushroom and chestnut pie (v)
- Day 2: Roast chicken with gravy and seasonal greens + butternut squash and sage risotto (v)
- Day 3: Pan-seared salmon with lemon butter + spiced dhal with naan (vg)
- Day 4: Fish and chips with tartare sauce + stuffed peppers with rice (v)
- Day 5: Slow-cooked lamb with couscous + lentil and spinach curry (vg)
✅ Full dietary management | ✅ Daily rotating menu for multi-day shoots
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From £38 pp per day | Staffed | Min. 20 crew Upgraded breakfast + premium hot lunch + craft services + wrap snacks
For productions where the quality of the catering is part of the overall production standard — advertising shoots, high-end commercial productions and content days where the crew and talent expect something above the standard.
Premium breakfast — served at call time:
- Full cooked breakfast station: bacon, eggs (scrambled, fried or poached), sausages, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans (served hot)
- Smoked salmon and cream cheese on toasted bagels
- Avocado on sourdough with poached egg, chilli and lemon
- Artisan pastries: croissants, almond croissants, pain au chocolat
- Fresh fruit platter with honey dip
- Yoghurt pots with artisan granola and berry compote
- Specialty coffee (espresso-based drinks), premium tea selection, cold-pressed juices, water
Craft services — morning and afternoon:
- Premium craft station: fresh fruit, artisan snacks, nuts, quality chocolate, mini pastries, energy balls, premium biscuits, hot drinks throughout
Premium hot lunch — served at meal break:
- 3 hot main options (2 meat/fish + 1 vegetarian/vegan)
- 2 side dishes
- Fresh salads
- Bread and artisan butter
- Dessert: proper pudding (sticky toffee, chocolate brownie, seasonal tart)
Sample premium lunch rotation:
- Day 1: Slow-braised beef short rib with red wine jus and fondant potato + pan-seared salmon with lemon beurre blanc + mushroom and truffle risotto (v)
- Day 2: Slow-roasted chicken with tarragon cream and dauphinoise + seared tuna with Asian slaw + roasted cauliflower with harissa and tahini (vg)
- Day 3: Lamb shoulder with harissa yoghurt and spiced couscous + arroz meloso with prawns and saffron + roasted aubergine with pomegranate and labneh (vg)
Wrap snacks:
- Mini sandwiches and rolls, soup (seasonal), fresh fruit, chocolate brownies, hot drinks
✅ Full dietary management | ✅ Daily rotating menu | ✅ Talent catering option available
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From £48 pp per day (talent rate) / £28 pp per day (crew rate) | Full staffed service | Min. 20 crew Separate talent and crew catering — managed simultaneously by our team
For productions that require a different standard of catering for cast, directors and VIP guests compared to the wider crew. We manage both services simultaneously, from the same base, with no crossover.
Crew catering: Full Day Crew Catering (Package 3) as standard
Talent & VIP catering — served separately:
Breakfast:
- Smoked Scottish salmon on toasted rye with cream cheese, dill and capers
- Avocado on sourdough with poached egg, chilli and lemon
- Artisan pastries: croissants, almond croissants, pain au chocolat
- Fresh fruit platter with honey dip
- Yoghurt pots with artisan granola
- Specialty coffee, premium loose-leaf tea, cold-pressed juices
Hot lunch — plated or buffet style for talent:
- 3 premium options (meat / fish / vegetarian) — chef-plated or presented as a refined buffet
- 2 side dishes
- Fresh seasonal salads
- Bread and artisan butter
- Dessert: premium option (e.g. Basque-style cheesecake, dark chocolate tart)
Throughout the day:
- Premium craft services for talent: specialist snacks, fresh fruit, quality drinks, artisan coffee
✅ Fully managed separation of crew and talent catering | ✅ All dietaries for both services
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Bespoke pricing — from £22 pp per day (volume rate for 5+ consecutive days) Sustained daily catering for longer productions — full day catering with rotating menus, daily coordination and multi-week planning
For productions running five or more consecutive shooting days, we offer a reduced daily rate, a dedicated production catering coordinator and a fully planned rotating menu schedule across the shoot period.
What is included:
- Full daily catering plan confirmed before the shoot begins
- Rotating breakfast and hot lunch menus (no repeated dishes within a five-day cycle)
- Daily craft services
- Wrap snacks
- Dedicated Vlamber production coordinator (single point of contact throughout the shoot)
- Daily call-time confirmation and schedule alignment
- Dietary tracking across the full crew list
- Flexible daily adjustments as the production schedule changes
Pricing: Bespoke — quoted based on crew size, shoot duration, location and menu level. Contact us with your shoot schedule and we will produce a full production catering plan with daily pricing.
✅ Full dietary management | ✅ Daily rotating menus | ✅ Dedicated production coordinator | ✅ Scale-up or scale-down as crew numbers change
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Package | Price per day | Crew size | Includes | Best for |
1 — Craft Services Only | £14 pp | 10+ | Snacks + drinks all day | Shorter shoots, half-days |
2 — Breakfast + Craft | £19 pp | 10+ | Breakfast + craft services | Half-day shoots |
3 — Full Day Crew Catering | £28 pp | 15+ | Breakfast + lunch + craft | Standard shoot days |
4 — Premium Production Day | £38 pp | 20+ | Premium breakfast + lunch + craft + wrap | Advertising, high-end commercial |
5 — Cast & Crew Split | From £28 / £48 pp | 20+ | Separate crew and talent service | Drama, film, VIP talent |
6 — Multi-Week Production | From £22 pp | 20+ | Full daily rotating package | 5+ day productions |
All prices exclude VAT (20%). Delivery fee applies depending on location. Volume rates available for multi-day bookings.
What Makes Vlamber Different For Producction Catering
We understand production environments
We know how a shoot day runs. We know what a call sheet is, what a meal break window means and what happens if catering is late. We plan around the production — not around standard catering logistics.
We cook properly
Production catering in London ranges from exceptional to barely adequate. At Vlamber, we bring the same ingredient sourcing and cooking standards to a crew lunch as we do to a private dining event. The food is better than a crew expects — and that matters for morale.
We rotate daily
For multi-day and multi-week productions, we plan full rotating menus before the shoot begins. No crew member eats the same lunch twice in the same week.
We manage dietary requirements properly
Production crews are diverse. Vegan, gluten-free, halal, dairy-free and allergy-specific requirements are managed from the planning stage and handled on set without disruption.
We are flexible
Shoot days change. Call times move. Locations shift. We adapt. Our team is briefed on the fluid nature of production schedules and we plan contingencies accordingly.
We are a single point of contact
For multi-week productions, you have one Vlamber coordinator who knows the production, knows the crew and knows the schedule. No starting from scratch every morning.
Locations We Cover
We provide film and production catering across:
- Studios: Shepperton, Pinewood, Leavesden, 3 Mills, Twickenham Film Studios and studios across Greater London
- Central London locations: all boroughs and areas across the city
- Greater London and surrounding areas: we travel beyond the M25 for multi-day productions — please enquire for travel rates
- Production offices: catering delivered to production offices for pre-production and post-production teams
Dietaries & Allergens On Production
Production crews are one of the most diverse groups we cater for — nationality, background, dietary preference and religious requirement vary enormously across a single crew list.
We manage:
- Vegetarian (always included as a core option — not an afterthought)
- Vegan (full hot meal — not just salad)
- Gluten-Free (managed and clearly labelled)
- Dairy-Free
- Halal (halal meat and poultry available on request)
- Kosher (by arrangement — advance notice required)
- Nut-Free (on request)
- Any specific allergy (handled with full kitchen protocols)
For multi-day productions, we collect the full crew dietary list before the shoot begins and plan the entire menu rotation around it. No one goes without a proper meal on a Vlamber production.
Shoot dates, crew size, location, schedule and any dietary requirements. Copy in the production manager or coordinator if relevant.
Daily package recommendation, menu direction, rotating plan for multi-day shoots and clear per-person pricing.
Daily call-time confirmation, menu delivery or on-set service, dietary management and wrap — all coordinated through your dedicated Vlamber production contact.
Planning a film, TV or commercial production in London?
We keep your crew fed, on schedule and in good spirits from the first call time to wrap — every day of the shoot.
Tell us your production dates, crew size, location and schedule. We will build a catering plan that fits the production.