Finding the best caterers in Blenheim means choosing a team that can feed a wedding at a Marlborough vineyard, a corporate lunch, a harvest crew or a family farewell without you lifting a finger. The caterers below cover canapes and grazing tables, buffets and plated dinners, mobile live fire barbecue and boxed corporate catering, with delivery across Blenheim and the wider Marlborough region. Kaiaka Catering and Urban Fare Catering anchor the list, alongside boutique wedding specialists Feast Merchants.
1Kaiaka Catering
Kaiaka Catering is a locally owned cafe and catering business based at Westwood Estate in Blenheim, working across the Marlborough wine and food province. The team caters everything from work shouts and corporate lunches through to weddings and winery dinners, with menus built around quality local produce. Their venue at Rene Street is also available to hire for corporate and special events, which suits clients who want food and space sorted in one booking.
Services
- Wedding and special event catering
- Corporate lunches, work shouts and boxed working lunches
- Finger food, canapes, morning and afternoon teas
- Vintage and harvest meals for vineyard crews
- Frozen meals and online catering ordering
Highlights
- Venue at Westwood Estate available for hire for corporate and special events
- Regular caterer to Marlborough wineries including cave dinners and harvest meals
- On site cafe open Monday to Saturday, with an artisan goods shop
- Catering available Monday to Saturday with delivery options
Location & Contact
Name: Kaiaka Catering
Address: 60 Rene Street, Westwood Estate, Blenheim
Phone: 027 239 5854
Website: kaiakacatering.co.nz
2Urban Fare Catering
Urban Fare Catering provides catering across Marlborough for events of every size, from a handful of guests to several hundred. The team handles corporate meetings and conferences, weddings, private celebrations, morning teas and funeral catering, tailoring menus to guest numbers, dietary requirements and budget. They are based on Scott Street in central Blenheim and also hire out a fully serviceable catering truck for events that need their own kitchen on site.
Services
- Wedding catering with personalised menus
- Corporate catering for meetings, conferences, staff lunches and training days
- Grazing tables, platters and finger food
- Morning and afternoon teas, buffets
- Funeral and memorial catering
Highlights
- Fully serviceable catering truck for hire, priced at 750 dollars per half week and 1,000 dollars per full week
- Dedicated harvest catering menu for the Marlborough vintage season
- Waitstaff can be supplied as part of a catering package
- Enquiry form captures serving style, dietary needs and budget upfront for accurate quoting
Location & Contact
Name: Urban Fare Catering
Address: 8 Scott Street, Blenheim
Phone: 021 023 86246
Website: urbanfare.co.nz
3Feast Merchants
Feast Merchants is a husband and wife chef team, Frances and Rory King, running a fully mobile kitchen out of Blenheim with a front of house team alongside them. They cater weddings and celebrations from large and extravagant down to small and intimate, building customised menus that fuse international flavours with New Zealand produce. As a boutique operation they take limited bookings in peak season, so early contact matters for a summer wedding date.
Services
- Wedding catering with customised menus
- Private event and celebration catering
- Canape and multi course dinner service
- Tailgate Barbecue live fire catering for small functions and casual events
Highlights
- Owner operated by two chefs with international kitchen experience
- Fully mobile kitchen that requires no power or facilities at the venue
- Tailgate Barbecue cooks over charcoal and wood on a 1954 Ford Fordson ute
- Boutique model with limited peak season bookings and a personal planning meeting before confirming
- Menus built from locally and ethically sourced products
Location & Contact
Name: Feast Merchants
Address: Blenheim
Phone: 022 073 2434
Website: feastmerchants.com
4RB Catering & Haven Cafe
RB Catering works alongside Haven Cafe in the Redwoodtown shopping hub, covering work functions, weddings, dinner parties, harvest meals and birthday parties. Set menus are available across canapes, tapas, corporate, walk and fork, grazing tables, buffet and plated formats, and each can be adjusted to suit the event. Grazing tables are their most popular option and the team draws on a diverse range of culinary backgrounds for world inspired menus.
Services
- Canapes and tapas menus
- Walk and fork, buffet and plated dinner catering
- Grazing tables for weddings, work functions and parties
- Corporate morning tea and lunch catering
- Harvest meals and in house dinner party catering
Highlights
- Kitchen team with a wide range of cultural backgrounds for world inspired and cultural celebration menus
- Gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options available at all times through Haven Cafe
- Cafe base at Redwoodtown for tastings, planning meetings and order collection
Location & Contact
Name: RB Catering & Haven Cafe
Address: 74a Cleghorn Street, Redwoodtown, Blenheim
Phone: 027 357 8877
Website: rbcatering.co.nz
5CBD Eatery
CBD Eatery on Queen Street runs an extensive catering service alongside its cafe, covering corporate functions, conferences, weddings and funerals as well as smaller morning and afternoon teas. Menus are split into platters, salads, desserts and cakes, full catering packages and corporate catering, with printable order forms for each. They deliver across Blenheim and the wider Marlborough region, or you can collect from the Queen Street premises free of charge.
Services
- Platters, salads and finger food for functions
- Corporate catering and conference packages
- Wedding and funeral catering
- Desserts and cakes
- Harvest meals and midwinter Christmas catering
Highlights
- Specialises in catering for gluten free diets and coeliacs
- Flat 30 dollar delivery charge within Blenheim, with quoted rates for the rest of Marlborough
- Free collection from Queen Street Monday to Saturday, with bulk pickup arranged via Kings Lane
- Sister brands Pinkalicious desserts and CBD Pantry extend the dessert and grocery range
Location & Contact
Name: CBD Eatery
Address: 41 Queen Street, Blenheim
Phone: 027 482 2665
Website: cbdcafe.nz
How to Choose the Right Caterers in Blenheim
- Match the caterer to the format you actually want, as a grazing table, a walk and fork menu and a plated three course dinner need very different staffing and setup.
- Check whether the venue has a kitchen, power and water, and if it does not, look for a caterer with a fully mobile kitchen or a catering truck.
- Confirm dietary coverage in writing, including gluten free, coeliac, vegetarian and vegan requirements, and ask how those meals are kept separate on the day.
- Ask what is included beyond the food itself, such as waitstaff, crockery and platter hire, delivery charges and platter return deadlines.
- Book early for weddings and the vintage period, when Marlborough caterers fill up fast and boutique operators cap the number of events they take.
Frequently Asked Questions About Blenheim Caterers
How much does catering cost in Blenheim?
Cost depends on the serving style, guest numbers and how much staffing the event needs, so most Blenheim caterers quote per head after a conversation about your format and menu. Platters and grazing tables generally sit at the lower end, while plated multi course dinners with waitstaff sit at the top. Ask for an itemised quote that separates food, staff, delivery and hire items so you can compare providers on the same basis, and see Consumer NZ for general guidance on comparing quotes.
How far in advance should I book a caterer?
For a wedding or a large function, three to six months ahead is sensible, and longer again over summer and December when Marlborough is at its busiest. Smaller corporate and morning tea orders can often be placed with a few days notice, though several local caterers set firm cut offs, such as three days for standard orders and five working days for larger functions.
Do Blenheim caterers travel to vineyards and rural venues?
Yes. Marlborough caterers routinely work at wineries, woolsheds, private gardens and rural properties around Blenheim, and several run fully mobile kitchens so they are not reliant on venue facilities. Delivery outside Blenheim usually attracts a location based charge, so confirm the travel cost when you request your quote.
What is harvest or vintage catering?
Harvest catering, also called vintage catering, is the practice of feeding winery crews through the intense grape harvest period each autumn, when teams work long shifts and need substantial meals delivered on site. Several Blenheim caterers run dedicated harvest menus, and it is one of the clearest signs a caterer is used to high volume work under time pressure.
Can caterers handle gluten free, vegan and allergy requirements?
Most can, and some specialise in it, but the detail matters. Give final numbers and specific requirements well before the event, ask how allergen meals are prepared and labelled, and confirm whether coeliac level separation is possible in their kitchen. Food businesses in New Zealand operate under registered food control plans, and you can read about the requirements through the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Do I need a licence to serve alcohol at a catered event?
If alcohol is being sold, or the event is open to the public, you will usually need a special licence, which is issued locally. Applications go through your district licensing committee and need to be lodged well ahead of the event date, so check the timeframes with Marlborough District Council before you finalise your plans.
Does a caterer supply staff, crockery and equipment?
It varies. Some Blenheim caterers include waitstaff and platters as part of a package, others price them separately or offer equipment and catering truck hire on top. Confirm exactly what arrives at the venue, who sets up and clears, and what has to be returned afterwards, as platters often need to be back within a set period and cleaned.
What is the difference between a caterer and a restaurant that caters?
A dedicated caterer is built around taking food off site, with the transport, hot holding, staffing and planning that involves. A restaurant offering catering is usually working around its own service, which can be perfectly good for simpler orders but less flexible for a large off site event. For weddings and big functions, a specialist caterer generally gives you more control over timing and format.