Hampshire · England
Christmas Party Fish and Chips for Downton events
We bring a fish and chip van for your Christmas party across Downton and Hampshire, frying fresh at your venue.
- Work Christmas parties
- Christmas family parties
- Boxing Day and New Year gatherings
A chip van near Downton
Christmas party fish and chips in Downton, cooked to order
The Christmas season is short and busy, so it pays to ask early. Typical bookings include end-of-year customer events and festive family gatherings, with cod and chips, mushy peas and haddock and chips.
Near Downton, country lanes are dark in winter, so tell us about the route and lighting at the spot. Tell us about dietary needs and allergies when you enquire, and we will tell you honestly what we can offer.
Planners, venues and businesses
If you’re booking for a business, tell us how you’d like to handle the booking and payment, and we’ll explain how it works. We can work with your facilities team on access and timings.
For big groups, the service window matters, so we can plan how to keep the queue short. Staggering groups helps a lot.
Questions from Downton
What about events near the coast?
Yes, of course. The cooking is inside the van, so wind doesn’t affect it, but the queue will want shelter.
Which station is closest to Downton?
New Milton station, about 2 miles north-west of the centre.
Can the van come to Downton?
We do. Downton is one of the places we cover. Tell us your date and we’ll check availability.
What about guests who don’t eat fish?
We serve sausages and pies as well as fish. Let us know about any other dietary needs and we will be honest about what’s possible.
Do you do Christmas markets?
Yes, and hot food goes down well in December. Send us the details.
Do you clear up afterwards?
We take the van and everything with it, and leave the spot tidy. It helps to have bins near the hatch.
Is everything cooked fresh?
Yes. We cook inside the van, so it is fried on the spot, not cooked earlier and kept warm.
Is there something for children?
Yes, children are easy to cater for. Tell us how many children, and we will plan for them.
Planning a Christmas party in Downton
Downton is about 3 miles west of Lymington, in Hampshire. Around Downton, we park wherever there’s level, firm ground. Downton is one of 683 places in Hampshire we cover. Our bookings stretch from Downton to Southampton (about 16 miles away).
For colleagues travelling by train, New Milton station is about 2 miles away. A winter fair at a school like Hordle CofE (VA) Primary School gets dark early, so hot food from a van is popular. Downton is within about 6 miles of the New Forest National Park, where winter lanes can be dark and narrow, so tell us about the route. With the sea within about 4 miles, December breezes can be cold.
This part of Hampshire takes in SO41. We can serve a Christmas party on streets such as Hordle Lane and Shorefield Road, wherever the van can park. Close by, we cover Christmas parties in Leagreen (1 mile east), Hordle (1 mile north), Ashley (2 miles north-west), Barton on Sea (2 miles west) and New Milton (2 miles north-west). Further out, we also take the van to Totton (13 miles north), Lymington (3 miles east), Hythe (13 miles north-east), Ringwood (10 miles north-west), Dibden Purlieu (12 miles north-east) and Marchwood (13 miles north-east).
Other landmarks nearby include Lymington New Forest Hospital (3.7 miles north-east) and Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum (2.9 miles north-west). Open spaces near Downton include Milford on Sea LNR.
- Local schools include The Arnewood School (2.1 miles west)
What the van needs
The right spot keeps everyone safe and the service smooth. We look for:
- Space for people to queue at the hatch
- Light near the van and the queue for evening service
- A clear way in, with no low branches, cables or narrow gates
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise.
What we serve
- Curry sauce
- Sausage and chips
- Haddock and chips
- Cod and chips
- Gravy
- Mushy peas
- Pie and chips
Allergies and dietary needs
Nearly every event has some special diets. To look after them:
- Check the van can park on site
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
- Send allergies to us in writing
- Send round an allergy question
Park the van close to the door.
A bit of festive music by the van helps.
DIY versus a fish and chip van
Collecting fish and chips for a crowd yourself is possible, but it’s hard work. Long waits and a drive home mean food arrives lukewarm and soggy. With a van, it’s fried on the spot.
Doing the food yourself saves money, but the host ends up running around. Booking the van means hot food and no stress.
Occasions we serve in Downton
Few things beat hot fish and chips in December.
These are some of the bookings we take:
- Work Christmas parties
- Club and society Christmas socials
- End-of-year customer events
- New Year parties
Christmas fairs at a church such as Church of All Saints can book the van as a hot-food stall.
What to look for in a quote
- What the price includes, item by item
- How late numbers can change
- How many hours the van serves
- VAT, if it applies
How the day works
You’ll know we are ready when the smell of frying drifts over. After that, it’s a steady flow to the hatch. It gets dark in Downton by about 4:05pm at Christmas; park the van where there is good light, and keep the walk short.
- Tell us what you are planning and when you’d like to eat.
- You hear back on the date and the price.
- The van’s spot is fixed in advance, and how it gets in.
- Batter, fish and chips all go into the fryer as people come up.
- The pitch is left tidy when we go.
Before we arrive
- Let us know the serving time
- Check the way in for low branches, cables and narrow gates
- Keep space clear for guests at the hatch
How to get a price
To get a price, fill in our quote form. Give us the details of your Christmas party, and we will check the date and send a price.
Related guides
Is a fish and chip van right for your Christmas party?
Compared with a restaurant Christmas lunch, a van means no booking, no travel and no time off site. When you compare quotes, check what each one includes: service time, menu, travel, any minimum and VAT. We set ours out clearly.
Why book our van in Downton
- Rain does not stop the fryers
- The classic sides: peas, curry sauce and gravy
- A menu almost everyone likes
- Quick service from the hatch
See our pricing and our guide to van hire costs.
Places near Downton
More for events in Downton
How we price a fish and chip van for your Christmas party
Two events with the same numbers can cost different amounts, depending on:
- Distance and any road charges
- Service time
- The date and time of year
- How many people are eating
Travel, tolls and charges such as ULEZ can affect the price, so it helps to give us the postcode.
What we need to know
The more we know about your Christmas party, the better we can plan. Please include:
- Your date and serving time
- Where you’d like the van to go
- Roughly how many people, including children
- Where the event is
The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote: where the van would park, how to get in, numbers and timings. A picture of the spot helps too. When you’re ready, fill in our quote form.
- Fried fresh to order in the van at your event
- Cod, haddock and chips, sausages and pies
- The van comes to you: homes, venues, workplaces and fields
- Served at the time you choose, from the hatch