West Sussex · England
Fish and chip van hire in Crabtree, West Sussex
Fish and chip van hire in Crabtree: fish and chips cooked fresh in the van, and served hot from the hatch.
- Garden parties and summer get-togethers
- Evening wedding food
- Fish and chip days at care homes
Fish and chip van hire for Crabtree events
Fish and chip van hire in Crabtree, cooked to order
Fish and chip van hire means the chip shop comes to you. We park up, heat the fryers and cook to order, so nothing sits waiting in a tray. We are often asked to cater milestone birthday parties and staff thank-you lunches, with gravy, curry sauce and haddock and chips.
In a rural place like Crabtree, fish and chips in a field feels just right. Let us know about access and ground conditions. We cook inside the van, right where your guests are, so the batter is still crisp when it’s handed over.
- Area
- Crabtree (RH13)
- Area hub
- West Sussex
- On the menu
- Cod, haddock, chips, sausages, pies
- On the side
- Curry sauce, mushy peas and gravy
- Price
- Ask us for a quote
- Updated
- 24 October 2026
Should I sort the food myself?
Deep-frying for lots of people at home is risky: hot oil and a busy party are a bad combination. A van is designed for exactly this.
Some hosts try a takeaway order. Large orders are slow, and the food cools in the bags. A van cooks in front of your guests instead.
Why fried-to-order beats a buffet
Plated meals need a kitchen and a bigger team. A fish and chip van needs a level spot and permission to park, and the food is cooked to order. Got a budget? Let us know, and we’ll suggest a menu and timing to match. A short menu is often the best value.
Why us?
- No kitchen, no crockery, no washing up
- Events in Crabtree and across West Sussex
- Something for guests to gather round
- All the chip-shop extras
Read how we price and what a fish and chip van costs.
A fish and chip van in Crabtree: local details
Crabtree is about 5 miles south-east of Horsham, in West Sussex. In and around Crabtree, the van can serve from a drive, a yard, a car park or a firm field, close to your guests. We cover 371 places in West Sussex. You can also see our page for Brighton, about 14 miles away.
Churches such as Old Church House the Glebe rarely have room for a van, but a hall or home close by normally does. Parks such as Leonardslee generally need permission from the council or landowner for a catering van, so check first.
We take the van to events all over the RH13 postcode area and the streets around it. Streets in the area include Mill Lane, Peppersgate and Long Hill, and the van can serve an event on any of them with a suitable parking spot. Neighbouring places where we serve events include Lower Beeding (1 mile north), Colwood (1 mile south-east), Monk's Gate (2 miles north-west), Plummers Plain (2 miles north-east) and Mannings Heath (2 miles north-west). We also serve nearby towns such as Crawley (7 miles north-east), Horsham (5 miles north-west), Worthing (14 miles south-west), Haywards Heath (7 miles east), Burgess Hill (7 miles south-east) and East Grinstead (13 miles north-east).
Other landmarks nearby include Horsham Hospital (4.9 miles north-west). Open spaces near Crabtree include Knepp Wildland.
Crabtree questions
Is Crabtree close to London?
About 34 miles from central London, and well within our area.
Could you trade in Leonardslee?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, typically the council. Ask them first.
What happens when we hire the van?
The van parks at your venue, we fry fresh and serve from the hatch.
How much space do you need?
Not much: a drive, a car park, a yard or a firm lawn, that the van can reach easily. If in doubt, send a photo.
How long are you on site?
We get there in good time to set up. We will agree arrival and serving times with you.
What happens if it rains?
We carry on in the rain, because the fryers are inside. Soft ground after heavy rain is the bigger issue, so have a hard-surface spot in mind.
Do we need to provide anything?
Let us know about power and water at the site in your enquiry, and we’ll confirm what we need.
Do you come to Crabtree?
Yes. We take the van across London and the South East, including Crabtree and the rest of West Sussex. To check your date, use our quote form.
What affects the price in Crabtree
The price comes down to a few factors:
- The length of service
- Any minimum charge
- Distance and any road charges
- The menu and how many choices
Fish and chip van prices depend on the booking. A one-hour staff lunch is a different job from serving all afternoon at a fête. We set everything out in your quote.
What to tell us
The more we know about your event, the better we can plan. Please include:
- Where you’d like the van to go
- The date and time of the event
- Roughly how many people, including children
- Where the event is
Send us the date, the address or RH13 postcode and rough numbers, plus when you’d like to eat, and we’ll reply with a quote. To get started, fill in our quote form.
Allergies and dietary needs
Most events have a few guests with dietary needs. To plan for them:
- Ask about allergies on your invitation or sign-up form
- Tell us how many children are coming
- Flag any coeliac guests, not just gluten-free preferences
- Send allergies to us in writing
A short menu keeps service quick.
Tables or benches nearby help people eat comfortably.
Who books fish and chip van hire in Crabtree?
It needs no kitchen, so it is at home in car parks, yards and fields where plated meals are hard.
Here are some of the occasions we serve in Crabtree and West Sussex:
- Evening wedding food
- Festive get-togethers
- Community events and fairs
- Company team days
Coming by train? The closest railway station is Horsham station, roughly 4.6 miles north-west of the centre.
Comparing caterers
- Payment terms and deposit
- The deadline for final numbers
- A clear list of what’s included
- The service time, and the cost of running over
Step by step
Nothing is cooked before it is needed. Fish is battered and fried when people come up to the hatch, so it is as fresh as from any chip shop. Evening events need a little planning for light: around Crabtree, it stays light until about 9:20pm at midsummer, but by late December it’s dark by about 3:55pm, so winter bookings need lighting by the hatch.
- Get in touch with the basics: when, where and roughly how many.
- Show us where the van would go, and we’ll confirm it works.
- A week or so before, we confirm timings and numbers.
- We park, open the hatch and start frying for your guests.
- Once the last portion is out, we pack up and go.
How to prepare
- Leave room in front of the hatch for a queue
- Pick a flat, firm place for the van to park
- Tell us when you want to eat
Get a quote
We only need a few details to quote: date, address, numbers and serving time. To send them, send us your details through our quote form.
Related guides
Places near Crabtree
What else we do in Crabtree
The menu, dish by dish
Mushy peas
Proper mushy peas start with dried marrowfat peas. They’re the side most people expect.
Curry sauce
Curry sauce divides opinion and it’s on the menu.
Planning the van’s spot
We will agree the van’s spot with you before the day. A good spot ticks these boxes:
- Lighting nearby for evening events
- A clear area by the serving hatch
- Access wide and high enough for the van
Not sure about the spot? Send us a picture and we will tell you honestly.
From the hatch
- Haddock and chips
- Sausage and chips
- Curry sauce
- Pie and chips
- Gravy
- Chips
- Cod and chips
- Mushy peas
- 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