Kent · England
Funeral and wake catering in Ham, Kent
From the smell of the fryers to the last chip in the paper, fish and chips for the wake turns food into part of your wake in Ham.
- Remembrance gatherings
- A wake at the family home
- Scattering of ashes gatherings
Funeral and wake catering in Ham
About the food
Mushy peas
No fish and chips is complete without mushy peas for many people.
Sausage and chips
For anyone who does not fancy fish, there’s sausage and chips, and it is a favourite with children.
About our funeral and wake catering in Ham
Fish and chips is informal, which suits a wake where people move around and talk. Popular choices include cod and chips, mushy peas and sausage and chips, and we are frequently booked for a tribute meal and anniversary memorials.
In rural Ham, home or the hall is usual. Everything is fried fresh at your wake, never cooked in advance and left in a hot cabinet.
Places near Ham
More for events in Ham
Planning for dietary needs
Most events have a few guests with dietary needs. To plan for them:
- Name a contact for the day who isn’t close family
- Cater for a few more than you expect
- Allow for the service running over
- Ask your funeral director to help estimate numbers
Afterwards, we leave quietly.
A quiet room away from the crowd is a kindness.
Occasions we serve in Ham
Families choose fish and chips because it is comforting and familiar.
Almost any gathering works with a fish and chip van. People in Ham book the van for occasions like:
- Gatherings at home after a funeral
- Anniversary memorials
- Small family memorials
- Memorial gatherings
Families holding a service at Church of St George frequently gather afterwards at a nearby hall, where the van can park.
Comparing caterers
- Whether travel is included
- The deadline for final numbers
- How allergens are handled
- What the van needs: space, access, power
Ham questions
Can the van park in Ham Fen?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, normally the council. Check with them first, and tell us what they say.
Can you serve after a service at Church of St George?
Yes, at a home, hall or venue nearby where the van can park. Food is generally served at the reception venue rather than the church. Send us the address.
Can someone else arrange it?
Of course. We’re happy to deal with the funeral director or a family friend.
Who clears up?
We clear the van’s area after service. Tell us where bins can go for people’s paper and trays.
Can you cook in the rain?
The weather doesn’t stop the van, because the cooking happens inside. Soft ground after heavy rain is the bigger issue, so have a hard-surface spot in mind.
How many people should we cater for?
Give us your best estimate, and we will plan with a little extra.
What does the van need?
A level, firm spot it can drive onto, close to where people will eat, with room for a queue at the hatch. Mention any narrow gates or soft ground.
What’s on the menu?
Chip-shop favourites: cod, haddock, chips, sausages and pies, plus mushy peas, curry sauce and gravy. See the menu.
DIY versus a fish and chip van
For a small group, making your own food can work. For bigger numbers, a van makes life easier, and nobody has to miss the wake.
Doing the food yourself saves money, but the host ends up running around. With a fish and chip van, you get hot food without the work.
Ham: halls, homes and travel
Ham is about 3 miles north-west of Deal, in Kent. In and around Ham, the van can serve from a drive, a yard, a car park or a firm field, close to your guests. Ham is one of 922 towns and villages in Kent where we bring the van. We serve events right across the region, from Ham to Canterbury (about 11 miles away).
For anyone coming to the funeral by train, Sandwich station, about 1.7 miles north, is the nearest station. Ham is within about 4 miles of the sea, and for many families fish and chips brings back memories of the seaside.
Wakes anywhere in CT14 start with a parking spot for the van. For wakes just outside Ham, we cover Statenborough (1 mile north-west), Felderland (1 mile north), Worth (1 mile north-east), Marley (1 mile south-east) and Finglesham (1 mile south-east). Larger places within reach include Canterbury (11 miles west), Margate (10 miles north), Dover (8 miles south), Folkestone (13 miles south-west), Ramsgate (7 miles north-east) and Broadstairs (9 miles north-east).
A little further out are Sandown Castle (3.1 miles east) and The Precinct Toy Collection (2.1 miles north). Open spaces near Ham include Monk's Wall nature reserve.
- Local schools include Sandwich Technology School (1.3 miles north)
- Nearby, you’ll find The Blue Pigeons pub (1 mile north-east)
A fish and chip van or other catering?
Some venues offer wake menus. A van works at home or at a hall. Compared with a sit-down meal, a fish and chip van is often good value, because it needs no kitchen and no crockery hire. We’ll send you a quote.
Why Ham hosts choose us
- A menu almost everyone likes
- A clear quote before booking
- Served hot, straight from the hatch
- Fish and chips fried fresh on site
Before you choose a spot
We’ll be honest if a spot won’t work, and suggest an alternative. The main points are:
- A route in without tight gates or low branches
- Permission from the venue or landowner for the van
- A clear area by the serving hatch
If you’re unsure, send a photo of the space and the way in, and we’ll say what we think.
From the hatch
- Mushy peas
- Sausage and chips
- Gravy
- Pie and chips
- Haddock and chips
- Cod and chips
How the day works
We get there well before service, park the van and get the fryers going. Guests generally gather round the hatch as soon as we open. Summer evenings in Ham stay light until about 9:15pm, but in December it is dark by about 3:50pm.
- Tell us what you are planning and when you’d like to eat.
- We come back with availability and a clear 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.
- We leave the spot as we found it.
Preparing for the day
- Think about a gazebo by the van in case of rain
- Give us your final numbers and allergies
- Check the way in for low branches, cables and narrow gates
How to get a price
Send us the date, the address or CT14 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.
Read more
What a fish and chip van costs
The price comes down to a few factors:
- Cod, haddock or both
- The length of service
- Parking and the way in
- The number of meals
Travel, tolls and charges such as ULEZ can affect the price, so it helps to give us the postcode.
Getting an accurate quote
To check availability and price, we need:
- The date and time of the event
- The spot you have in mind for the van
- Any dietary needs and allergies
- A photo of the space and the way in
Every quote is worked out for your event. Give us your date first, and we’ll confirm whether we are available that day.
- 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