Reading · England
Funeral and Wake Catering for Play Hatch events
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 Play Hatch.
- Village hall wakes
- A favourite meal in someone’s memory
- Scattering of ashes gatherings
Funeral and wake catering in Play Hatch
A fish and chip van or other catering?
Compared with a buffet, a van gives everyone a hot meal, which helps when numbers are hard to predict. If you have a budget in mind, tell us, and we’ll suggest how to make it work. A short menu is frequently the best value.
Why book our van in Play Hatch
- Everything cooked to order at your event
- Served hot, straight from the hatch
- Bookings across Reading, including Play Hatch
- Classic food your guests already know
Read our pricing and what a fish and chip van costs.
How our funeral and wake catering works in Play Hatch
Funerals are often arranged at short notice, so contact us as soon as you can. Typical bookings include memorial events and anniversaries and small family memorials, serving sausage and chips, mushy peas and pie and chips.
In a small place like Play Hatch, a wake might be at home, in a barn or at the village hall. Tell us about lanes and the ground. We cook inside the van, right where your guests are, so the batter is still crisp when it’s handed over.
Wakes in Play Hatch: venues and practical details
Play Hatch is about 1 mile east of Caversham, in Reading. Wakes in Play Hatch are planned around your venue and timings: a quote, a parking spot and fresh frying on the day. Play Hatch is one of 34 places in Reading we cover.
Relatives arriving by train should know that the nearest station is Reading station, about 2.2 miles south-west.
Wherever your wake is in RG4, we can bring the van to you, from busy streets to quiet lanes. That could mean a wake at a home on Dene Close, Henley Road and Foxhill Lane or the roads around them, as long as there is somewhere for the van. For wakes just outside Play Hatch, we cover Dunsden Green (1 mile north), Caversham Park Village (1 mile west), Littlestead Green (1 mile north-west), Emmer Green (1 mile west) and Sonning (1 mile south-east). We also serve nearby towns such as Norcot (4 miles west), West Reading (3 miles south-west), Tilehurst Within (5 miles west), Shinfield (5 miles south), Arborfield Garrison (7 miles south) and Horncastle (5 miles south-west).
Other landmarks nearby include The Oracle (2.4 miles south-west) and Royal Berkshire Hospital (2.3 miles south-west). Within reach you’ll find Alder Moors and South Lake.
- Schools near Play Hatch include Reading Blue Coat School (1 mile south-east) and Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre (1.8 miles west)
- Pubs nearby include The Shoulder of Mutton pub (less than half a mile south-west)
Why choose funeral and wake catering in Play Hatch?
Families choose fish and chips because it is comforting and familiar.
These are some of the bookings we take in Play Hatch and Reading:
- Gatherings after the committal
- Memorial events and anniversaries
- Gatherings at home after a funeral
- Life celebrations
For a service at a church like St Andrew's Church, choosing a wake venue nearby helps older guests.
What to look for in a quote
- The cancellation terms
- Exactly what’s included in the price
- The deposit and payment dates
- Allergen information for each item
Before you choose a spot
No two venues are the same, so we ask about the spot and the way in when you get in touch. In general, we need:
- A level hardstanding, drive or firm lawn
- Somewhere close to where people will eat
- Space for people to queue at the hatch
If you are unsure, send a picture of the space and the way in, and we will say what we think.
From the hatch
- Mushy peas
- Gravy
- Pie and chips
- Haddock and chips
- Cod and chips
- Sausage and chips
Places near Play Hatch
Other occasions in Play Hatch
The process
We need a level, firm place to park the van, close to where people will eat, and we agree exactly where before the day. In autumn and winter, it’s dark early in Play Hatch; make sure older guests have a well-lit route to the van.
- You share your date, numbers and address.
- We check access for the van and quote.
- We arrive in good time to set up.
- Fish goes into the batter and straight into the fryer, to order.
- Service is straight from the hatch, then we pack up.
Getting ready for the day
- Share the timings for the day
- Clear the route for the van
- Get permission for the van from the venue
Getting a price
Most quotes start with a few simple details: date, address, numbers and serving time. You can use our quote form.
Related guides
Allergies and dietary needs
A little planning helps everyone eat safely. A few tips:
- Allow for the service running over
- Cater for a few more than you expect
- Ensure older relatives can sit
- Check the hall has an urn
We park quietly.
Tea and coffee from the hall’s urn, or a friend’s tea table, goes well alongside.
About the food
Haddock and chips
Some people swear by haddock: a firmer flake and a sweeter taste. Tell us if you’d like to offer it.
Sausage and chips
A sausage and chips is the chip-shop classic for younger guests and fish-dodgers.
What a fish and chip van costs
Fish and chip van pricing is simple once we know the basics:
- Numbers
- The day of the week
- Whether a minimum applies
- Parking and the way in
Many fish and chip vans set a minimum, because the van, fuel and travel cost the same for a small group. We’ll tell you up front.
Getting an accurate quote
These details help us quote quickly:
- Where the van would park
- How to get in: gates, lanes and ground
- The venue or postcode
- A photo of the space and the way in
Send us the date, the address or RG4 postcode and rough numbers, along with your serving time, and we’ll reply with a quote. To get started, use our quote form.
Play Hatch: your questions answered
How far is Play Hatch from London?
Roughly 36 miles from the centre of London.
What’s the nearest station to Play Hatch?
The closest is Reading station, roughly 2.2 miles away.
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 tell you what we can offer.
How fast is service?
Keeping choices simple and sending people up in groups helps. We’ll talk it through when we quote.
Can you cater for allergies?
Let us know about allergies in advance, and we will give you the allergen information.
Do you clear up afterwards?
The pitch is left as we found it. It helps to have bins near the hatch.
Do you cover Play Hatch?
Yes. We cover London and the South East, including Play Hatch and the rest of Reading. For a quote, fill in our quote form.
Can you be flexible on the day?
We allow for it. We’ll work to your contact on the day.
Cannot we just order from the chip shop?
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.
Weighing up a takeaway order against booking a van? Think about numbers, timing and how hot you want the food. We’re happy to send a quote so you can compare.
- 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