Terms and Conditions

These terms apply to every booking with The Village Cakery Christchurch, a family-run catering business based near Christchurch, Cambridgeshire (PE14), run by Ganene Millward and Danielle-Chloe Carver.

They cover all of our services: wedding catering, morning breakfasts, afternoon tea at home, buffets, wake catering, corporate lunches, bespoke catering, celebration bakes, bar staff and linen and crockery hire.

By paying your deposit, you're agreeing to these terms. We no longer offer postal cakes or mail-order bakes.

• Enquiries are free and there's no obligation. Tell us your date, venue, rough guest numbers and the menu you're interested in.
• Any quote we send is valid for 30 days.
• Your date isn't reserved until your deposit has been paid. Until then, we may accept another booking for the same date.
• Once your deposit is paid, we'll confirm your booking by email with an invoice.
• Our prices are shown on our website and in our brochure. The price on your confirmed booking won't change, even if our published prices go up later, unless you change your menu or numbers.

• A 10% non-refundable deposit secures your booking.
• The remaining balance is due six weeks before your event.
• If you book less than six weeks before your event, the full amount is due when you book.
• We accept bank transfer, online payment through SumUp, or cash. Our bank details are on every invoice.
• If the balance hasn't been paid by the due date, we'll get in touch. If it's still unpaid 7 days after that, we may cancel the booking and keep the deposit.

• Six weeks before your event, we need your final guest numbers, all dietary requirements and allergies, and any guest menu choices.
• Some menus have a minimum number of guests. If your final numbers fall below it, the minimum charge still applies.
• After final numbers are confirmed, we'll do our best to add extra guests, charged at the same per-person rate. We can't always guarantee this.
• If your numbers go down after final numbers are confirmed, we can't refund the difference, as food and staff will already be ordered and booked.
• Menu changes after final numbers are confirmed are subject to availability and may change the price.

Please tell us in writing, by email, if you need to cancel or move your booking.

• More than six weeks before your event: we keep the 10% deposit and refund anything else you've paid.
• Six weeks or less before your event: the full balance is non-refundable, as food has been ordered and staff booked.
• Postponing: we'll do our best to move your booking to a new date, subject to availability. Your deposit carries over once. If the new date falls in a later year, that year's prices apply.
• If we have to cancel: in the unlikely event we can't cater your event, we'll refund everything you've paid, including your deposit. We'll also do our best to help you find another caterer.

The first 10 miles from us (PE14) are free. After that, we charge 45p per mile, there and back. Any mileage charge is shown on your quote and invoice.

We're happy to cater for allergies, intolerances and dietary needs, and we offer vegan options and dishes made without gluten-containing ingredients. Please talk to us before you book.

• Our kitchen handles all of the 14 major allergens, including nuts, gluten, eggs, milk, soya and sesame. We take great care, but we can't guarantee any dish is completely free from traces.
• Please tell us about every allergy and dietary requirement when you confirm your final numbers, six weeks before your event.
• If a guest has a severe allergy that we don't feel we can cater for safely, we'll tell you before you book.
• Allergen information comes with every order and is available on the day for any guest who asks.
• We can't be responsible for a reaction to an allergen that wasn't declared to us in advance.

• We'll agree arrival, serving and finish times with you beforehand.
• Please make sure we can get into the venue at the agreed time, with parking close by and space to set up. Let us know about any venue rules, such as kitchen use or finish times, when you book.
• Where your menu includes serving staff, we'll set up, serve and clear away our own equipment.
• For food safety, buffet food is cleared after 2 hours; leftovers can be boxed for you to take away, at your own risk.
• We can provide bar staff if required. Contact us to discuss your requirements.
• We may take photos of our food and setup to share on our social media. If you'd rather we didn't, just tell us.

• Hire prices are on our website and in our brochure. Tablecloth hire includes laundering.
• Hired items stay our property. Please leave them at the venue, ready for us to collect at the agreed time.
• Items that are broken, lost or damaged beyond normal use will be charged at replacement cost. Linen with stains or damage that normal laundering won't remove may also be charged.

• If something isn't right: please tell us on the day if you can, or by email within 7 days of your event, so we can put it right.
• Things outside our control: we aren't responsible for delays or problems caused by events beyond our reasonable control, such as severe weather, road closures or venue issues. If we can't cater your event for one of these reasons, we'll refund what you've paid.
• Our liability: our total liability to you is limited to the amount you've paid us for your booking. Nothing in these terms limits liability that can't be limited by law.
• Changes to these terms: we may update these terms from time to time. Your booking is covered by the terms in place when you paid your deposit.
• These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales.

• Email: TheVillageCakeryChristchurch@gmail.com
• Phone: 07599 456983
• Website: thevillagecakerychristchurch.co.uk