Anyone in Slough Tried a Good Indian Caterer for a Wedding Recently? Need Recommendations

So my sister’s getting married in October and it’s finally hit me that “someone” needs to sort catering for 140 people, and that someone is apparently me. We’re in Slough, most of the guest list is in Slough or a short drive away, and I’ve spent the last two weekends falling down a rabbit hole of Google reviews that all sound suspiciously identical. Figured I’d post here because half the useful recommendations I’ve ever gotten for anything local came from this sub, not from a search results page.

Here’s where I’ve landed so far, and where I’m stuck.

The problem with searching for this online

Every catering website says the same three things: “authentic,” “freshly prepared,” “trusted by hundreds of families.” None of that tells you whether the biryani actually has flavour or whether it’s going to sit in a chafing dish for three hours and turn to mush. Reviews are useful until you notice that half of them were clearly left the week the business opened, all five stars, all one line, all sounding like they were written by the same person. You know the type.

What I actually want to know is boring, practical stuff:

• Did the food arrive on time and hot, not lukewarm
• Was there enough for everyone, including the inevitable extra 15 people who “forgot” to RSVP
• Did they handle a mixed menu well (we’ve got vegetarian, non-veg, a few guests with nut allergies, and my nani who will not eat anything she considers “too modern”)
• Was the staff actually present and helpful during the event, or did they drop trays and vanish

None of that shows up in a five-star review that just says “amazing food, highly recommend!!”

What I’ve tried so far

I called round four places over the last two weeks. Two never called back, which tells you something about how they’ll handle a live event with 140 hungry relatives. One quoted me a price that was suspiciously low, and when I asked what was included, the answer was vague enough that I got nervous. The fourth was actually decent on the phone, walked me through portion sizes and how they handle dietary splits, but I haven’t tasted anything yet, so I’m reserving judgment.

I’ve also been looking at a couple of the more established Indian Catering Services Slough options that keep coming up when locals mention weddings and bigger family functions. The appeal there is less about flashy marketing and more that they’ve clearly done this at scale before — multiple serving stations, proper heated transport for the food, and a menu that covers regional variety instead of just the standard three curries and rice combo everyone defaults to.

One thing I didn’t expect to care about this much: sweets. My mum has strong opinions about mithai at weddings, and apparently a bad sweet table is almost worse than a bad main course, because everyone remembers dessert. A cousin who got married last year in Windsor mentioned she was able to Order Indian Sweets in Slough separately from her main caterer, which honestly hadn’t occurred to me as an option — I’d assumed sweets were just whatever the main catering package threw in. Splitting it out means you can actually pick fresh gulab jamun, kaju katli, and barfi from a place that specialises in it, rather than getting an afterthought dessert tray.

What I’m still trying to figure out

Tasting sessions. Is it normal to ask for one before booking something this size, or is that only for the bigger budget weddings? I don’t want to be that person demanding a free tasting for 140 plates, but I also don’t want to find out on the day that the paneer tikka is bland.

Timing and setup. How far in advance does a caterer usually need for a Saturday wedding with an evening reception? We’re looking at October, which I think is technically off-peak, but I don’t actually know if that matters for booking lead time.

Serving style. Buffet versus plated versus a mix. My venue has the space for a buffet, but with an older crowd who don’t love queuing, I’m wondering if a hybrid — starters plated, mains buffet — is more common now.

Handling last-minute headcount changes. Weddings are chaos. Guest counts move. I want a caterer who won’t panic (or overcharge) if the number shifts by ten either direction two weeks out.

Why I’m asking here instead of just booking the first decent quote

Honestly, because the people in this sub have been through it recently and remember the details that matter. Not “the food was good” but “they showed up an hour early to set up and the naan was still warm when we ate at 8pm” or “avoid them, they double-booked and sent a smaller team than promised.” That’s the stuff that actually helps.

If you’ve had a wedding or a big family event catered in Slough in the last year or two, I’d love to hear:

1. Who you used
2. Roughly how many guests
3. What went right and what you’d change
4. Whether they were flexible on dietary requirements and headcount changes
5. If you sourced sweets separately or as part of the main package, and whether that was worth it

Even a “don’t bother with X, they were a nightmare” is genuinely useful. I’d rather hear the honest mixed reviews than another five-star blurb that tells me nothing.

Thanks in advance — will report back once we’ve actually picked someone and let you know how the tasting/booking process went, in case it helps the next person googling this at 11pm two months before their own wedding.