The Rise of At-Home Catering: Why More People Are Bringing the Restaurant Experience Home

The best dinner parties are not in restaurants

There is something a restaurant simply cannot replicate: the feeling of being in someone's home. The intimacy of a beautifully laid table in a familiar setting. The freedom to linger over the last glass of wine without a reservation slot breathing down your neck. The sense that this evening was created specifically for you and your guests.

At-home entertaining has always been special. What is changing in 2026 is how people are choosing to host — and the growing number who are bringing in professional catering teams to do the cooking, the serving, and the clearing up, while they do what hosts do best: enjoy their guests.

At First Press Hospitality, we have seen a significant and steady rise in enquiries for private home catering across Bath, Bristol, Wiltshire, Somerset and the South West. People who once defaulted to booking a restaurant for a milestone birthday or anniversary are now choosing to host at home — with a professional team to make it effortless.

Here is why at-home catering is having its moment, and what it actually looks like in practice.

Why more people are choosing to host at home

The appeal of at-home catering comes down to a few things that restaurants struggle to offer.

Firstly, there is the question of intimacy. A private dinner at home — whether it is twelve guests around a candlelit table or forty people in a garden — has a warmth and exclusivity that a restaurant booking rarely achieves. Your guests are not sharing their evening with strangers. The space is yours.

Secondly, there is the personalisation. Working with a caterer like First Press means the menu is designed around you — your tastes, your occasion, your dietary requirements, your vision for the evening. There is no fixed menu, no upselling on side dishes. The food is conceived from scratch with your event in mind.

And then there is the simple pleasure of not having to worry about any of it. No driving to a venue, no rigid timings, no restaurant noise. Your home, your pace, your evening — with a professional team handling everything from arrival to clear-up.

What does at-home catering actually involve?

One of the most common questions we hear is: what does a professional caterer actually do when they come to your home? The answer is more than most people expect — and less disruptive than many fear.

Our team arrives in advance to set up, prep and organise the kitchen. We bring everything we need: equipment, serving ware, linens where required. We cook, we serve, we keep the evening flowing — and we clear up and leave your home as we found it.

What you are left with is the memory of a beautifully run evening, with none of the washing up.

What occasions work well for at-home catering?

The occasions we cater for at home are as varied as the clients who book us. Some of the most popular include:

•        Milestone birthdays — 40th, 50th, 60th and beyond

•        Wedding anniversaries and vow renewals

•        Family celebrations and reunion dinners

•        Engagement parties and pre-wedding gatherings

•        Garden parties and summer entertaining

•        Private dinner parties for friends and colleagues

•        At-home Christmas and New Year celebrations

What these occasions share is a desire for something more considered than a restaurant booking — an experience that feels genuinely special and entirely personal.

What kind of food and service can you expect?

At First Press, we design every menu from scratch. We will talk to you about the occasion, the number of guests, the style of the evening you want to create, dishes that have special meaning to you, favourite cuisines and any dietary requirements — and from there, we build a menu that reflects all of that.

In terms of format, we offer a range of options depending on the occasion and the space:

•        Canapé receptions and drinks parties with beautifully presented finger food

•        Seated dinner parties with multiple courses and full table service

•        Sharing feasts with platters and boards for a relaxed, sociable atmosphere

•        Garden parties with grazing stations, seasonal dishes and informal service

•        Private chef experiences for smaller, more intimate groups including tasting menus with wine pairings.

All of our food is made with seasonal, locally sourced ingredients wherever possible — the same standard and care we bring to the weddings and corporate events we cater.

Is at-home catering more expensive than a restaurant?

This is a fair question, and the honest answer is: it depends on the level of service and the number of guests. For larger groups, at-home catering can actually be very competitive with a restaurant, particularly once you factor in the cost of drinks, service charges and the limitations of a set menu.

For smaller intimate dinners, a private chef experience can be a little more expensive — but one that delivers something a restaurant genuinely cannot: food designed entirely around you, in your own home, with your own atmosphere and your own pace.

We are always happy to discuss what is possible within a given budget. Our role is to help you create the best possible evening, and we will always be straightforward about what we can offer and at what cost.

Thinking about hosting a private event at home?

Whether you are planning a summer garden party in the Cotswolds, a milestone birthday dinner in Bath, or a private celebration for family and friends anywhere across the South West, we would love to talk about how we can help.

Get in touch to tell us about your occasion — and we will take it from there.

Contact First Press Hospitality: hello@firstpresshospitality.com  |  07468 469714  |  Based in Bradford on Avon, serving Bath, Bristol, Wiltshire, Somerset & the South Cotswolds