ginger snap catering

sustainable, family-run wedding & event catering

about us

Ginger Snap Catering is a sustainable, family-run wedding and event catering business in Carlisle.

For more than 18 years we have been creating food and drink experiences that are the heart of the party, uniting friends and families and leaving happy memories for years to come.

We are fanatical about seasonal British food and run the business from our farm in North Cumbria. We grow many of our own herbs and there is a bounty of ingredients in our hedgerows such as sloes, brambles, crab apples and damsons. With many wild herbs growing on the farm like meadowsweet, wild garlic and sweet cicely. We use producers that we have built up relationships with, some of whom we have known for many years.

Our chefs are passionate, driven & experienced, continually pushing the boundaries of traditional cuisine to create delicious, seasonal & exciting food inspired by the beauty and diversity of Britain’s landscape.

Our role in your event is to use our expertise and imagination to guide you through the process. We love to cater for parties of all shapes and sizes and can be involved in as much or as little as you like. Ultimately our aim is to leave you and your guests well fed, content and happy.

Serving clients in The Lake District & Cumbria, Northumberland and Southern Scotland, including Edinburgh.

Please get in touch to discuss your special day.

Seasonal Delights: Explore Our Menus

Our menus are created to showcase the very best of the British seasonal landscape, allowing us to use the best produce as and when it arrives in season.

Harvesting Sustainability
With this in mind, in 2021 we moved Ginger Snap (and our young family) from Edinburgh to a working farm near Carlisle where we intend to offset our impact on the environment as much as possible.

We have planted more trees and hedges and an orchard of traditional fruits such as apples and plums. Our hedgerows are bursting with damsons, sloes and haws. Our fields are filled with herbs like sorrel, lady’s smock and sweet cicely and our woods are rife with wild garlic, primrose and mushrooms. We dry, pickle, ferment and preserve as much as possible to use out of season, meaning there is very little waste.

client reviews

Ginger Snap catered our wedding at Gosford House in April and we couldn’t recommend them highly enough. Tania and James were wonderful in offering us guidance on how we can achieve exactly what we wanted from the table linens and wedding breakfast to the bar service. In the lead up to the day, Gingersnap was prompt and helpful in answering our questions and offered excellent advice.

The tasting at their farm let us appreciate their commitment to using local, seasonal produce as well as fantastic flavours! On the day Gingersnap took great care of us and our guests, many of which had dietary requirements. We heard from these guests how the team’s attention to detail and excellent service allowed them to enjoy the day and excellent food without worry. While James was busy in the kitchen, Tania oversaw everything else, ensuring my wife and I got to have canapes and a glass of fizz while we were with our photographer, this was very thoughtful and much appreciated and a great example of the teams experience.

Thank you to the whole team for helping make our day so special, we would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a wedding caterer and wish them nothing but the best for the future.

“ Wow! What amazing food you guys did for us – just awesome. Since we’ve been back everyone keeps telling us how good it was.

Thank you also for the amazing organisation before, on and after the day! In the midst of all madness in our lives you guys were amazing, patient and on it! Thank you again for making our day so brilliant! We can’t recommend you more highly! ”

Ginger Snap were seamless from start to finish. We had some very specific stipulations of what we wanted for our Wedding day, and Tania took account of them throughout the process. Communication was always timely and professional - the level of organisation and attention to detail really put our minds at ease. Everything we mentioned, Tania had already taken care of. The tasting experience at Ginger Snap's farm was out of this world, and it gave an incredible insight into the passion and professionalism that Tania and James carry into their work. The wedding day itself was stunning, the staff were all incredibly diligent and friendly, the food was of course wonderful, and we felt completely looked after from start to finish. I never saw an empty glass but saw a LOT of empty plates. One of our guests has told us that it is the best wedding food he has ever had, and to be honest I think it may be some of the best food I've had - full stop! We were in a very safe pair of hands with Ginger Snap, and I really cannot recommend them highly enough if you are considering them for your wedding day.

“ We really cannot thank you enough for such a SUPERB feast you laid on for us. We were so impressed by the way the whole day was managed.

The cake was just incredible and we have had so many comments about the delicious canapes and the fabulous ‘mushrooms’. You all made the day such a memorable occasion for both us and our guests and we couldn’t have wanted more. ”

our team

meet our talented team Members

Tania Burton, Managing Director

Tania Burton, Managing Director at Ginger Snap, hails from a lineage steeped in agriculture and catering.

Beginning her career at 18, she founded Ginger Snap at 23, and has since catered for royalty and major events, embodying a legacy of culinary excellence.

James Burton, Consultant Chef

James Burton, Consultant Development Chef at Ginger Snap, was a finalist in MasterChef: The Professionals 2012 and has been a private chef for 15 years.

Inspired by nature, James champions culinary simplicity and sustainability, aiming to preserve the land for future generations.

Meet the passionate team behind Ginger Snap, a culinary group led by Tania Burton, a seasoned professional with deep roots in the food industry. Together with James Burton, a MasterChef: The Professionals finalist and an advocate for responsible catering, they drive the ethos of simplicity and sustainability in their catering services. The team at Ginger Snap brings exceptional dining experiences to events throughout the North of England and Scotland, ensuring each event showcases their commitment to quality and innovative cuisine. Learn more about the individuals who make Ginger Snap a leader in event catering.