Terms and Conditions

Definitions

‘Company’ refers to Essex Provisions Ltd t/a The Farmhouse at Home.

‘Client’ refers to the person making and confirming the booking. This will be the companies point of contact.

‘Group’ refers to all members of the group included in the booking.

‘Customer’ means a business or customer whose order for services is accepted by the company.

‘Services’ refers to the services provided by the company as a result of the booking and in accordance with these terms and conditions.

Here at The Farmhouse at Home, we have tried to make our terms of business as straight forward as possible. If however, you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with us before you agree with our T&Cs (please see our contact us page for details).

Force Majeure

1a. What happens if you (“the client”) cancel?

For all events, there needs to be an agreed ‘cancellation policy’, as cancellations cost money. Deposits are non-refundable from point of booking/order as this is to secure your chosen date and cover administration fees. If full balance has been paid and you wish to cancel no less than 2 weeks prior to your event date, we will offer gift vouchers to the total value (not including your non-refundable deposit) which can be used across all our services.

1b. Could The Farmhouse at Home cancel my booking?

In the unlikely event that the company has to cancel your booking for reasons out of our control, you will receive a refund for all final balance payments, however deposits are non-refundable and will be offered in the form of vouchers or an alternative date if applicable. We will not have any other liability.

The Farmhouse at Home may have to cancel in the event of but not limited to:

• Chosen venue is closed or unavailable due to events beyond our control, including but not limited to, government or local authority enforcement / act of God / national or regional lockdown.
• If the client or the company become insolvent, or in the case of a bankruptcy petition.
• The client associated with the booking and/or the purpose of the meeting might damage the reputation of the company.

2. Can I change my guest delegate numbers?

Food – Guest numbers cannot be reduced from point of booking confirmation, so we recommend not to over estimate the number of guests expected. However should you need to increase guests numbers please email info@thefarmhouseessex.com asap as this must be made no later than 14 days prior to your event date. Food choices must be confirmed no later than 2 weeks prior to the event and cannot be changed once confirmed.

3. Hire

Unless agreed in writing prior, all venues/function spaces are organized and arranged by the client. The company will not be liable for any damage to any property belonging to the customer or chosen venue during service. Any equipment/crockery hire is subject to a charge, any damages will also be chargeable to the client. (please see miscellaneous point below)

4. Catering

All food is supplied by Essex Provisions Ltd t/a The Farmhouse at Home (company no. 13125607) – prepared and cooked at our central kitchen. All allergen and dietary requirements must be submitted by the client at point of booking and may require an additional charge.

Please note that under no circumstances are we responsible for any food or drink not supplied by us. The company cannot be held responsible for any issues or allergies that may arise from any food or drink not supplied by us. This will be the client’s sole liability.

Although we will do our best to fulfill all food serving times, these are approximate. Please bear in mind all our food is prepared from fresh. Please note that we cannot list all dish ingredients on the descriptions so please inform the company in advance should you have any food allergies or special dietary requirements. Dishes may also contain traces of nuts and fish may contain bones – (v)vegetarian, (vg)vegan, (gf)gluten free, (n)contains nuts.

All food and drink packages are designed and costed in advance so are not open to variation. We recommend catering for 100% of your total guest amount or at the least 90%. All foods are on a pre-order basis and are based on the client’s requirements as per the time of the client’s booking/order. Please note that additional food cannot be ordered on the day, although we will try our best to accommodate if possible.

We reserve the right to amend prices between enquiry and booking if needed. Once a booking has been confirmed, prices will not change (subject to any terms and conditions).

5. Cook at Home Boxes

All images of our Cook at Home Boxes are for illustrative purposes only. Whilst all products should meet the expectations of the images displayed on the website, food, packaging and labelling may, at times, differ slightly. Food may vary in size and colour to what is displayed on the website. It is your responsibility to check all products upon delivery, store these products as advised and cook these at the correct cooking times. We accept no liability for any illness, loss, damage or injury arising as a result of incorrect storage or cooking. In the circumstance that you are unhappy with your cook at home box ie missing ingredients, incorrect box received etc. Please send an email to info@thefarmhouseessex.com as soon as possible so we can sort the best solution for you. All allergies are stated on our website and on the labels of each product. It is at your responsibility to check for any relevant allergies you may have. We will deliver all products to the delivery address provided at checkout. If no one is present for delivery, we or our authorised courier company will follow any delivery instructions provided. If no instructions are provided, the order will be left in an area that us or our authorised courier company considers safe.

General

• We are concerned with your Health and Safety and that of our staff.
• We reserve the right to cancel subject to the T&Cs of the company.
• We cannot be held responsible for damage or loss to another parties property, however caused.
• Client/organisers will be liable for the cost of repairs carried out as a result of any damage caused to any part of our property including but not limited to, equipment, vehicle, crockery, etc.
• Should you fail to correct any aspect of poor or unacceptable behavior of the group, we reserve the right to stop or cancel our services with immediate effect. Should this happen, no monies will be refunded to the client.
• The management of the company reserve the right at all times and under all circumstances to refuse service to any member of the group considered undesirable or abusive.
• The company reserve the right to change their conditions in relation to their service if needed.

Things To Consider

Bookings: When booking a date with us for your event, we can only confirm this once full payment, or an initial deposit has been received and funds have cleared. In some cases, this will be accompanied by a completed signed (by the client) booking form provided by us. Provisional dates cannot be accepted prior to this. Bookings should be confirmed in full as soon as possible at least within 2 weeks prior to the event. It is the responsibility of the client to ensure full accuracy of the order when booking. Any changes or errors made by the client following the booking should be addressed as soon as possible.

Payment:A deposit or Full payment is required by the client when booking with us, 20% for drop off buffets and 35% for all other services. Final payment must be made no later than 2 weeks prior to the event.

This includes any minimum bar spend agreed when booking with the company. Failure to make payment by the deadline may result in a cancellation of the booking. Full payment is to be received via bank transfer, card payment (via Stripe) or a suitable alternative method.

Serviced Options Requirements: Includes hot/cold food replenishment. Staff are only responsible for the service option selected, any additional services will require an extra member of staff at an additional cost and must be confirmed in writing prior to event.

Serviced options are based on up to 50 guests, numbers over this will need to be confirmed in writing prior with an additional fee being required. Please contact us to discuss this before booking. Up to a 2 hour time frame for food service starting from confirmed time of event. Any time over the agreed times will be charged at an additional cost of £100 per hour per member of staff. Timings must be considered when booking a venue.

Please ensure that the venue has power sources available. A minimum of 2 x 13amp power sources will be required (we will confirm if definitely required prior to booking). Washing up facilities with hot & cold water will also be required. We may need to use customer’s cooking facilities i.e. cooker & oven etc. For set up timings, please allow us access up to 2 hours prior to your event for set up and up to 1 hour for cleaning down. Timings may differ with larger events. If requirements requested by the company cannot be met on the day of the event, we reserve the right to stop or cancel and no monies will be refunded to the client.

Please ensure you have communicated with the venue regarding our t&c’s. If a venue is unable to provide us with the necessary equipment, it will be at your responsibility to hire this. We will discuss this with you prior to the event. A fee will be issued to the customer if we are required to visit a venue prior to the event to do a site check. This fee will be discussed following confirmation of this.

Miscellaneous: Any damage / loss of crockery, cutlery, glassware and drinkware will be chargeable to the client at the following: £8 per glass/cup – £12 per plate/serving platter – £3 per piece of cutlery. We reserve the right to charge more should replacement costs vary. Any damage to larger equipment will be charged at cost of full replacement. A £50 refundable deposit will be taken at point of booking/order which will be refunded after all equipment has been returned, any costs for damage will be deducted from this deposit with the balance remaining refund. Refunds may take 3-5 working days to reach your account.

Beverages / Alcohol: Any beverages including alcoholic supplied by the company must be agreed in advance and will be subject to amounts agreed and paid for. Any surplus stock not covered by this payment will remain our property unless otherwise agreed in writing prior.

Music: we cannot be held responsible for any music equipment or noise levels. In the event we provide such a service, all DJ’s with be held directly responsible for any equipment required or noise levels. Any monies payable for such service will be payable to us at point of booking. We will liaise between client and DJ to ensure all requirements are achieved.

Kitchen/power: For health & safety reasons this area is out of bounds to anyone other than staff of the company. Please ensure kitchen is clear for intended use and all area to be used for service are free from obstruction

Pets: Whilst company staff are in use of the kitchen, the kitchen must be kept pet-free for both hygienic and safety reasons.

Power requirements / Kitchen facilities: Please ensure all our power requirements are readily available prior to our arrival. We may require a power source at a minimum of of 2 x 13amp plugs. All power requirements will be confirmed by us prior to the event and are dependent on the service required. We may require the use of your own facilities and may require details of such equipment to ensure it is suitable for services intended. Should any issues arise due to the lack of power provided, we cannot be held responsible and reserve the right to stop or cancel as per our T&Cs.

Washing up facilities: Washing up facilities are required and must include hot & cold running water and waste facilities. Kitchens must be in a clean and safe state for the chefs on arrival for health and safety reasons. If not and the chefs have to clean before service an additional fee will be charged and may delay service.

Damages: Although great care will be taken by the company damages can happen. Any damages made to the client or group’s property as a result of the company must be addressed and informed to the company during the provision of their services or asap after the event, this also applies to damage of company property as a result of the client or group. Any disputes of damage must be confirmed by the relevant persons i.e. if electrical then an electricians report etc. We cannot be held liable for any costs incurred during determining any faults that may be. Please note that we cannot be held liable for any damaged caused to the client or group’s equipment that they have specifically requested the company use especially if not essential to the process of our service i.e. waste disposal units, heat lamps, crockery/glassware etc.

Access to venue: We will require access of up to 2 hours prior to any event to allow for set up. We cannot be held responsible for any restrictions or delay in such access. We do not provide tables unless agreed in writing prior, and so these will need to be provided on the day. This is at the responsibility of the client. This will be discussed prior to your event.

Delivery/travel: Delivery slots will be allocated following your booking confirmation. If the desired time slot is unavailable, then we will ensure that the closest delivery time available is allocated. All arrival times are approximate and we cannot be held responsible for any delays caused which are out of our control. We will endeavor to keep a clear line of communication in such circumstances.

Collection: If you chose to collect your order/box from our HQ – The Farmhouse at Home, Unit 3, Parkside Business Centre, Plumpton Road, Hoddesdon, EN11 0ES. Then please be aware that a time slot will be allocated to you, please be sure to keep to this time slot as to prevent delay and avoid any inconvenience to other customers. A time slot will be sent to you following your order.

Photography: All photos of our food, staff and services remain the property of Essex Provisions Ltd and are subject to our copyright.

Gift Vouchers: All gift vouchers have a 1-year expiry date from the date purchased. Once purchased, an electronic PDF will be sent to the email provided by the customer.

Safety: For the purpose of safety, we are covered under public liability insurance.

Responsible person/point of contact: To ensure a smooth service and for any questions or problems that may occur on the day, the client will be assigned as a point of contact for the day. If an alternative member of the group should be assigned as the point of contact for the day, you should inform us in writing immediately. Any point of contact must be 18 years or over.