Event hire & private chef
Perfect for TV, Weddings, Private Parties, Corporate Trade Shows
The Roots of Fruit & Cactus…
Welcome to Fruit & Cactus! We’re an event hire & private chef business nestled in the heart of South Oxfordshire. Founded by me, Katie – because I’m super passionate about events, catering and getting people together over great food and drinks. My goal is to help bring your event dreams to life, whether that’s creating memories with your guests, finishing off your venue with a beautiful bar set up or cooking something special for you and your loved ones.
From a young age, I knew I wanted to work in the food world. Weekends were all about baking with my grandparents and school holidays were spent hanging out at my friend’s family restaurant, watching the chefs do their thing. As soon as I could, I enrolled in culinary college and landed my first job as an event chef.
When I got into cheffing professionally, I was lucky enough to be mentored by two of the best chefs I know. Growing up surrounded by amazing food and talented chefs definitely shaped everything for me. Since then, I’ve had the chance to dive into every part of hospitality and events – from designing menus, sourcing the best ingredients and leading food service to curating bespoke drinks lists, picking out the best locally produced drinks and managing all the bar logistics. I’ve also worked in event planning, finding top-tier staff and handling event ops and logistics.
These days, you’ll almost always find me in the kitchen or out in the workshop creating something new and exciting… but if I’m not, I’m likely off on an adventure in the great outdoors!
At Fruit & Cactus, we’re all about creative and practical solutions to make your event awesome! Whether it’s a food and drink serving space, handmade garden games or a 9-hole mini golf course, we make sure that everything is ready to go, so you can focus on enjoying your event. Sustainability is important to us, so we lovingly restore old trailers and upcycle other materials to create cool, functional items.
For private dining, I bring the same ethos into the kitchen too. From relaxed dinner parties to special occasions, I cook seasonal dishes in your home, taking care of the details so you can enjoy time with your guests. I particularly love sourcing the best local produce around!
We’re all about making food and drink setups and guest entertainment easy for your event. When you mix event hire with a lot of creativity, years of experience, and a little bit of cheffiness, you get something pretty special.
how we’re keeping it green…
Sustainability is a big deal to us (no Planet B and all that jazz). We’re all about doing our part to keep things green and reduce waste. We take things destined for the scrap yard, repurpose materials and give it all a second lease of life. From eco-friendly setups to minimising our carbon footprint, we’re committed to making your event awesome and plant-friendly. Because at the end of the day, we want to leave behind more than just great memories – we want to leave a positive impact on the world!