Food
Practical and flexible for your group
Self-catering for flexible schedules and menus to fit your budget.
Our modern kitchens are designed by our own community’s cooks for real people to use. Nothing fancy, just down-to-earth and practical to make it as easy for you as possible. Some of our groups love to include the shared activity of veg prep or washing up as part of their programme. You might be surprised how easy it is to put together a simple menu with a supermarket delivery, some bring and share, and perhaps an evening meal at a local pub. Other groups bring their own cook or hire in a caterer so that all your food is taken care of while your participants focus on whatever they have come to do.
Suggestions for self-catering
Suggestions for hiring a caterer
All the equipment you would expect is here – electric ovens and hobs, fridges and freezers, microwave, hot cupboard and dishwasher. There are plenty of sets of crockery, cutlery, and utensils plus all the cookware you need.
Nigel Done
Salisbury DDO team retreat
Self-catering needn’t be a lot of work! One person catered for simple sandwich lunches, one person came prepared to make a tasty evening meal, and we all brought breakfast bits and extras to share. For our second evening we enjoyed a 10 min walked to the Teign House Inn which had an amazing menu of delicious food.”
Don’t have a caterer of your own? Don’t worry, we have some recommendations for people who have looked after other groups here. Occasionally, Sheldon’s own team has capacity to cater (especially for clergy/ministry groups).
Why self-cater?
✓ Flexible meal times
✓ Suit your budget
✓ Total control
Self-catering
Prepare the food how you want, when you want and where you want. You can arrange supermarket deliveries, bring pre-prepared food with you, enjoy a barbecue on the terrace, cook together or hire in a caterer. Sit down meals, buffets or snacks. Cosy dining rooms or al fresco on the terrace. One pot meals or celebration specials. Kitchens open directly onto dining rooms so cooking, eating and sharing flows seamlessly. If there’s something you forgot we’ll always help out from our own stores if we can.
The Long Barn
Most groups use the Long Barn kitchen.
The Pound House
Larger groups cater in the Pound House
Refreshments
Facilities for hot drinks are separate from the kitchens .