Somebody has to sort the food. If that job has landed on you, ordering sandwich platters is usually the right call: they feed a mixed crowd, they need no cutlery or reheating, and nobody stands around wondering what the beige thing in the tray is.
The difference between a platter people remember and one that sits half-eaten in the corner comes down to a few decisions made before you order. We have made sandwiches for shops, schools, hospitals and venues across England and Wales since 2009, and platters for everything from boardroom lunches to golf days. This is the guide we wish every first-time buyer had.
Anyone can lay sandwiches on a tray. A proper catering platter earns its money in three places.
First, freshness. Platters made to order the same morning taste noticeably different from packs that have sat in a supermarket chiller since yesterday. Second, variety that has been thought about: a balance of meat, fish, vegetarian and something a bit bolder, cut so people can try more than one. Third, presentation. Food that arrives arranged and garnished sets the tone for the meeting or the event before anyone says a word.
That last part matters more than people admit. A tidy platter at a client meeting quietly says the same thing as a clean reception: someone here pays attention.
The question every buyer asks, so here are the working numbers we give our own catering customers.
For a standard working lunch, allow one and a half rounds per person (a round is a full sandwich, usually cut into quarters on a platter). If lunch is the main event, or the crowd skews hungry, allow two rounds. For an afternoon buffet where there are other dishes, one round per person is plenty.
So for 20 people at a normal office lunch, you want around 30 rounds, which is 120 quarters. Round up rather than down: leftover quarters vanish by 3pm, but running out at 12:40 is the thing people remember. Add sides such as crisps, fruit or cakes and you can trim the sandwich count slightly. We supply all of those alongside platters, which keeps the whole order on one invoice.
The safest platter is not all safe choices, and it is definitely not all adventurous ones. The mix that works, over thousands of platters, is roughly this: half classics, a quarter familiar-but-interesting, a quarter for the bold.
Classics mean egg mayo, tuna mayonnaise and cucumber, ham salad, cheese and pickle, chicken mayo, or gammon ham and coleslaw. These disappear first at every event and always will. Familiar-but-interesting covers the likes of chicken and bacon, cheese ploughman’s, brie and cranberry, or chicken tikka with yoghurt, mint, and tomato. Then give the table something to talk about: our Signature range thinking applies here, with hand-picked ingredients and combinations like honey chilli chicken or a proper deli stack.
One practical tip: label everything. People eat more confidently when they know what they are picking up, and labelling is essential for allergens anyway.
Assume every group of ten includes at least one vegetarian, and plan for roughly 25–30% of the order to be vegetarian choices, with vegans and gluten-free guests accounted for unless you know otherwise. The polite move is to ask when you circulate the meeting invite; the safe move is to plan ahead so the bases are covered regardless.
A good supplier makes this easy. We build platters with vegetarian and vegan options as standard when asked, keep gluten-free requests separated rather than mixed onto the same tray, and label allergens clearly on every platter. Our Bespoke service exists for exactly this kind of requirement: if your team needs a specific mix, we make it rather than telling you what is available.
For most orders, 48 hours’ notice is comfortable and gives you the full range. Need next day sandwich platters? It is usually possible if you order before the afternoon cut-off, because everything is made fresh the following morning rather than pulled from stock. Some suppliers, such as PAUL, require orders by 12 noon the day before delivery. Genuinely same-day requests are harder, although some providers offer it if ordered by 10 am, while others have earlier cut-offs; Pret also offers same day delivery for sandwich platters, and Sainsbury’s allows delivery or collection on the same day. Some competitors also allow amendments until 8pm the day before, so always check the cut-off tied to your delivery date. You can also order online and, at some locations, click to book a collection slot to collect today instead.
Delivery is the other half of the timing question. Platters should travel in refrigerated vehicles, not on the back seat of whoever drew the short straw. Our own fleet delivers across England and Wales daily from our West Midlands hubs, so a 9am meeting in Birmingham or a midday buffet in Shrewsbury both get their food cold, fresh and on time.
Offices are only half the story. Party sandwich platters follow the same rules with the volume turned up: more rounds per person (people graze longer at parties), more variety, and more attention to what kids will actually eat, which usually means simple cheese, ham and jam options alongside the grown-up trays. Many caterers also offer custom or pre-set platter sizes, so everything is set for anything from a small birthday to a bigger family gathering.
For funerals and wakes, simplicity and reliability matter more than novelty. Classic fillings, generous quantities, delivered quietly and on time. Local independent bakeries often supply hearty sandwich and savoury pie platters for this kind of gathering. It is work we take seriously and handle regularly.
For bigger occasions, from training days to golf days to venue events, platters scale further than most buyers expect. We have catered events at venues including Telford Conference Centre and the Coventry Building Society Arena, and the logistics are the same at every size: agree numbers, agree timings, let the caterer worry about the rest.
Searching for sandwich platters near me brings up supermarkets first, and for six people at short notice a supermarket tray is fine. Beyond that, ordering direct from a manufacturer has real advantages.
The food is made to order on the morning of your event, not date-coded for a shelf. The range is wider, because a manufacturer making thousands of sandwiches a day can build any mix you like. Delivery comes to your door in a refrigerated van rather than requiring a car trip. And per head, buying from the people who actually make the sandwiches usually costs less than you would guess. Have a look at what our customers say on our testimonials page before you decide.
Budget owners need a number, so here is how to think about it. Platter pricing is usually quoted per platter or per round, and it moves with the fillings you choose: a platter of classics costs less than one loaded with premium deli lines, and mixed platters sit in between.
As a planning rule, work out your rounds first (one and a half per person for lunch), get a quote per round, and add sides separately. Most buyers find platters from a manufacturer land comfortably below the per-head cost of individual meal deals from a supermarket, and well below a catered hot lunch. Ordering direct also removes the retail mark-up entirely, because you are buying from the people who make the food rather than a middleman with a chiller.
Two honest cost tips. Do not pay premium prices for a platter your crowd will treat as fuel: a training day of forty needs volume and variety, not artisan flourishes. And do ask about standing orders if you cater regularly, because weekly platters for the same office are exactly the kind of order suppliers price keenly.
A platter order rarely stops at bread. The buffets that work best add three things: something crunchy, something sweet and something for the person avoiding bread altogether, which makes the setup perfect for sharing or office catering.
Crisps and fruit cover the first. Cakes, flapjacks and doughnuts handle the second, with sweet treats often added to round out a buffet, and disappear faster than anyone budgets for. Wraps are another easy option for guests avoiding bread. For the third, salad boxes and pasta pots have become the quiet essentials of office catering: our Salad and Pasta Pots ranges exist because every meeting now has someone skipping sandwiches, and giving them a proper option beats watching them pick at the garnish.
The practical advantage of ordering the lot from one supplier is the same as it is for retailers: one order, one refrigerated delivery, one invoice, and nothing forgotten in the boot of someone’s car. Check whether buffet items arrive chilled and whether plates are included.
How far in advance should I order sandwich platters? Two working days is ideal. Next day is usually possible if you order before cut-off. For large events, give us a week so we can plan production and delivery properly. You can also explore whether your supplier offers delivery, collection or click-and-collect at your nearest location.
How are the platters delivered? In our own refrigerated vans, across England and Wales, from our West Midlands production hubs. Platters arrive chilled, freshly made and ready to serve.
Can I mix dietary requirements on one order? Yes, and you should. Tell us the headcount and the requirements and we will build the right balance, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free needs clearly labelled and kept separate where necessary.
Do you supply anything besides sandwiches? Yes: crisps, fruit, cakes, flapjacks, drinks, salad bowls, pasta pots and more, with extra items and catering products available so the whole buffet can arrive on one van. See our FAQs for the full picture.
Tell us the date, the headcount and anything your guests cannot eat, and we will do the rest. Contact The Sandwich Company to order sandwich platters to order online or speak to the team for your office, party or event, so guests can enjoy them freshly prepared, with delivery across England and Wales or collection where available, including checking options in London and beyond.
