This October, Bennett Hay was honoured with two awards at the 2025 Foodservice Cateys; Boutique Caterer of the Year and the People and Training Award, presented to our Director of HR and Operations, Claire Huish.

Held at the Royal Lancaster London, the Foodservice Cateys recognise the individuals and organisations shaping the future of our industry. For us, the double win marks an important milestone in our fifteenth year, a moment to celebrate our people who continue to bring creativity and care to every service we deliver.

Boutique Caterer of the Year

Winning Boutique Caterer of the Year reflects the dedication and creativity shown by our teams over the past year. As we entered our fifteenth year, we’ve focused on the areas that matter most to our clients; sustainability, community and wellbeing, while continuing to evolve our food and service offer to suit modern workplace life.

We’re proud of the progress made across every part of our business: from interactive culinary workshops led by Culinary Director, Candice Webber, to lobby activations, cook-to-order counters, and the support of our central production unit reducing waste and ensuring consistency. Behind the scenes, we’ve strengthened systems, grown and promoted our people, and deepened our commitment to wellbeing through nutrition workshops and one-to-one sessions.

These efforts, combined with increased investment in training, inclusive strategy sessions, and a culture that shares success through team bonuses, have helped us build an agile, people-first business ready for the future.

As the judges noted,

“This business has clearly been working towards this moment and a great year has been had. A strong focus on people and sustainability shone through, resulting in a strong commercial performance. Every employee clearly plays a part in their future and is clearly rewarded. Well done Zoë and the team.” Natalie Mainwaring

“The past year’s results show incredible success and progress for a company that has been around for a while but has new energy. They showed exceptional results in CSER, HR and learning, food, wellbeing, food waste and nutrition, as well as great commercial success.” Phil Roker

“A really strong entry with lots of great examples of innovation, and an impressive year of growing the top line and the bottom line at the same time. I love the fact that 27% of company profits are paid out to the team.” Amanda Ciraulo

People & Training Award – Claire Huish

The People and Training Award recognised Claire Huish, our HR and Operations Director, for her people-first approach and the positive impact she continues to make across Bennett Hay.

Since stepping into her role earlier this year, Claire has driven a number of initiatives to strengthen career development, wellbeing and recognition across the business. These include the Community Management Training programme, designed to elevate guest experience across all client sites, and the Leadership Academy, which supports colleagues to grow into leadership roles.

Claire has also introduced Reelyze, a digital learning platform making training more inclusive; expanded mental health first-aid training in multiple languages; and delivered wellbeing sessions with Beanology focused on empathy, communication and resilience.

Her work extends beyond Bennett Hay too, inspiring future hospitality talent through outreach at Westminster Kingsway College and partnerships with local schools.

The judges described Claire as:

“A true ambassador for people, culture and training, holding a dual role and ensuring Bennett Hay remains a people-first business as it continues to scale.” – Jo Harley

“Implementing an approach that improves people culture through many initiatives, supporting a well-rounded strategy.” – Jules McEachern

Looking Ahead

Winning two Cateys in one evening is a proud moment for everyone at Bennett Hay, but above all, it’s a celebration of our people who bring our purpose to life each day.

As we look ahead, we’ll continue to build on this momentum, working with our clients and partners to deliver meaningful, sustainable experiences across London’s most inspiring workplaces.