Venue - Morley Old Hall
Catering at Morley Old Hall.
A moated Elizabethan manor house near Wymondham, reached down a tree-lined drive and wrapped in formal gardens. It is one of the most atmospheric backdrops in Norfolk for a wedding breakfast - and a genuinely lovely place to cook.
Morley Old Hall is a Grade I-listed manor house in the village of Morley St Peter, a few miles from Wymondham and about twelve miles from Norwich. Built in the sixteenth century and completely surrounded by its moat, it has the kind of history you can feel - a tree-lined drive, manicured gardens and reception rooms that have hosted guests for centuries. Few Norfolk venues give you this much character without you having to add a thing.
For the food, the setting does some of the work for you. Drinks and canapes land beautifully here - handed round in the gardens while photographs happen by the moat, or on the deck of the Orchard, the venue's entertainment space, which comes with its own bar and kitchen facilities. On-site accommodation for the wedding party means the day starts slowly and ends late, and the glamping meadow with its firepit is a lovely place for the last hour of the evening.
The practical detail that matters most for the menu: the Orchard's kitchen gives us a proper base to cook from, so plated courses can leave the kitchen hot and on time rather than simplified for logistics. It is worth knowing that larger weddings, and any celebration held in a tipi or marquee out on the lawn, will likely need additional kitchen equipment hire plus a refrigerated trailer - we will flag this early and cost it clearly in the proposal. Menus here can be as ambitious as anywhere - canapes on arrival, a plated modern British wedding breakfast or sharing platters down long tables, and proper evening food for the people still on the dance floor.
As ever, the menu is built around you rather than picked from a package. Ryan will talk through the shape of your day, the season and the rooms you are using, then write a proposal with the food, staffing and any bar service costed clearly in writing.
A day at Morley Old Hall
How it tends to unfold.
Drinks in the gardens
Guests come down the tree-lined drive to fizz, bottled beer and something soft handed round while photographs happen by the moat - Yorkshire puddings with pulled beef and horseradish, tempura prawns, honey mustard sausages, crostinis.
The wedding breakfast
Plated modern British courses or relaxed sharing platters - seabass with mash and dill pesto, chicken in a white wine sauce, minted lamb with dauphinois - cooked from the Orchard's kitchen and served hot, course after course.
The setting does the styling
A sixteenth-century hall wrapped in formal gardens needs very little added to it. Tracy's venue dressing works with the building - candlelight, seasonal flowers and finishing touches that sit comfortably in a house with this much history.
Evening food & the last hour
Hog roast rolls, mac and cheese or loaded fries at around nine, and the glamping meadow firepit for guests winding down. The Orchard's bar is already in place and we provide the service behind it; if the evening spills into a marquee or stretch tent on the lawn, we can bring a mobile bar unit out with it.
These guys provided the food and bar for our wedding and nothing was too much to ask. The food was served bang on time and was absolutely delicious, the bar set up was fantastic and all the staff treated our guests like royalty.
Morley Old Hall questions
The practical answers, plainly.
- Do you cater weddings at Morley Old Hall?
- Yes - and it is a venue we would genuinely relish cooking in. It is a Grade I-listed moated Elizabethan manor near Wymondham, and the combination of formal gardens, atmospheric reception rooms and the Orchard's entertainment space suits everything from canapes on the lawn to a long, candlelit dinner.
- Is there a kitchen at Morley Old Hall?
- The Orchard - the venue's entertainment and dining space - has its own bar and kitchen facilities, which gives us a proper base to cook from. That means plated courses can be finished and sent out hot and on time, and menus don't need to be simplified for logistics. Larger weddings, and any celebration held in a tipi or marquee on the lawn rather than in the Orchard, will likely require additional kitchen equipment hire plus a refrigerated trailer - we will let you know if your numbers call for it and include it in the written proposal.
- Who provides the bar?
- The Orchard has its own bar, and we can provide the service there - fully staffed, stocked and run by us, so there is nothing extra for you to organise. If you decide on a marquee or stretch tent in the garden instead, we can provide one of our mobile bar units for outdoor service, including glassware, staff and the Temporary Events Notice where one is needed.
- What does catering at Morley Old Hall cost?
- Every event is quoted individually. As a guide, two courses with canapés start at £59 per guest and include service staff, crockery, cutlery and glassware, plus table linen if required, with any bar service shown separately so the proposal is transparent. Because Morley Old Hall is over an hour from our base in South Wootton there is a small additional travel charge, and if your event calls for it there may also be costs for kitchen equipment hire - both will be set out clearly in your written proposal.
- How far ahead should we book the catering?
- Twelve to eighteen months ahead is comfortable, particularly for summer Saturdays, when the moated gardens are at their best. Midweek and winter dates can often be arranged at shorter notice, so it is always worth asking.
Planning a wedding at Morley Old Hall?
Tell us the date and the numbers - Ryan will come back to you personally with a menu and a proposal shaped around your day at the Hall.