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What Do I Need to Start a Mobile Catering Trailer in the UK?

by david nicholas
(North west greater manchester)

Grey twin-axle box catering trailer with a side serving hatch on a UK pitch

Grey twin-axle box catering trailer with a side serving hatch on a UK pitch

Good morning I am interested in starting a trailer catering with a pitch. I would like to know the following.

1 would I need a license/permit.
2 could I just turn up anywhere.
3 would I need a health and hygiene certificate.
4 would I need insurance.
5 would I need a gas certificate.

any other info I also need please.

Regards

David Nicholas.

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Aug 25, 2026
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by: MobCater

Starting with a trailer and a pitch is exactly how a lot of good businesses begin, and getting these five things clear before you spend a penny is the smart way to go about it.

You will need permission to trade, and no, you cannot simply turn up and set up wherever you fancy. In most of England and Wales that means a street trading licence or consent from the council that controls the land, and every council runs its own scheme with its own fees and its own list of approved spots. If your pitch is on private land, a pub car park, a farm shop or an industrial estate, you deal with the landowner directly and agree terms, though you may still need the council's blessing depending on where it sits. The first call you make should be to the licensing department at the council covering that pitch.

You also register as a food business with that same council, and you must do it at least 28 days before you start trading. Registration is free. You do not legally need a certificate to register, but in practice you want a Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene qualification behind you, because the EHO will expect you to understand safe temperatures, cross contamination and cleaning, and it makes your first inspection go far more smoothly. I would sort that early.

Insurance is not optional. Public liability is the one you cannot trade without, and most events and pitch owners will want to see at least five million pounds of cover. Add employers' liability if anyone helps you, and product liability for the food itself. A specialist mobile catering insurer will understand the trade far better than a general policy.

If you are cooking on propane, and most trailers are, you need a gas safety certificate from a Gas Safe registered engineer who is signed off for LPG and mobile catering. That certificate proves your setup is safe, and it is exactly what organisers and your insurer will ask to see. Never attempt the gas work yourself.

The thing that trips most people up is leaving all of this to the last minute, so give yourself a good couple of months, because the council registration alone wants its 28 days.

All the best

David

Disclaimer: This is general guidance for UK mobile catering and rules vary between councils, so always check with your local authority and EHO before you start trading. Gas work must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer, never yourself.

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