Pitch to plate excellence at the UEFA Champions League Final

On the 1st June 2024, the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League Final lit up the iconic OVO Stadium Wembley in London. This pinnacle of European club football drew an excited crowd eager for both the game and a top-notch hospitality experience. Combining world-class sporting entertainment with our signature catering, Payne & Gunter seamlessly delivered an unforgettable affair for all attendees in Wembley Arena, a stone's throw away from the stadium.

Serving over 2,000 guests, we ensured a delightful culinary experience before and after the match. This included 1,950 guests in the lounge and 186 guests in the restaurant, showcasing our team’s expertise in handling large-scale, high-profile events with flair.

To service this world-famous sporting event, Payne & Gunter assembled an exceptional team of 315 experts to ensure flawless execution, including a selection of aspiring hospitality professionals from the Compass UK & Ireland Graduate Programme.

The lounge team, a robust 279-member squad, included 98 food wait staff, 98 drink wait staff and 39 chefs, among others, working seamlessly under the guidance of 8 supervisors. The smaller restaurant team showed equal efficiency and expertise and involved 19 food wait staff, 9 drink wait staff and 4 brilliant chefs. 

Our menus at the Champions League Final were a testament to our quintessentially British culinary approach. Guests in the restaurant enjoyed starters like Verjus-cured ChalkStream trout with Exmoor caviar and Burella and Isle of Wight tomatoes. Main courses featured 28-day-aged Hereford Red beef, grilled artichoke and truffle dumplings finished off with desserts including a tangy lemon verbena and raspberry mousse.

The lounge menu was more relaxed but equally as impressive, with offerings like truffle-stuffed gnocchi, tandoori chicken biryani and classic fish and chips. Post-match options included a selection of British charcuterie, steak and ale pie and an array of sweets like chocolate-dipped strawberries and mini lemon tarts. 

Every event we cater for gives us another shot at scoring big for the planet, reducing our carbon footprint and showcasing the all-star versatility of locally sourced ingredients.

As well as incorporating Payne & Gunter’s sustainability initiatives, UEFA had a set of Healthy and Sustainable Catering Guidelines that we smoothly wove into our event services, focusing on reducing environmental impact and promoting healthier food choices. We embraced these standards by selecting sustainably sourced ingredients, using preparation methods that minimised waste and energy use, designing menus that highlighted sustainable options and implementing thorough recycling and composting systems.

At Payne & Gunter, our innovative culinary creations are inspired by quintessential British cuisine and hospitality, and we can promise a five-star experience with lavish menus for any grand occasion. For more details about our services, why not talk with our lovely team?