There is a particular skill in making a large event feel intimate. The room may hold hundreds of people, the timings may be precise to the minute and a small army of chefs, planners, florists, technicians and waiting staff may be working behind the scenes. Yet, to the guest, none of that should be apparent.

The evening simply flows. A glass is topped up, food arrives at exactly the right moment and disappears just as efficiently, the lighting shifts almost imperceptibly and somehow everyone seems to know where they should be. That apparent effortlessness is anything but accidental.

For more than 40 years, By Word of Mouth has been creating events where food, hospitality and design come together seamlessly. From private celebrations and weddings to corporate occasions and large-scale dinners, the London-based company works across the UK and beyond, bringing together the many elements that turn an event into an experience.

Food remains at the heart of it. Menus are seasonal, with responsibly sourced ingredients and British produce playing an important role. Each dish is considered not only for flavour, but for how it will work within the occasion: the setting, the style of service and even what guests are likely to be drinking alongside it.

That becomes particularly important when the dining room is constantly changing. One evening might call for elegant canapés at a drinks reception, another for a carefully paced dinner for several hundred guests. Elsewhere, food might become part of the theatre of the event itself, presented through elaborate food bars or installations.

Whatever the format, the fundamentals remain much the same: good ingredients, skilful cooking and food that people genuinely want to eat.

Then comes everything around it. By Word of Mouth's planners can manage venue finding, event design and production alongside the catering itself. Marquees, flowers, entertainment, styling and lighting can all become part of the brief, allowing one team to consider how the individual elements will work together rather than treating them as separate parts of the occasion.

This is where the difference between catering and hospitality becomes apparent. A beautiful room isn't simply a collection of beautiful things. Lighting must work with the architecture. Flowers need to belong in the space rather than compete with it. Food, tables, drinks and service should feel as though they are part of the same idea. Most importantly, none of it should feel overworked.

The same principle applies to service. By Word of Mouth trains its team in-house, with waiting staff selected not only for their ability to do the job, but for the way they represent the company's approach to hospitality. Alongside its waiting teams, the company can provide butlers, event hosts and other specialist personnel.

Much of their work will barely register with guests, which is rather the point.

The best hospitality has a habit of disappearing into the experience. You remember the atmosphere of the room, the conversation around the table, perhaps a particular dish or the fact that your glass never seemed to be empty. You don't necessarily remember the choreography that made all of it happen.

After more than four decades, By Word of Mouth has built its reputation around precisely that choreography.

What happens behind the scenes has changed considerably, however. Modern hospitality is increasingly concerned not just with what guests experience, but with how that experience is created. Provenance, food waste, sourcing and environmental impact have become part of the conversation, particularly at the luxury end of the market.

That attention to provenance extends beyond the kitchen. Hildon Natural Mineral Water, bottled at source on the Hildon Estate in the Hampshire countryside, is a natural fit for an approach that places importance on where ingredients and products come from. Its understated presence on the table is also very much in keeping with the best event hospitality, carefully chosen, beautifully presented and there to complement rather than compete with the food.

In April 2026, By Word of Mouth became a certified B Corp, formalising an approach to environmental and social responsibility that the company says has long influenced the way it operates.

Some of its sustainability initiatives are pleasingly practical. By Word of Mouth was the first event caterer to use Orbisk, an automated food-waste measurement system that uses AI technology to identify and measure waste. The resulting data allows the team to understand where waste is occurring and make changes accordingly.

Even the micro herbs have had some thought. They are grown in the company's kitchens using EvoGro vertical growing technology, allowing chefs to harvest only what they need while reducing reliance on deliveries.

Its relationship with City Harvest London adds another dimension. By Word of Mouth supports the food redistribution charity through fundraising initiatives including its No Waste canapés, as well as volunteering and other charitable activity. The canapés themselves make use of ingredients that might otherwise be overlooked, with a donation made to City Harvest when they are chosen for an event.

It feels less like a separate sustainability programme and more like an extension of a food philosophy built around seasonality, careful sourcing and making the most of good ingredients.

Perhaps that also says something about the way luxury hospitality is changing. Abundance for its own sake feels increasingly dated. Knowing where something comes from, choosing quality over quantity and avoiding unnecessary waste can feel considerably more luxurious than excess.

Four decades is a long time in hospitality. Trends have come and gone, menus have changed and clients' expectations have evolved. The fundamentals are rather more enduring.

Good food. Thoughtful design. Impeccable service. And people who understand that a memorable event is rarely the result of one spectacular detail, but of hundreds of smaller ones working together.

Perhaps that is the real art of entertaining. When everything has been done properly, nobody notices the work.

They simply enjoy the evening.