Winter Catering Essentials: Empire’s Top Warmers for Christmas Markets, Carveries & Festive Events

As winter arrives and festive bookings start piling in, the demand for reliable hot-holding and warming equipment becomes essential. Whether you’re running a Christmas market stall, a carvery serving hundreds of roast dinners, a hotel buffet, or a festive outdoor event, keeping food and drinks piping hot is crucial for customer satisfaction and food safety.

Empire’s Autumn & Winter Warmers Collection brings together the most effective hot-holding, heating and serving equipment for busy winter catering environments.

Why Warmers Matter for Christmas & Winter Catering

Maintain perfect serving temperature for long periods, even during peak service.
Speed up workflow by reducing the need to reheat or batch-cook constantly.
Improve food safety by keeping items above safe temperatures.
Boost customer satisfaction with consistently hot soups, drinks, sides and mains.
Ideal for outdoor or cold-weather events where maintaining heat is a challenge.

Top Empire Warmers for Festive Catering

Empire Commercial Soup Kettle Stainless Steel 10 Litres – EMP-SKSS

A winter staple for Christmas markets, pubs, cafés and outdoor events. Perfect for soups, mulled wine, curries, stews, gravy or hot sauce.

Large 10L capacity for high-volume trade.
Durable stainless steel construction.
Maintains steady heat throughout service.

Empire Manual Fill 30 Litre Hot Water Boiler – EMP-MWB30

A must-have for any winter event offering teas, coffees, mulled cider, hot chocolate or festive drinks.

Huge 30L capacity — perfect for continuous hot drink service.
Manual fill design makes it ideal for market stalls and mobile catering.
Robust stainless steel build for daily commercial use.

High-Volume Cooking Essentials for Christmas Kitchens

Empire Electric Convection Oven 108L Cook & Hold – YXD-6A

The ideal roasting and bulk-cooking oven for carveries, Christmas party venues and hotels serving large festive menus.

Massive 108-litre capacity for large batches of meat, vegetables and sides.
Cook & Hold function ensures perfect temperature until service time.
Reliable, even cooking — perfect for high-volume festive service.

Empire 4 Burner Heavy Duty Gas Oven Range – EMP-80-AS-24-L

A powerful multi-purpose unit for any busy winter kitchen needing both oven and hob cooking.

Four heavy-duty gas burners for sauces, gravy, veg and more.
Large oven underneath for roasting and baking.
Perfect as the central unit in any carvery or pub kitchen.

Empire Compact Electric Single Deck Pizza Oven – EMP-CSDOAS

For markets, street food stalls or venues offering festive pizzas, flatbreads, garlic breads or warm sharing dishes.

Stone deck for authentic crisp finishes.
Compact design — ideal for tight spaces or mobile setups.
Electric-powered for easy installation.

Hot Cupboards, Bain Maries & Heated Serving Equipment

These are essential for holding food safely at serving temperature during long Christmas services, buffets or outdoor events.

Hot Cupboards

Keep plates, meat, veg and sides hot and ready for service.
Ideal for carveries and hotel carvery units.
Essential for serving multiple sittings throughout the day.

Bain Maries & Heated Display Units

Perfect for buffets, self-serve counters and event catering.
Great for gravy, sauces, veg, stuffing, potatoes & festive sides.
Used widely at winter markets and street food sites.

Example Winter Catering Setup

Main cooking: 108L convection oven for turkeys, joints, vegetables and big batches.
Hot drinks: 30L water boiler for teas, coffees, mulled wine and hot chocolate.
Soup & sauces: 10L soup kettle for soup, mulled beverages, gravy or curry.
Carvery & buffet: Hot cupboards and bain maries for hot-holding plated meals and sides.
Market food: Pizza oven for festive flatbreads, snacks and hot street food.

Final Thoughts: Be Winter-Ready with Empire

Winter catering brings some of the busiest and most profitable service days of the year — but only if your equipment can keep up. Empire’s Autumn & Winter Warmers range gives you all the essential tools to cook, serve and hold food safely and efficiently, even in the coldest conditions.

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