Usually after a burial or cremation there’s some kind of gathering.
It can be as lavish or low-key as you want. A wild wake or a fireside toast. You could have people back home; ask family and friends to bring a dish. Get caterers in. Host the gathering in a local hotel, restaurant, cafe-bar, pub or the village hall. You could choose a venue that has some relevance to the life of the person who’s died – a gallery, theatre, the allotment, a bowling, golf or sailing club – their favourite restaurant. You might prefer to have a gathering outdoors: a marquee or picnic blanket on the village green, in the woods, on the beach. Have afternoon tea with everyone from the crematorium in the nearest hotel, then get the soup on later for close family back home or get into your jeans for Volkswagens at dusk on the coast with your best friends.
Traditional ‘purvy’ is often sandwiches, cakes and tea or coffee, maybe standing everyone a drink for a toast. According to Sun Life’s annual survey of funeral costs, the average cost of funeral catering like this is £319. It’s as you like it.