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How Many Heat Lamps Does a Carvery or Servery Counter Need?

How Many Heat Lamps Does a Carvery or Servery Counter Need? — Craven Cooling

How Many Heat Lamps Does a Carvery or Servery Counter Need?: The Complete UK Guide (2026)

The short answer: plan for roughly one heat lamp head per carving or plating station, covering a 450–600mm span of counter, mounted 350–500mm above the food. A 1.8m carvery counter with two carving joints and a plating point typically needs three lamp heads — a double lamp plus a single, or three singles. But the honest, longer answer is the one that matters for food safety: heat lamps are a surface top-up, not a hot-holding system. They keep already-hot food glistening and appetising at the pass; they do not reliably raise or hold the 63°C core temperature the law requires. This guide gives you the coverage maths, mounting geometry, single-versus-double decision, wattage and energy per service, and — critically — how to combine lamps with chafers or a heated gantry so your counter both looks the part and passes an inspection.

Key Facts: Heat Lamps for Carvery & Servery (UK, 2026)
  • Coverage rule of thumb: one lamp head per carving/plating station, covering roughly a 450–600mm span of counter. A double lamp covers ~two stations or a ~900mm–1m run.
  • Mounting height: 350–500mm above the food surface for most quartz/halogen heads. Too high and the heat spreads thin and weak; too low and it dries and browns the food. Adjustable-height mounts earn their keep.
  • Heat lamps are surface top-up, not hot-holding: they radiate heat onto the surface of food that is already at temperature. They do not reliably hold a 63°C core through a deep tray — that is the job of a chafer, bain marie or heated well. Probe the core; do not trust the glow.
  • The 63°C rule still applies at the pass: under the Food Safety (Temperature Control) Regulations 1995 and retained Regulation (EC) 852/2004, food held hot for service must be at 63°C or above at the core. Heat lamps assist this; they do not deliver it alone.
  • Single vs double lamp: a single head suits one carving joint or a plating point; a double head covers a wider run or two adjacent stations, and costs less per head than buying two singles.
  • Wattage per zone: typical quartz/halogen carvery heads run around 250–500W each. Budget wattage per station and total it for the counter to size the circuit.
  • Combine, don’t rely: the correct carvery pass is lamps over chafers or a heated gantry — chafers/wells hold the 63°C core in the tray, lamps keep the carved surface and plated portions hot and glistening on top.
  • Prices (stocked, + VAT): Steelite Creations Modern Single Heat Lamp £382.25 + VAT; Modern Double Heat Lamp £580.17 + VAT; Steelite Creations Rectangular Chafing Dish with stand £454.52 + VAT.

“How many heat lamps do I need?” sounds like a simple counting exercise, and the coverage maths genuinely is straightforward. The part buyers get wrong is what a heat lamp is for. A carvery pass that relies on lamps alone to keep food hot will fail an EHO probe, because radiant lamps warm the surface but let the core of a deep tray drift below 63°C. This guide is for the trade buyer specifying a carvery, servery or buffet pass — carveries, hotels, pubs, care homes, contract caterers, and function venues. It gives you the “how many” answer with worked examples, then makes sure the counter you build actually holds temperature. Browse the full Craven Cooling range when ready.

Browse now: View heat lamps and heated display at Craven Cooling →
Table of Contents
450–600mm Counter span one heat lamp head comfortably covers at the right mounting height
63°C Core temperature food must stay above at the pass — the job of the chafer, not the lamp
£382.25 + VAT — Steelite Creations Modern Single Heat Lamp stocked at Craven Cooling
🔥
The mistake that fails a carvery inspection: trusting the glow A heat lamp radiates onto the surface of food. It makes a joint of beef glisten and keeps a carved slice hot on the plate, but it does almost nothing for the core of a deep tray of roast potatoes sitting underneath. Operators who rely on lamps alone probe the surface, read 70°C, and never check that the middle of the tray has drifted to 55°C. When the EHO probes the core and it reads below 63°C, that is a straight infraction. Lamps top up the surface; a chafer, bain marie or heated well holds the core. You need both — and you probe the core, not the glow.
£0.27 per kWh — average UK non-domestic electricity rate used throughout this guide

Decision 1: What a Heat Lamp Actually Does — and Doesn’t

Before you count lamps, understand the physics, because it decides everything else. A carvery heat lamp is a radiant surface warmer. The quartz or halogen element throws infrared heat downward onto whatever sits under it, warming the exposed surface directly in the beam. That is exactly what you want for a carving joint or a plated portion: a warm, glistening surface, no cold skin forming, food that looks and eats hot at the moment of service.

What a lamp does not do is heat by convection or conduction into the mass of the food. The beam warms the top few millimetres; below that, the food coasts on the heat it already had when it left the oven or chafer. For a thin carved slice on a plate under a lamp, that is fine for a few minutes. For a deep GN tray of roast potatoes, peas or gravy, the surface can read hot while the core steadily cools — and the core is what the law and the customer’s safety depend on.

Table: Heat Lamp vs Chafer/Well — Different Jobs (UK, 2026)
Attribute Heat lamp (radiant) Chafer / bain marie / heated well
Heats Surface, top few millimetres Whole mass, through the tray
Best for Carving joints, plated portions, glaze/glisten Deep trays of sides, sauces, holding core at 63°C
Holds 63°C core? No — surface only Yes — that is its job
Visual appeal High — light and shine sell the carvery Functional — hidden below the lamp
Role at the pass Top-up + merchandising Temperature control + safety
The one-line version: a chafer keeps the food safe; a heat lamp keeps it looking good and tops up the carved surface. A great carvery pass uses both — the chafer or heated well under the tray holds the core at 63°C, and the lamp above keeps the carving joint and plated portions hot and appetising. Buy lamps to finish the counter, not to hold it.

Decision 2: Coverage Maths — How Many Lamps

Now the counting. Coverage is driven by two things: how many carving/plating stations you run, and the total span of counter that needs a warm zone. The working rule is one lamp head per station, each head covering a 450–600mm span at the correct mounting height.

Start by marking the counter into functional zones: each carving joint is a station, and each plating/pass point where staff assemble a plate is a station. Then count the heads: one per station, adding a head wherever a gap between stations exceeds ~600mm and would otherwise leave a cold spot.

Table: Lamp Count by Counter Length (typical carvery/servery)
Counter run Typical stations Lamp heads needed Suggested mix
~600–900mm 1 carving joint 1 head 1 × single lamp
~1.2–1.5m 1 joint + 1 plating point 2 heads 1 × double lamp, or 2 × single
~1.8m 2 joints + 1 plating point 3 heads 1 × double + 1 × single
~2.4m 2 joints + 2 plating points 4 heads 2 × double, or 1 × double + 2 × single
~3.0m+ 3 joints + plating + sides pass 5–6 heads Gantry with integral lamps, or multiple doubles

Guide figures assume 350–500mm mounting height and standard quartz/halogen heads. A very busy carvery plating fast may want an extra head to keep pace; a quiet servery may manage with one fewer.

Don’t stretch the coverage to save on lamps Mounting one lamp too high, or spacing heads over a metre apart, to cover a long counter with fewer heads is a false economy. The infrared throw spreads and weakens with distance, so a stretched lamp leaves cool patches where carved food loses its shine and plated portions go cold between the lamp and the diner. Size the head count to the stations, keep each head within its 450–600mm span, and the counter both looks right and serves right.

Decision 3: Mounting Height, Throw and Positioning

Two lamps of identical wattage can perform completely differently depending on how they are mounted. Height, angle and position over the food decide whether the beam does its job.

1
Mount 350–500mm above the food surface

This is the sweet spot for most quartz/halogen carvery heads: close enough to deliver a strong, even beam, far enough to avoid drying or scorching. Too high and the heat spreads thin and weak, leaving lukewarm food; too low and it browns the joint’s surface and dries carved slices. Measure from the top of the food, not the counter.

2
Choose adjustable-height mounts where you can

A tall standing rib of beef and a shallow tray of gammon slices need different lamp heights. Adjustable telescopic or gantry-mounted lamps let you tune the gap to the joint. Fixed-height lamps work if your menu is consistent, but a carvery that varies its joints benefits from adjustability.

3
Centre the beam over the carving zone, not the whole tray

Position the head directly above where the chef carves and plates — that is where the food is exposed and losing surface heat. A lamp aimed at the back of a tray of untouched joint wastes its throw. For a plating point, centre it over the spot where finished plates wait to be handed to the customer.

4
Keep lamps clear of sneeze screens and staff reach

Heads run hot. Mount them so a carving chef’s hands and arms clear the element and the guard, and so the beam is not blocked by a sneeze screen or gantry upright. On a self-serve carvery, ensure the customer side of the counter keeps guests safely away from hot lamp surfaces.

5
Allow for the throw pattern when spacing multiple heads

Each head lights a roughly circular/oval pool of heat. Space adjacent heads so their pools just overlap at the edges — no cold gap between them, no excessive doubling-up in the middle. For a continuous warm run, overlapping pools beat isolated hot spots.

Quick rule: at 350–500mm a single carvery head throws a warm pool roughly 450–600mm across. That is the geometry behind the coverage maths above — it is why one head equals one station, and why stretching the height to cover more counter simply weakens the beam.

Decision 4: Single vs Double Lamps and Wattage

Once you know the head count, the practical question is how to buy them: as single heads, double heads, or a mix. The decision is about span, flexibility and cost per head.

A single lamp is one head on one mount — ideal over a single carving joint or a single plating point, and easy to reposition. A double lamp puts two heads on one bar or mount, covering a wider run (roughly two stations or a ~900mm–1m span) from a single fixing, and it costs less per head than buying two separate singles. For most carveries the sweet spot is a double lamp over the main carving-and-plating run plus a single over a secondary joint or the sides pass.

Table: Single vs Double Heat Lamp (UK, 2026)
Attribute Single heat lamp Double heat lamp
Heads 1 2 on one mount
Covers 1 station, ~450–600mm ~2 stations, ~900mm–1m
Best for Single joint, plating point, tight counter Main carving-and-plating run, wide counter
Cost per head Higher per head Lower per head
Craven Cooling price £382.25 + VAT (VV4660) £580.17 + VAT (VV4662)

On price, the double is the value option per head: the VV4662 double at £580.17 + VAT is £290.09 per head, against £382.25 per head for a single. So if a run genuinely needs two adjacent heads, a double beats two singles on cost and on tidiness of fixing. Buy singles where you need one isolated head, or where flexibility to reposition individual lamps matters more than cost per head.

Wattage per zone and sizing the circuit

Typical quartz/halogen carvery heads draw around 250–500W each. To size the electrical supply, total the wattage across all heads. A three-head carvery (one double + one single) at ~375W per head is roughly 1.1kW; a six-head gantry counter can reach 2.5–3kW. That total tells you whether the counter runs on a standard 13A socket per lamp, needs a dedicated circuit, or (for large gantries) warrants a fixed supply. Always confirm the exact wattage on each unit’s data plate and have any fixed installation done by a competent electrician.

Table: Total Wattage by Counter Build (indicative)
Counter build Heads Approx total wattage Supply
Single joint servery 1 ~0.25–0.5 kW 13A socket
Pub carvery (double + single) 3 ~0.75–1.5 kW 13A sockets / dedicated circuit
Hotel carvery (2 doubles + single) 5 ~1.25–2.5 kW Dedicated circuit
Large gantry counter 6+ ~2.5–3 kW+ Fixed supply, competent installer

Decision 5: Combining Lamps with Chafers and Gantry

The best-looking carvery in the world will fail an inspection if the lamps are doing the holding. The correct build layers the equipment: something to hold the core at 63°C in the tray, and lamps above to finish the surface.

Lamps + Chafing Dishes

Most common carvery build
  • Chafers hold sides/sauces at 63°C core
  • Lamps top up carving joint and plates
  • Flexible, moveable, event-friendly
  • Probe chafer cores, not just the lamp glow

Lamps + Heated Gantry/Well

Fixed carvery counters
  • Heated wells hold GN trays at core temp
  • Integral gantry lamps over the pass
  • Built-in, tidy, high-throughput
  • Best for fixed hotel/pub carveries

Lamps + Bain Marie

Sauce/side-heavy menus
  • Wet or dry bain marie under the pass
  • Lamps over carving and plating only
  • Bain marie holds soups, gravy, veg
  • Deep-tray core stays at 63°C

Lamps Alone

Carving surface only — not holding
  • Only for a joint being actively carved
  • Never for deep trays of sides
  • Surface top-up, not core hold
  • Will fail a core probe if relied on

The workhorse combination for most UK carveries is lamps over chafing dishes. The chafer — fuel, electric or induction — holds the deep tray of sides at a 63°C core, and the lamp above keeps the carving joint and the plated portions hot and glistening. It is flexible, moves for events, and looks the part. For a fixed, high-volume hotel carvery, an integral heated gantry with wells and built-in lamps gives the tidiest, highest-throughput build. Either way, the principle is the same: something holds the core, lamps finish the surface.

The reliable carvery pass, in one sentence Chafers or heated wells under the trays to hold every side dish at a 63°C core, an induction or gel-fuel chafer under the carving board’s resting joint, and heat lamps above the carving-and-plating zone to keep the exposed surface hot and appetising — then probe the core of each tray at the start and through service, and log it. Looks the part, passes the probe.

Decision 6: The 63°C Hold Reality at the Pass

This is the section that keeps you out of trouble. UK food safety law is specific about hot holding, and it is measured at the core, not the surface a lamp warms.

Under the Food Safety (Temperature Control) Regulations 1995 and retained Regulation (EC) 852/2004, food kept hot for service must be held at 63°C or above at the core. Food held below 63°C is subject to the time limit for out-of-control food and must be used or discarded within the permitted window — you cannot simply leave it under a lamp and hope. The Food Standards Agency (food.gov.uk) publishes the hot-holding guidance and check sheets that inspectors expect to see completed.

1
Probe the core, not the surface

Insert a calibrated probe into the deepest point of the tray, not the glistening top. A lamp can show 70°C on the surface while the middle of a deep tray sits at 55°C. The core reading is the legal one.

2
Hold the core with a chafer, well or bain marie

Deep trays of sides, sauces and gravy need conductive/convective heat holding them at 63°C from below. Lamps cannot do this. Put every deep tray over a heat source, and use the lamp only to finish the carving and plating zone.

3
Watch the two-hour rule on any dip below 63°C

If food drops below 63°C, the clock starts. It can be held below 63°C for a limited single period before it must be served or discarded — check current FSA guidance for the exact allowance. There is no resetting the clock by reheating under a lamp.

4
Log it — the inspector wants the record

Record the core temperature of each tray at the start of service and at intervals through it, with who checked and when. Under your HACCP-based system this documentation is what turns “it looked hot” into evidence. An unlogged carvery is a mark lost at inspection.

Heat lamps do not hold food safe — say it out loud on the floor The most common carvery failure is a chef who treats the lamp as the hot-hold. It is not. A lamp keeps the surface hot and the display appetising; the chafer, well or bain marie holds the 63°C core. If your only hot-holding on a deep tray of roast potatoes is the lamp above it, that tray will drift below 63°C at the core and fail a probe. Build the counter so every deep tray sits over a heat source, and reserve the lamps for carving and plating.

UK Price Tiers — July 2026

Single Heat Lamp £382.25 + VAT Steelite Creations Modern Single VV4660 — one station / plating point
Double Heat Lamp £580.17 + VAT Steelite Creations Modern Double VV4662 — wide run, ~£290/head
Chafing Dish + Stand £454.52 + VAT Steelite Creations Rectangular VV3470 — holds the 63°C core in the tray
Heated Gantry / Wells POA Fixed carvery gantry with integral lamps and wells — sourced to spec

Heat Lamps & Chafers We Stock

The Steelite Creations range covers the two jobs at the carvery pass: lamps to finish the carving surface, and a chafing dish to hold the sides at a 63°C core. In stock July 2026, prices + VAT. For fixed heated gantries and wells, see our heat lamp and quartz heater range and hot buffet display range.

Single Heat Lamp
Steelite Creations Modern Single Heat Lamp Black 220V UK Plug VV4660
£382.25 + VAT — Craven Cooling price One station / plating point
  • Single radiant head, modern black finish
  • 220V, UK plug — plugs into a 13A socket
  • Covers ~450–600mm span at correct height
  • Ideal over one carving joint or plating point
  • 2-year parts warranty, UK & Ireland

The single-head choice for a compact servery or a secondary carving station. Keeps a carved joint and plated portions hot and glistening — pair it with a chafer to hold the tray core at 63°C.

View VV4660 →
Double Heat Lamp
Steelite Creations Modern Double Heat Lamp Black 220V UK Plug VV4662
£580.17 + VAT — Craven Cooling price Best value per head
  • Two radiant heads on one mount
  • 220V, UK plug — modern black finish
  • Covers ~2 stations / ~900mm–1m run
  • ~£290 per head — cheaper than two singles
  • 2-year parts warranty, UK & Ireland

The value choice for the main carving-and-plating run. Two heads from one tidy fixing, covering a wider span for less per head. The standard workhorse over a pub or hotel carvery pass.

View VV4662 →
Chafing Dish + Stand
Steelite Creations Rect Chafing Dish With Stand 572x432x298mm VV3470
£454.52 + VAT — Craven Cooling price Holds the 63°C core
  • Rectangular chafer, 572×432×298mm
  • Includes stand — self-contained hot hold
  • Holds deep tray of sides at 63°C core
  • Pairs under the heat lamps at the pass
  • 2-year parts warranty, UK & Ireland

The other half of a safe carvery pass. Holds a GN tray of roast potatoes, veg or gravy at a 63°C core while the lamps above finish the carving surface. Buy lamps and chafers, not lamps alone.

View VV3470 →
Building a fixed carvery gantry or heated servery? Craven Cooling stocks the Steelite Creations heat lamps and chafers, and sources fixed heated gantries, hot cupboards, heated wells and bespoke carvery counters to specification. Call 01792 732702 or email sales@cravencooling.co.uk with your counter length, number of carving stations and menu — or visit the Swansea showroom to see lamps and chafers set up side by side. 2-year parts warranty, UK & Ireland.
In this guide ↓
  • Key facts and the coverage rule of thumb
  • The six decisions that size a carvery pass
  • Lamp count by counter length, worked examples
  • The 63°C hold reality and how to pass a probe
  • Stocked Steelite lamps and chafer — verified prices
  • Energy per service and setup checklist
  • FAQ — eight buyer-objection questions answered

Energy Cost per Service Worked Example

A typical pub carvery pass: one double lamp and one single lamp (three heads at ~375W each = ~1.1kW of lamps), plus a chafer, running across a 4-hour Sunday carvery service.

Worked Example: 3-Head Carvery Lamp Pass, Cost per Sunday Service
Double lamp VV4662 (2 heads)£580.17 + VAT
Single lamp VV4660 (1 head)£382.25 + VAT
3 heads × ~375W = lamp load~1.1 kW
1.1 kW × 4 hr service × ~90% duty~4.0 kWh/service
4.0 kWh × £0.27/kWh~£1.08/service
Lamps over ~52 Sunday services/year~£56/yr in lamp electricity
Lamp energy is cheap — ~£1 per service. The equipment cost and the chafer are the real budget lines.

The headline here is reassuring: heat lamps are inexpensive to run — around a pound of electricity for a full Sunday carvery. The budget decisions are the purchase price of the lamps and, more importantly, the hot-holding kit underneath (chafers, wells or bain marie) that actually keeps the food safe. Do not skimp on the holding to spend on lamps; the lamps are the finish, the holding is the foundation.

The false economy: lamps instead of holding Because lamps are cheap to run and look impressive, it is tempting to buy more lamps and fewer chafers. That is exactly backwards. A carvery with beautiful lamps and no proper hot-holding will drift below 63°C at the core and fail a probe — costing you binned food and inspection marks. Spend first on enough chafers or heated wells to hold every deep tray at 63°C, then add lamps to finish the carving and plating zone.

All Heated Servery Kit We Stock or Source

Model / Category Job Covers / capacity Holds 63°C core? Trade price + VAT
Steelite Single Heat Lamp VV4660 ★ Surface top-up, 1 head ~450–600mm span No — surface only £382.25 + VAT
Steelite Double Heat Lamp VV4662 ★ Surface top-up, 2 heads ~900mm–1m / 2 stations No — surface only £580.17 + VAT
Steelite Rect Chafing Dish VV3470 ★ Core hold, tray of sides 572×432×298mm Yes — that is its job £454.52 + VAT
Heated gantry with integral lamps Fixed carvery pass Full counter run to spec Yes (wells) + lamps over POA — call for quote
Hot cupboards / heated wells Core hold, back-of-pass Multiple GN trays Yes POA — call for quote

★ = Stocked at Craven Cooling. Fixed gantries, wells and hot cupboards sourced to specification — tell us your counter length and station count and we will quote. Prices July 2026, + VAT.

Carvery Pass Setup Checklist

Ten minutes here builds a carvery that looks the part and passes the probe. Run through it before every service.

  • ✓
    Count stations, then heads — one head per station Mark each carving joint and plating point as a station; put a head over each, and add one wherever a gap exceeds ~600mm. A 1.8m carvery usually needs three heads.
  • ✓
    Mount lamps 350–500mm above the food surface Measure from the top of the food, not the counter. Too high spreads the beam thin; too low dries and browns. Use adjustable mounts if your joints vary.
  • ✓
    Put every deep tray over a heat source Chafer, heated well or bain marie under each GN tray of sides, sauces and gravy. Lamps do not hold a core — the holding kit does.
  • ✓
    Preheat the holding kit before loading Light gel fuel or switch on chafers/wells 20–30 minutes before service so the tray is at temperature before hot food goes in. Cold kit drags the food below 63°C.
  • ✓
    Probe the core of each tray at the start of service Calibrated probe into the deepest point — not the lamp-lit surface. Read 63°C or above before serving. Log the time, temp and who checked.
  • ✓
    Re-probe through service and act on any dip Check cores at intervals. If a tray reads below 63°C, the two-hour clock is running — serve, reheat properly, or discard per FSA guidance. Do not just leave it under the lamp.
  • ✓
    Confirm total lamp wattage against the supply Total the head wattages; a large gantry can reach 2.5–3kW. Fixed installations need a competent electrician and the right circuit — do not overload a single socket.
  • ✓
    Keep the record for the inspector Your HACCP-based daily log of core temperatures is the evidence. “It looked hot under the lamp” is not — the probe reading and the log are.
Ready to Size Your Carvery Pass? — 30+ years fitting out UK carveries, hotels, pubs and care homes. Tell us your counter length and carving stations and we’ll spec the lamps and holding kit; or visit the Swansea showroom to see Steelite lamps and chafers set up live. 2-year parts warranty, UK & Ireland, on stocked equipment. Browse Heated Display Call Sales — 01792 732702
See it live
Heat lamps and quartz heaters — in stock now
Browsing the whole range? See every option in this category → or call 01792 732702.
In Summary

Plan for roughly one heat lamp head per carving or plating station, each head covering a 450–600mm span at a 350–500mm mounting height — so a 1.8m carvery counter with two joints and a plating point needs about three heads, typically one double lamp plus one single. Single lamps suit one station; double lamps cover a wider run at a lower cost per head (the VV4662 double is ~£290/head against £382.25 for a single). But the decision that matters most for safety is understanding what a lamp is: a radiant surface warmer that keeps carved joints and plated portions hot and glistening, not a hot-holding system. Under the Food Safety (Temperature Control) Regulations 1995 and retained Regulation (EC) 852/2004, food held for service must be at 63°C or above at the core — and lamps do not reliably hold a core through a deep tray. Build the pass correctly: chafers, heated wells or a bain marie under every deep tray to hold the 63°C core, lamps above to finish the carving and plating surface, and a calibrated probe into the core (not the surface) with a logged HACCP record. Lamp energy is cheap (~£1 per Sunday service at £0.27/kWh); do not skimp on holding to spend on lamps. Craven Cooling stocks the Steelite Creations Modern Single Heat Lamp VV4660 (£382.25 + VAT), Modern Double Heat Lamp VV4662 (£580.17 + VAT) and Rectangular Chafing Dish with stand VV3470 (£454.52 + VAT), and sources fixed heated gantries and wells to specification. Call 01792 732702 or visit the Swansea showroom.

Frequently Asked Questions

Plan one lamp head per carving or plating station, with each head covering a 450–600mm span at the right mounting height. A ~600–900mm single-joint servery needs one head; a 1.2–1.5m counter with a joint and a plating point needs two; a 1.8m counter with two joints and a plating point needs three (typically a double lamp plus a single); a 2.4m counter needs four. Add a head wherever a gap between stations exceeds ~600mm to avoid a cold spot. Don't stretch fewer lamps over a long counter — the beam weakens with height and distance.
No — this is the critical point. A heat lamp is a radiant surface warmer: it heats the top few millimetres of food that is already hot, keeping carved joints and plated portions glistening. It does not reliably hold the 63°C core of a deep tray, which the Food Safety (Temperature Control) Regulations 1995 and retained Regulation (EC) 852/2004 require. Use a chafer, heated well or bain marie under every deep tray to hold the core at 63°C, and reserve the lamp for finishing the carving and plating surface. Always probe the core, not the surface.
350–500mm above the food surface for most quartz/halogen carvery heads, measured from the top of the food rather than the counter. Too high and the infrared spreads thin and leaves lukewarm food; too low and it browns the joint and dries carved slices. If your menu varies between tall standing joints and shallow trays, choose adjustable-height or gantry-mounted lamps so you can tune the gap to each joint. At that height a single head throws a warm pool roughly 450–600mm across.
Buy a single lamp where you need one isolated head — a single joint, a plating point, or a tight counter. Buy a double lamp where a run genuinely needs two adjacent heads, because it covers ~900mm–1m from one tidy fixing and costs less per head: the Steelite double VV4662 at £580.17 + VAT works out at ~£290/head against £382.25 for a single VV4660. For most carveries the value build is a double over the main carving-and-plating run plus a single over a secondary joint or the sides pass.
Very little. A three-head carvery pass (one double plus one single) at ~375W per head is about 1.1kW; over a 4-hour Sunday service at ~90% duty that is roughly 4 kWh, or about £1.08 at £0.27/kWh. Across a year of ~52 Sunday services the lamps use only ~£56 of electricity. Lamps are cheap to run — the real budget lines are the purchase price and, more importantly, the chafers or heated wells that actually hold the food safe.
Layer them by job. Put a chafer, heated well or bain marie under every deep tray of sides, sauces and gravy to hold the core at 63°C, put an induction or gel-fuel chafer under the resting carving joint, and mount the heat lamps above the carving-and-plating zone to keep the exposed surface hot and appetising. Then probe the core of each tray at the start of service and through it, and log the readings. The chafers keep the food safe; the lamps make it look the part.
Typical quartz/halogen carvery heads draw around 250–500W each — the Steelite Creations lamps run on 220V with a UK plug into a 13A socket. Size the supply by totalling the head wattages: a three-head pub carvery is ~0.75–1.5kW and runs on standard sockets or a dedicated circuit; a five- or six-head hotel gantry can reach 2.5–3kW and warrants a fixed supply installed by a competent electrician. Always confirm the exact wattage on each unit's data plate before sizing the circuit.
Not safely for deep trays. Lamps alone only suit a joint being actively carved, where the surface is what matters. A deep tray of roast potatoes, peas or gravy under a lamp will have a hot surface and a core that drifts below 63°C — which fails a probe and breaches hot-holding law. Every deep tray needs a chafer, heated well or bain marie holding its core at 63°C. Buy lamps and holding kit together; the lamps finish the display, the holding keeps it legal.

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