West Sussex · England
Corporate paella catering in Ardingly, West Sussex
Paella catering for office lunches, staff parties, team days and client events in Ardingly: paella made from scratch in big, shallow pans, right in front of your guests.
- Charity days
- Customer events
- Team lunches
Corporate paella catering in Ardingly
About our corporate paella catering in Ardingly
Work events are diverse, and food can easily leave people out. Separate pans for meat, seafood, vegetarian and vegan paella mean everyone eats together. On the menu are Spanish desserts, canapé tapas and paella lunches, and we are regularly asked to cater office lunches and away days and team days.
Team away days in the countryside around Ardingly suit live paella: no kitchen needed, just level ground and access. Every pan is cooked in front of your guests, so the food is hot, fresh and part of the occasion.
- Location
- Ardingly (RH17)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Diets
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Also available
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Price
- Quoted for your event
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Is live paella right for your work event?
Buffets can leave food sitting out. Paella is served hot as soon as it’s ready. If you have a budget in mind, tell us, and we’ll suggest a menu to match. Even a simple menu can be a feast.
Why Ardingly hosts choose us
- Drinks service on request
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- Served hot, straight from the pan
- A quote that spells everything out
Common questions in Ardingly
Can you cook at venues in the High Weald National Landscape?
Yes. Some venues there have rules about vehicles, ground and cooking, so check with yours. We’ll work to whatever the site needs.
Do you come out to small places like Ardingly?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Let us know about access and parking.
Can you send documents to our venue?
Tell us what your venue or facilities team needs, and we will provide it.
Can you cook halal paella?
Yes, we do. We use halal chicken and leave out pork and alcohol, in its own pan.
Can you do sangria?
Yes, sangria. We can also supply bar staff for your own drinks.
Can we add tapas or canapés?
Yes. Canapé tapas with the drinks, or table tapas to share, while the rice is cooking.
Can you provide dessert?
Yes. Spanish desserts such as churros or crema catalana.
What space do you need to cook?
Level ground for the burners, pans and a table, in the open air or a ventilated covered area, and the venue’s permission for live cooking.
Planning a team event in Ardingly
Ardingly is about 3 miles north of Haywards Heath, in West Sussex. We cook at work events in homes, gardens and venues in Ardingly and the surrounding area. Ardingly is one of 371 places in West Sussex where we cook. Our events stretch from Ardingly to Brighton (about 15 miles away).
Historic houses near Ardingly include Priest House (2.2 miles north-east) and Gravetye Manor (3.1 miles north). Estates and historic houses can make memorable settings for client events, but they normally set strict rules for caterers. Ardingly is about 31 miles from central London, so it’s a practical spot for away days and team events. The High Weald National Landscape is within about 7 miles, which suits team away days in the countryside.
We cater work events across the RH17 postcode area. That could mean a work event in a garden on High Street, Munnion Road and Price Way or the roads around them. If your venue is just outside Ardingly, we also cover Little London (1 mile north), Highbrook (1 mile north-east), Lindfield (2 miles south), Horsted Keynes (2 miles east) and West Hoathly (2 miles north-east). We also cook in nearby towns such as Crawley (6 miles north-west), Horsham (10 miles west), Haywards Heath (3 miles south), Burgess Hill (7 miles south), East Grinstead (6 miles north-east) and Broadfield (6 miles north-west).
Other landmarks nearby include Waterbury Castle (2 miles east) and Princess Royal Hospital (3.9 miles south). Open spaces near Ardingly include Blunts Wood and Paiges Meadow.
- Nearby, you will find The Ardingly Inn (less than half a mile north-east)
Towns and villages near Ardingly
Also in Ardingly
The process
Serving is fast: the paella goes straight from the pan to the plate, so large groups are fed quickly. When service is finished, we pack down. After-work summer parties in Ardingly have daylight until about 9:20pm in late June and 7:05pm in late September; for winter events, dark by about 3:55pm, we need lighting.
- We check the date and venue.
- You choose paellas, canapés and extras.
- We send any documents your venue needs.
- Your team watches the paella cook.
- It’s served quickly, then we pack down.
How to prepare
- Confirm the venue is happy with live cooking
- Ensure we can park close by to unload
- Give us a contact for the day
Getting a price
Most quotes start with a few simple details: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. You can use our quote form.
Planning help
Dishes our guests love
Vegan and vegetarian pans
A real main for vegetarians and vegans, in its own pan.
Paella lunches
Paella is a quick, hot lunch for a crowd, with every diet covered.
Dietary needs and planning tips
With a little notice, every diet is easy. We suggest:
- Give us diet totals and allergy details
- Ask staff about diets in advance
- Ensure there are plenty of soft drinks
- Check the building or venue allows live cooking
Staff can circulate with canapés or bowls, so guests can network while they eat.
Sangria and bar staff for drinks you provide.
Prices and what affects them
We’ll give you a clear, itemised quote. The main things that affect it are:
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
- The paellas you choose
- How many courses
- The length of service
Live paella pricing depends on the event. A garden party lunch and a full wedding menu are very different jobs. We itemise everything in your quote.
What we need to know
For a quote, it helps to have:
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
- The courses you’d like
- Where the event is
- The date and rough timings
Still deciding on the menu? No problem: tell us about the occasion and the guests, and we will suggest a menu. To start, send us your details through our quote form.
Occasions we cook for in Ardingly
It gets colleagues talking around the pans.
Big or small, live paella works well. Common bookings include:
- Client hospitality
- Team-building days
- Summer parties for staff
- Charity days
For staff and clients coming by train, the nearest station is Balcombe station, about 2.5 miles west.
Questions to ask before booking
- The deposit and payment dates
- Whether travel is included
- The venue requirements
- A clear list of what’s included
For event organisers in Ardingly
If you run the same event each year, tell us your dates early, so we can hold the date.
For big numbers, we plan pans and serving points to keep queues short, so everyone eats promptly. Tell us how long you have for food.
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For larger numbers, mixed diets or a wedding, a caterer takes the pressure off, and keeps vegetarian and allergy-safe pans separate.
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
- Cooked live in giant pans at your event
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options
- Paella, tapas, canapés and desserts
- Sangria, bar staff, crockery and waiting staff