West Sussex · England
Festival & event paella in Donnington, West Sussex
Treat your guests to live paella at your event in Donnington. Everything is cooked fresh on the day, and serve it straight from the pan.
- Christmas and farmers’ markets
- Festivals
- Community events and open days
Festival paella catering in Donnington
How our festival paella catering works in Donnington
The cooking is part of the show. Visitors stop to watch, take photos and come back for lunch. We are frequently asked to cater crew, volunteer and VIP catering and farmers’ and Christmas markets, serving seafood paella, giant-pan paella and chicken and chorizo paella.
Near Donnington, events may be far from shops and cafés, so a paella stall is a welcome sight. Each paella is cooked from scratch on the day, never made in advance and reheated.
- Where
- Donnington (PO20)
- Area hub
- West Sussex
- Dietary options
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Extras
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Price
- Contact us for a quote
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
Common questions in Donnington
Which station should guests use for Donnington?
The closest is Chichester station, roughly 1.6 miles away.
How far is Donnington from London?
About 56 miles from central London, and well within our area.
What happens if it rains?
A covered, ventilated spot keeps us cooking in the rain. We’ll talk it through before the day.
Do you provide drinks?
Sangria can be added, and provide bar staff to serve drinks you supply.
Can you serve tapas as well?
Yes. Canapés with drinks or tapas for the tables, served while the paella cooks.
Do you take everything away?
Our cooking area is packed away and left clean. Ask us about table clearing if you need it.
Do you need power?
We will confirm our needs once we know the pitch details.
How many different paellas?
Two or three covers most guests. We’ll recommend a mix based on diets.
Also near Donnington
Other catering in Donnington
Planning for every diet
Most events have a mix of diets. To plan for them:
- Book crew catering in advance
- Give traders a single information pack
- Provide seating near the food
- Check how many portions traders can serve
Allergen details are available at the stall.
A vegan pan alongside the meat and seafood pans.
What festival paella catering costs
Your quote will be clear and itemised. What affects it most:
- Parking and unloading
- Timings and hours
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
- The number of people
Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are optional extras, so you only pay for what you want.
What we need to know
To check availability and price, we need:
- A photo of the cooking space, if it’s a garden or field
- The date and rough timings
- Expected numbers
- The courses you’d like
The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote: venue, timings, courses and extras. To send your details, fill in our quote form.
What we need at the venue
The right spot keeps things safe and helps the paella cook evenly. We look for:
- Room for our cooking and serving area
- Clear information on power, water and waste
- Vehicle access before and after the event
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you honestly before you book.
On the menu in Donnington
- Giant paella pans
- Seafood paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Churros
- Vegan paella
- Tapas
Events we cater in Donnington
It feeds crew and volunteers well on a long day.
Almost any gathering can work with live paella. People in Donnington book us for events such as:
- Open days and community events
- Country shows
- Feeding crew and volunteers
- Village fêtes and summer fairs
If you’re organising a summer fair or fundraiser for a school such as Chichester High School For Girls, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
What your quote should include
- Allergen information for each dish
- How bad weather is handled
- Plates, cutlery and napkins, or disposables
- The deposit and payment dates
For planners, venues and organisers
If you’re booking for a business, tell us how you’d like to handle the booking and payment, and we’ll talk you through the process. We can work with your facilities team on access and timings.
Throwing a party at home? Send us a photo of the garden and tell us about access, and we will tell you honestly whether live paella will work.
What happens on the day
We cook over gas burners in wide, shallow pans. We need a level, ventilated spot, which we agree with you beforehand. Evening events in Donnington have light until about 9:20pm at midsummer; after dark, we need a lit pitch.
- Tell us about the event and pitch.
- We confirm menu, pitch needs and documents.
- We set up on time.
- We cook and serve throughout.
- We clear and leave the pitch clean.
Before we arrive
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
- Choose a level spot for the cooking area
How to get 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 fill in our quote form.
Read more
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
Hiring a pan and burner is one option, but you will still need to source ingredients, prep and cook for hours. We take care of all of it.
Weighing up DIY against a caterer? Consider your numbers, your guests’ diets and your own time. Ask us for a quote and compare.
Why live cooking beats a buffet
For crew catering, sandwiches are easy but uninspiring. A hot meal keeps crew happy. Seafood and premium ingredients cost more than chicken or vegetable paellas, so the menu you choose affects the price. Tell us your budget and we will suggest a menu.
Why Donnington hosts choose us
- Everything cooked fresh at your event
- A quote that spells everything out
- Sangria and bar staff available
- Options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in its own pan
Take a look at Our pricing And Our guide to catering costs.
Running an event in Donnington
Donnington is about 2 miles south of Chichester, in West Sussex. Whether your event is in the middle of Donnington or on the outskirts, festival paella catering works the same way: live cooking, separate pans for every diet and a clear price. We cover 371 places in West Sussex. We cook right across the region, from Donnington to Southampton (about 27 miles away).
For a church fête or fundraiser, at a church such as The Parish Church of St George, a paella stall adds a hot meal to the cakes and tombola. For visitors coming by rail, the nearest station is Chichester station, about 1.6 miles north. With the sea within about 6 miles, we plan shelter from the wind for coastal events, and seafood paella sells well by the sea.
Anywhere in PO20, we can bring festival paella catering to you, from busy streets to quiet lanes. You will find Donnington on the B2201, so it is easy for us to reach with the van and pans. We also cook at events in Hunston (1 mile east), North Mundham (1 mile east), Runcton (2 miles east), Chichester (2 miles north) and Portfield (2 miles north-east). We also cook in nearby towns such as Bognor Regis (5 miles east), Selsey (5 miles south), Littlehampton (11 miles east), Emsworth (7 miles north-west), Rustington (12 miles east) and Angmering (14 miles east).
Nearby you’ll also find Chichester Cathedral Treasury (1.8 miles north) and St Richard's Hospital (2.5 miles north). Open spaces near Donnington include Nutborne Marshes.
- Pubs nearby include The Blacksmith's Arms Public House (under half a mile south-west)
- 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