Southampton · England
Festival Paella Catering for Hillyfields events
Love Paella cooks paella street food for festivals, fairs, markets and community events across Hillyfields and Southampton, with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options.
- Open days and community events
- Sports clubs and race days
- Country shows
Planning an event in Hillyfields?
What’s in the pans
Seafood paella
Prawns, mussels and squid.
Chicken & chorizo paella
A crowd-pleaser for meat eaters.
Festival paella catering in Hillyfields, cooked live
Organisers can book us as a stall or as caterers for staff, crew, volunteers or VIP areas. Whether it is school fairs and fundraisers and open days and community events, we can cook seafood paella, chicken and chorizo paella and churros.
For events in a place like Hillyfields, one hot-food trader that suits most diets makes life easy. A paella stall does that. We plan the timings around your day, whether that’s speeches, a lunch break or a festival schedule.
- Area
- Hillyfields (SO16)
- Region
- Southampton
- Diets
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Extras
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Quote
- Quoted for your event
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Also in Hillyfields
What happens on the day
The paella is cooked in giant, shallow pans over gas burners. We need a level, ventilated spot, and we agree where that is before the day. For an evening event in Hillyfields, sunset is about 8:55pm in late May and 9:25pm in late June; after that, the pitch needs good lighting.
- Tell us about the event and pitch.
- We confirm menu, pitch needs and documents.
- We arrive and set up at the agreed time.
- We cook in full view and serve all event.
- We pack down and tidy the pitch.
Getting ready for the day
- Leave space around the cooking area
- Give us a contact for the day
- Check the venue allows live cooking
Get a quote
The quickest way to a quote is to send us your details through our quote form. Tell us about your event in Hillyfields, and we’ll suggest paellas and extras to suit.
Related guides
Is live paella right for your event?
For crew catering, sandwiches are easy but uninspiring. A hot meal keeps crew happy. Access and travel can make a difference to the cost, so it helps to tell us about your venue. Everything is confirmed in writing.
Why choose Love Paella in Hillyfields
- Options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in its own pan
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
- Everything cooked fresh at your event
- We cover Hillyfields and the whole of Southampton
Read How we price And Our guide to catering costs.
Events we cater in Hillyfields
It copes with peak times, thanks to big-batch cooking.
Live paella suits almost any gathering. People in Hillyfields book us for occasions like:
- Music and food festivals
- Sports club events
- County and country shows
- Open days and community events
For visitors coming by rail, Redbridge station is about 1.1 miles away.
What to look for in a quote
- Exactly what’s included in the price
- Travel and parking costs
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- What happens if it rains
Catering for every guest
Dietary needs are easy to plan for with a little notice. We suggest:
- Feed crew and volunteers at set times
- Ask traders about serving speed at peak times
- Provide seating near the food
- Put all trader information in one pack
If crew or volunteer meals are booked, they’re served at the agreed times.
Extra pans for busy periods.
For planners, venues and organisers
For big numbers, we plan pans and serving points to keep queues short, so guests are fed quickly. Let us know how long the food break is.
Planners and coordinators can contact us directly, and we will keep you updated on timings and set-up.
DIY paella versus live catering
Doing it yourself saves money, but the host ends up stuck at the stove. Booking us means you get the show without the stress.
If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, have hot stock ready, and leave the rice alone once it is in. And keep children and pets well away from the burner.
Hillyfields events: pitches and permissions
Hillyfields is about 2 miles north-west of Regents Park, in Southampton. Across the SO16 area, we can cook for your guests. We cover all 40 towns and villages in Southampton, from the larger towns to small villages.
If your event is in St James' Park, the organiser will need the landowner’s permission; we will supply our paperwork. If you’re organising a summer fair or fundraiser for a school such as Holy Family Catholic Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. Events in and around the New Forest National Park, within about 7 miles of Hillyfields, frequently have rules about vehicles, ground and waste; we work to the site rules. With the sea within about 4 miles, we plan shelter from the wind for coastal events, and seafood paella sells well by the sea.
Festival paella catering in SO16 is planned around your venue and your guests. Whether your event is on Maplin Road, Colne Avenue and Hayburn Road or anywhere nearby, we can cook there. With the M271 close by, Hillyfields is easy for us to reach. For events just outside Hillyfields, we cover Nursling (1 mile north), Maybush (1 mile south-east), Upton (1 mile north), Rownhams (1 mile north-east) and Coxford (1 mile east). Further out, we also cater in Southampton (3 miles east), Townhill Park (5 miles east), Midanbury (5 miles east), Thornhill (6 miles east), Chartwell Green (5 miles east) and Harefield (6 miles east).
A little further out are Marlands Shopping Centre (3.4 miles south-east) and Eling Experience (1.4 miles south-west). Open spaces near Hillyfields include Testwood Lakes.
- Nearby schools include Oasis Academy Lord's Hill (0.6 miles north-east) and Millbrook Community School (0.6 miles east)
How we price festival paella catering
Two events with the same number of guests can cost different amounts, depending on:
- How many staff you need
- Travel, parking and access
- The length of service
- Whether you need crockery
Compared with a plated meal, live paella is frequently good value, as there’s no kitchen to hire and fewer staff to pay. Ask us for a quote.
What we need to know
These details help us quote quickly:
- What the venue already provides
- A picture of the cooking space, if it is a garden or field
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, plus any dietary needs, and you’ll get a menu idea and a price. Just fill in our quote form.
Hillyfields: your questions answered
Can you cook at venues in the New Forest National Park?
Yes, though some venues in protected landscapes have extra rules; ask your venue. We will follow the site rules.
Do you trade at school fairs around Hillyfields?
Yes, with the school’s permission. Tell us the date and pitch details.
What documents can you send?
Tell us what the event needs and we’ll send it with our application.
Is the paella gluten-free?
We can cook a gluten-free paella in its own pan. Let us know about coeliac guests in advance so we take the right care.
When do you arrive?
It depends on the menu and numbers. We agree the timings in advance.
Which areas do you serve?
London and South East England: Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight.
When should we book?
As soon as you have a date. Popular dates book up first, so get in touch early.
Can you cater for vegetarians and vegans?
Yes, and they’re popular with everyone. Each is cooked separately, with its own stock and utensils.
- 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