Greater London · England
Festival Paella Catering for Lewisham events
Love Paella cooks paella street food for festivals, fairs, markets and community events across Lewisham and Greater London, with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options.
- Charity and school events
- Sports club events
- County and country shows
Live festival paella catering in Lewisham
Running an event in Lewisham
Lewisham is about 3 miles west of Eltham, in Greater London. Anywhere in SE13, we can cook for your guests. Lewisham is one of 764 places in Greater London where we cook.
If you’re organising a summer fair or fundraiser for a school such as St Saviour's Catholic Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. Running a fête for a church like St Stephen's Church? A paella pan draws people in.
This part of Greater London takes in SE13, SE8 and SE6. Local streets include Station Road, Lewisham High Street and Lewis Grove; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. With the B220 close by, Lewisham is easy for us to reach. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Ladywell (1 mile south-west), St Johns (1 mile north-west), Hither Green (1 mile south-east), Blackheath (1 mile north-east) and Lee (1 mile south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover London (4 miles north-west), City of Westminster (7 miles north-west), Marylebone (7 miles north-west), Kensington (9 miles west), St Pancras (6 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (5 miles north-west).
Well-known places in the area include Fan Museum (1.2 miles north) and University Hospital Lewisham (0.6 miles south-west). The countryside around Lewisham includes Knight's Hill and Brookmill Road Local Nature Reserve.
- Schools near Lewisham include Prendergast Vale School (under half a mile north-west) and St Joseph's Academy (0.6 miles east)
- Pubs nearby include The Watch House (under half a mile south)
- Local facilities include Nunhead (1.9 miles west)
Festival paella catering in Lewisham, cooked live
The cooking is part of the show. Visitors stop to watch, take photos and come back for lunch. We are frequently asked to cater farmers’ and Christmas markets and open days, serving churros, seafood paella and vegan paella.
In Lewisham, community events include street parties, school fairs and markets. Public spaces usually need council permission, and we’ll send whatever the organiser needs. Timings are planned around your event, whether that is speeches, a lunch break or a festival schedule.
- Area
- Lewisham (SE13, SE8, SE6)
- County
- Greater London
- Special diets
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Add-ons
- Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff
- Quote
- Quoted for your event
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Before you choose a spot
We cook in large pans over gas burners, so we need a suitable spot. Here’s what we look for:
- Clearance from tents and gazebos
- Vehicle access before and after the event
- The event’s site rules and timings
Lewisham is in London, within the Ultra Low Emission Zone, and parking can be tight: let us know about permits, bays or off-street parking.
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise before you book.
Menu ideas
- Churros
- Seafood paella
- Tapas
- Giant paella pans
- Vegan paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
A closer look at the menu
Vegan paella
A proper vegan main, in its own pan.
Giant paella pans
It’s the huge pan people come to see.
How the day works
On the day, we set up the burners and pans and start cooking the sofrito and stock. The rice goes in about 20 minutes before serving, so the timing is planned around your event. For an evening event in Lewisham, sunset is about 8:50pm in late May and 9:20pm in late June; after dark, we need a lit pitch.
- First, we check the dates.
- We agree menu and pitch.
- We set up our burners and pans.
- Pans are cooking as gates open.
- We serve, then clear the pitch at the end.
How to prepare
- Tell us where to park and unload
- Have a gazebo or cover ready if rain is likely
- Have a level space ready for the pans
Ask for a quote
Not sure what you need yet? That’s fine: give us the basics about your event, and we will make suggestions. Start when you’re ready: send us your details through our quote form.
Read more
Lewisham questions
Which station should guests use for Lewisham?
Lewisham station, in Lewisham itself.
Do you trade at school fairs around Lewisham?
Yes, with the school’s permission. Send us the date, pitch and expected numbers.
Do you cook inside?
Indoors only where ventilation and the venue allow it. Courtyards, doorways and terraces frequently work.
Can vegans eat at your stall?
Yes. The vegan pan is cooked separately.
Do you need water?
Let us know what the pitch has and we’ll confirm our needs.
Can you cater for children?
Yes, children are easy to cater for. Tell us how many and roughly how old, and we will plan a pan with them in mind.
How many different paellas?
Typically two or three, so every guest has a choice. Tell us about your guests’ diets and we’ll suggest the mix.
Do you cover Lewisham?
We do. We cook at events in Lewisham and across Greater London. Send us your date to check availability.
Diets, allergies and planning
Few dishes handle mixed diets as well as paella, because each paella is cooked in its own pan. Here are a few tips for planning:
- Ask about peak-time capacity
- Check every diet is covered by the line-up
- Provide seating near the food
- Check traders’ packaging and waste plans
We set up at the agreed time, following your trader pack.
Tapas and churros can be added to a stall menu.
Should I cook it myself?
If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, have hot stock ready, and don’t stir once the rice goes in. Keep a clear zone around the burner.
Cooking paella for a crowd yourself is possible, but it’s harder than it looks. A big pan needs a burner that heats it evenly, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
Organising for someone else?
Hosting a party at home? Send us a picture of the garden and tell us about access, and we will tell you honestly whether live paella will work.
Events in public spaces, like parks, usually need permission. We’ll provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
Also near Lewisham
More for events in Lewisham
Paella compared with other options
Food that sits in a hot cabinet isn’t much to look at. A huge pan cooking in view sells itself. Cost depends on guest numbers, the menu and the courses, plus any staff, crockery and travel. Every event gets its own quote.
Why book with us
- Crockery and waiting staff if you need them
- Real theatre, not just catering
- Separate pans for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests
- A quote that spells everything out
See How we price Or The cost guide.
How we price festival paella catering
Two events with the same number of guests can cost different amounts, because of:
- How long we’re needed on site
- Distance and access to the venue
- Starters, canapés and desserts
- The number of people
Premium seafood costs more than chicken or vegetables, so your choice of paellas affects the total. Tell us your budget and we will suggest a menu.
What to tell us
We can quote more accurately with a few details. Here’s what to include:
- A picture of where we’d cook
- The courses you’d like
- The date and rough timings
- Roughly how many adults and children
It’s easy to get a price: share your date, venue, numbers and diets. We’ll come back with a clear quote.
- 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