Greater London · England
Festival Paella Catering for London events
Treat your guests to live paella at your event in London. Everything is cooked fresh on the day, then served hot from the pan.
- Sports club events
- Festivals
- Feeding crew and volunteers
Book festival paella catering in London
How our festival paella catering works in London
Paella eats well from a bowl with a fork, standing up or sitting on the grass. Whether it’s open days and community events and farmers’ and Christmas markets, we can cook chicken and chorizo paella, vegan paella and giant-pan paella.
In London, busy events need traders who serve fast; paella goes straight from pan to bowl. Everything is cooked from scratch at your event, never made in advance and reheated, and served the moment it is ready.
- Where
- London (CR0, E14, CR4, SW11)
- County
- Greater London
- Diets
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Extras
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Price
- Ask us for a quote
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Space, weather and the venue
Safety and good cooking both depend on the spot we use. We look for:
- Clearance from tents and gazebos
- A level pitch on firm ground
- The event’s site rules and timings
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we will tell you honestly.
What we offer
- Tapas
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Churros
- Seafood paella
- Vegan paella
- Giant paella pans
DIY paella versus live catering
Doing it yourself saves money, but the host ends up stuck at the stove. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
Some hosts like to cook themselves. The usual problems are a pan too big for the burner, too much rice and stirring once the rice is in. If you’d rather be with your guests, we’ll do the cooking.
What else we do in London
What’s in the pans
Vegan paella
Vegan paella cooked separately.
Chicken & chorizo paella
A crowd-pleaser for meat eaters.
Dietary needs and planning tips
Few dishes handle mixed diets as well as paella, because each paella is cooked in its own pan. A few tips:
- Check every diet is covered by the line-up
- Ask for allergen information at each stall
- Schedule crew meals
- Agree waste arrangements with traders
Crew meals are served at set times.
Bowls and forks for eating on the go.
Step by step
We get there well before serving, unload, set up the burners and prepare the stock. Your guests are welcome to watch as the paella takes shape. At midsummer, events in London stay light until about 9:20pm, which helps evening trading. For winter markets, dark by about 3:55pm, the pitch needs lighting.
- Tell us about the event, the crowd and the pitch.
- We reply with our menu, prices for visitors and requirements.
- We send the documents the event asks for.
- We time the first pans for the lunchtime rush.
- When trading ends, the pitch is cleared and left clean.
Preparing for the day
- Confirm the venue is happy with live cooking
- Arrange parking near the cooking spot
- Leave space around the cooking area
Ask for a quote
Each quote is tailored to your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we will check availability at the same time.
Related guides
Planners, venues and businesses
If you run the same event each year, tell us your dates early, so we can hold the date.
Many venues have rules for outside caterers: where cooking is allowed, access times and the paperwork they need. Send us your venue’s requirements and we will follow them.
Running an event in London
London is in Greater London. From the centre of London to the outskirts, festival paella catering works the same way: live cooking, separate pans for every diet and a clear price. We cater in 764 places in Greater London.
If you are organising a summer fair or fundraiser for a school such as Charles Dickens Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. If your event is in Newington Gardens, the organiser will need the landowner’s permission; we’ll supply our paperwork.
This part of Greater London takes in CR0, E14, CR4 and SW11. That could mean an event in a garden on Walcot Square, Surrey Square and Sutherland Square or the roads around them. London is on the A2 and A10, which makes it straightforward to bring the equipment. If your venue is just outside London, we also cover Walworth (1 mile south), Bermondsey (1 mile east), Camberwell (2 miles south), South Bermondsey (2 miles south-east) and Surrey Canal (2 miles south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover City of Westminster (3 miles west), Marylebone (3 miles north-west), Kensington (5 miles west), Walthamstow (7 miles north-east), Hampstead (5 miles north-west) and Ruislip (14 miles west). As one of the bigger places in Greater London, London has lots of places to hold an event.
A little further out are Gabriel's Wharf (0.8 miles north-west) and Museum of Life Sciences (under half a mile north-east). Open spaces near London include Bellenden Road Nature Garden and St. James's Park Lake.
- Nearby schools include London School of Musical Theatre (under half a mile west) and Ark Globe Academy (less than half a mile south)
- Pubs nearby include Trinity Arms Public House (less than half a mile south-east)
- Parks and local facilities nearby include The BFI Reuben Library (1 mile north-west) and County of London (1.1 miles north)
FAQs for London
What’s the nearest station to London for guests?
Elephant & Castle station, in London itself.
Can you cook in Newington Gardens?
Only if the landowner, generally the council, allows it. Check with them, and we will provide our paperwork.
How long do you need on site?
We arrive well before serving to set up and start the stock. Once the rice goes in, it takes about 20 minutes, and we time it to your schedule.
How do you work out quantities?
We size the pans for your numbers and the rest of the menu. Let us know about any other food. Our guide to portions explains more.
Do you offer halal options?
We can. Tell us how many guests need halal food, and we will cook a separate pan.
Can you do gluten-free paella?
Yes, on request. Rice is naturally gluten-free, but stock and some ingredients may not be, so we make a separate gluten-free pan.
Can we add tapas or canapés?
Of course. Canapés with drinks or tapas for the tables, while the rice is cooking.
Should we have more than one paella?
Normally two or three, so every guest has a choice. Tell us about your guests’ diets and we will suggest the mix.
Prices and what affects them
Every event is priced individually, based on a few main things:
- Whether you need crockery
- The paellas you choose
- Travel, parking and access
- How many guests are eating
Premium seafood costs more than chicken or vegetables, so your choice of paellas affects the total. We will suggest options to suit your budget.
What we need to know
For a quote, it helps to have:
- What the venue already provides
- Where the event is
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- Your date and when you want to eat
The quickest way to a quote is to fill in our quote form. Give us the details of your event, and we’ll put together a menu and price.
Why live cooking beats a buffet
Most stalls cook to order. Paella is batch-cooked and served fast, keeping queues short. There is no one-size-fits-all price for live paella. A simple paella lunch costs less than a wedding with canapés, three paellas and waiting staff. We itemise everything in your quote.
Why us?
- Real theatre, not just catering
- No hidden extras in your quote
- Paella cooked from scratch on site
- We cover London and the whole of Greater London
- 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