Hampshire · England
Festival Paella Catering in Portchester
We cook paella street food for festivals, fairs, markets and community events in Portchester and nearby, with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options.
- Sports club events
- Food and music festivals
- School fairs and fundraisers
Book festival paella catering in Portchester
Dietary needs and planning tips
Dietary needs are easy to plan for with a little notice. Our advice:
- Ask about peak-time capacity
- Put picnic tables near the traders
- Feed crew and volunteers at set times
- Make allergen information visible at every stall
Crew meals are served at set times.
Larger pans for peak times.
Festival paella catering for your event in Portchester
Festivals, fairs, markets and community events are all on our list. Typical bookings include food and music festivals and seasonal markets, serving churros, giant-pan paella and seafood paella.
Village fêtes and summer fairs around Portchester are made for a paella stall. Send us the pitch and access details. Tapas, canapés, desserts, sangria and staff can all be added, so one booking can cover the whole menu.
Working with your venue
Venues often have their own rules about outside caterers: cooking areas, access times and documents. Tell us what your venue needs and we’ll work to it.
For repeat events, such as annual staff parties or seasonal fairs, let us know your dates early, so we can hold the date.
Paella compared with other options
Food that sits in a hot cabinet isn’t much to look at. Paella cooking in full view sells itself. Larger events usually cost less per head, because the cooking set-up is similar for different sizes of event. Give us your numbers and we will quote.
Why book with us
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
- Served hot, straight from the pan
See Our pricing And Our guide to catering costs.
Questions from Portchester
What about events near the coast?
Yes, with a sheltered cooking spot. Wind is the main issue on the coast, so we plan shelter.
What’s the nearest station to Portchester for guests?
Portchester station, about 0.5 miles north-west of the centre.
Can you do gluten-free paella?
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.
Do you take everything away?
We clear our cooking area away when service is finished. Clearing guests’ plates and tables can be added with waiting staff.
Is there a vegan option?
Yes. Vegan paella is cooked in its own pan.
How much is live paella catering?
It depends on guest numbers, the menu, the courses, staff and travel. Tell us about your event and we will send a quote.
Do you provide plates and cutlery?
We can. Tell us what your venue provides and we’ll include the rest in the quote.
Can we add tapas or canapés?
Yes, it’s the classic pairing. Tapas go out first, then the paella.
Planning the cooking area
We will agree the cooking spot with you before the day. It needs to meet a few simple requirements:
- Vehicle access before and after the event
- Your trader pack and site rules
- Firm, level ground
If you are unsure, send a picture of the space and we’ll say what we think before booking.
On the menu in Portchester
- Giant paella pans
- Seafood paella
- Vegan paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Churros
- Tapas
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right at scale is tricky. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
Hiring a pan and burner is one option, but there is shopping, prep and hours of cooking. A caterer handles all of that.
Fairs, fêtes and events in Portchester
Portchester is about 3 miles north-east of Gosport, in Hampshire. Give us the address of your event in Portchester, and we’ll plan access and set-up. Portchester is one of 683 places in Hampshire where we cook. Our nearest city page is Southampton, about 13 miles away.
School fairs, for a school like Castle Primary School, are a natural fit for a paella stall. For visitors coming by rail, the nearest station is Portchester station, about 0.5 miles north-west. The coast is within about 5 miles of Portchester, so for seaside events we plan a sheltered pitch, and seafood paella sells well by the sea.
We cook at events all over the PO16, PO6 and PO17 postcode area and the streets around it. Streets in the area include Cow Lane, Hill Road and Ralph Road, and we can cook for an event on any of them. Close by, we cover events in Boarhunt (2 miles north-west), Southwick (2 miles north), Elson (2 miles south-west), Wallington (2 miles west) and Priddy's Hard (2 miles south). We also cook in nearby towns such as Gosport (3 miles south-west), Havant (6 miles east), Eastleigh (13 miles north-west), Fareham (3 miles west), Horndean (7 miles north-east) and Chandler's Ford (15 miles north-west).
Well-known places in the area include Portchester Castle (within half a mile south-east) and Queen Alexandra Hospital (2.3 miles east). Green spaces nearby include West of the River Alver and Portsdown Hill.
- Schools near Portchester include Portchester Community School (under half a mile west)
- Pubs nearby include The Cormorant pub (under half a mile south-east)
Occasions we cook for in Portchester
One trader, many diets.
Live paella works for big and small events alike. Typical bookings include:
- Open days and community events
- Agricultural and county shows
- Charity and school events
- Christmas and farmers’ markets
Running a fête for a church like Church of St Mary? A paella pan draws people in.
Comparing caterers
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
- Whether travel is included
- Space, access and power needs
- What the price includes, item by item
Towns and villages near Portchester
Other catering in Portchester
Step by step
We cook over gas burners in wide, shallow pans. It needs a level spot with some shelter and good ventilation, and we agree where that is before the day. Evening events in Portchester have light until about 9:20pm at midsummer; after that, the pitch needs good lighting.
- Send the event name, expected visitors and pitch size.
- You get our stall menu and what we need on site.
- Paperwork goes over in good time.
- On the day, the pans are on before the busiest hours.
- At close, we pack down and tidy up.
Before we arrive
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
- Have a gazebo or cover ready if rain is likely
- Give us a contact for the day
Get a quote
Planning festival paella catering in Portchester? Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll come back with ideas and a quote. Just fill in our quote form.
Planning help
About the dishes
Vegan paella
A proper vegan main, in its own pan.
Seafood paella
A seafood pan with prawns and mussels for fish lovers.
- 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