Portsmouth · England
Festival Paella Catering in Portsea
Treat your guests to live paella at your event in Portsea. We cook from scratch on site, then served hot from the pan.
- Sports club events
- Open days and community events
- County and country shows
Planning an event in Portsea?
Festival paella catering in Portsea, made fresh on the day
The cooking is part of the show. People stop, watch and come back to eat. Typical bookings include feeding crew and volunteers and farmers’ and Christmas markets, with churros, giant-pan paella and chicken and chorizo paella.
Around Portsea, a fête or summer fair suits a huge paella pan. Tell us about the pitch, ground and access. We plan the timings around your day, so the paella is ready when you want to eat.
- Where
- Portsea (PO1, PO12, PO5)
- Area hub
- Portsmouth
- Diets
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal
- Also available
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Price
- Contact us for a quote
- Last updated
- 23 October 2026
Portsea: your questions answered
Can you run a stall at a school fair in Portsea?
Yes, with the school’s permission. Send us the date, pitch and expected numbers.
Which station should guests use for Portsea?
Portsmouth Harbour station, in Portsea itself.
Can we add tapas or canapés?
Of course. Canapés with drinks or tapas for the tables, while the rice is cooking.
Can you cook in the rain?
A covered, ventilated spot keeps us cooking in the rain. We’ll talk it through before the day.
Can you provide dessert?
Yes. Churros, crema catalana and tarta de Santiago are popular choices, or you can serve your own cake.
Can you cook halal paella?
We can. Tell us how many guests need halal food, and we’ll cook a separate pan.
Will you have a stall at our event?
Send us the details, and we will reply with our availability and what we need.
Do you cook inside?
Typically we cook outdoors or under a ventilated cover, since the burners are gas. Some venues have suitable spaces; we’ll check with you and the venue.
How it works
When we arrive, we set up the burners and pans and start cooking the sofrito and stock. Once the rice goes in, it takes about 20 minutes, so we time everything to your schedule. For an evening event in Portsea, sunset is about 8:55pm in late May and 9:20pm in late June; after dark, we need a lit pitch.
- Send us your event details and pitch information.
- We send our menu, needs and paperwork.
- We arrive and set up at the agreed time.
- We cook and serve throughout.
- We clear and leave the pitch clean.
Before we arrive
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
- Make sure we can park close by to unload
- Confirm the venue is happy with live cooking
Get a quote
Every quote is put together for your event. Tell us your date and guest numbers, and we’ll confirm whether we’re available that day.
Planning help
What festival paella catering costs
There are no hidden charges: the price is based on:
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- How long we are needed on site
- Parking and unloading
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
The cost per head typically falls as numbers rise, since the set-up is much the same either way. Tell us your numbers for an accurate price.
Getting an accurate quote
The more we know about your event, the better we can plan. Please include:
- The date and rough timings
- A picture of where we’d cook
- The address or venue name
- Diets and allergies you know about
Getting a quote is simple: tell us the date, place, numbers and any dietary needs. We will come back with a clear quote and a suggested menu.
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
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 at scale is tricky. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
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.
Dishes our guests love
Giant paella pans
The giant pan is the star.
Chicken & chorizo paella
A hearty, smoky pan.
Perfect for your event in Portsea
It covers several diets with one trader, which saves pitches.
We’re booked for all kinds of occasions in Portsea and nearby. Some of the most common are:
- Food and music festivals
- Village fêtes
- Christmas and farmers’ markets
- Open days and community events
School fairs, for a school like Portsmouth Grammar School, are a natural fit for a paella stall.
Comparing caterers
- What the price includes, item by item
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- How each diet is kept separate
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
Nearby places to Portsea
More for events in Portsea
Fairs, fêtes and events in Portsea
Portsea is about 1 mile south-west of Portsmouth, in Portsmouth. For festival paella catering in Portsea, we plan around your venue and timings: a clear quote, agreed timings and paella cooked live on the day. We cover 19 places in Portsmouth. Our nearest city page is Southampton, about 15 miles away.
For visitors coming by rail, Portsea has its own station, Portsmouth Harbour station. For a church fête or fundraiser, at a church such as St Ann's Church, a paella stall adds a hot meal to the cakes and tombola. The coast is within about 2 miles of Portsea, so for seaside events we plan a sheltered pitch, and seafood paella sells well by the sea.
This part of Portsmouth takes in PO1, PO12 and PO5. Local streets include Main Road, Park Road and Scott Road; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. Close by, we cover events in Portsmouth Point (1 mile south), Clayhall (2 miles south-west), Haslar (2 miles south-west), Alverstoke (2 miles south-west) and Privett (2 miles west). We also cook in nearby towns such as Hilsea (3 miles north-east), Wymering (4 miles north-east), Paulsgrove (4 miles north), Cosham (3 miles north-east), Drayton (4 miles north-east) and Farlington (5 miles north-east).
Other landmarks nearby include Tricorn Centre (0.8 miles east) and Southsea Castle (1.6 miles south-east). The countryside around Portsea includes Milton Locks and Portsdown Hill.
- Local schools include St Jude's CofE Primary School (0.7 miles south-east) and Charter Academy (0.8 miles east)
- Pubs nearby include The Ship & Castle pub (within half a mile west)
- Local facilities include Southsea (1.3 miles south-east)
Where we can cook in Portsea
Every venue is different, so we will ask about yours when you get in touch. Generally, we look for:
- Trader information and site rules
- Details of power, water and waste arrangements
- Room for our cooking and serving area
If you are unsure, send a picture of the space and we’ll say what we think.
What we offer
- Giant paella pans
- Seafood paella
- Tapas
- Vegan paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Churros
Paella compared with other options
For a stall that adds atmosphere, a paella pan delivers. Premium seafood costs more than chicken or vegetables, so your choice of paellas affects the total. We’ll suggest options to suit your budget.
Why book with us
- A clear, itemised quote
- Crockery and waiting staff if you need them
- Everything cooked fresh at your event
- Add tapas, canapés and Spanish desserts
Take a look at How we price Or What paella catering costs.
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.
If you are planning an event on someone’s behalf, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we’ll work directly with you and the venue. It keeps things simple.
- 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