Surrey · England
Live paella catering in Abinger Common, Surrey
Planning paella catering in Abinger Common? We arrive with the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook in front of your guests.
- Naming days and family parties
- Anniversary celebrations
- Festivals, fairs and school events
Paella catering in Abinger Common
Abinger Common: your questions answered
Is Abinger Common close to London?
About 25 miles from central London, and we cover it as standard.
What’s the nearest station to Abinger Common for guests?
The closest is Gomshall station, roughly 2.4 miles away.
Does paella work for big events?
Yes. Big pans feed a lot of people, and service from the pan is quick.
Which paellas suit our guests?
Two or three is usual: chicken or mixed, seafood, and vegetable or vegan. See the sample menu.
How much space do you need?
A level space for the pans, burners and a serving table, outdoors or in a marquee or well-ventilated area, and the venue’s permission for live cooking.
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.
How long does the paella take?
We arrive well before serving to set up and start the stock. The rice itself takes about 20 minutes, timed around your event.
What areas do you cover?
London and South East England: Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Bucks, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight.
Paella catering in Abinger Common, made fresh on the day
Paella was made for feeding a crowd: cooked outdoors in a wide, shallow pan and shared. That is exactly what we bring to your event in Abinger Common. For retirement and leaving parties and wedding breakfasts and evening food, we can cook vegetable paella, black rice and mixed paella.
In a rural place like Abinger Common, the setting does plenty of the work: a paella cooking in a garden or field feels right at home. Let us know about access and ground conditions. Every pan is cooked in front of your guests, so the food is hot, fresh and part of the occasion.
Diets, allergies and planning
We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests. To make it work smoothly:
- Give us separate numbers for children
- Collect dietary needs with your RSVPs
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
- Have seats for most of your guests
Let the paella rest for a few minutes before serving, and that is when we invite guests up.
Tapas or canapés make a good start as the rice cooks.
Places near Abinger Common
Also in Abinger Common
Should I cook it myself?
Hiring a pan and burner is one option, but you will still need to source ingredients, prep and cook for hours. A caterer handles all of that.
If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, have hot stock ready, and leave the rice alone once it’s in. Keep a clear zone around the burner.
How the day works
Service is quick: we serve straight from the pan, so large groups are fed quickly. Afterwards we clear our cooking area away. Planning an evening event in Abinger Common? Sunset is around 8:50pm in late May, 9:20pm at midsummer and 7:05pm in late September; after dark, the cooking and serving areas need good lighting.
- It starts with your date, venue, numbers and any dietary needs.
- We put together a menu and a clear quote.
- We arrive early, set up the cooking area and start the stock.
- Your guests watch the paella cook, with any tapas served first.
- We serve from the pan, then clear our cooking area away.
Before we arrive
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
- Have a level space ready for the pans
- Leave space around the cooking area
Ask for a quote
We quote for each event separately, so the price fits what you actually want. To ask for one, send us your details through our quote form.
Related guides
Paella catering around Abinger Common
Abinger Common is about 4 miles south-west of Dorking, in Surrey. Wherever your event is in the RH5 area, we can cook for your guests. Abinger Common is one of 395 towns and villages in Surrey where we cook. Our nearest city page is Guildford, about 8 miles away.
Historic houses near Abinger Common include Polesden Lacey (4.2 miles north). Historic venues frequently limit cooking, so ask early if you’re booking one. For guests coming by train, Gomshall station is about 2.4 miles away. The Surrey Hills National Landscape is within about 2 miles of Abinger Common. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
We cover events in every part of the RH5 postcode area and the streets around it. Your event could be at a home on Glebe Lane, Leith Hill Road and Abinger Common Road. If your venue is just outside Abinger Common, we also cover Friday Street (1 mile east), Abinger Bottom (1 mile south-east), Coldharbour (2 miles south-east), Forest Green (3 miles south) and South Holmwood (3 miles east). Further out, we also cater in Guildford (8 miles north-west), Woking (11 miles north-west), Epsom (11 miles north-east), Horley (10 miles east), Redhill (10 miles east) and Ewell (12 miles north-east).
A little further out are Abinger Castle (0.5 miles north-west) and Mesolithic Museum (0.5 miles north-west). Not far away are Leith Hill and Silent Pool.
- Nearby schools include Hurtwood House (2.1 miles south-west)
- Nearby, you will find The Abinger Hatch Public House (under half a mile north-west)
For event organisers in Abinger Common
Planning an event for a club, school or charity in Abinger Common? Paella is quick to serve to a crowd and suits most diets. Tell us about the event and we will suggest a menu.
If you’re booking for a business, tell us how you’d like to handle the booking and payment, and we’ll talk you through the process. We are happy to liaise with facilities on access and timings.
A closer look at the menu
Seafood paella
The secret is a well-made seafood stock. Shellfish goes in towards the end so it stays tender.
Vegetable and vegan paella
The vegetable pan is a dish in its own right: peppers, artichokes and beans with saffron, cooked in its own pan.
Occasions we cook for in Abinger Common
Paella is one of the few dishes that handles mixed diets easily, thanks to separate pans for each version. Everyone gets the same kind of meal.
If you are planning any of these, we can help:
- Naming days and family parties
- Milestone birthday parties
- Retirement celebrations
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St James, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone.
Comparing caterers
- Whether travel is included
- The deadline for final numbers
- Space, access and power needs
- Plates, cutlery and napkins, or disposables
What we need at the venue
Most outdoor spaces and many venues work for live paella, but a few things matter:
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
- Outdoor space or a ventilated gazebo
- Clearance from fences, hedges, branches and anything flammable
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise before booking.
On the menu in Abinger Common
- Vegetable paella
- Seafood paella
- Mixed paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegan paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
What affects the price in Abinger Common
The price comes down to a few factors:
- Waiting and bar staff
- Starters, canapés and desserts
- Whether you need crockery
- The number of people
Travel, parking and access can affect the price, so it helps to tell us about your venue. The full price is confirmed before you book.
Details that help
The more we know about your event, the better we can plan. Try to include:
- The address or venue name
- The date and time of the event
- What the venue already provides
- The courses you’d like
The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote: the venue, the timings, the courses you’d like and any extras. To send your details, send us your details through our quote form.
- 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