Surrey · England
Live paella catering in Abinger Hammer, Surrey
Treat your guests to live paella at your event in Abinger Hammer. We cook from scratch on site, then served hot from the pan.
- Retirement celebrations
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
Paella catering for Abinger Hammer events
How our paella catering works in Abinger Hammer
Two or three pans side by side cover every guest: a meat or mixed paella, a seafood paella and a vegetable or vegan one. Each is cooked separately, so diets are easy to manage. Popular choices include vegetable paella, vegan paella and chicken and chorizo paella, and typical bookings are for engagement and anniversary parties and weddings and evening receptions.
In a small place like Abinger Hammer, events are generally in a garden, a field or a nearby hall. Country lanes and long drives are no problem if we know about them, and a firm spot near where we park makes set-up easier. Everything is cooked from scratch at your event, never made in advance and reheated.
Working with your venue
For repeat events, such as annual staff parties or seasonal fairs, let us know your dates early, so we can hold the date.
For big numbers, we plan pans and serving points to keep queues short, so everyone eats promptly. Let us know how long the food break is.
How it works
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. Evenings in Abinger Hammer stay light until about 9:20pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:05pm; after dark, the cooking and serving areas need good lighting.
- First, tell us about your event.
- You get a menu and an itemised quote.
- Timings, access and the cooking area are agreed in advance.
- We cook live on the day while guests watch.
- It’s served straight from the pan, and we clear our area afterwards.
How to prepare
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Name one person we can ask on the day
- Leave space around the cooking area
Ask for a quote
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, along with any dietary needs, and we’ll reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. To get started, use our quote form.
Related guides
A closer look at the menu
Paella Valenciana
Valencians take their paella seriously. The traditional pan has chicken, flat green beans and butter beans.
Vegetable and vegan paella
A vegetable paella is not an afterthought: artichokes, beans, peppers and saffron, cooked in its own pan.
Towns and villages near Abinger Hammer
Also in Abinger Hammer
Space, weather and the venue
Before the day, we’ll agree where we cook. It needs to meet a few simple requirements:
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
- Open air or a well-ventilated covered spot
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
Not sure about your space? Send us a picture and we’ll tell you honestly before you book.
What we offer
- Paella Valenciana
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan paella
- Mixed paella
- Vegetable paella
Questions from Abinger Hammer
What’s the nearest station to Abinger Hammer for guests?
Gomshall station, about 0.5 miles north-west of the centre.
Is Abinger Hammer too small for live paella?
No, we cook in small places too. Let us know about access and parking.
Do you cater for vegetarian guests?
Yes. Vegetarian and vegan paellas are cooked in separate pans.
Can paella be the only main course?
Yes. With bread and salad, paella is a complete main, and tapas or dessert can be added.
Are premium seafood options available?
Seafood choices are agreed when we plan the menu.
What equipment do you bring?
All cooking kit comes with us. Let us know what your venue has, like tables or crockery.
Do you have a kids’ option?
Of course. A simple chicken paella is typically popular with children. Tell us how many are coming.
Do you take everything away?
Our cooking area is packed away and left clean. Table clearing is available with waiting staff.
Diets, allergies and planning
We take diets and allergies seriously. Here’s how you can help:
- Tell us what else is being served
- Plan seating for most guests: paella is easiest eaten sitting down
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
- Make sure each pan is labelled
On the day, you shouldn’t have to think about the food. We arrive in good time, set up, cook and serve, and stay in touch with your venue about timings.
Bread, salad and lemon go well alongside and suit guests who aren’t big rice eaters.
Occasions we cook for in Abinger Hammer
There’s no kitchen needed, so it works in gardens, fields and marquees where other catering struggles.
These are some of the occasions we cater around Abinger Hammer:
- Birthday celebrations
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Weddings and evening receptions
- Summer garden parties
Thinking of a picnic-style party in Colekitchen Down? Public parks generally need permission from the council or landowner for cooking, so check first.
What your quote should include
- Allergen information for each dish
- The wet-weather plan
- When payment is due
- A clear list of what’s included
Should I cook it myself?
You can hire equipment and do it yourself, but there is shopping, prep and hours of cooking. A caterer handles all of that.
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 will do the cooking.
Abinger Hammer: venues, travel and local tips
Abinger Hammer is about 5 miles west of Dorking, in Surrey. For paella catering in Abinger Hammer, we plan around your venue and timings: a quote, a plan and live cooking on the day. We cook in all 395 towns and villages in Surrey, from the larger towns to small villages. You can also see our page for Guildford, about 6 miles away.
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Gomshall station, about 0.5 miles north-west. Historic houses near Abinger Hammer include Hatchlands Park (3.3 miles north-west) and Polesden Lacey (3.9 miles north-east). Historic venues frequently limit cooking, so ask early if you’re booking one. The Surrey Hills National Landscape is within about 2 miles of Abinger Hammer, and country venues and gardens there suit live paella perfectly. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
We cook at events all over RH5 and the streets around it. That could mean an event in a garden on Guildford Road, Hackhurst Lane and Felday Road. If your venue is just outside Abinger Hammer, we also cover Gomshall (1 mile west), Hoe (1 mile south), Sutton Abinger (1 mile south), Abinger (1 mile south-east) and Shere (1 mile west). Further out, we also cater in Guildford (6 miles west), Woking (9 miles north-west), Camberley (15 miles north-west), Epsom (11 miles north-east), Horley (12 miles east) and Redhill (12 miles east).
A little further out are St. Luke’s Hospital (5.7 miles west) and Shere Museum (1.3 miles west). The countryside around Abinger Hammer includes Leith Hill and Combe Bottom.
- Nearby, you’ll find Abinger Arms (less than half a mile north-west)
Live paella or other catering?
With a barbecue, food comes in waves. Paella is cooked as one big dish and served together. Premium seafood costs more than chicken or vegetables, so your choice of paellas affects the total. Tell us your budget and we’ll suggest a menu.
Why book with us
- Every diet catered for, pan by pan
- Waiting staff and crockery on request
- Catering across Surrey, including Abinger Hammer
- Cooking your guests will gather round to watch
- 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