Reading · England
Live paella catering in Arborfield, Reading
Cooked live, served hot and made to share: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Arborfield and the surrounding area.
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Engagement and anniversary parties
Paella catering in Arborfield
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.
Weighing up DIY against a caterer? Consider your numbers, your guests’ diets and your own time. Ask us for a quote and compare.
How our paella catering works in Arborfield
The cooking is half the fun. People drift over as the sofrito sizzles and the rice turns gold, and the smell does the rest. For christenings and family gatherings and summer garden parties, we can cook black rice, paella Valenciana and seafood paella for your guests.
Somewhere as small as Arborfield, a garden or field is frequently the venue. Tell us about narrow lanes or long drives and we’ll plan for them, and a firm spot near where we park makes set-up easier. We serve straight from the pan, so every plate is hot, and a queue moves quickly.
Arborfield questions
Could we have live paella in Pearman's Copse?
Only if the landowner, usually the council, allows it. Check with them, and we will provide our paperwork.
Do you come out to small places like Arborfield?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Let us know about access and parking.
Is the paella cooked on site?
Yes. Every paella is cooked from scratch on site, in front of your guests.
Can you feed plenty of people?
Yes, that’s what it is made for. We size pans and serving points to your guest list.
Do you provide plates and cutlery?
Yes, if you need them. Let us know what you have, and we’ll quote for the rest.
Do you do desserts?
We can add a dessert. Let us know if you’d like one in your enquiry.
Who clears up?
Our cooking area is packed away and left clean. Ask us about table clearing if you need it.
How long does the paella take?
That depends on your menu and numbers. We agree the timings in advance so the paella is ready when you want it.
Diets, allergies and planning
With a little notice, every diet is easy. We suggest:
- Ensure most guests can sit to eat
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
- Let us know about other food at the event
- Collect dietary needs with your RSVPs
After service, we pack down our cooking area, quietly and quickly.
Add canapé tapas with the drinks or table tapas as a starter while the paella cooks.
Planning live paella in Arborfield
Arborfield is about 3 miles west of Wokingham, in Reading. Give us the address of your event in Arborfield, and we’ll plan access and set-up. We cover 34 places across Reading.
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Winnersh station, about 2.5 miles north-east. If you are celebrating after a service at a church like Church of St Bartholomew, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well.
Wherever your event is in RG2, we can cook for your guests, from busy streets to quiet lanes. That could mean an event in a garden on Church Lane, Walden Avenue and Cartershill Lane or the roads around them. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Shinfield (2 miles west), Lower Earley (2 miles north), Ryeish Green (2 miles west), Earley (2 miles north) and Whitley Wood (2 miles north-west). Larger places within reach include Caversham (6 miles north-west), Norcot (6 miles north-west), West Reading (5 miles north-west), Tilehurst Within (6 miles north-west), Caversham Heights (6 miles north-west) and Horncastle (6 miles north-west).
Well-known places in the area include Wokingham Hospital (3 miles east) and Berkshire Library & Museum of Freemasonry (1.8 miles north-east). The countryside around Arborfield includes South Lake and Sonning Hill.
- Schools near Arborfield include Bohunt School Wokingham (1.9 miles south-east)
- Local pubs include Swan Inn (0.6 miles south-east)
Prices and what affects them
Here’s what makes the biggest difference to the price:
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- Timings and hours
Live paella pricing depends on the event. A simple paella lunch costs less than a wedding with canapés, three paellas and waiting staff. Your quote spells it all out.
What to tell us
You don’t need every detail fixed to get a quote, but it helps to know:
- Where the event is
- A photo of the space, if you can
- What the venue already provides
- Any dietary needs and allergies
Every event is quoted individually, so the price fits what you actually want. For a quote, fill in our quote form.
For event organisers in Arborfield
For big numbers, we plan pans and serving points to keep queues short, so guests are fed quickly. Let us know how long the food break is.
For repeat events, such as annual staff parties or seasonal fairs, let us know your dates early, so we can hold the date.
What we need at the venue
Most gardens and venues can host live paella, but there are a few things to check:
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
- Level ground for the pans and burners
- Somewhere close to park and unload
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you honestly before you book.
Menu ideas
- Mixed paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegan paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Seafood paella
- Vegetable paella
The menu, dish by dish
Black rice
Black rice gets its colour from squid ink, traditionally with alioli. It makes a dramatic second seafood pan.
Mixed paella
Mixed paella brings meat and seafood together, and it’s frequently the first pan to empty.
How the day works
Service is quick: we serve straight from the pan, so large groups are fed quickly. When service is finished, we pack down. In Arborfield, the sun sets at about 9:25pm in late June and about 7:05pm in late September, so summer evening events are generally served in daylight. In December it’s dark by about 3:55pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- Start with the date, the place and the numbers.
- Expect a menu idea and a clear, itemised price.
- A week or so before, we confirm the plan.
- We set up, cook from scratch and keep an eye on your timings.
- Guests are served from the pan, and our area is cleared afterwards.
Getting ready for the day
- Confirm the venue is happy with live cooking
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Ensure we can park close by to unload
Getting a price
Send us the date, your venue or RG2 postcode and guest numbers, plus any dietary needs, and you’ll get a menu idea and a price. To get started, send us your details through our quote form.
Related guides
Events we cater in Arborfield
People book live paella because it is food and entertainment at once. The cooking becomes the centre of the event, and the food is hot and generous.
Here are some of the events we cook for in Arborfield and Reading:
- Christenings and family gatherings
- Summer garden parties
- Retirement celebrations
- Birthday celebrations
If you’re organising a summer fair for a school like The Coombes Church of England Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
What your quote should include
- Travel and parking costs
- The venue requirements
- Exactly what’s included in the price
- How bad weather is handled
Towns and villages near Arborfield
Other catering in Arborfield
- 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