Isle of Wight · England
Live paella catering in Ashey, Isle of Wight
Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Ashey: paella made from scratch in big, shallow pans, in full view of your guests, with tapas, desserts and drinks if you want them.
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Community events and fairs
- Staff parties and work lunches
Paella catering in Ashey
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
Some hosts like to cook themselves. Common mistakes are mismatched pans and burners, overfilling and stirring. If you’d rather be with your guests, we will do the cooking.
If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, have hot stock ready, and do not stir once the rice goes in. And keep children and pets well away from the burner.
Paella catering in Ashey, made fresh on the day
A single cooking set-up can feed a crowd, very little goes to waste, and the food is served hot. It’s why live paella suits so many kinds of event. Typical bookings include garden parties and summer barbecues and family celebrations and christenings, with black rice, vegetable paella and vegan paella.
In a rural place like Ashey, the setting does a lot of the work: a paella cooking in a garden or field feels right at home. Let us know about access and ground conditions. We serve straight from the pan, so it is hot and generous, and service is quick once it’s ready.
- Area
- Ashey (PO33)
- Region
- Isle of Wight
- Diets
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Add-ons
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Quote
- Ask us for a quote
- Last updated
- 23 October 2026
How we price paella catering
There are no hidden charges: the price is based on:
- Guest numbers
- Travel, parking and access
- How many staff you need
- Your choice of paellas
Premium seafood costs more than chicken or vegetables, so your choice of paellas affects the total. We will suggest options to suit your budget.
Details that help
We can quote more accurately with a few details. Here’s what to include:
- Which courses you have in mind
- The date and rough timings
- The venue or postcode
- Anything your venue supplies
It’s easy to get a price: tell us the date, place, numbers and any dietary needs. We’ll send a clear, itemised quote and a suggested menu.
Ashey questions
What’s the nearest station to Ashey for guests?
The closest is Smallbrook Junction station, roughly 1.5 miles away.
Do you come out to small places like Ashey?
No, we cook in small places too. Let us know about access and parking.
How far ahead should we book?
As soon as you have a date. Popular dates book up first, so it pays to ask early.
What seafood can we have?
Seafood choices are agreed when we plan the menu, including premium options if you want them.
How does live paella catering work?
We set up a cooking area at your venue, cook the paella from scratch in large pans while your guests watch, and serve it straight from the pan.
How many paellas should we have?
Two or three covers most guests. Tell us about your guests’ diets and we’ll suggest the mix.
What space do you need to cook?
A level space for the pans, burners and a serving table, outdoors or in a marquee or well-ventilated area, plus the venue’s agreement to cooking.
Can you cater for children?
Yes. A simple chicken paella is typically popular with children. Include children in your numbers.
Ashey: venues, travel and local tips
Ashey is about 2 miles south-west of Ryde, in the Isle of Wight. We bring paella catering to homes, gardens and venues in Ashey. We cover all 125 towns and villages in the Isle of Wight. You can also see our page for Southampton, about 18 miles away.
If you’re organising a summer fair for a school like Ryde Academy, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. Nearby historic houses include Nunwell House (1.5 miles south-east) and Morton Manor (2.3 miles south-east). Historic venues often limit cooking, so ask early if you’re booking one. Ashey is within about 3 miles of the sea, so a seafood pan is a popular choice. Sea breezes can be strong, so we plan a sheltered cooking spot.
Wherever your event is in PO33, we can cook for your guests, from busy streets to quiet lanes. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Adgestone (2 miles south-east), Brading (2 miles south-east), Morton (2 miles south-east), Alverstone Garden Village (2 miles south) and Yarbridge (2 miles south-east). We also cook in nearby towns such as Newport (5 miles west), Cowes (7 miles north-west), Sandown (3 miles south), Shanklin (5 miles south), Ventnor (7 miles south) and East Cowes (6 miles north-west). Some remote venues need extra planning, so ask early about your event.
Other landmarks nearby include Sandown Castle (3.3 miles south-east) and Cothey Bottom Heritage Centre (2 miles north-east). The countryside around Ashey includes Briddlesford Nature Reserve and Brading Down.
What happens on the day
We arrive in good time before you want to eat, set up the cooking area and get the stock going. Your guests are welcome to watch as the paella takes shape. Around midsummer it stays light in Ashey until about 9:20pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:10pm, so summer evening events are normally served in daylight. For winter events, when it is dark by about 4:00pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- It starts with your date, venue, numbers and any dietary needs.
- We put together a menu and a clear quote.
- On the day we arrive in good time, set up and start the stock.
- The rice cooks in full view, while tapas or canapés go round.
- We serve it hot from the pan and clear our area when service ends.
How to prepare
- Plan cover in case of rain
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Give us a contact for the day
Ask for a quote
The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote: venue, timings, courses and extras. When you are ready, use our quote form.
Planning help
Occasions we cook for in Ashey
Live paella is food and a show in one. The pans become a focal point, and the food itself is hot and plentiful.
We can help if you are planning any of the following:
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Retirement and leaving parties
For guests coming by train, Smallbrook Junction station is about 1.5 miles away.
What your quote should include
- The wet-weather plan
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- What the price includes, item by item
- How late numbers can change
Other catering in Ashey
Dishes our guests love
Vegetable and vegan paella
Seasonal vegetables on a rich sofrito base make a proper main dish. Vegan versions use plant-based stock.
Mixed paella
Mixed paella brings meat and seafood together, and it is often the first pan to empty.
Working with your venue
If your event is in a public space, such as a park, check what permission you need first. We’ll provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
If you’re organising for someone else, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we’re happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It saves passing messages back and forth.
What we need at the venue
We will be honest if a space will not work, and suggest an alternative. What matters most:
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
Ashey is a more remote spot, so tell us early and we will plan the journey.
If you are unsure, send a picture of the space and we will say what we think before you book.
Menu ideas
- Seafood paella
- Vegan paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegetable paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
Dietary needs and planning tips
Paella is one of the easiest dishes for mixed diets, because every paella has its own pan. A few tips:
- Tell us how many children are coming
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
- Let us know about other food at the event
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
Paella is at its best straight from the pan, so we plan service for when guests are ready to eat.
Crockery, cutlery and waiting staff are available if your venue doesn’t provide them.
- 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