West Sussex · England
Live paella catering in Blackstone, West Sussex
Love Paella cooks live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Blackstone and nearby, catering for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests.
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
- Family celebrations and christenings
Paella catering near Blackstone
How we price paella catering
Live paella pricing is straightforward once we know the basics:
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
- How many guests are eating
- Waiting and bar staff
- How long we’re needed on site
Larger events usually cost less per head, because the cooking set-up is similar for different sizes of event. Tell us your numbers for an accurate price.
What we need to know
These details help us quote quickly:
- Your date and when you want to eat
- Diets and allergies you know about
- What the venue already provides
- A picture of the cooking space, if it is a garden or field
Send us the date, your venue or BN5 postcode and guest numbers, plus any dietary needs, and you’ll get a menu idea and a price. Just fill in our quote form.
About our paella catering in Blackstone
One cooking area feeds plenty of people, there is very little waste, and the food arrives hot. It is why live paella suits so many kinds of event. Whether it is engagement and anniversary parties and naming days and family parties, we will put together a menu of vegetable paella, mixed paella and chicken and chorizo paella for your guests.
For a rural spot like Blackstone, the countryside is part of the appeal: a paella cooking in a garden or field feels right at home. Tell us about access and the ground. Every pan is cooked in front of your guests, so the food is hot, fresh and part of the occasion.
- Where
- Blackstone (BN5)
- Area hub
- West Sussex
- Special diets
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Add-ons
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Price
- Ask us for a quote
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
Occasions we cook for in Blackstone
Paella is one of the few dishes that handles mixed diets easily, because each version is cooked in its own pan. Everyone gets the same kind of meal.
Live paella suits almost any gathering. People in Blackstone book us for occasions like:
- Company summer parties
- Big birthdays
- Anniversary celebrations
- Summer garden parties
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Hassocks station, about 3.9 miles east.
What to look for in a quote
- How long the team stays
- Whether VAT is included
- When final numbers are due
- How bad weather is handled
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, keep the stock hot, and don’t stir once the rice goes in. Keep a clear zone around the burner.
A DIY paella party works for small groups. For big numbers or lots of diets, a caterer makes life easier, and keeps vegetarian and allergy-safe pans separate.
How it works
Here’s how the day generally runs: we arrive, set up and start cooking, the rice cooks in front of your guests, and we serve straight from the pan at the agreed time. Around midsummer it stays light in Blackstone until about 9:20pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:05pm, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. In December it’s dark by about 3:55pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- Contact us with the basics: when, where and how many.
- Expect a menu idea and a clear, itemised price.
- Closer to the day, we confirm timings and the cooking spot.
- On the day we cook live, timed around your event.
- Guests are served from the pan, and our area is cleared afterwards.
Before we arrive
- Name one person we can ask on the day
- Tell us when you want to eat
- Leave space around the cooking area
Ask for a quote
Getting a quote is simple: share your date, venue, numbers and diets. We’ll send a clear, itemised quote and a suggested menu.
Related guides
Questions from Blackstone
What’s the nearest station to Blackstone for guests?
The closest is Hassocks station, roughly 3.9 miles away.
Do you come out to small places like Blackstone?
No, we cook in small places too. Let us know about access and parking.
Can you cook in the rain?
We need a covered spot, such as a gazebo, marquee or open-sided barn with good ventilation. We’ll agree a wet-weather plan with you.
Can you provide dessert?
We can add a dessert. Tell us what you have in mind in your enquiry.
Are premium seafood options available?
We’ll talk through seafood options when we plan your menu, including premium options if you want them.
Do you offer halal options?
We can. Tell us how many guests need halal food, and it is cooked separately.
When should we book?
The sooner the better. Peak dates go quickly, so get in touch early.
What space do you need to cook?
A level space for the pans, burners and a serving table, in the open air or a ventilated covered area, and the venue’s permission for live cooking.
Diets, allergies and planning
With a little notice, every diet is easy. Our advice:
- Request clear labels at the serving table
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
- Let us know about other food at the event
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
If you’ve booked staff, they’ll serve, clear and help keep things moving, so you can relax.
Sangria and bar staff can be added for your own drinks.
Places near Blackstone
What else we do in Blackstone
What’s in the pans
Paella Valenciana
Paella Valenciana is the original: chicken, beans and saffron, not seafood. It’s often the most popular pan at an event.
Mixed paella
Paella mixta combines meat and seafood in one pan.
Planners, venues and businesses
If you’re organising for someone else, whether you are a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we will work directly with you and the venue. It saves passing messages back and forth.
If your event is in a public space, such as a park, check what permission you need first. We can send whatever the landowner or council needs from us.
What we need at the venue
Safety and good cooking both depend on the spot we use. We look for:
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
- Clearance from fences, hedges, branches and anything flammable
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
If you are unsure, send a picture of the space and we’ll say what we think.
On the menu in Blackstone
- Paella Valenciana
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegetable paella
- Mixed paella
- Vegan paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Seafood paella
Blackstone: venues, travel and local tips
Blackstone is about 5 miles west of Burgess Hill, in West Sussex. Events in Blackstone are planned around your venue and timings: a quote, a plan and live cooking on the day. Blackstone is one of 371 places in West Sussex where we cook. We cook right across the region, from Blackstone to Brighton (8 miles away).
If you are celebrating after a service at a church like The Parish Church of St Bartholomew, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. Blackstone is within about 6 miles of the South Downs National Park, and country venues and gardens there suit live paella perfectly. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
Anywhere in BN5, we can cook for your guests, from busy streets to quiet lanes. Local streets include Blackstone Lane and Blackstone Street; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. Nearby, we also cater events in Woodmancote (1 mile south-west), High Cross (1 mile north-east), Albourne (1 mile east), Albourne Street (1 mile east) and Albourne Green (1 mile east). We also cook in nearby towns such as Crawley (13 miles north), Horsham (10 miles north), Worthing (10 miles south-west), Haywards Heath (8 miles north-east), Burgess Hill (5 miles east) and Littlehampton (15 miles south-west).
Nearby you will also find The Dene Hospital (3.8 miles north-east) and The Budding Foundation Museum of Gardening (3.6 miles east). Open spaces near Blackstone include Woods Mill and Wolstonbury Hill.
- 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