Reading · England
Live paella catering in Chazey Heath, Reading
Cooked live, served hot and made to share: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event for events in Chazey Heath and across Reading.
- Birthday celebrations
- Family celebrations and christenings
- Retirement and leaving parties
Book paella catering in Chazey Heath
Paella catering in Chazey Heath, cooked live
Keep it simple, or go all out: just paella, or paella with tapas, desserts and drinks. We’ll recommend what fits your event. On the menu are chicken and chorizo paella, mixed paella and black rice, and typical bookings are for christenings and family gatherings and retirement celebrations.
Somewhere like Chazey Heath, a field or garden is often the perfect setting. Gates, verges and soft ground are worth mentioning when you enquire. Timings are planned around your event, whether that’s speeches, a lunch break or a festival schedule.
What paella catering costs
Here’s what makes the biggest difference to the price:
- The length of service
- Waiting and bar staff
- How many guests are eating
- Starters, canapés and desserts
Live paella often compares well with a sit-down meal, because it needs no kitchen and fewer staff. Ask us for a quote.
What we need to know
To check availability and price, we need:
- Expected numbers
- The venue or postcode
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
- Whether the venue has crockery or staff
The quickest way to a quote is to send us your details through our quote form. Tell us about your event in Chazey Heath, and we’ll suggest paellas and extras to suit.
Chazey Heath: venues, travel and local tips
Chazey Heath is about 2 miles north-west of Caversham, in Reading. For paella catering in Chazey Heath, we plan around your venue and timings: a clear quote, agreed timings and paella cooked live on the day. Chazey Heath is one of 34 towns and villages in Reading where we cook.
Historic houses near Chazey Heath include Mapledurham House (1.6 miles west) and Greys Court (4.1 miles north-east). Historic venues often limit cooking, so ask early if you are booking one. For guests coming by train, Tilehurst station is about 1.9 miles away.
Here we cover the RG4 postcode area. We can cater an event on streets such as Rokeby Drive and Chazey Close. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Trench Green (1 mile west), Mapledurham (2 miles west), Purley on Thames (2 miles south-west), Norcot (3 miles south-west) and Tilehurst (3 miles south-west). Further out, we also cater in West Reading (3 miles south), Shinfield (6 miles south), Arborfield Garrison (9 miles south-east), Horncastle (3 miles south), Whitley Wood (6 miles south) and Fords Farm (4 miles south).
Well-known places in the area include Battle Hospital (2.4 miles south) and Royal Berkshire Regiment Museum (2.4 miles south). Open spaces near Chazey Heath include Fobney Island Wetland Reserve and Sonning Hill.
- Local schools include Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre (1.4 miles south-east) and The Warwick School (1.5 miles north)
- Local pubs include The Pack Saddle pub (under half a mile south)
Paella compared with other options
Food trucks and street-food vans serve one portion at a time. A big pan serves many guests fast, which suits weddings and parties where everyone eats together. Larger events usually cost less per head, since the set-up is much the same either way. Give us your numbers and we will quote.
Why us?
- Cooking your guests will gather round to watch
- A quote that spells everything out
- Starters and desserts to complete the menu
- Drinks service on request
Also near Chazey Heath
Other catering in Chazey Heath
Chazey Heath: your questions answered
How far is Chazey Heath from London?
Roughly 39 miles from the centre of London, and well within our area.
What’s the nearest station to Chazey Heath for guests?
The closest is Tilehurst station, roughly 1.9 miles away.
How far ahead should we book?
The sooner the better. Peak dates go quickly, so it pays to ask early.
Can you cater for vegetarians and vegans?
Of course. We cook vegetarian and vegan paellas in their own pans, alongside the meat and seafood pans.
Do you provide drinks?
We can make sangria, and provide bar staff to serve drinks you supply.
How many paellas should we have?
Most events have two or three: meat or mixed, seafood, and vegetable or vegan. We will suggest a split based on your guests.
Is paella a full meal?
It can be. With bread and salad, paella is a complete main, and tapas or dessert can be added.
Can you cook indoors?
Only in a suitable, well-ventilated area with the venue’s permission. Most events have us cooking outside or in a doorway or courtyard.
Planners, venues and businesses
Booking for a company? Tell us what your finance team needs, and we will talk you through the process. We’re happy to liaise with facilities on access and timings.
Venues frequently have their own rules about outside caterers: where cooking is allowed, access times and the paperwork they need. Send us your venue’s requirements and we will follow them.
DIY paella versus live catering
DIY catering keeps costs down, but the host spends the party cooking. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
You can hire equipment and do it yourself, but there’s shopping, prep and hours of cooking. We take care of all of it.
Catering for every guest
With a little notice, every diet is easy. Our advice:
- Send allergies to us in writing
- Count adults and children separately
- Ensure each pan is labelled
- Tell us what else is being served
The rice takes about 20 minutes once it goes in, so we start it at the right moment for your event. If plans change, tell us and we will adjust.
Bread, salad and lemon wedges make the meal go further.
Planning the cooking area
The right spot keeps things safe and helps the paella cook evenly. We look for:
- Flat, firm ground for the cooking area
- Open air or a well-ventilated covered spot
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise before you book.
What we offer
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegan paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Seafood paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegetable paella
- Mixed paella
How the day works
We arrive in good time before you want to eat, unload, set up the burners and prepare the stock. Guests normally gather round to watch while it cooks. In Chazey Heath, the sun sets at about 9:25pm in late June and about 7:10pm in late September, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. For winter events, when it’s dark by about 3:55pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- Send us your date, numbers and venue.
- We plan the menu with you, including every diet.
- We arrive early to set up the burners and pans.
- The sofrito, stock and rice go in, and guests gather to watch.
- Service is straight from the pan, then we pack down.
Getting ready for the day
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
- Give us your final numbers and diets
- Ensure we can park close by to unload
Getting a price
Every quote is put together for your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we’ll confirm whether we are available that day.
Related guides
A closer look at the menu
Seafood paella
A rich seafood stock with prawns, mussels and squid, finished with lemon wedges. It is normally the most photographed pan.
Vegetable and vegan paella
A vegetable paella isn’t an afterthought: artichokes, beans, peppers and saffron, cooked in its own pan.
- 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