West Sussex · England
Live paella catering in Colgate, West Sussex
From the first sizzle in the pan to the last crispy spoonful, live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event turns food into part of your event in Colgate.
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Garden get-togethers
Live paella catering in Colgate
About our paella catering in Colgate
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. Whether it’s christenings and family gatherings and wedding breakfasts and evening food, we can cook vegetable paella, seafood paella and black rice for your guests.
In a rural place like Colgate, the setting does a lot of the work: a paella cooking in a garden or field feels right at home. Tell us about access and the ground. Your quote spells out exactly what’s included: the menu, the staff and any extras, with no surprises on the day.
- Where
- Colgate (RH13, RH12)
- County
- West Sussex
- Special diets
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Extras
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Quotes
- Contact us for a quote
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Planners, venues and businesses
Venues often have their own rules about outside caterers: cooking areas, access times and documents. Send us your venue’s requirements and we’ll follow them.
If you are booking for a business, tell us how you’d like to handle the booking and payment, and we will talk you through the process. We can work with your facilities team on access and timings.
Events we cater in Colgate
Paella is one of the few dishes that handles mixed diets easily, thanks to separate pans for each version. Nobody gets a token ‘special meal’.
These are some of the occasions we cater in Colgate and West Sussex:
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
- Summer garden parties
- Milestone birthday parties
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
Parks such as Target Hill Park typically need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there.
What to look for in a quote
- The deposit and payment dates
- What the price includes, item by item
- Space, access and power needs
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
Planning for every diet
Nearly every event has some special diets. To cater well for them:
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Let us know about other food at the event
- Give us separate numbers for children
- Ask for labels on each pan
Let the paella rest for a few minutes before serving, which is when we typically call guests over.
Tapas or canapés make a good start while the paella cooks.
Step by step
We cook over gas burners in wide, shallow pans. It needs a level spot with some shelter and good ventilation, which we agree with you beforehand. In Colgate, the sun sets at about 9:20pm in late June and about 7:05pm in late September, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. In December it is dark by about 3:55pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- First, tell us about your event.
- We suggest paellas and extras and send a clear quote.
- Timings, access and the cooking area are agreed in advance.
- On the day, we set up and cook in front of your guests.
- We serve from the pan, then pack down.
How to prepare
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
- Keep the cooking spot clear of fences, hedges and branches
- Let us know the timings for the day
How to get a price
The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote: the venue, the timings, the courses you’d like and any extras. When you are ready, send us your details through our quote form.
Related guides
Is live paella right for your event?
Food trucks and street-food vans serve one portion at a time. A paella pan serves many portions quickly, which suits weddings and parties where everyone eats together. Extras such as tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are priced separately, so you only pay for what you want.
Why Colgate hosts choose us
- Everything cooked fresh at your event
- Sangria and bar staff available
- Add tapas, canapés and Spanish desserts
- Options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in its own pan
Take a look at Our prices page And The cost guide.
Also near Colgate
More for events in Colgate
FAQs for Colgate
Do you come out to small places like Colgate?
No, we cook in small places too. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
Can you cook in Target Hill Park?
Only if the landowner, typically the council, allows it. Check with them, and we’ll provide our paperwork.
Is paella enough as a main?
Yes. Paella with bread and salad makes a full main course, and tapas or dessert can be added.
Can you cook indoors?
Indoors only where ventilation and the venue allow it. Courtyards, doorways and terraces frequently work.
Do you cover Colgate?
Yes. We cater across London and the South East, including Colgate. For a quote, fill in our quote form.
Do you do starters?
Yes. Canapé tapas with the drinks, or table tapas to share, served while the paella cooks.
Do you do vegan paella?
Of course. Vegetarian and vegan paellas are cooked in separate pans.
Which areas do you serve?
London and the South East: Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight, including Colgate.
Should I cook it myself?
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.
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. A big pan needs a burner that heats it evenly, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
Prices and what affects them
Each event is quoted on its own, based on a few main things:
- How many guests are eating
- How many courses
- Travel, parking and access
- Waiting and bar staff
Larger events normally cost less per head, since the set-up is much the same either way. Give us your numbers and we’ll quote.
What we need to know
To speed things up, tell us:
- Roughly how many adults and children
- Anything your venue supplies
- The courses you’d like
- The date and time of the event
To get a price, fill in our quote form. Tell us about your event in Colgate, and we will suggest paellas and extras to suit.
Catering an event in Colgate
Colgate is about 3 miles south-west of Crawley, in West Sussex. We bring paella catering to gardens, halls and venues around Colgate and the surrounding area. Colgate is one of 371 towns and villages in West Sussex we cover. Our events stretch from Colgate to Brighton (about 18 miles away).
Historic houses near Colgate include Tyes Place (4.5 miles south-east). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early. For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Faygate station, about 1.3 miles north-west.
For paella catering in RH13 and RH12, we plan around your venue. From Forest Road, Vicarage Close and Blackhouse Road or anywhere nearby, we’ll bring the pans to you. Other places close to Colgate for paella catering include Kilnwood Vale (1 mile north), Faygate (1 mile north-west), Broadfield (2 miles north-east), Roffey (2 miles west) and Handcross (3 miles south-east). We also cook in nearby towns such as Crawley (3 miles north-east), Horsham (4 miles west), Haywards Heath (9 miles south-east), Burgess Hill (10 miles south-east), East Grinstead (11 miles east) and Storrington (14 miles south-west).
A little further out are Crawley Museum (3.4 miles north-east) and County Mall (3.4 miles north-east). Not far away are Tilgate Lake and Warnham LNR.
- Local schools include Cottesmore School (1.3 miles east) and Holy Trinity CofE Secondary School (2.2 miles north-east)
- Local pubs include The Dragon pub (within half a mile west)
A closer look at the menu
Black rice
Black rice looks dramatic and tastes of the sea, and is popular with adventurous guests.
Seafood paella
A rich seafood stock with prawns, mussels and squid, cooked until the rice is golden. It is the pan people photograph.
- 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