West Berkshire · England
Paella Catering for Crookham events
Treat your guests to live paella at your event in Crookham. Everything is cooked fresh on the day, then served hot from the pan.
- Big birthdays
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
Book paella catering in Crookham
Paella catering around Crookham
Crookham is about 3 miles south-east of Thatcham, in West Berkshire. For an event in Crookham, we can cook in gardens, marquees, barns, courtyards and offices. Crookham is one of 155 towns and villages in West Berkshire where we cook. Our nearest city page is Reading, about 12 miles away.
Nearby historic houses include Shaw House (5 miles north-west). Historic venues often limit cooking, so ask early if you’re booking one. School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Brimpton C.E. Primary School, can book us as a food stall.
Here we cover the RG7 and RG19 postcode area, so your event can be anywhere in it. Local streets include Crookham Common Road and Hyde End Lane; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. Close by, we cover events in Hyde End (1 mile south-east), Goose Hill (1 mile south-west), Mill Green (1 mile south-west), Ashford Hill (2 miles south-east) and Plastow Green (2 miles south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Newbury (5 miles west), Thatcham (3 miles north-west), Burghfield Common (7 miles east), Speenhamland (5 miles north-west), Hungerford (13 miles west) and Spencers Wood (11 miles east).
Well-known places in the area include Old Chapel Textile Centre (2.7 miles west) and West Berkshire Community Hospital (3.8 miles north-west). The countryside around Crookham includes Thatcham Reed Beds.
- Nearby schools include Kennet School (2.2 miles north-west)
- Nearby, you’ll find The Travellers Friend pub (0.5 miles west)
Paella catering in Crookham, cooked live
A single cooking set-up can feed a crowd, there’s very little waste, and the food arrives hot. It’s why live paella suits so many kinds of event. We cook black rice, mixed paella and vegetable paella, and we’re regularly asked to cater naming days and family parties and garden parties and summer barbecues.
In a hamlet or village like Crookham, your own garden or a neighbour’s field can make a wonderful venue. Mention gates and soft ground when you get in touch. We cook every pan in full view of your guests, so the food is hot, fresh and part of the occasion.
- Area
- Crookham (RG7, RG19)
- Area hub
- West Berkshire
- Special diets
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal
- Add-ons
- Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff
- Quote
- Quoted for your event
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
The menu, dish by dish
Mixed paella
Paella mixta combines meat and seafood in one pan, and it’s often the first pan to empty.
Seafood paella
Seafood paella starts with a good fish and shellfish stock. Shellfish goes in towards the end so it stays tender.
FAQs for Crookham
Can you cater a reception after a service at Church of St Peter?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is typically elsewhere. Tell us where the reception will be.
What’s the nearest station to Crookham for guests?
Thatcham station, about 1.6 miles north-west of the centre.
Do you offer halal options?
Yes, on request. Tell us how many guests need halal food, and it’s cooked separately.
What if the weather’s bad?
We need a covered spot, such as a gazebo, marquee or open-sided barn with good ventilation. We plan for rain with you in advance.
Do you come to Crookham?
Yes. We cater across London and the South East, including Crookham and the rest of West Berkshire. To check your date, use our quote form.
Can you cater for vegetarians and vegans?
Yes, and they’re popular with everyone. They have their own pans, stock and spoons.
Do we need to provide equipment?
All cooking kit comes with us. Tell us what the venue provides, such as tables or crockery.
How long does the paella take?
We get there in good time to set up. The rice itself takes about 20 minutes, and we time it to your schedule.
Working with your venue
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.
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.
Nearby places to Crookham
More for events in Crookham
Should I cook it myself?
Cooking it yourself? Test your pan and burner first, have hot stock ready, and do not stir once the rice goes in. Keep a clear zone around the burner.
Not sure whether to cook yourself or book a caterer? Think about numbers, diets and how much you want to enjoy the day. Ask us for a quote and compare.
Prices and what affects them
Live paella pricing is straightforward once we know the basics:
- How many guests are eating
- The length of service
- Your choice of paellas
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
Comparing caterers? Look at what each quote includes: staff, crockery, sides, travel and VAT. We itemise ours.
Details that help
You do not need everything decided to ask for a quote, but it helps to know:
- Whether you want canapés, tapas or desserts
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- Your date and when you want to eat
- Any dietary needs and allergies
The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote: venue, timings, courses and extras. To send your details, send us your details through our quote form.
The process
The paella is cooked in giant, shallow pans over gas burners. We need a level, ventilated spot, which we agree with you beforehand. In Crookham, 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. In December it is dark by about 4:00pm, 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.
- It’s served straight from the pan, and we clear our area afterwards.
Before we arrive
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
- Ensure we can park close by to unload
- Tell us when you want to eat
Getting a price
We need only a few details to quote: date, location, guest numbers and diets. To send them, fill in our quote form.
Read more
Planning for every diet
With a little notice, every diet is easy. We suggest:
- Flag any coeliac guests, not just gluten-free preferences
- Request clear labels at the serving table
- Confirm allergies by email
- Ensure most guests can sit to eat
The rice takes about 20 minutes once it goes in, so we time it carefully. If timings shift, we adapt.
Tapas or canapés make a good start while the paella cooks.
Events we cater in Crookham
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’.
Live paella works for big and small events alike. Common bookings include:
- Community events and fairs
- Birthday celebrations
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Thatcham station, about 1.6 miles north-west.
Comparing caterers
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- How dietary needs and allergies are handled
- Whether VAT is included
- How bad weather is handled
Paella compared with other options
Barbecues cook in batches, so food comes off in waves. Paella is cooked as one big dish and served together. Extras such as tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are priced separately, so you only pay for what you want.
Why choose Love Paella in Crookham
- Everything cooked fresh at your event
- Events in Crookham and across West Berkshire
- Add tapas, canapés and Spanish desserts
- Served hot, straight from the 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