West Sussex · England
Paella Catering in East Lavant
Bring the theatre of live paella to your event in East Lavant. Everything is cooked fresh on the day, and serve it straight from the pan.
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Christenings and family gatherings
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
Planning an event in East Lavant?
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right at scale is tricky. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
Weighing up DIY against a caterer? Consider your numbers, your guests’ diets and your own time. Ask us for a quote and compare.
Paella catering in East Lavant, made fresh on the day
You can keep it simple or build a full menu: just paella, or paella with tapas, desserts and drinks. We’ll suggest what suits your event. We’re frequently asked to cater birthday celebrations and leaving dos and retirements, serving seafood paella, vegan paella and mixed paella.
In a small place like East Lavant, events are generally in a garden, a field or a nearby hall. Tell us about narrow lanes or long drives and we’ll plan for them, and cooking close to where we can park helps. Every pan is cooked in front of your guests, so the food is hot, fresh and part of the occasion.
- Location
- East Lavant (PO18)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Dietary options
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal
- Add-ons
- Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff
- Price
- Ask us for a quote
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
How it works
Expect a friendly, organised team. We agree arrival and serving times in advance, set up our cooking area, and cook and serve without fuss. In East Lavant, 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. For winter events, when it is dark by about 4:00pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- Get in touch 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
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
- Plan cover in case of rain
Ask for a quote
Every quote is put together for your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we’ll check availability at the same time.
Related guides
Catering an event in East Lavant
East Lavant is about 2 miles north of Chichester, in West Sussex. Give us the address of your event in East Lavant, and we’ll plan access and set-up. East Lavant is one of 371 towns and villages in West Sussex we cover. You can also see our page for Southampton, about 27 miles away.
School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Lavant CofE Primary School, can book us as a food stall. For guests coming by train, Chichester station is about 2.5 miles away.
We cover events in every part of the PO18 postcode area and the streets around it. Streets in the area include Pook Lane, Fordwater Road and Shop Lane, and we can cook for an event on any of them. For events just outside East Lavant, we cover Mid Lavant (1 mile north-west), Westerton (2 miles south-east), Westhampnett (2 miles south-east), Waterbeach (2 miles east) and Maudlin (2 miles south-east). We also cook in nearby towns such as Bognor Regis (7 miles south-east), Selsey (9 miles south), Littlehampton (11 miles east), Emsworth (7 miles west), Rustington (12 miles east) and Storrington (15 miles east).
Other landmarks nearby include Chichester Castle (2 miles south) and The Chichester City Museum (2.1 miles south). Green spaces nearby include Stoke Down and Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve.
- Local schools include Bishop Luffa School (2.2 miles south-west)
- Local pubs include The Royal Oak Public House (less than half a mile north-east)
Planning for every diet
Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included. To get it right:
- Send allergies to us in writing
- Let us know about other food at the event
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
- Count adults and children separately
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.
Why choose paella catering in East Lavant?
Few dishes cope with mixed diets like paella, thanks to separate pans for each version. Nobody gets a token ‘special meal’.
Big or small, live paella works well. Typical bookings include:
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Birthday celebrations
- Retirement and leaving parties
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St Mary, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone.
Questions to ask before booking
- Any travel, parking or access charges
- If the price includes VAT
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
- The deposit and payment dates
How we price paella catering
Each event is quoted on its own, and the price depends on a few things:
- The paellas you choose
- Waiting and bar staff
- The length of service
- The number of people
Seafood and premium ingredients cost more than chicken or vegetable paellas, so your choice of paellas affects the total. We’ll suggest options to suit your budget.
What to tell us
We can quote more accurately with a few details. Here’s what to include:
- A photo of the space, if you can
- The courses you’d like
- Where the event is
- Any dietary needs and allergies
Still deciding on the menu? That is fine: give us the basics about your event, and we’ll make suggestions. Start when you are ready: use our quote form.
What’s in the pans
Mixed paella
Chicken and seafood together, for guests who want a bit of everything.
Black rice
Squid ink rice is bold and savoury, and is popular with adventurous guests.
What we need at the venue
If a space is not suitable, we’ll tell you. What matters most:
- Space well away from trees, fences and gazebo walls
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
Not sure about your space? Send us a picture and we will tell you honestly.
On the menu in East Lavant
- Mixed paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Seafood paella
- Vegetable paella
Your questions about paella catering in East Lavant
We are having a ceremony at Church of St Mary: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is generally elsewhere. Send us the reception address.
How far is East Lavant from London?
Roughly 53 miles from the centre of London.
What happens with live paella?
We cook from scratch at your venue in big pans, in front of your guests, and serve straight from the pan.
Do you take everything away?
We take our equipment and leave the cooking area tidy. Ask us about table clearing if you need it.
Can you cater for children?
Of course. Children frequently love a simple chicken paella. Include children in your numbers.
Can you provide dessert?
Yes. Spanish desserts such as churros or crema catalana.
Do you cook inside?
Mostly outside or under an open cover, because we use gas burners. Some venues have suitable spaces; we will check with you and the venue.
Which paella is most popular?
Most events choose two or three: chicken or mixed, seafood, and vegetable or vegan. Our menu lists the options.
Nearby places to East Lavant
More for events in East Lavant
Organising for someone else?
Hosting a party at home? Send us a photo of the garden and tell us about access, and we will tell you honestly whether live paella will work.
For larger events, we plan the number of pans and serving points around your timings, so guests are fed quickly. Tell us how long you have for food.
- 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