Hampshire · England
Live paella catering in Emery Down, Hampshire
We cook live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Emery Down and nearby, catering for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests.
- Anniversary celebrations
- Naming days and family parties
- Milestone birthday parties
Live paella catering in Emery Down
About our paella catering in Emery Down
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. Whether it is company summer parties and festivals, fairs and school events, we can cook black rice, chicken and chorizo paella and seafood paella and more.
In a small place like Emery Down, 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. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, with each paella cooked in its own pan.
Step by step
Once the rice is in, we don’t stir it. That’s how the grains cook evenly and the toasted base, the socarrat, forms. Your guests will smell it before they see it. In Emery Down, 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’s dark by about 4:00pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- We start with a few details about your event.
- You get a menu and an itemised quote.
- We agree timings, access and the cooking spot.
- We cook live on the day while guests watch.
- We serve from the pan, then pack down.
Before we arrive
- Arrange parking near the cooking spot
- Share the running order, including any speeches
- Give us your final numbers and diets
Ask for a quote
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, along with any dietary needs, and we’ll reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. To get started, send us your details through our quote form.
Planning help
Space, weather and the venue
Safety and good cooking both depend on the spot we use. We look for:
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
- Level ground for the pans and burners
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise.
On the menu in Emery Down
- Mixed paella
- Vegan paella
- Vegetable paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
Prices and what affects them
Your quote will be clear and itemised. What affects it most:
- How many guests are eating
- How many staff you need
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
- Travel, parking and access
Cost depends on guest numbers, the menu and the courses, plus any staff, crockery and travel. We quote for each event individually.
What we need to know
We can quote more accurately with a few details. Here’s what’s useful:
- Whether the venue has crockery or staff
- The date and rough timings
- The address or venue name
- The courses you’d like
Most quotes start with a few simple details: date, location, guest numbers and diets. You can send us your details through our quote form.
Places near Emery Down
More for events in Emery Down
Planning for every diet
A little planning makes sure everyone can eat. Try these:
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
- Ask about diets and allergies on your invitation or RSVP
- Count adults and children separately
- Make sure each pan is labelled
After service, we pack down our cooking area.
Sangria and bar staff can be added for your own drinks.
Questions from Emery Down
Can you cook at venues in the New Forest National Park?
Yes. Some venues there have rules about vehicles, ground and cooking, so check with yours. We’ll work to whatever the site needs.
Do you come out to small places like Emery Down?
No, we cook in small places too. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
How much is live paella catering?
It depends on guest numbers, the menu, the courses, staff and travel. Tell us about your event and we will send a quote.
Will there be enough food?
Pans are sized to your numbers and other courses. Let us know about any other food. Our guide to portions explains more.
Do you do starters?
Yes, and it’s a popular combination. Tapas go out first, then the paella.
Can the paella be cooked in a hall?
Indoors only where ventilation and the venue allow it. Most events have us cooking outside or in a doorway or courtyard.
How many different paellas?
Normally two or three, so every guest has a choice. Tell us about your guests’ diets and we’ll suggest the mix.
Can you cater for children?
Yes, children are easy to cater for. Tell us how many and roughly how old, and we’ll plan a pan with them in mind.
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
Doing it yourself saves money, but the host ends up stuck at the stove. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, keep the stock hot, and leave the rice alone once it is in. Keep a clear zone around the burner.
The menu, dish by dish
Paella Valenciana
The original paella from Valencia is a countryside dish of chicken and vegetables, not seafood. It is a favourite with guests who do not eat fish.
Mixed paella
Chicken and seafood together, and a popular all-rounder.
Working with your venue
Many venues have rules for outside caterers: cooking areas, access times and documents. Send us your venue’s requirements and we will follow them.
For larger events, we plan the number of pans and serving points around your timings, so everyone eats promptly. Tell us how long you have for food.
Live paella in Emery Down: local details
Emery Down is about 5 miles south-west of Totton, in Hampshire. For paella catering in Emery Down, we cater in back gardens, halls with outdoor space, barns, marquees and offices in and around Emery Down. Emery Down is one of 683 towns and villages in Hampshire where we cook. You can also see our page for Southampton, about 9 miles away.
School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as St Michael and All Angels CofE Infant School, can book us as a food stall. For guests coming by train, Ashurst New Forest station is about 2.9 miles away. Emery Down is within about a mile of the New Forest National Park, a lovely setting for an outdoor event. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
Anywhere in SO43, we can cook for your guests. That could mean an event in a garden on Garden Close, Northerwood Avenue and Silver Street. For events just outside Emery Down, we cover Lyndhurst (1 mile east), Balmerlawn (3 miles south), Ashurst (4 miles north-east), Brockenhurst (4 miles south) and Colbury (4 miles north-east). Further out, we also cater in Eastleigh (12 miles north-east), Totton (5 miles north-east), Chandler's Ford (12 miles north-east), Hedge End (13 miles east), Lymington (8 miles south) and Romsey (10 miles north-east).
Nearby you will also find Ashurst Hospital (3.1 miles north-east) and National Dairy Museum (3.9 miles east). The countryside around Emery Down includes Copythorne Common.
- Pubs nearby include The Swan Inn (within half a mile south)
Why choose live paella in Emery Down?
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. There is no one-size-fits-all price for live paella. A garden party lunch and a full wedding menu are very different jobs. We itemise everything in your quote.
Why Emery Down hosts choose us
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- We cover Emery Down and the whole of Hampshire
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
- 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