East Sussex · England
Paella Catering in Five Ashes
Paella for every guest: meat, seafood, vegetarian and vegan pans side by side. Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event for events in Five Ashes.
- Company summer parties
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
Live paella catering in Five Ashes
Five Ashes questions
How far is Five Ashes from London?
About 37 miles from central London, and well within our area.
Can you cater a reception after a service at Church of the Good Shepherd?
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 usually elsewhere. Tell us where the reception will be.
Do you cover Five Ashes?
Yes. We cover London and the South East, and Five Ashes is within our area. To check your date, send us your details through our quote form.
Can paella be the only main course?
It’s a full meal on its own. Tapas and desserts can be added if you like.
Who clears up?
We clear our cooking area away when service is finished. Waiting staff can clear tables if you book them.
What is live paella catering?
We arrive with pans, burners and ingredients, cook in front of your guests, and serve at the time you want.
How long does the paella take?
It depends on the menu and numbers. We agree the timings in advance.
Do we need to provide equipment?
We bring all the cooking equipment. Let us know what your venue has, like tables or crockery.
Paella catering for your event in Five Ashes
Watching it cook is part of the experience. Guests gather round as the sofrito sizzles and the saffron colours the rice, and the smell does the rest. We are frequently asked to cater milestone birthday parties and summer garden parties, serving mixed paella, paella Valenciana and seafood paella.
In a hamlet or village like Five Ashes, your own garden or a neighbour’s field can make a wonderful venue. Mention gates and soft ground when you get in touch. Timings are planned around your event, whether that’s speeches, a lunch break or a festival schedule.
- Area
- Five Ashes (TN20)
- County
- East Sussex
- Diets
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Also available
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Price
- Ask us for a quote
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Should I cook it myself?
For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For larger numbers, mixed diets or a wedding, a caterer takes the pressure off, and keeps vegetarian and allergy-safe pans separate.
Cooking paella for a crowd yourself is possible, but it is harder than it looks. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
Perfect for your event in Five Ashes
People book live paella because it’s food and entertainment at once. The cooking becomes the centre of the event, and the food itself is hot and plentiful.
We can help if you’re planning any of the following:
- Milestone birthday parties
- Weddings and evening receptions
- Community events and fairs
- Engagement and anniversary parties
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Crowborough station, about 3.3 miles north-west.
What to look for in a quote
- Payment terms and deposit
- Space, access and power needs
- The deadline for final numbers
- How bad weather is handled
Prices and what affects them
There’s nothing hidden: the price is based on:
- Waiting and bar staff
- How many courses
- Your choice of paellas
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
When you compare quotes, check what each one includes: staff, crockery, bread and salads, travel and VAT. Our quotes spell it all out.
What to tell us
These details help us quote quickly:
- Any dietary needs and allergies
- What the venue already provides
- The venue or postcode
- The date and time of the event
Still deciding on the menu? That’s fine: tell us about the occasion and the guests, and we will make suggestions. Start when you are ready: send us your details through our quote form.
Working with your venue
Wedding planners and venue coordinators are welcome to contact us directly, and we will keep everyone informed on the day.
If you are planning an event on someone’s behalf, whether you are a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we will work directly with you and the venue. It saves passing messages back and forth.
Five Ashes: venues, travel and local tips
Five Ashes is about 4 miles south-east of Crowborough, in East Sussex. Anywhere in TN20, we can bring the pans to you. We cook in all 289 towns and villages across East Sussex. We cook right across the region, from Five Ashes to Brighton (about 19 miles away).
If you are organising a summer fair for a school like Five Ashes CofE Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of the Good Shepherd, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone. The High Weald National Landscape is within about 3 miles of Five Ashes. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
We cook at events all over the TN20 postcode area. Whether your event is on Westfield Close, Leeds Lane and Spring Lane or anywhere nearby, we’ll bring the pans to you. Close by, we cover events in Skippers Hill (1 mile north), Butcher's Cross (1 mile north), Woolbridge (1 mile north-east), Wellbrook (1 mile north-east) and Mayfield (2 miles north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Eastbourne (15 miles south), Bexhill-on-Sea (15 miles south-east), Lewes (13 miles south-west), Hailsham (10 miles south), Crowborough (4 miles north-west) and Uckfield (6 miles south-west).
Well-known places in the area include Tickerage Castle (3.8 miles south-west) and Crowborough War Memorial Hospital (4.3 miles north-west). Open spaces near Five Ashes include Selwyns Wood.
- Nearby schools include Skippers Hill Manor School (within half a mile north)
- Local pubs include The Five Ashes Inn (under half a mile south-west)
What happens on the day
From set-up to serving, we look after the food, so you can enjoy your event. Any tapas or canapés are served first while the paella cooks. Around midsummer it stays light in Five Ashes until about 9:15pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:05pm, 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.
- Send us your date, numbers and venue.
- We plan a menu that covers every diet.
- We arrive in good time to set up.
- The paella cooks as guests gather round.
- Service is straight from the pan, then we pack down.
How to prepare
- Make sure we can park close by to unload
- Give us a contact for the day
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
Get a quote
Send us the date, your venue or TN20 postcode and guest numbers, plus any dietary needs, and you’ll get a menu idea and a price. To get started, use our quote form.
Related guides
About the dishes
Black rice
Black rice looks dramatic and tastes of the sea, and is popular with adventurous guests.
Vegetable and vegan paella
A vegetable paella isn’t an afterthought: artichokes, beans, peppers and saffron.
Space, weather and the venue
Most outdoor spaces and many venues work for live paella, but there are a few things to check:
- Flat, firm ground for the cooking area
- Somewhere close to park and unload
- Clearance from fences, hedges, branches and anything flammable
Not sure about your space? Send us a picture and we’ll tell you honestly before booking.
On the menu in Five Ashes
- Vegetable paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Seafood paella
- Mixed paella
- Paella Valenciana
Paella compared with other options
Compared with a hog roast or barbecue, live paella is easier for vegetarian, vegan and halal guests, because each paella has its own pan. Service from the pan keeps queues moving. Live paella often compares well with a sit-down meal, because it needs no kitchen and fewer staff. We will send you a quote.
Why us?
- A clear, itemised quote
- Options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in its own pan
- Drinks service on request
- Real theatre, not just catering
Read How we price Or What paella catering costs.
Towns and villages near Five Ashes
Other catering in Five Ashes
- 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