Buckinghamshire · England
Live paella catering in Ford, Buckinghamshire
Paella for every guest: separate pans for meat, seafood and vegetarian or vegan guests. Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event for events in Ford.
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Naming days and family parties
Planning an event in Ford?
Diets, allergies and planning
With a little notice, every diet is easy. We suggest:
- Ask about diets and allergies on your invitation or RSVP
- Pick a mix of paellas to cover every diet
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
- Send allergies to us in writing
A short rest after cooking helps, and that is when we invite guests up.
Bread, salad and lemon go well alongside.
Paella catering in Ford, made fresh on the day
Live paella catering means we bring the pans, burners and fresh ingredients to your event and cook in front of your guests. When it is ready, it’s served straight from the pan. Popular choices include chicken and chorizo paella, mixed paella and seafood paella, and we’re regularly asked to cater community events and fairs and big birthdays.
Somewhere as small as Ford, a garden or field is frequently the venue. Country lanes and long drives are no problem if we know about them, and cooking close to where we can park helps. Tapas, canapés, desserts, sangria and staff can all be added, so the whole menu comes from one caterer.
- Where
- Ford (HP17)
- County
- Buckinghamshire
- Dietary options
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Also available
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Quote
- Quoted for your event
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
Step by step
We take care of the food from set-up to service, so you are free to enjoy your event. Any tapas or canapés are served first while the paella cooks. In Ford, the sun sets at about 9:25pm in late June and about 7:05pm in late September, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. In December it’s dark by about 3:55pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- You share your date, numbers and venue.
- We plan a menu that covers every diet.
- We arrive early to set up the burners and pans.
- The sofrito, stock and rice go in, and guests gather to watch.
- Service is straight from the pan, then we pack down.
Preparing for the day
- Tell us when you want to eat
- Give us your final numbers and diets
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
Ask for a quote
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, plus any dietary needs, and you’ll get a menu idea and a price. To get started, fill in our quote form.
Read more
What paella catering costs
Every event is priced individually, and the price depends on a few things:
- The number of people
- How long we are needed on site
- Starters, canapés and desserts
- Travel, parking and access
Access and travel can make a difference to the cost, so tell us about the venue when you ask for a quote. Everything is confirmed in writing.
Getting an accurate quote
We can quote more accurately with a few details. Here’s what’s useful:
- The venue or postcode
- Diets and allergies you know about
- Your date and when you want to eat
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
Most quotes start with a few simple details: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. To send them, send us your details through our quote form.
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
Cooking paella for a crowd yourself is possible, but it’s harder than it looks. 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.
Doing it yourself saves money, but the host ends up stuck at the stove. Booking us means you get the show without the stress.
Planners, venues and businesses
Hosting a party at home? Send a picture of the space and tell us about parking, and we will let you know if live paella is a good fit.
If you’re organising for someone else, whether you’re a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we’ll work directly with you and the venue. It keeps things simple.
Events we cater in Ford
It suits relaxed, sociable events, with guests mingling as it cooks and then sit down to share.
Big or small, live paella works well. Common bookings include:
- Family celebrations and christenings
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Big birthdays
- Anniversary celebrations
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Haddenham & Thame Parkway station, about 2.8 miles west.
What to look for in a quote
- How bad weather is handled
- The deadline for final numbers
- Staff numbers and hours
- The venue requirements
What else we do in Ford
About the dishes
Paella Valenciana
Valencians take their paella seriously. The classic version is chicken, green beans and butter beans with saffron, and it is a crowd-pleaser.
Mixed paella
A mix of chicken and seafood, for guests who want a bit of everything.
Paella catering around Ford
Ford is about 4 miles south-west of Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire. Wherever your event is in the HP17 area, we can cook for your guests. We cook in 263 places in Buckinghamshire, from the larger towns to small villages. We cook right across the region, from Ford to Oxford (about 15 miles away).
The Chilterns National Landscape is within about 6 miles of Ford, and country venues and gardens there suit live paella perfectly. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
Anywhere in HP17, we can cook for your guests, from busy streets to quiet lanes. Local streets include Linden Way and Chapel Road; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Dinton (1 mile north-west), Upton (1 mile north), Bishopstone (2 miles east), Owlswick (2 miles south-east) and Sedrup (2 miles north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Aylesbury (4 miles north-east), High Wycombe (11 miles south-east), Chesham (12 miles east), Marlow (15 miles south), Amersham (14 miles south-east) and Beaconsfield (15 miles south-east).
A little further out are Dinton Castle (1.6 miles north-west) and National Paralympic Heritage Centre (3.7 miles north-east). Open spaces near Ford include Beacon Hill and Snakemoor.
- Nearby, you’ll find The Dinton Hermit Public House (within half a mile north-east)
Planning the cooking area
Before the day, we will agree where we cook. It needs to meet a few simple requirements:
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
- Parking close enough to carry equipment
If you’re unsure, send a photo of the space and we will say what we think.
On the menu in Ford
- Vegan paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Seafood paella
- Vegetable paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
FAQs for Ford
Is Ford too small for live paella?
No, we cook in small places too. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
Is Ford close to London?
Roughly 39 miles from the centre of London.
Can the paella be cooked in a hall?
Mostly outside or under an open cover, because we use gas burners. Some venues have suitable spaces; we’ll check with you and the venue.
How much paella per person?
Pans are sized to your numbers and other courses. Tell us what else is being served. See how much paella per person.
Can you provide dessert?
Yes. Spanish desserts such as churros or crema catalana, or you can serve your own cake.
Do you cater for coeliacs?
A gluten-free pan is no problem. Let us know about coeliac guests in advance so we can plan it carefully.
Do you do vegan paella?
Yes, and meat eaters frequently go back for seconds. Each is cooked separately, with its own stock and utensils.
How many paellas should we have?
Two or three is usual: meat or mixed, seafood, and vegetable or vegan. We’ll help you decide the split.
- 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