Surrey · England
Paella Catering in Friday Street
From the first sizzle in the pan to the last crispy spoonful, live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event turns food into part of your event in Friday Street.
- Retirement celebrations
- Family celebrations and christenings
- Staff parties and work lunches
Paella catering for Friday Street events
Live paella in Friday Street: local details
Friday Street is about 3 miles south-west of Dorking, in Surrey. Events in Friday Street are planned around your venue and timings: a quote, a plan and live cooking on the day. We cover 395 places across Surrey. Our nearest city page is Guildford, about 9 miles away.
If you are organising a summer fair for a school like Belmont Prep School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. Nearby historic houses include Polesden Lacey (4.2 miles north). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early. Friday Street is within about 2 miles of the Surrey Hills National Landscape, and country venues and gardens there suit live paella perfectly. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
This part of Surrey takes in RH5, and we can cater your event anywhere in it. That could mean an event in a garden on Sheephouse Lane, Noons Corner Road and Abinger Common Road. If your venue is just outside Friday Street, we also cover Abinger Bottom (1 mile south), Abinger Common (1 mile west), Coldharbour (2 miles south-east), Forest Green (3 miles south) and South Holmwood (3 miles east). We also cook in nearby towns such as Guildford (9 miles north-west), Woking (12 miles north-west), Epsom (11 miles north-east), Horley (9 miles east), Redhill (10 miles east) and Ewell (12 miles north-east).
Nearby you will also find Abinger Castle (1 mile west) and Mesolithic Museum (1 mile west). Open spaces near Friday Street include Vann Lake and Combe Bottom.
- Local schools include Hurtwood House (2.4 miles south-west)
- Pubs nearby include The Stephan Langton Inn (less than half a mile north-west)
Paella catering in Friday Street, made fresh on the day
Two or three pans side by side cover every guest: a meat or mixed paella, a seafood paella and a vegetable or vegan one. Every pan is cooked on its own. Whether it is retirement celebrations and summer garden parties, we’ll put together a menu of vegan paella, mixed paella and seafood paella.
Somewhere as small as Friday Street, a garden or field is often the venue. Country lanes and long drives are no problem if we know about them, and a firm spot near where we park makes set-up easier. We cook every pan in full view of your guests, so it arrives hot and becomes part of the event.
Also near Friday Street
Also in Friday Street
Prices and what affects them
These are the factors that matter most:
- Guest numbers
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
- Waiting and bar staff
- How long we are needed on site
Live paella often compares well with a sit-down meal, because it needs no kitchen and fewer staff. Ask us for a quote.
Getting an accurate quote
When you get in touch, it helps to tell us:
- Whether you want canapés, tapas or desserts
- Where the event is
- A photo of the cooking space, if it’s a garden or field
- What the venue already provides
Every quote is put together for your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we will check availability at the same time.
How it works
Once the rice is in, we do not stir it. That is how the grains cook evenly and the toasted base, the socarrat, forms. The smell normally draws people over. Evenings in Friday Street stay light until about 9:20pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:05pm; once it’s dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- Contact us 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.
- We serve, then leave our area tidy.
How to prepare
- Share the running order, including any speeches
- Choose a level spot for the cooking area
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
How to get a price
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, along with any dietary needs, and you will get a menu idea and a price. Just send us your details through our quote form.
Planning help
Organising for someone else?
Planning an event for a club, school or charity in Friday Street? Paella is quick to serve to a crowd and suits most diets. Tell us about the event and we’ll suggest a menu.
Events in public spaces, like parks, generally need permission. We can send whatever the landowner or council needs from us.
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
DIY catering keeps costs down, but the host spends the party cooking. Booking us means you get the show without the stress.
Cooking it yourself? Test your pan and burner first, keep the stock hot, and leave the rice alone once it is in. And keep children and pets well away from the burner.
Live paella or other catering?
Cold buffets are easy but forgettable, and food can sit out for a while. Paella is cooked live and served hot. Larger events generally cost less per head, because the cooking set-up is similar for different sizes of event. Tell us your numbers for an accurate price.
What you get with us
- Catering across Surrey, including Friday Street
- Drinks service on request
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
- Options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in its own pan
Read How we price And What paella catering costs.
Occasions we cook for in Friday Street
Live paella is made for outdoor events: it’s cooked in the open, served hot and eaten together.
Almost any gathering can work with live paella. In Friday Street, people book us for events such as:
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
- Weddings and evening receptions
- Retirement and leaving parties
Thinking of a picnic-style party in Wotton and Abinger Commons? Public parks generally need permission from the council or landowner for cooking, so check first.
Questions to ask before you book
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- Travel and parking costs
- The wet-weather plan
- How each diet is kept separate
Friday Street questions
Can you cook in Wotton and Abinger Commons?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, typically the council. Ask them first, and we’ll send any information they need.
Can you cater a reception after a service at Church of St James?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is generally elsewhere. Tell us where the reception will be.
Do you cater for young children?
Yes, children are easy to cater for. Let us know numbers and ages, and we will plan for them.
Can you serve tapas as well?
Yes, and it’s a popular combination. Tapas first, paella to follow.
What space do you need to cook?
Not a lot: a flat spot away from anything flammable, with space to serve. If in doubt, send a photo.
What about pudding?
Yes, Spanish desserts can be added. Let us know if you’d like one when you ask for a quote.
What happens with live paella?
We bring everything needed to cook on site, cook while everyone watches, and serve when you’re ready to eat.
How many paellas should we have?
Two or three covers most guests. Tell us about your guests’ diets and we will suggest the mix.
Planning for every diet
We take diets and allergies seriously. Here’s how you can help:
- Confirm allergies by email
- Pick a mix of paellas to cover every diet
- Tell us how many children are coming
- Tell us what else is being served
Once everyone is fed, we clear our cooking area, quietly and quickly.
Bread, salad and lemon wedges make the meal go further.
The menu, dish by dish
Vegetable and vegan paella
The vegetable pan is a dish in its own right: peppers, artichokes and beans with saffron.
Seafood paella
Seafood paella starts with a good fish and shellfish stock. Shellfish goes in towards the end so it stays tender.
- 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