Oxfordshire · England
Paella Catering for Frilford events
Cooked live, served hot and made to share: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event for events in Frilford and across Oxfordshire.
- Naming days and family parties
- Retirement celebrations
- Big birthdays
Book paella catering in Frilford
About the dishes
Paella Valenciana
Valencians take their paella seriously. The traditional pan has chicken, flat green beans and butter beans, and it’s a crowd-pleaser.
Black rice
Black rice looks dramatic and tastes of the sea, and is popular with adventurous guests.
Paella catering for your event in Frilford
Live paella works almost anywhere with a level, ventilated spot: gardens, marquees, barns, courtyards and festival fields. Popular choices include vegetable paella, chicken and chorizo paella and mixed paella, and we are frequently booked for retirement and leaving parties and weddings, from canapés to evening food.
In a rural place like Frilford, the setting does a lot of the work: a paella cooking in a garden or field feels right at home. Let us know about access and ground conditions. Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included, with each paella cooked in its own pan.
- Where
- Frilford (OX13)
- County
- Oxfordshire
- Diets
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Also available
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Quotes
- Quoted for your event
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Dietary needs and planning tips
A little planning makes sure everyone can eat. Try these:
- Request clear labels at the serving table
- Give us separate numbers for children
- Mention any other courses or food
- Pick a mix of paellas to cover every diet
If you’ve booked staff, they’ll serve, clear and help keep things moving, so you can relax.
Crockery, cutlery and waiting staff are available if your venue does not provide them.
Prices and what affects them
These are the factors that matter most:
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- The paellas you choose
- How many staff you need
- Guest numbers
Extras such as tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are priced separately, so you can choose exactly what you need.
Details that help
To speed things up, tell us:
- Whether you want canapés, tapas or desserts
- The address or venue name
- A picture of the cooking space, if it is a garden or field
- Any dietary needs and allergies
Still deciding on the menu? That is fine: tell us about the occasion and the guests, and we will suggest a menu. Start when you’re ready: use our quote form.
Why live cooking beats a buffet
If you want something different from the usual buffet or roast, live paella brings colour, aroma and a touch of Spain to your event in Frilford. Compared with a plated meal, live paella is often good value, because it needs no kitchen and fewer staff. We will send you a quote.
Why Frilford hosts choose us
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- Real theatre, not just catering
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
- Waiting staff and crockery on request
Take a look at Our prices page Or What paella catering costs.
How it works
We work to your timings. If things run behind, we hold the paella at the right stage so it is still served fresh. Evenings in Frilford stay light until about 9:25pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:10pm; once it is dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- You tell us the date, venue, guest numbers and any dietary needs.
- You get a suggested menu and an itemised quote.
- We arrive early, set up the cooking area and start the stock.
- The paella cooks in front of your guests, with tapas first if you’ve chosen them.
- We serve from the pan, then clear our cooking area away.
Before we arrive
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
- Tell us where to park and unload
- Give us a contact for the day
Get a quote
Every quote is put together for your event. Tell us your date and guest numbers, and we will confirm whether we are available that day.
Related guides
Frilford: venues, travel and local tips
Frilford is about 3 miles west of Abingdon-on-Thames, in Oxfordshire. Give us the address of your event in Frilford, and we will plan the journey and set-up. We cater in all 443 towns and villages in Oxfordshire, from the larger towns to small villages. Our events stretch from Frilford to Oxford (about 8 miles away).
If you are celebrating after a service at a church like Church of All Saints, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. If you are organising a summer fair for a school like Abingdon Preparatory School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
This part of Oxfordshire takes in OX13. That could mean an event in a garden on Oxford Road and Kingston Road or the roads around them. Nearby, we also cater events in Frilford Heath (1 mile north), Marcham (1 mile east), Tubney (1 mile north), Fyfield (2 miles north-west) and Netherton (2 miles north-west). Larger places within reach include Oxford (8 miles north-east), Didcot (7 miles south-east), Abingdon-on-Thames (3 miles east), Witney (10 miles north-west), Carterton (12 miles north-west) and Wantage (6 miles south-west).
Other landmarks nearby include FitzHarris Castle (3.4 miles east) and Abingdon Community Hospital (2.6 miles east). Not far away are Hitchcopse Pit and Cumnor Hill.
- Pubs nearby include The White Hart Public House (0.8 miles south-east)
Organising for someone else?
Events in public spaces, like parks, typically need permission. We will provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
If you are booking for a business, tell us how you’d like to handle the booking and payment, and we’ll talk you through the process. We can work with your facilities team on access and timings.
Frilford: your questions answered
Is Frilford too small for live paella?
No, we cook in small places too. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
We are having a ceremony at Church of All Saints: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Live cooking normally happens at the reception venue, not the church. Tell us where the reception will be.
How many paellas should we have?
Generally two or three, so every guest has a choice. We’ll recommend a mix based on diets.
Can we add tapas or canapés?
Yes, it is the classic pairing. Tapas go out first, then the paella.
Do you provide plates and cutlery?
If you need them, yes. Crockery, cutlery and napkins, or good-quality disposables are available.
Can paella be the only main course?
Paella is a meal in itself. Many hosts add tapas first or dessert after.
How much space do you need?
Level ground for the burners, pans and a table, in the open air or a ventilated covered area, plus the venue’s agreement to cooking.
Is the paella cooked on site?
It is. We bring the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook on the day, then serve straight from the pan.
Nearby places to Frilford
Other catering in Frilford
DIY paella versus live catering
Hiring a pan and burner is one option, but you will still need to source ingredients, prep and cook for hours. A caterer handles all of that.
Cooking paella for a crowd yourself is possible, but it is 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.
Planning the cooking area
We cook in large pans over gas burners, so the cooking area needs a little planning. These are the things we check:
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
- Open air or a well-ventilated covered spot
- Clearance from fences, hedges, branches and anything flammable
If you’re unsure, send a photo of the space and we’ll say what we think.
Popular choices
- Mixed paella
- Vegan paella
- Vegetable paella
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Paella Valenciana
- 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