Surrey · England
Live paella catering in Great Bookham, Surrey
Something 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 Great Bookham.
- Milestone birthday parties
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Naming days and family parties
Live paella catering in Great Bookham
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
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.
Not sure whether to cook yourself or book a caterer? Think about numbers, diets and how much you want to enjoy the day. Ask us for a quote and compare.
Paella catering in Great Bookham, made fresh on the day
Live paella works almost anywhere with a level, ventilated spot: gardens, marquees, barns, courtyards and festival fields. Typical bookings include garden get-togethers and big birthdays, with vegan paella, seafood paella and black rice.
A place like Great Bookham frequently has a hall, a club or a pub garden nearby; any can work for paella, with permission and somewhere outside to cook. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, with each paella cooked in its own pan.
Places near Great Bookham
More for events in Great Bookham
About the dishes
Mixed paella
Paella mixta combines meat and seafood in one pan, and it is frequently the first pan to empty.
Black rice
Arroz negro is coloured and flavoured with squid ink, and is typically served with alioli. It is a striking addition to a seafood menu.
Catering for every guest
Good planning keeps every guest safe and happy. Here’s how:
- Flag any coeliac guests, not just gluten-free preferences
- Ask for labels on each pan
- Ask about diets and allergies on your invitation or RSVP
- Let us know about other food at the event
On the day, you shouldn’t have to think about the food. We arrive in good time, set up, cook and serve, and stay in touch with your venue about timings.
Tapas or canapés make a good start as the rice cooks.
Great Bookham: your questions answered
Can you cook in River Mole LNR?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, normally the council. Check with them, and we’ll provide our paperwork.
Do you cater in the Surrey Hills National Landscape?
Yes. Some venues there have rules about vehicles, ground and cooking, so check with yours. We will work to whatever the site needs.
Can you do sangria?
Sangria, yes. For other drinks, we can provide bar staff to serve what you buy.
Can you supply plates?
If you need them, yes. Proper crockery or quality disposables can be added to your booking.
How do you work out quantities?
We plan quantities from your guest numbers, timings and other courses, with a sensible margin. Accurate numbers help.
Which paellas do you recommend?
It depends on your guests. Chicken and mixed paellas tend to go first, with seafood and vegetable pans alongside.
When should we book?
Early, particularly for summer Saturdays. Even if it is short notice, it’s worth asking.
What seafood can we have?
Tell us your preferences and we’ll suggest seafood options to suit your menu and budget. Premium options are available.
Prices and what affects them
We’ll give you a clear, itemised quote. What affects it most:
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- Parking and unloading
- Timings and hours
- Waiting and bar staff
Got a budget? Let us know, and we’ll suggest a menu to match. Even a simple menu can be a feast.
What to tell us
To speed things up, tell us:
- Whether the venue has crockery or staff
- The courses you’d like
- Where the event is
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
Most quotes start with a few simple details: date, location, guest numbers and diets. To send them, send us your details through our quote form.
Planners, venues and businesses
If your event is in a public space, such as a park, check what permission you need first. We can send whatever the landowner or council needs from us.
For larger events, we plan the number of pans and serving points around your timings, so guests are fed quickly. Tell us how long you have for food.
Catering an event in Great Bookham
Great Bookham is about 6 miles south-west of Epsom, in Surrey. For paella catering in Great Bookham, we plan around your venue and timings: a quote, a plan and live cooking on the day. Great Bookham is one of 395 places in Surrey where we cook. Our events stretch from Great Bookham to Guildford (9 miles away).
Historic houses near Great Bookham include Polesden Lacey (1.6 miles south) and Hatchlands Park (4.6 miles west). Historic venues often limit cooking, so ask early if you are booking one. School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as The Dawnay School, can book us as a food stall. The Surrey Hills National Landscape is within about 4 miles of Great Bookham, a lovely setting for an outdoor event. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
We cover events in every part of the KT23 and KT22 postcode area and the streets around it. Streets in the area include High Street, Church Road and Beeches Drive, and we can cook for an event on any of them. Other places close to Great Bookham for paella catering include Fetcham (1 mile north-east), Little Bookham (1 mile south-west), Leatherhead (2 miles north-east), Mickleham (2 miles east) and Westhumble (3 miles south-east). Further out, we also cater in Guildford (9 miles west), Woking (9 miles west), Epsom (6 miles north-east), Horley (11 miles south-east), Redhill (9 miles east) and Ewell (7 miles north-east).
Other landmarks nearby include Headley Court (4.1 miles east) and Betchworth Castle (4.4 miles south-east). Open spaces near Great Bookham include Box Hill and Jubilee Wood.
- Schools near Great Bookham include Manor House School (0.9 miles south-west) and Howard of Effingham School (1.1 miles south-west)
- Local pubs include The Old Crown pub (under half a mile south-west)
How the day works
We get there well before serving, unload, set up the burners and prepare the stock. Guests usually gather round to watch while it cooks. In Great Bookham, the sun sets at about 9:20pm in late June and about 7:05pm in late September, so summer evening events are generally served in daylight. For winter events, when it’s dark by about 3:55pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- 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.
- We serve hot from the pan and clear our cooking area.
Before we arrive
- Give us your final numbers and diets
- Plan cover in case of rain
- Make sure we can park close by to unload
Getting a price
Not sure what you need yet? That’s fine: give us the basics about your event, and we will make suggestions. Start when you are ready: send us your details through our quote form.
Planning help
Is live paella right for your event?
Barbecues cook in batches, so food comes off in waves. Paella is cooked as one big dish and served together. Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are optional extras, so you can choose exactly what you need.
What you get with us
- A quote that spells everything out
- Everything cooked fresh at your event
- We cover Great Bookham and the whole of Surrey
- Options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in its own pan
Take a look at Our pricing Or What paella catering costs.
Occasions we cook for in Great Bookham
Paella is one of the few dishes that handles mixed diets easily, because each version is cooked in its own pan. Everyone gets the same kind of meal.
Here are some of the events we cook for in Great Bookham and Surrey:
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Naming days and family parties
- Garden get-togethers
- Big birthdays
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Bookham station, about 0.8 miles north-west.
Before booking anyone
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- Exactly what’s included in the price
- How bad weather is handled
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- 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