Oxfordshire · England
Live paella catering in Hardwick, Oxfordshire
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 Hardwick.
- Family celebrations and christenings
- Retirement celebrations
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
Paella catering near Hardwick
Paella catering in Hardwick, made fresh on the day
Everything is cooked from scratch on site, beginning with a sofrito of onion, garlic, peppers and tomato, then the stock, saffron and rice. For garden get-togethers and office lunches and staff parties, we’ll put together a menu of black rice, mixed paella and vegetable paella for your guests.
In a hamlet or village like Hardwick, your own garden or a neighbour’s field can make a wonderful venue. Gates, verges and soft ground are worth mentioning when you enquire. You can add tapas, desserts, sangria, bar staff and waiting staff, so one booking can cover the whole menu.
- Location
- Hardwick (OX27)
- Area hub
- Oxfordshire
- Special diets
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Add-ons
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Quotes
- Quoted for your event
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
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.
You can hire equipment and do it yourself, but you will still need to source ingredients, prep and cook for hours. A caterer handles all of that.
Places near Hardwick
Also in Hardwick
The menu, dish by dish
Seafood paella
The secret is a well-made seafood stock. Shellfish goes in towards the end so it stays tender.
Vegetable and vegan paella
A slow sofrito, seasonal vegetables and a good vegetable stock make a proper main dish. Vegan versions use plant-based stock.
Planners, venues and businesses
If your event is in a public space, such as a park, check what permission you need first. We will provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
Booking for a company? Tell us what your finance team needs, and we will explain how it works. We are happy to liaise with facilities on access and timings.
Live paella in Hardwick: local details
Hardwick is about 4 miles north of Bicester, in Oxfordshire. Events in Hardwick are planned around your venue and timings: a clear quote, agreed timings and paella cooked live on the day. We cover all 443 towns and villages in Oxfordshire. Our events stretch from Hardwick to Oxford (about 15 miles away).
For guests coming by train, Bicester North station is about 4.2 miles away.
We cater events across OX27 and the streets around it. Close by, we cover events in Hethe (1 mile east), Stoke Lyne (1 mile south-west), Fringford (2 miles east), Bucknell (3 miles south-west) and Stratton Audley (3 miles south-east). We also cook in nearby towns such as Oxford (15 miles south), Banbury (10 miles north-west), Bicester (4 miles south), Kidlington (11 miles south-west), Headington Quarry (14 miles south) and Bure Park (4 miles south).
Other landmarks nearby include Ardley Castle (2.8 miles south-west) and Bicester Community Hospital (4.6 miles south).
- Nearby, you will find Whitmore Arms Public House (1 mile east)
How the day works
When the rice goes in, it is left alone. That is how the grains cook evenly and the toasted base, the socarrat, forms. The smell typically draws people over. Evenings in Hardwick stay light until about 9:30pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:10pm; after dark, the cooking and serving areas need good lighting.
- You tell us the date, venue, guest numbers and any dietary needs.
- You get a suggested menu and an itemised quote.
- On the day we arrive in good time, set up and start the stock.
- Your guests watch the paella cook, with any tapas served first.
- We serve from the pan, then clear our cooking area away.
How to prepare
- Ensure we can park close by to unload
- Name one person we can ask on the day
- Keep the cooking spot clear of fences, hedges and branches
Get a quote
To get a price, send us your details through our quote form. Give us the details of your event, and we’ll put together a menu and price.
Planning help
Why choose live paella in Hardwick?
A plated meal needs a kitchen, more staff and generally costs more per head. Live paella needs a level, ventilated spot and the venue’s permission to cook, and it’s entertaining too. Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are optional extras, so you can choose exactly what you need.
Why Hardwick hosts choose us
- Drinks service on request
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
- Starters and desserts to complete the menu
- We cover Hardwick and the whole of Oxfordshire
See Our pricing And Our guide to catering costs.
Diets, allergies and planning
With a little notice, every diet is easy. We suggest:
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
- Ask for labels on each pan
- Confirm allergies by email
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
The rice takes about 20 minutes once it goes in, so we start it at the right moment for your event. If plans change, tell us and we’ll adjust.
Finish with churros, crema catalana or tarta de Santiago.
Why choose paella catering in Hardwick?
Few dishes cope with mixed diets like paella, because each version is cooked in its own pan. Nobody gets a token ‘special meal’.
Whatever the occasion, live paella can be the centrepiece. We regularly cater:
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
- Milestone birthday parties
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Staff parties and work lunches
For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St Mary, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone.
What to look for in a quote
- Who provides the crockery
- Staff numbers and hours
- Whether travel is included
- How each diet is kept separate
Hardwick questions
Is Hardwick close to London?
Roughly 56 miles from the centre of London.
Which station should guests use for Hardwick?
The closest is Bicester North station, roughly 4.2 miles away.
What happens if it rains?
We cook under cover, such as a gazebo, marquee or open-sided barn with good ventilation. We will agree a wet-weather plan with you.
Can you cater for children?
Yes. A simple chicken paella is typically popular with children. Tell us how many are coming.
Do you cater for coeliacs?
We can, if you tell us in advance. The rice is gluten-free, but stocks and chorizo can contain gluten, so we cook a gluten-free paella separately.
Do you do vegan paella?
Of course. We cook vegetarian and vegan paellas in their own pans, alongside the meat and seafood pans.
Do you provide plates and cutlery?
We can. Let us know what you have, and we will quote for the rest.
Do you clear up afterwards?
We take our equipment and leave the cooking area tidy. Ask us about table clearing if you need it.
Where we can cook in Hardwick
The right spot keeps things safe and helps the paella cook evenly. We need:
- Flat, firm ground for the cooking area
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise before you book.
On the menu in Hardwick
- Vegetable paella
- Seafood paella
- Mixed paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Vegan paella
- 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