Buckinghamshire · England
Paella Catering in Hartwell
Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Hartwell: paella cooked from scratch in huge pans, right in front of your guests, with tapas, desserts and drinks if you want them.
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Retirement celebrations
- Engagement and anniversary parties
Live paella catering in Hartwell
Catering for every guest
We take diets and allergies seriously. Here’s how you can help:
- Have seats for most of your guests
- Let us know about other food at the event
- Give us separate numbers for children
- Ensure each pan is labelled
A short rest after cooking helps, which is when we usually call guests over.
Need plates or staff? We can provide them.
How our paella catering works in Hartwell
Paella is generous food: giant pans, saffron colour and a toasted crust that everyone fights over. It turns a meal into an occasion. Whether it’s retirement celebrations and company summer parties, we’ll put together a menu of vegan paella, vegetable paella and chicken and chorizo paella and more.
Somewhere like Hartwell, a field or garden is often the perfect setting. Mention gates and soft ground when you get in touch. You will know exactly what’s included before booking: menu, staff, crockery and anything else you choose, with no surprises on the day.
- Area
- Hartwell (HP17)
- Region
- Buckinghamshire
- Diets
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Add-ons
- Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff
- Price
- Ask us for a quote
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
For planners, venues and organisers
Venues often have their own rules about outside caterers: cooking areas, access times and documents. Send us your venue’s requirements and we’ll follow them.
If you are organising for someone else, whether you’re a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we’re happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It keeps things simple.
Live paella in Hartwell: local details
Hartwell is about 1 mile west of Southcourt, in Buckinghamshire. Tell us where your event in Hartwell will be, and we will plan access and set-up before the day. We cook in all 263 towns and villages in Buckinghamshire, from the larger towns to small villages. We cook right across the region, from Hartwell to Milton Keynes (about 16 miles away).
For guests coming by train, Aylesbury station is about 1.7 miles away. Nearby historic houses include Waddesdon Manor (4.5 miles north-west). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early. Hartwell is within about 6 miles of the Chilterns National Landscape. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
Paella catering in HP17 is planned around your venue and your guests. We can cater an event on streets such as Oxford Road, Sedrup Lane and Portway Road. Other places close to Hartwell for paella catering include Stone (1 mile west), Fairford Leys (1 mile north-east), Southcourt (1 mile east), Haydon Hill (1 mile north) and California (2 miles east). Within a short drive, we also cover High Wycombe (13 miles south), Chesham (12 miles south-east), Buckingham (14 miles north-west), Amersham (14 miles south-east), Princes Risborough (6 miles south) and Haddenham (4 miles south-west).
Well-known places in the area include Dinton Castle (1.8 miles west) and Roald Dahl Children's Gallery (1.8 miles north-east). Not far away are Snakemoor and Beacon Hill.
- Schools near Hartwell include Pebble Brook School (1.2 miles north-east) and Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School (1.3 miles north-east)
- Nearby, you’ll find The Rose & Crown pub (within half a mile west)
What paella catering costs
Each event is quoted on its own, based on a few main things:
- Whether you need crockery
- Guest numbers
- Waiting and bar staff
- Your choice of paellas
Access and travel can make a difference to the cost, so it helps to tell us about your venue. Everything is confirmed in writing.
What to tell us
The more we know about your event, the better we can plan. Try to include:
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- A picture of the space, if you can
- Anything your venue supplies
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
Every event is quoted individually, so you only pay for what you need. To ask for one, send us your details through our quote form.
Why live cooking beats a buffet
A plated meal needs a kitchen, more staff and typically costs more per head. Live paella needs a level, ventilated spot and the venue’s permission to cook, and gives guests something to watch. Extras such as tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are priced separately, so you can choose exactly what you need.
Why choose Love Paella in Hartwell
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
- Paella cooked from scratch on site
- Every diet catered for, pan by pan
- Crockery and waiting staff if you need them
Take a look at Our prices page Or Our guide to catering costs.
How it works
Once the rice is in, we do not stir it. That’s how the grains cook evenly and the toasted base, the socarrat, forms. Your guests will smell it before they see it. Planning an evening event in Hartwell? Sunset is around 8:55pm in late May, 9:25pm at midsummer and 7:05pm in late September; after dark, the cooking and serving areas need good lighting.
- Get in touch with the basics: when, where and how many.
- Expect a menu idea and a clear, itemised price.
- A week or so before, we confirm the plan.
- We set up, cook from scratch and keep an eye on your timings.
- We serve, then leave our area tidy.
Before we arrive
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
- Have a gazebo or cover ready if rain is likely
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
How to get a price
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, plus any dietary needs, and we will reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. To get started, fill in our quote form.
Planning help
Why choose paella catering in Hartwell?
It needs no kitchen, so it works in gardens, fields and marquees where other catering struggles.
We’re booked for all kinds of occasions in Hartwell and nearby. Some of the most common are:
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
- Weddings and evening receptions
- Community events and fairs
- Leaving dos and retirements
For a christening or wedding at a church such as St Mary's Church, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone.
What to look for in a quote
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
- Travel and parking costs
- How late numbers can change
- If the price includes VAT
The menu, dish by dish
Black rice
Squid ink rice is bold and savoury.
Seafood paella
The secret is a well-made seafood stock. The shellfish is added late so it stays tender.
Hartwell: your questions answered
Can you cater a reception after a service at St Mary's Church?
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.
Can you cook at venues in the Chilterns 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.
How long does the paella take?
That depends on your menu and numbers. We will agree arrival, cooking and serving times with you so the paella is ready when you want it.
Which paellas do you recommend?
Two or three is usual: a mixed or chicken paella, a seafood paella and a vegetable or vegan one. Our menu lists the options.
Can you bring crockery?
If you need them, yes. Crockery, cutlery and napkins, or good-quality disposables can be added to your booking.
Do you cook inside?
Indoors only where ventilation and the venue allow it. Most events have us cooking outside or in a doorway or courtyard.
What happens with live paella?
We arrive with pans, burners and ingredients, cook in front of your guests, and serve at the time you want.
Is the paella gluten-free?
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.
Also near Hartwell
Other catering in Hartwell
Should I cook it myself?
DIY catering keeps costs down, but the host spends the party cooking. Booking us means you get the show without the stress.
Weighing up DIY against a caterer? Think about numbers, diets and how much you want to enjoy the day. Ask us for a quote and compare.
- 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