Buckinghamshire · England
Paella Catering for Ilmer events
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 in Ilmer.
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
Paella catering near Ilmer
How it works
When the rice goes in, it is left alone. 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 Ilmer? 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.
- We start with a few details about your event.
- We suggest paellas and extras and send a clear quote.
- We agree timings, access and the cooking spot.
- We cook live on the day while guests watch.
- It’s served straight from the pan, and we clear our area afterwards.
How to prepare
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
- Confirm the venue is happy with live cooking
- Have a level space ready for the pans
How to get a price
Getting a quote is simple: tell us the date, place, numbers and any dietary needs. We will send a clear, itemised quote and a suggested menu.
Related guides
Paella catering for your event in Ilmer
We cook every paella from scratch on the day, starting with a slow sofrito of onion, garlic, peppers and tomato, then the stock, saffron and rice. For anniversaries and engagement parties and christenings and family gatherings, we will put together a menu of paella Valenciana, mixed paella and chicken and chorizo paella for your guests.
In a small place like Ilmer, events are generally in a garden, a field or a nearby hall. Tell us about narrow lanes or long drives and we will plan for them, and a firm spot near where we park makes set-up easier. Timings are planned around your event, so the paella is ready when you want to eat.
- Area
- Ilmer (HP27)
- County
- Buckinghamshire
- Diets
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal
- Add-ons
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Quote
- Contact us for a quote
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Dietary needs and planning tips
A little planning makes sure everyone can eat. Try these:
- Choose two or three paellas so every guest has a choice
- Ask for labels on each pan
- Tell us what else is being served
- Ask about diets and allergies on your invitation or RSVP
Paella is at its best straight from the pan, so we plan service for when guests are ready to eat.
Bread, salad and lemon go well alongside and suit guests who aren’t big rice eaters.
Should I cook it myself?
Some hosts like to cook themselves. Common mistakes are mismatched pans and burners, overfilling and stirring. If you’d rather be with your guests, we will do the cooking.
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
For planners, venues and organisers
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.
If you run the same event each year, tell us your dates early, so we can hold the date.
Ilmer: your questions answered
How far is Ilmer from London?
Roughly 38 miles from the centre of London.
We are having a ceremony at Church of St Peter: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Live cooking typically happens at the reception venue, not the church. Tell us where the reception will be.
Can we add tapas or canapés?
Yes, it’s the classic pairing. Tapas go out first, then the paella.
Can you cater for children?
Yes, children are easy to cater for. Tell us how many and roughly how old, and we’ll plan a pan with them in mind.
What do you need at the venue?
A level space for the pans, burners and a serving table, in the open air or a ventilated covered area, plus the venue’s agreement to cooking.
What about pudding?
We can add a dessert. Let us know if you’d like one in your enquiry.
Is the paella cooked on site?
Yes. We bring the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook it there and then, serving it hot from the pan.
Which areas do you serve?
London and the South East: Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight, including Ilmer.
The menu, dish by dish
Vegetable and vegan paella
Seasonal vegetables on a rich sofrito base make a proper main dish. For vegans, the stock is plant-based.
Black rice
Squid ink rice is bold and savoury.
What paella catering costs
Every event is priced individually, and the price depends on a few things:
- Whether you need crockery
- How many courses
- Parking and unloading
- The paellas you choose
Travel, parking and access can affect the price, so it helps to tell us about your venue. The full price is confirmed before you book.
Details that help
You do not need everything decided to ask for a quote, but these help:
- Your date and when you want to eat
- Where the event is
- 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, fill in our quote form.
Space, weather and the venue
We’ll be honest if a space will not work. The main points are:
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
- Level ground for the pans and burners
- Somewhere close to park and unload
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise.
On the menu in Ilmer
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegetable paella
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
- Vegan paella
- Paella Valenciana
Catering an event in Ilmer
Ilmer is about 4 miles east of Thame, in Buckinghamshire. Anywhere in HP27, we will come to your venue or garden. Ilmer is one of 263 towns and villages in Buckinghamshire where we cook. We cook right across the region, from Ilmer to Oxford (about 15 miles away).
For guests coming by train, Monks Risborough station is about 2.5 miles away. If you’re celebrating after a service at a church like Church of St Peter, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. Ilmer is within about 6 miles of the Chilterns National Landscape, a lovely setting for an outdoor event. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
We cater events across the HP27 postcode area and the streets around it. Close by, we cover events in Longwick (1 mile south-east), Holly Green (1 mile south), Forty Green (1 mile south), Owlswick (1 mile east) and Pitch Green (2 miles south). We also cook in nearby towns such as Aylesbury (6 miles north-east), High Wycombe (10 miles south-east), Chesham (12 miles east), Marlow (13 miles south), Amersham (13 miles east) and Beaconsfield (14 miles south-east).
Other landmarks nearby include Thame Community Hospital (3.6 miles west) and Great Kimble Dial Hill (3.4 miles east). Green spaces nearby include Beacon Hill and Snakemoor.
Why choose paella catering in Ilmer?
Live paella is food and a show in one. The cooking becomes the centre of the event, and the food is hot and generous.
In Ilmer and nearby, we cater all sorts of events. Popular bookings include:
- Naming days and family parties
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
- Big birthdays
- Office lunches and staff parties
If you’re organising a summer fair for a school like Longwick Church of England Combined School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
Comparing caterers
- How dietary needs and allergies are handled
- The wet-weather plan
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- What the caterer needs from your venue
Nearby places to Ilmer
Other catering in Ilmer
- 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