Surrey · England
Live paella catering in Jacobs Well, Surrey
Treat your guests to live paella at your event in Jacobs Well. Everything is cooked fresh on the day, and serve it straight from the pan.
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Summer garden parties
- Anniversary celebrations
Paella catering for Jacobs Well events
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
Some hosts like to cook themselves. The usual problems are a pan too big for the burner, too much rice and stirring once the rice is in. If you’d rather enjoy the party, let us cook.
If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, have hot stock ready, and leave the rice alone once it is in. And keep children and pets well away from the burner.
About our paella catering in Jacobs Well
Almost any venue with a level, ventilated spot will do: a garden, marquee, barn, courtyard or field in and around Jacobs Well. We’re frequently asked to cater community events and fairs and retirement celebrations, with vegan paella, paella Valenciana and mixed paella.
In a hamlet or village like Jacobs Well, your own garden or a neighbour’s field can make a wonderful venue. Gates, verges and soft ground are worth mentioning when you enquire. We bring everything we need to cook, and pack down our cooking area when service is finished.
Perfect for your event in Jacobs Well
It needs no kitchen, so it works in gardens, fields and marquees where plated meals are hard.
Big or small, live paella works well. Common bookings include:
- Anniversary celebrations
- Big birthdays
- Community events and fairs
- Christenings and family gatherings
For a christening or wedding at a church such as St Peter's Church, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone.
Questions to ask before booking
- When payment is due
- A clear list of what’s included
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
Prices and what affects them
Live paella pricing is straightforward once we know the basics:
- How many guests are eating
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
- Distance and access to the venue
When you compare quotes, check what each one includes: staff, crockery, bread and salads, travel and VAT. We itemise ours.
Details that help
For a quote, it helps to have:
- Expected numbers
- A photo of the cooking space, if it’s a garden or field
- Whether the venue has crockery or staff
- The address or venue name
The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote: venue, timings, courses and extras. When you’re ready, fill in our quote form.
Planning live paella in Jacobs Well
Jacobs Well is about 1 mile north of Guildford, in Surrey. Across the GU4 area, we will come to your venue or garden. We cover 395 places across Surrey.
If you’re organising a summer fair for a school like Weyfield Academy, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. Parks such as Stringer's Common normally need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there. Jacobs Well is within about 6 miles of the Surrey Hills National Landscape, a lovely setting for an outdoor event. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
Wherever your event is in GU4, we can bring paella catering to you, from busy streets to quiet lanes. Your event could be at a home on Douglas Close, Barnett Row and Queenhythe Crescent or the roads around them. Other places close to Jacobs Well for paella catering include Bellfields (1 mile south-west), Sutton Green (1 mile north-east), Burpham (1 mile south-east), Stoughton (1 mile south-west) and Pyle Hill (1 mile north). Further out, we also cater in Woking (3 miles north), Camberley (8 miles north-west), Epsom (14 miles east), Farnham (11 miles west), Ewell (15 miles north-east) and Egham (11 miles north).
A little further out are The Peacocks (3.6 miles north) and Guildford Castle (2.3 miles south). Open spaces near Jacobs Well include Silent Pool and Littlefield Common.
- Schools near Jacobs Well include Pond Meadow School (0.9 miles south-west) and Christ's College (1 mile south-west)
Step by step
A typical event goes like this: we arrive, set up and start cooking, the rice cooks in front of your guests, and we serve straight from the pan at the agreed time. Planning an evening event in Jacobs Well? Sunset is around 8:55pm in late May, 9:20pm at midsummer and 7:05pm in late September; once it’s dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- 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.
- On the day we cook live, timed around your event.
- We serve, then leave our area tidy.
How to prepare
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
- Give us a contact for the day
Ask for a quote
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, along with any dietary needs, and you’ll get a menu idea and a price. Just send us your details through our quote form.
Planning help
For event organisers in Jacobs Well
If you are organising for someone else, whether you are a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we’ll work directly with you and the venue. It saves passing messages back and forth.
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.
Planning for every diet
Paella is one of the easiest dishes for mixed diets, because each paella is cooked in its own pan. Here are a few tips for planning:
- Ask for labels on each pan
- Count adults and children separately
- Send allergies to us in writing
- Collect dietary needs with your RSVPs
Let the paella rest for a few minutes before serving, and that is when we invite guests up.
Need plates or staff? We can provide them.
Common questions in Jacobs Well
Can you cook in Stringer's Common?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, typically the council. Check with them, and we’ll provide our paperwork.
Can you cater a reception after a service at St Peter's Church?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Live cooking usually happens at the reception venue, not the church. Send us the reception address.
How do you work out quantities?
Quantities depend on numbers, timing and courses, with a sensible margin. Give us accurate numbers for the best result.
Do you do starters?
Yes, it’s the classic pairing. Tapas first, paella to follow.
Do you do desserts?
Yes. Spanish desserts such as churros or crema catalana, or you can serve your own cake.
How much is live paella catering?
We quote for each event, based on what you actually want. Give us your date, numbers and menu ideas and we will reply with a price.
How does live paella catering work?
We cook from scratch at your venue in big pans, in front of your guests, and serve straight from the pan.
Do you clear up afterwards?
We take our equipment and leave the cooking area tidy. Table clearing is available with waiting staff.
Also near Jacobs Well
Also in Jacobs Well
Paella compared with other options
A cold buffet is simple but has no theatre, and the food sits out. Paella is cooked live and served hot. The cost per head generally falls as numbers rise, because the cooking set-up is similar for different sizes of event. Tell us your numbers for an accurate price.
Why us?
- Real theatre, not just catering
- Paella cooked from scratch on site
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
- Waiting staff and crockery on request
What we need at the venue
We cook in large pans over gas burners, so we need a suitable spot. These are the things we check:
- Level ground for the pans and burners
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- Open air or a well-ventilated covered spot
Not sure about your space? Send us a picture and we’ll tell you honestly before you book.
Menu ideas
- Mixed paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Seafood paella
- Vegetable 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