West Sussex · England
Paella Catering for Keymer events
Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Keymer: paella made from scratch in big, shallow pans, in full view of your guests, with tapas, desserts and drinks if you want them.
- Milestone birthday parties
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Office lunches and staff parties
Planning an event in Keymer?
FAQs for Keymer
What’s the nearest station to Keymer for guests?
The closest is Hassocks station, roughly 0.5 miles away.
Can you cook at venues in the South Downs National Park?
Yes, though some venues in protected landscapes have extra rules; ask your venue. We will follow the site rules.
When should we book?
The sooner the better. Popular dates book up first, so it pays to ask early.
Will there be enough food?
We size the pans for your numbers and the rest of the menu. Let us know about any other food. See how much paella per person.
How long does the paella take?
It depends on the menu and numbers. We agree the timings in advance.
Can you bring crockery?
We can. Tell us what your venue provides and we will include the rest in the quote.
Can you do gluten-free paella?
We can, if you tell us in advance. Rice is naturally gluten-free, but stock and some ingredients may not be, so we make a separate gluten-free pan.
Which areas do you serve?
London and South East England: Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight, including Keymer.
Paella catering in Keymer, made fresh on the day
Watching it cook is part of the experience. Guests gather round as the sofrito sizzles and the saffron colours the rice, and the smell does the rest. Typical bookings include christenings and family gatherings and leaving dos and retirements, with mixed paella, chicken and chorizo paella and vegetable paella.
In and around Keymer, gardens and local halls are common choices. If the road in is narrow, tell us so we can plan the van. We serve straight from the pan, so it’s hot and generous, and service is quick once it’s ready.
- Location
- Keymer (BN6)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Dietary options
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Extras
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Quote
- Contact us for a quote
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
Dietary needs and planning tips
A little planning makes sure everyone can eat. Here’s how:
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Have seats for most of your guests
- Let us know about other food at the event
- Flag any coeliac guests, not just gluten-free preferences
Once the rice is in, it needs about 20 minutes, so we start it at the right moment for your event. If timings shift, we adapt.
Bread, salad and lemon wedges make the meal go further and suit guests who are not big rice eaters.
Paella catering around Keymer
Keymer is about 2 miles south of Burgess Hill, in West Sussex. Wherever your event is in the BN6 area, we’ll come to your venue or garden. We cook in 371 places across West Sussex, from the larger towns to small villages. Our events stretch from Keymer to Brighton (about 6 miles away).
If you are organising a summer fair for a school like The Windmills Junior School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. For guests coming by train, Hassocks station is about 0.5 miles away. The South Downs National Park is within about a mile of Keymer, and country venues and gardens there suit live paella perfectly. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
Here we cover the BN6 postcode area. Streets in the area include Flowers Close, The Quadrant and Kymer Gardens, and we can cook for an event on any of them. Nearby, we also cater events in Hassocks (1 mile west), Ditchling (1 mile east), Clayton (1 mile south-west), Hurst Wickham (1 mile north-west) and Westmeston (2 miles south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Crawley (13 miles north), Horsham (13 miles north-west), Worthing (14 miles south-west), Haywards Heath (5 miles north), East Grinstead (15 miles north) and Shoreham-by-Sea (8 miles south-west).
Other landmarks nearby include The Dene Hospital (3.2 miles north-west) and Clayton Castle (1.2 miles south-west). Not far away are Ditchling Beacon and Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve.
- Nearby schools include Downlands Community School (under half a mile south-west)
- Nearby, you’ll find The Greyhound Public House (under half a mile south-east)
More for events in Keymer
Why live cooking beats a buffet
If you want something different from the usual buffet or roast, live paella brings colour, aroma and a touch of Spain to your event in Keymer. When you compare quotes, check what each one includes: staff, crockery, bread and salads, travel and VAT. Our quotes spell it all out.
What you get with us
- We cover Keymer and the whole of West Sussex
- A clear, itemised quote
- Cooking your guests will gather round to watch
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
Read Our pricing Or The cost guide.
Events we cater in Keymer
Few dishes cope with mixed diets like paella, thanks to separate pans for each version. Everyone gets the same kind of meal.
Whatever the occasion, live paella can be the centrepiece. We often cook for:
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Garden get-togethers
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Milestone birthday parties
If you are celebrating after a service at a church like St Cosmas and St Damian Church, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well.
Questions to ask before you book
- Who provides the crockery
- How each diet is kept separate
- The deposit and payment dates
- If the price includes VAT
How the day works
When the rice goes in, it’s left alone. That is what gives paella its separate grains and crispy base. Your guests will smell it before they see it. Around midsummer it stays light in Keymer until about 9:20pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:05pm, so summer evening events are generally served in daylight. For winter events, when it is dark by about 3:55pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- First, you send us your date, venue, numbers and diets.
- We put together a menu and a clear quote.
- We arrive early, set up the cooking area and start the stock.
- The paella cooks in front of your guests, with tapas first if you’ve chosen them.
- We serve it hot from the pan and clear our area when service ends.
Getting ready for the day
- Choose a level spot for the cooking area
- Confirm the venue is happy with live cooking
- Let us know the timings for the day
How to get a price
Still deciding on the menu? No problem: give us the basics about your event, and we will make suggestions. To start, fill in our quote form.
Planning help
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. A big pan needs a burner that heats it evenly, and getting the rice right at scale is tricky. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
Working with your venue
If you’re organising for someone else, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we’re happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It saves passing messages back and forth.
If you’re booking for a business, tell us how you’d like to handle the booking and payment, and we’ll explain how it works. We can work with your facilities team on access and timings.
A closer look at the menu
Black rice
Arroz negro is coloured and flavoured with squid ink, traditionally with alioli. It is a striking addition to a seafood menu.
Paella Valenciana
Paella Valenciana is the original: chicken, beans and saffron, rather than seafood. It’s often the most popular pan at an event.
What affects the price in Keymer
Two events with the same number of guests can cost different amounts, depending on:
- Timings and hours
- Waiting and bar staff
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
- Travel, parking and access
Compared with a plated meal, live paella is often good value, because it needs no kitchen and fewer staff. We will send you a quote.
Getting an accurate quote
To speed things up, tell us:
- A picture of where we’d cook
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- The venue or postcode
- Any dietary needs and allergies
Each quote is tailored to your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we’ll confirm whether we’re available that day.
- 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