Buckinghamshire · England
Paella Catering for Little Ickford events
Something for every guest: meat, seafood, vegetarian and vegan pans side by side. Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Little Ickford.
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Naming days and family parties
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
Paella catering for Little Ickford events
About our paella catering in Little Ickford
Paella was made for feeding a crowd: cooked outdoors in a wide, shallow pan and shared. That’s what we bring to events in Little Ickford. On the menu are seafood paella, mixed paella and paella Valenciana, and we are frequently booked for garden parties and summer barbecues and family celebrations and christenings.
In a rural place like Little Ickford, the setting does a lot of the work: a paella cooking in a garden or field feels right at home. Tell us about access and the ground. All the cooking equipment comes with us, and we clear our cooking area away afterwards.
- Where
- Little Ickford (HP18)
- Region
- Buckinghamshire
- Diets
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Also available
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Quotes
- Ask us for a quote
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
Catering for every guest
Allergies and diets are taken seriously. Help us by following these steps:
- Tell us what else is being served
- Have seats for most of your guests
- Ask about diets and allergies on your invitation or RSVP
- Tell us how many children are coming
Once everyone is fed, we clear our cooking area.
Add canapé tapas with the drinks or table tapas as a starter while the paella cooks.
What’s in the pans
Paella Valenciana
Paella Valenciana is the original: chicken, beans and saffron, rather than seafood. It is a favourite with guests who don’t eat fish.
Black rice
Arroz negro is coloured and flavoured with squid ink, and is usually served with alioli. It’s a striking addition to a seafood menu.
DIY paella versus live catering
A DIY paella party works for small groups. For big numbers or lots of diets, a caterer makes life easier, and handles separate pans for each diet.
Not sure whether to cook yourself or book a caterer? Consider your numbers, your guests’ diets and your own time. Ask us for a quote and compare.
Places near Little Ickford
Other catering in Little Ickford
Paella compared with other options
For something a little different, live paella adds colour, smell and theatre to your event in Little Ickford. There’s no one-size-fits-all price for live paella. A garden party lunch and a full wedding menu are very different jobs. We itemise everything in your quote.
Why book with us
- Sangria and bar staff available
- Catering across Buckinghamshire, including Little Ickford
- Separate pans for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests
- Waiting staff and crockery on request
Read Our prices page And Our guide to catering costs.
What happens on the day
Here’s how the day usually runs: we set up the pans and start the sofrito, your guests watch the rice cook, and we serve straight from the pan when you’re ready to eat. Evenings in Little Ickford stay light until about 9:25pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:10pm; once it is dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- We start with a few details about your event.
- You get a menu and an itemised quote.
- Timings, access and the cooking area are agreed in advance.
- We cook live on the day while guests watch.
- It’s served straight from the pan, and we clear our area afterwards.
Preparing for the day
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
- Arrange parking near the cooking spot
How to get a price
Not sure what you need yet? No problem: tell us about the occasion and the guests, and we will suggest a menu. To start, fill in our quote form.
Related guides
What paella catering costs
Your quote will be clear and itemised. What affects it most:
- The number of people
- Travel, parking and access
- Your choice of paellas
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
Live paella often compares well with a sit-down meal, as there’s no kitchen to hire and fewer staff to pay. Ask us for a quote.
What to tell us
When you contact us, it helps to tell us:
- The date and rough timings
- The courses you’d like
- A picture of where we’d cook
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
We quote for each event separately, so the price fits what you actually want. For a quote, use our quote form.
Where we can cook in Little Ickford
Most outdoor spaces and many venues work for live paella, but a few things matter:
- Somewhere close to park and unload
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
- Open air or a well-ventilated covered spot
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise.
Menu ideas
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Paella Valenciana
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegetable paella
- Vegan paella
- Seafood paella
- Mixed paella
Your questions about paella catering in Little Ickford
Is Little Ickford close to London?
About 45 miles from central London, and well within our area.
We’re having a ceremony at Parish Church of St Nicholas: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is generally elsewhere. Tell us where the reception will be.
Do you provide plates and cutlery?
We can. Tell us what your venue provides and we’ll include the rest in the quote.
Which paella is most popular?
It depends on your guests. Chicken and mixed paellas tend to go first, with seafood and vegetable pans alongside.
How do you work out quantities?
We plan quantities from your guest numbers, timings and other courses, with a little extra built in. Give us accurate numbers for the best result.
Which areas do you serve?
London and the South East: Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight, including Little Ickford.
Can you feed a lot of people?
Yes. Big pans feed a lot of people, and service from the pan is quick.
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 make a separate gluten-free pan.
Little Ickford: venues, travel and local tips
Little Ickford is about 4 miles west of Thame, in Buckinghamshire. Whether your event is in the middle of Little Ickford or on the outskirts, paella catering works the same way: live cooking, separate pans for every diet and a clear price. Little Ickford is one of 263 towns and villages in Buckinghamshire we cover. You can also see our page for Oxford, about 8 miles away.
School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Ickford School, can book us as a food stall. For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Haddenham & Thame Parkway station, about 4.9 miles east.
This part of Buckinghamshire takes in HP18. Whether your event is on Bulls Lane and Little Ickford or a nearby road, we will bring the pans to you. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Ickford (1 mile north-west), Shabbington (1 mile east), Draycott (1 mile south-west), Worminghall (1 mile north-west) and Albury (1 mile south). Larger places within reach include Aylesbury (11 miles east), Elmhurst (11 miles north-east), Southcourt (11 miles east), Princes Risborough (10 miles east), Haydon Hill (10 miles north-east) and Turnfurlong (12 miles east).
Other landmarks nearby include Waterperry Gardens Rural Museum (1.6 miles west) and Thame Community Hospital (3.7 miles east). Open spaces near Little Ickford include Bernwood Meadows.
- Pubs nearby include The Royal Oak pub (under half a mile west)
For event organisers in Little Ickford
Many venues have rules for outside caterers: cooking areas, access times and documents. Send us your venue’s requirements and we’ll follow them.
Throwing a party at home? Send us a picture of the garden and tell us about access, and we will tell you honestly whether live paella will work.
- 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