Greater London · England
Paella Catering for London Docklands events
Cooked live, served hot and made to share: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in London Docklands and the surrounding area.
- Retirement and leaving parties
- Company summer parties
- Festivals, fairs and school events
Paella catering for London Docklands events
Planners, venues and businesses
For repeat events, such as annual staff parties or seasonal fairs, let us know your dates early, so we can plan ahead.
Hosting 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.
How our paella catering works in London Docklands
Live paella catering means we bring the pans, burners and fresh ingredients to your event and cook in front of your guests. When it is ready, it’s served straight from the pan. On the menu are mixed paella, black rice and chicken and chorizo paella, and typical bookings are for anniversaries and engagement parties and garden parties and summer barbecues.
London gardens are often long and narrow, which is fine for live paella as long as there is a level spot clear of fences and trees. For an event in London Docklands, tell us where we can park to unload. We cook every pan in full view of your guests, so the food is hot, fresh and part of the occasion.
- Where
- London Docklands (E14, SE16, E22)
- County
- Greater London
- Dietary options
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Extras
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Quotes
- Quoted for your event
- Last updated
- 23 October 2026
Before you choose a spot
Live paella is cooked over gas burners in large pans, so we need a suitable spot. These are the things we check:
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
- Parking close enough to carry equipment
- Level ground for the pans and burners
London Docklands is in London, within the Ultra Low Emission Zone, and parking can be tight: tell us about parking bays, permits or a driveway.
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you honestly before you book.
What we offer
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Vegan paella
- Seafood paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Mixed paella
- Vegetable paella
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
Plenty of people try cooking paella for their own party. Common mistakes are mismatched pans and burners, overfilling and stirring. If you’d rather be with your guests, we’ll do the cooking.
If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, have hot stock ready, and leave the rice alone once it’s in. Keep a clear zone around the burner.
About the dishes
Paella Valenciana
In Valencia, the recipe is fiercely debated. The traditional pan has chicken, flat green beans and butter beans.
Vegetable and vegan paella
A vegetable paella isn’t an afterthought: artichokes, beans, peppers and saffron.
Towns and villages near London Docklands
What else we do in London Docklands
Your questions about paella catering in London Docklands
What about parking in London Docklands?
London parking needs planning: let us know about permits or off-street space. We’ll plan unloading around it.
We’re having a ceremony at St Peter's Church: can you cater afterwards?
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. Tell us where the reception will be.
Which paellas do you recommend?
That depends on who’s coming. Chicken and mixed paellas tend to go first, with seafood and vegetable pans alongside.
Do you offer halal options?
Yes, on request. Let us know your halal numbers, and we’ll cook a separate pan.
What happens with live paella?
We bring everything needed to cook on site, cook in front of your guests, and serve at the time you want.
Is live paella good for a large crowd?
It’s ideal. Large pans and fast service from the pan make it well suited to crowds.
Do you cover London Docklands?
Yes. We cover London and the South East, including London Docklands and the rest of Greater London. To check your date, fill in our quote form.
Is paella a full meal?
Paella is a meal in itself. Tapas and desserts can be added if you like.
Step by step
We cook over gas burners in wide, shallow pans. We need a level, ventilated spot, which we agree with you beforehand. Around midsummer it stays light in London Docklands until about 9:20pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:05pm, so summer evening events are usually served in daylight. In December it’s dark by about 3:55pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- First, tell us about your event.
- You get a menu and an itemised quote.
- Timings, access and the cooking area are agreed in advance.
- On the day, we set up and cook in front of your guests.
- We serve from the pan, then pack down.
Preparing for the day
- Give us a contact for the day
- Make sure we can park close by to unload
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
How to get a price
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.
Planning help
What paella catering costs
Live paella pricing is straightforward once we know the basics:
- How many courses
- Distance and access to the venue
- The number of people
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are optional extras, so you only pay for what you want.
What we need to know
You don’t need every detail fixed to get a quote, but these help:
- Whether the venue has crockery or staff
- Where the event is
- A picture of the cooking space, if it’s a garden or field
- Whether you want canapés, tapas or desserts
We need only a few details to quote: date, location, guest numbers and diets. To send them, send us your details through our quote form.
Why choose live paella in London Docklands?
A plated meal needs a kitchen, more staff and usually costs more per head. Live paella needs a level, ventilated spot and the venue’s permission to cook, and gives guests something to watch. Premium seafood costs more than chicken or vegetables, so the menu you choose affects the price. Tell us your budget and we will suggest a menu.
What you get with us
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
- Sangria and bar staff available
- A clear, itemised quote
- Events in London Docklands and across Greater London
Take a look at How we price Or Our guide to catering costs.
Live paella in London Docklands: local details
London Docklands is about 2 miles north-west of Greenwich, in Greater London. We cater events at homes, gardens and venues in London Docklands and nearby villages. London Docklands is one of 764 towns and villages in Greater London we cover.
Parks such as Sir John McDougall Gardens typically need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there. For guests coming by train, London Docklands has its own station, Canary Wharf station.
We cook at events all over the E14, SE16 and E22 postcode area. From Castor Lane, Cassilis Road and Dockyard Lane or a nearby road, we can cook there. With the A1206 and A1261 close by, London Docklands is easy for us to reach for your event. Nearby, we also cater events in Canary Wharf (1 mile west), Poplar (1 mile north), Heron Quays (1 mile south-west), Coldharbour (1 mile east) and Blackwall (1 mile east). Further out, we also cater in London (3 miles west), City of Westminster (6 miles west), Marylebone (6 miles west), Kensington (8 miles west), St Pancras (5 miles west) and Shoreditch (3 miles north-west).
A little further out are Greenwich Castle (2 miles south) and The Pumphouse Educational Museum (0.9 miles west). Open spaces near London Docklands include St. James's Park Lake and Lavender Pond.
- Nearby schools include Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Primary School (within half a mile north) and Canary Wharf College 3 (0.7 miles south)
- Local pubs include The Ledger Building pub (less than half a mile north-west)
- Other local spots include Holy Trinity (1.9 miles north-west)
Planning for every diet
Few dishes handle mixed diets as well as paella, because each paella is cooked in its own pan. A few tips:
- Request clear labels at the serving table
- Let us know about other food at the event
- Pick a mix of paellas to cover every diet
- Send allergies to us in writing
Paella is at its best straight from the pan, so we serve when guests are ready.
Bread, salad and lemon wedges make the meal go further.
- 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