Greater London · England
Paella Catering in Long Ditton
From the first sizzle of the sofrito to the last spoonful of crispy rice, live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event makes the food a highlight of your event in Long Ditton.
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Milestone birthday parties
- Leaving dos and retirements
Planning an event in Long Ditton?
Planning for every diet
Good planning keeps every guest safe and happy. Here’s how:
- Request clear labels at the serving table
- Flag any coeliac guests, not just gluten-free preferences
- Count adults and children separately
- Mention any other courses or food
A short rest after cooking helps, and that is when we invite guests up.
Spanish desserts such as churros or crema catalana finish the meal.
How our paella catering works in Long Ditton
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 wedding breakfasts and evening food and milestone birthday parties, we’ll put together a menu of vegan paella, chicken and chorizo paella and paella Valenciana.
In Long Ditton, events range from terrace gardens to hired halls. Tell us how close we can park and about any steps. You can add tapas, desserts, sangria, bar staff and waiting staff, so the whole menu comes from one caterer.
- Where
- Long Ditton (KT6)
- Area hub
- Greater London
- Diets
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Add-ons
- Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff
- Quotes
- Contact us for a quote
- Last updated
- 23 October 2026
For event organisers in Long Ditton
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’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.
Paella catering around Long Ditton
Long Ditton is about 1 mile south-west of Surbiton, in Greater London. Whether your event is in the middle of Long Ditton or on the outskirts, we offer the same service: live cooking, separate pans for every diet and a clear price. Long Ditton is one of 764 places in Greater London we cover. You can also see our page for London, about 12 miles away.
If you are organising a summer fair for a school like Long Ditton Infant and Nursery School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St Mary, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone.
Anywhere in KT6, we can cook for your guests, from busy streets to quiet lanes. Local streets include Pound Close, Fleece Road and St Chads Close; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. Nearby, we also cater events in Ditton Hill (1 mile south), Seething Wells (1 mile north), Thames Ditton (1 mile west), Hinchley Wood (1 mile south-west) and Surbiton Park (1 mile north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover London (12 miles north-east), City of Westminster (11 miles north-east), Marylebone (12 miles north-east), Kensington (9 miles north-east), St Pancras (13 miles north-east) and Shoreditch (14 miles north-east).
Nearby you’ll also find Bentall Centre (1.9 miles north) and Tolworth Hospital (1.3 miles east). Not far away are The Lake and Kingston Hill Road area.
- Local schools include Shrewsbury House School (0.6 miles south-east) and Hinchley Wood School (0.8 miles south-west)
- Pubs nearby include Raintree pub (within half a mile north-west)
- Parks and local facilities nearby include Municipal Borough of Surbiton (1.1 miles south-east)
Is live paella right for your event?
Barbecues cook in batches, so food comes off in waves. Paella is ready all at once, so everyone eats together. Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are optional extras, so you can choose exactly what you need.
Why Long Ditton hosts choose us
- A quote that spells everything out
- Served hot, straight from the pan
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
Read How we price And What paella catering costs.
Perfect for your event in Long Ditton
It needs no kitchen, so it works in gardens, fields and marquees where plated meals are hard.
Whatever the occasion, live paella can be the centrepiece. We often cook for:
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Engagement and anniversary parties
Thinking of a picnic-style party in Stokes Field? Public parks generally need permission from the council or landowner for cooking, so check first.
What your quote should include
- The deadline for final numbers
- Whether VAT is included
- How dietary needs and allergies are handled
- Whether travel is included
Step by step
Once the rice is in, we don’t stir it. That’s what gives paella its separate grains and crispy base. Your guests will smell it before they see it. Evenings in Long Ditton stay light until about 9:20pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:05pm; after dark, the cooking and serving areas need good lighting.
- 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.
Before we arrive
- Check the venue allows live cooking
- Share the running order, including any speeches
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
Ask for a quote
Most quotes start with a few simple details: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. You can fill in our quote form.
Read more
FAQs for Long Ditton
Which station should guests use for Long Ditton?
Surbiton station, about 0.7 miles north-east of the centre.
What about parking in Long Ditton?
London parking needs planning: let us know about permits or off-street space. We’ll plan unloading around it.
What happens if it rains?
We cook under cover, such as a gazebo, marquee or open-sided barn with good ventilation. We’ll agree a wet-weather plan with you.
How far ahead should we book?
The sooner the better. Peak dates go quickly, so contact us early.
Can you cook halal paella?
Yes, we do. Halal paella is cooked with halal chicken and no pork or alcohol, in its own pan.
Who clears up?
Our cooking area is packed away and left clean. Ask us about table clearing if you need it.
What space do you need to cook?
Less than you might think: a flat spot away from anything flammable, with space to serve. Send us a photo if you’re not sure.
Which paellas suit our guests?
It depends on your guests. Chicken and mixed paellas tend to go first, alongside seafood and vegetable or vegan pans.
What affects the price in Long Ditton
Live paella pricing is straightforward once we know the basics:
- The length of service
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- Waiting and bar staff
- Whether you need crockery
There is no one-size-fits-all price for live paella. A simple paella lunch costs less than a wedding with canapés, three paellas and waiting staff. We itemise everything in your quote.
Details that help
You do not need every detail fixed to get a quote, but these help:
- The address or venue name
- Roughly how many adults and children
- The date and time of the event
- A picture of where we’d cook
Each quote is tailored to your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we’ll confirm whether we’re available that day.
Should I cook it myself?
Doing it yourself saves money, but the host ends up stuck at the stove. Booking us means you get the show without the stress.
For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For big numbers or lots of diets, a caterer makes life easier, and keeps vegetarian and allergy-safe pans separate.
A closer look at the menu
Vegetable and vegan paella
The vegetable pan is a dish in its own right: peppers, artichokes and beans with saffron, cooked in its own pan.
Mixed paella
Mixed paella brings meat and seafood together, and it is often the first pan to empty.
Towns and villages near Long Ditton
Other catering in Long Ditton
- 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