Oxfordshire · England
Paella Catering for Lower Assendon events
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 turns food into part of your event in Lower Assendon.
- Milestone birthday parties
- Company summer parties
- Engagement and anniversary parties
Paella catering in Lower Assendon
Should I cook it myself?
Hiring a pan and burner is one option, but you’ll still need to source ingredients, prep and cook for hours. A caterer handles all of that.
Plenty of people try cooking paella for their own party. 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 be with your guests, we’ll do the cooking.
How our paella catering works in Lower Assendon
Live paella works almost anywhere with a level, ventilated spot: a garden, marquee, barn, courtyard or field. We are frequently asked to cater christenings and family gatherings and retirement celebrations, serving vegetable paella, mixed paella and chicken and chorizo paella.
In a hamlet or village like Lower Assendon, your own garden or a neighbour’s field can make a wonderful venue. Mention gates and soft ground when you get in touch. We plan the timings around your day, so the paella is ready when you want to eat.
- Where
- Lower Assendon (RG9)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Special diets
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Add-ons
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Quote
- Ask us for a quote
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Diets, allergies and planning
Dietary needs are easy to plan for with a little notice. Our advice:
- Request clear labels at the serving table
- Put allergy details in writing
- Have seats for most of your guests
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
Paella is at its best straight from the pan, so we serve when guests are ready.
Spanish desserts such as churros or crema catalana finish the meal, or serve your own cake.
Also near Lower Assendon
Also in Lower Assendon
Live paella in Lower Assendon: local details
Lower Assendon is about 6 miles north of Caversham, in Oxfordshire. Tell us where your event in Lower Assendon will be, and we will plan access and set-up. We cater in 443 places in Oxfordshire. We cook right across the region, from Lower Assendon to Reading (about 8 miles away).
Parks such as Fawley Court and Temple Island generally need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there. School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Rupert House School, can book us as a food stall. The Chilterns National Landscape is within about 6 miles of Lower Assendon, a lovely setting for an outdoor event. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
Wherever your event is in RG9, we can bring paella catering to you. Whether your event is on Old Bix Road and Fair Mile or anywhere nearby, we can cook there. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Middle Assendon (1 mile north-west), Bix (1 mile north-west), Fawley Bottom (1 mile north), Fawley (1 mile north-east) and Henley-on-Thames (2 miles south-east). We also cook in nearby towns such as Didcot (14 miles west), Thame (13 miles north), Benson (9 miles north-west), Chinnor (10 miles north), Tilehurst (8 miles south-west) and Wallingford (9 miles west).
Nearby you’ll also find Frazer Nash Archives (2.2 miles south-east). Not far away are Warburg Nature Reserve.
- Local schools include Gillotts School (2.2 miles south)
- Local pubs include Golden Ball Public House (under half a mile west)
Planning the cooking area
Most gardens and venues can host live paella, but there are a few things to check:
- Space well away from trees, fences and gazebo walls
- Parking close enough to carry equipment
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
Not sure about your space? Send us a picture and we’ll tell you honestly.
Menu ideas
- Vegan paella
- Vegetable paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Seafood paella
The menu, dish by dish
Black rice
Squid ink rice is bold and savoury, and is popular with adventurous guests.
Mixed paella
A mix of chicken and seafood.
Lower Assendon: your questions answered
Could we have live paella in Fawley Court and Temple Island?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, normally the council. Check with them, and we will provide our paperwork.
Is Lower Assendon too small for live paella?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
Can you do gluten-free paella?
We can cook a gluten-free paella in its own pan. Let us know about coeliac guests in advance so we can plan it carefully.
Do you cover Lower Assendon?
Yes, we do. We cook at events in Lower Assendon and across Oxfordshire. Tell us your date and we will check availability.
Which paella is most popular?
That depends on who’s coming. A chicken or mixed paella is generally the most popular, with seafood and vegetable pans alongside.
Which areas do you serve?
London and the South East: Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Bucks, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight.
Is halal food available?
Yes, we do. Halal paella is cooked with halal chicken and no pork or alcohol, in its own pan.
How many paellas should we have?
Usually two or three, so every guest has a choice. We will recommend a mix based on diets.
Live paella or other catering?
Compared with a hog roast or barbecue, live paella is easier for vegetarian, vegan and halal guests, because each paella has its own pan. Service from the pan keeps queues moving. Got a budget? Let us know, and we will suggest a menu to match. Even a simple menu can be a feast.
Why Lower Assendon hosts choose us
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
- Add tapas, canapés and Spanish desserts
- Everything cooked fresh at your event
- Drinks service on request
Read How we price And Our guide to catering costs.
Planners, venues and businesses
For big numbers, we plan pans and serving points to keep queues short, so everyone eats promptly. Let us know how long the food break is.
Planners and coordinators can contact us directly, and we will keep you updated on timings and set-up.
Events we cater in Lower Assendon
It needs no kitchen, so it is at home in gardens, fields and marquees where plated meals are hard.
We can help if you are planning any of the following:
- Company summer parties
- Birthday celebrations
- Christenings and family gatherings
- Leaving dos and retirements
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Henley-On-Thames station, about 1.9 miles south-east.
Questions to ask before booking
- Staff numbers and hours
- VAT, if it applies
- How bad weather is handled
- How each diet is kept separate
Step by step
Serving is fast: we serve straight from the pan, so large groups are fed quickly. Afterwards we clear our cooking area away. In Lower Assendon, the sun sets at about 9:25pm in late June and about 7:05pm in late September, so summer evening events are normally served in daylight. In December it is dark by about 3:55pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- It starts with your date, venue, numbers and any dietary needs.
- We suggest a menu and confirm a quote, including what’s included.
- We arrive early, set up the cooking area and start the stock.
- The rice cooks in full view, while tapas or canapés go round.
- It’s served straight from the pan, and we pack down afterwards.
Preparing for the day
- Tell us where to park and unload
- Ensure the spot is clear of anything flammable
- Tell us when you want to eat
Getting a price
Most quotes start with a few simple details: date, location, guest numbers and diets. To send them, use our quote form.
Planning help
- 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