Hampshire · England
Live paella catering in Lower Common, Hampshire
We cook live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event across Lower Common and Hampshire, catering for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests.
- Community events and fairs
- Big birthdays
- Naming days and family parties
Paella catering for Lower Common events
How our paella catering works in Lower Common
Keep it simple, or go all out: just paella, or paella with tapas, desserts and drinks. We will suggest what suits your event. For milestone birthday parties and weddings, from canapés to evening food, we will put together a menu of vegan paella, seafood paella and paella Valenciana.
In a small place like Lower Common, events are generally in a garden, a field or a nearby hall. Tell us about narrow lanes or long drives and we’ll plan for them, and cooking close to where we can park helps. All the cooking equipment comes with us, and we clear our cooking area away afterwards.
Occasions we cook for in Lower Common
Live paella is food and a show in one. The pans become a focal point, and the food is hot and generous.
We can help if you’re planning any of the following:
- Naming days and family parties
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
Historic houses near Lower Common include Stratfield Saye House (4.3 miles west). Historic venues frequently limit cooking, so ask early if you are booking one.
Before you book anyone
- Plates, cutlery and napkins, or disposables
- The wet-weather plan
- Travel and parking costs
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
What happens on the day
On the day, we set up the burners and pans and start cooking the sofrito and stock. Once the rice goes in, it takes about 20 minutes, so the timing is planned around your event. In Lower Common, the sun sets at about 9:25pm in late June and about 7:05pm in late September, so summer evening events are typically served in daylight. In December it is dark by about 3:55pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- 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.
- We serve from the pan, then pack down.
Preparing for the day
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
- Tell us where to park and unload
- Give us your final numbers and diets
Ask for a quote
Most quotes start with a few simple details: date, location, guest numbers and diets. You can send us your details through our quote form.
Planning help
Paella compared with other options
Cold buffets are easy but forgettable, and the food sits out. Paella is cooked in front of your guests and served hot. Comparing caterers? Look at what each quote includes: staff, crockery, bread and salads, travel and VAT. We itemise ours.
Why book with us
- Options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in its own pan
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
- We cover Lower Common and the whole of Hampshire
DIY paella versus live catering
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
Doing it yourself saves money, but the host ends up stuck at the stove. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
For event organisers in Lower Common
If you run the same event each year, tell us your dates early, so we can plan ahead.
Organising a club, school or community event in Lower Common? Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets. Tell us about the event and we’ll suggest a menu.
Lower Common questions
Do you come out to small places like Lower Common?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
Is Lower Common close to London?
About 36 miles from central London.
What areas do you cover?
London and South East England: Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight, including Lower Common.
How many paellas should we have?
Generally two or three, so every guest has a choice. Tell us about your guests’ diets and we will suggest the mix.
Is the paella gluten-free?
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 cater for young children?
Of course. A simple chicken paella is usually popular with children. Include children in your numbers.
Do you cook inside?
Mostly outside or under an open cover, because we use gas burners. We will check whether your venue has a suitable space.
What if the weather’s bad?
Rain doesn’t stop us, as long as there is a ventilated cover. We’ll make a plan B with you.
Planning for every diet
We take diets and allergies seriously. Help us by following these steps:
- Make sure most guests can sit to eat
- Confirm allergies by email
- Tell us how many children are coming
- Choose two or three paellas so every guest has a choice
Once everyone is fed, we clear our cooking area, quietly and quickly.
Bread, salad and lemon go well alongside and suit guests who are not big rice eaters.
What affects the price in Lower Common
Two events with the same number of guests can cost different amounts, depending on:
- How many guests are eating
- How long we’re needed on site
- Travel, parking and access
- How many courses
Live paella frequently compares well with a sit-down meal, as there’s no kitchen to hire and fewer staff to pay. Ask us for a quote.
Details that help
When you contact us, it helps to tell us:
- Whether the venue has crockery or staff
- Which courses you have in mind
- Diets and allergies you know about
- A picture of where we’d cook
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, along with any dietary needs, and we’ll reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. To get started, fill in our quote form.
Towns and villages near Lower Common
What else we do in Lower Common
A closer look at the menu
Black rice
Black rice gets its colour from squid ink, and is typically served with alioli. It’s a striking addition to a seafood menu.
Seafood paella
The secret is a well-made seafood stock. The shellfish is added late so it stays tender.
Paella catering around Lower Common
Lower Common is about 3 miles west of Yateley, in Hampshire. Tell us where your event in Lower Common will be, and we will plan the journey and set-up. We cook in all 683 towns and villages in Hampshire. Our nearest city page is Reading, about 7 miles away.
Parks such as Shepperlands Farm Nature Reserve typically need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there. For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Crowthorne station, about 3.5 miles east.
Anywhere in RG27, we can cook for your guests, from busy streets to quiet lanes. Streets in the area include Mud Lane, Lower Common and Warbrook Lane, and we can cook for an event on any of them. For events just outside Lower Common, we cover Eversley (1 mile north-east), Eversley Centre (1 mile east), Eversley Cross (2 miles east), Finchampstead (2 miles east) and California (2 miles north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Basingstoke (11 miles south-west), Farnborough (7 miles south-east), Fleet (6 miles south-east), Aldershot (9 miles south-east), Alton (14 miles south) and Yateley (3 miles east).
Well-known places in the area include West Green House Agricultural Museum (3.9 miles south) and Beaumys Castle (4 miles north-west). Open spaces near Lower Common include The Marshes Local Nature Reserve and Horseshoe Lake.
- Nearby schools include Bohunt School Wokingham (1.7 miles north)
- Pubs nearby include White Hart Public House (less than half a mile east)
- 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