Hampshire · England
Live paella catering in Lychpit, Hampshire
Paella for every guest: meat, seafood, vegetarian and vegan pans side by side. Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Lychpit.
- Summer garden parties
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
Live paella catering in Lychpit
How our paella catering works in Lychpit
Paella has always been food for a crowd: cooked outdoors in a wide, shallow pan and shared. That’s exactly what we bring to your event in Lychpit. On the menu are paella Valenciana, vegan paella and mixed paella, and we’re often booked for office lunches and staff parties and anniversaries and engagement parties.
In a hamlet or village like Lychpit, your own garden or a neighbour’s field can make a wonderful venue. Gates, verges and soft ground are worth mentioning when you enquire. Timings are planned around your event, so the paella is ready when you want to eat.
How it works
We arrive in good time before you want to eat, set up the cooking area and get the stock going. Your guests are welcome to watch as the paella takes shape. Evenings in Lychpit stay light until about 9:25pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:10pm; once it’s dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- You tell us the date, venue, guest numbers and any dietary needs.
- You get a suggested menu and an itemised quote.
- On the day we arrive in good time, set up 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.
How to prepare
- Have a gazebo or cover ready if rain is likely
- Make sure we can park close by to unload
- Have a level space ready for the pans
Get a quote
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 we need at the venue
Before the day, we will agree where we cook. It needs to meet a few simple requirements:
- Clearance from fences, hedges, branches and anything flammable
- Open air or a well-ventilated covered spot
- Somewhere close to park and unload
If you’re unsure, send a photo of the space and we’ll say what we think before booking.
What we offer
- Seafood paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegetable paella
- Mixed paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Vegan paella
Occasions we cook for in Lychpit
It suits relaxed, sociable events, where guests can mingle while it cooks and then sit down to share.
Big or small, live paella works well. Typical bookings include:
- Christenings and family gatherings
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Retirement and leaving parties
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Basingstoke station, about 1.6 miles west.
Questions to ask before booking
- How bad weather is handled
- Exactly what’s included in the price
- Whether travel is included
- What the caterer needs from your venue
Places near Lychpit
What else we do in Lychpit
Is live paella right for your event?
If you want something different from the usual buffet or roast, live paella adds colour, smell and theatre. Premium seafood costs more than chicken or vegetables, so your choice of paellas affects the total. We’ll suggest options to suit your budget.
What you get with us
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
- Paella cooked from scratch on site
- Events in Lychpit and across Hampshire
About the dishes
Paella Valenciana
Paella Valenciana is the original: chicken, beans and saffron, rather than seafood. It’s often the most popular pan at an event.
Mixed paella
A mix of chicken and seafood, for guests who want a bit of everything.
Paella catering around Lychpit
Lychpit is about 2 miles east of Basingstoke, in Hampshire. Wherever your event is in the RG24 area, we can cook for your guests. We cater in 683 places in Hampshire. Our nearest city page is Reading, about 13 miles away.
Historic houses near Lychpit include The Vyne (3 miles north-west). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early. If you’re celebrating after a service at a church like Church of St Mary, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well.
We cook at events all over RG24. Whether your event is on Park Lane, Crown Lane and Manor Lane or a nearby road, we will bring the pans to you. For events just outside Lychpit, we cover Old Basing (1 mile east), Eastrop (1 mile west), Chineham (1 mile north), Oakridge (2 miles west) and Mapledurwell (2 miles east). We also cook in nearby towns such as Farnborough (12 miles east), Fleet (9 miles east), Aldershot (13 miles east), Alton (9 miles south), Yateley (11 miles north-east) and Tadley (7 miles north-west).
Other landmarks nearby include Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital (2.6 miles west) and Basing House (within half a mile south). Not far away are Farleigh Hill and The Mill Field.
- Nearby schools include The Costello School (1.3 miles south-west) and The Costello School (1.3 miles south-west)
- Nearby, you’ll find The Crown Public House (within half a mile east)
Lychpit: your questions answered
Could we have live paella in Eastrop Park?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, generally the council. Check with them, and we’ll provide our paperwork.
We are having a ceremony at Church of St Mary: 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 normally elsewhere. Send us the reception address.
Is halal food available?
Yes, we do. Halal paella is cooked with halal chicken and no pork or alcohol, in a separate pan.
How much paella per person?
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.
What is live paella catering?
We cook from scratch at your venue in big pans, in front of your guests, and serve straight from the pan.
Do you cater for vegetarian guests?
Yes, and meat eaters often go back for seconds. They have their own pans, stock and spoons.
How much is live paella catering?
It depends on guest numbers, the menu, the courses, staff and travel. Send us the details for a quote.
Do you do starters?
Yes, and it is a popular combination. Tapas go out first, then the paella.
What affects the price in Lychpit
Every event is priced individually, and the price depends on a few things:
- The number of people
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- Parking and unloading
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
There is no one-size-fits-all price for live paella. A garden party lunch and a full wedding menu are very different jobs. Your quote spells it all out.
What we need to know
To speed things up, tell us:
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
- A picture of where we’d cook
- Anything your venue supplies
- Which courses you have in mind
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, plus any dietary needs, and you’ll get a menu idea and a price. To get started, use our quote form.
For event organisers in Lychpit
For big numbers, we plan pans and serving points to keep queues short, so everyone eats promptly. Tell us how long you have for food.
If you are planning an event on someone’s behalf, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we’re happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It keeps things simple.
Planning for every diet
With a little notice, every diet is easy. We suggest:
- Choose two or three paellas so every guest has a choice
- Have seats for most of your guests
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
- Send allergies to us in writing
Paella is best eaten as soon as it’s ready, so we serve when guests are ready.
Bread, salad and lemon wedges make the meal go further and suit guests who are not big rice eaters.
- 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