Surrey · England
Live paella catering in Margery, Surrey
From the first sizzle in the pan to the last crispy spoonful, live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event makes the food a highlight of your event in Margery.
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
Live paella catering in Margery
About our paella catering in Margery
Paella is generous food: big pans, bright colours and a crispy base everyone wants a spoonful of. It turns a meal into an occasion. Typical bookings include retirement celebrations and naming days and family parties, serving black rice, seafood paella and chicken and chorizo paella.
Somewhere as small as Margery, a garden or field is frequently the venue. Tell us about narrow lanes or long drives and we will plan for them, and cooking close to where we can park helps. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in a separate pan and clearly labelled.
Occasions we cook for in Margery
It needs no kitchen, so it works in gardens, fields and marquees where plated meals are hard.
Whatever you are celebrating in Margery, live paella can be the centrepiece. We frequently cook for:
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Birthday celebrations
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
If you are organising a summer fair for a school like Kingswood Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
Before booking anyone
- The deposit and payment dates
- Exactly what’s included in the price
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- Travel and parking costs
Also near Margery
Also in Margery
Live paella in Margery: local details
Margery is about 2 miles north of Reigate, in Surrey. Events in Margery are planned around your venue and timings: a quote, a plan and live cooking on the day. Margery is one of 395 towns and villages in Surrey where we cook. Our events stretch from Margery to Guildford (16 miles away).
For guests coming by train, Reigate station is about 1.4 miles away. If you’re celebrating after a service at a church like Church of Jesus Christ and the Wisdom of God, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. The Surrey Hills National Landscape is within about 5 miles of Margery. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
Here we cover the KT20 postcode area, and we can cater your event anywhere in it. Whether your event is on Manor Lane, Margery Lane and Mint Lane or a nearby road, we can cook there. Other places close to Margery for paella catering include Mogador (1 mile west), Lower Kingswood (1 mile north-west), Reigate (2 miles south), Kingswood (2 miles north) and Walton on the Hill (2 miles north-west). Further out, we also cater in Epsom (6 miles north-west), Horley (6 miles south), Ewell (7 miles north), Walton-on-Thames (12 miles north-west), Caterham (5 miles east) and Dorking (6 miles west).
Nearby you will also find East Surrey Hospital (3.4 miles south-east) and The Belfry (2.1 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Colley Hill and Reigate Heath.
- Nearby schools include Reigate College (1.5 miles south)
- Pubs nearby include Reigate Manor Hotel (0.8 miles south)
Why live cooking beats a buffet
A plated meal needs a kitchen, more staff and normally costs more per head. Live paella needs a level, ventilated spot and the venue’s permission to cook, and it’s entertaining too. Premium seafood costs more than chicken or vegetables, so your choice of paellas affects the total. We will suggest options to suit your budget.
Why us?
- We cover Margery and the whole of Surrey
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
- Paella cooked from scratch on site
- Sangria and bar staff available
How the day works
When the rice goes in, it’s left alone. That’s what gives paella its separate grains and crispy base. Your guests will smell it before they see it. In Margery, the sun sets at about 9:20pm in late June and about 7:05pm in late September, so summer evening events are generally served in daylight. In December it is dark by about 3:55pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- Send us your date, numbers and venue.
- We plan the menu with you, including every diet.
- We arrive in good time to set up.
- The paella cooks as guests gather round.
- Service is straight from the pan, then we pack down.
Preparing for the day
- Give us a contact for the day
- Have a level space ready for the pans
- Leave space around the cooking area
Get a quote
Every event is quoted individually, so the price fits what you actually want. For a quote, use our quote form.
Related guides
Common questions in Margery
We’re having a ceremony at Church of Jesus Christ and the Wisdom of God: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Live cooking generally happens at the reception venue, not the church. Send us the reception address.
Which station should guests use for Margery?
Reigate station, about 1.4 miles south of the centre.
Is live paella good for a large crowd?
Very much so. We plan the number of pans and serving points around your numbers.
Which paellas do you recommend?
It depends on your guests. Chicken and mixed paellas tend to go first, with seafood and vegetable pans alongside.
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?
Of course. We cook vegetarian and vegan paellas in their own pans, alongside the meat and seafood pans.
What does paella catering cost?
The price depends on numbers, menu, courses, staff and travel. Tell us about your event and we will send a quote.
When should we book?
As soon as you have a date. Popular dates book up first, so contact us early.
For event organisers in Margery
Planning an event for a club, school or charity in Margery? Paella is quick to serve to a crowd and suits most diets. Tell us about the event and we’ll suggest a menu.
If you are booking for a business, tell us how you’d like to handle the booking and payment, and we will talk you through the process. We are happy to liaise with facilities on access and timings.
What affects the price in Margery
The same guest numbers can mean different prices, because of:
- How many courses
- Timings and hours
- Parking and unloading
- The paellas you choose
Compared with a plated meal, live paella is frequently good value, because it needs no kitchen and fewer staff. We’ll send you a quote.
Getting an accurate quote
When you contact us, it helps to tell us:
- The courses you’d like
- A picture of where we’d cook
- The address or venue name
- The date and time of the event
A detailed enquiry gets a more accurate quote: the venue, the timings, the courses you’d like and any extras. When you’re ready, send us your details through our quote form.
Space, weather and the venue
Most gardens and venues can host live paella, but there are a few things to check:
- Flat, firm ground for the cooking area
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
- Somewhere close to park and unload
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise before you book.
What we offer
- Vegetable paella
- Vegan paella
- Mixed paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Seafood paella
Planning for every diet
Nearly every event has some special diets. To cater well for them:
- Confirm allergies by email
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
- Request clear labels at the serving table
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
Once everyone is fed, we clear our cooking area.
We can add sangria and bar staff for your own drinks.
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
Plenty of people try cooking paella for their own party. Common mistakes are mismatched pans and burners, overfilling and stirring. If you’d rather enjoy the party, let us cook.
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. A big pan needs a burner that heats it evenly, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
- 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