Greater London · England
Live paella catering in Merton Abbey, Greater London
Looking for paella catering in Merton Abbey? We arrive with the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook while your guests watch.
- Company summer parties
- Christenings and family gatherings
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
Paella catering for Merton Abbey events
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 hire equipment and do it yourself, but there is shopping, prep and hours of cooking. We take care of all of it.
Paella catering in Merton Abbey, cooked live
The cooking is half the fun. Guests gather round as the sofrito sizzles and the saffron colours the rice, and the aroma does the rest. Whether it is engagement and anniversary parties and milestone birthday parties, we’ll put together a menu of seafood paella, mixed paella and vegetable paella for your guests.
In Merton Abbey, events range from terrace gardens to hired halls. Tell us how close we can park and about any steps. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, with each paella cooked in its own pan and clearly labelled.
- Area
- Merton Abbey (SW19, CR4, SW17)
- Area hub
- Greater London
- Dietary options
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal
- Also available
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Price
- Contact us for a quote
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
About the dishes
Seafood paella
The secret is a well-made seafood stock. The shellfish is added late so it stays tender.
Vegetable and vegan paella
A vegetable paella is not an afterthought: peppers, artichokes and beans with saffron.
Who books paella catering in Merton Abbey?
Paella is one of the few dishes that handles mixed diets easily, thanks to separate pans for each version. Everyone gets the same kind of meal.
Almost any gathering can work with live paella. In Merton Abbey, people book us for occasions like:
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Festivals, fairs and school events
For guests coming by train, Haydons Road station is about 0.9 miles away.
What your quote should include
- What happens if it rains
- Allergen information for each dish
- When final numbers are due
- Staff numbers and hours
Step by step
The paella is cooked in giant, shallow pans over gas burners. We need a level, ventilated spot, which we agree with you beforehand. In Merton Abbey, the sun sets at about 9:20pm 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.
- Get in touch with the basics: when, where and how many.
- We come back with paellas to suit your guests, plus any extras.
- A week or so before, we confirm the plan.
- We set up, cook from scratch and keep an eye on your timings.
- We serve, then leave our area tidy.
Before we arrive
- Give us your final numbers and diets
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
- Let us know the timings for the day
Get a quote
Every event is quoted individually, so you only pay for what you need. To ask for one, fill in our quote form.
Read more
What affects the price in Merton Abbey
We’ll give you a clear, itemised quote. The main things that affect it are:
- Travel, parking and access
- The paellas you choose
- Whether you need crockery
- Timings and hours
Cost depends on guest numbers, the menu and the courses, along with staff, extras and travel. Every event gets its own quote.
What to tell us
Good planning starts with a few facts. Please include:
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
- The venue or postcode
- A photo of the space, if you can
- Roughly how many adults and children
Send us the date, your venue or SW19 postcode and guest numbers, along with any dietary needs, and we will reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. Just use our quote form.
Nearby places to Merton Abbey
More for events in Merton Abbey
Planning the cooking area
We will agree the cooking spot with you before the day. A good spot ticks these boxes:
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
- Outdoor space or a ventilated gazebo
As a London location, Merton Abbey is inside the Ultra Low Emission Zone, and parking takes planning: let us know about permits, bays or off-street parking.
Not sure about your space? Send us a picture and we’ll tell you honestly.
Popular choices
- Paella Valenciana
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Seafood paella
- Vegan paella
- Vegetable paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Mixed paella
Planning for every diet
We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests. To get it right:
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Flag any coeliac guests, not just gluten-free preferences
- Tell us how many children are coming
- Ask for labels on each pan
On the day, you shouldn’t have to think about the food. We arrive in good time, set up, cook and serve, and stay in touch with your venue about timings.
Sangria and bar staff can be added to serve drinks you provide.
Paella compared with other options
A plated meal needs a kitchen, more staff and usually costs more per head. Live paella needs only a level, ventilated spot and permission to cook, and it’s entertaining too. Travel, parking and access can affect the price, so tell us about the venue when you ask for a quote. The full price is confirmed before you book.
Why book with us
- Sangria and bar staff available
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- Catering across Greater London, including Merton Abbey
- Real theatre, not just catering
Take a look at Our prices page Or What paella catering costs.
Merton Abbey questions
Could we have live paella in Wandle Park?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, typically the council. Ask them first, and we’ll send any information they need.
Is parking a problem for events in Merton Abbey?
It can be, so tell us about parking bays, permits or a driveway. We will work around it.
Is halal food available?
Yes. We use halal chicken and leave out pork and alcohol, in its own pan.
How long do you need on site?
We arrive well before serving to set up and start the stock. Once the rice goes in, it takes about 20 minutes, timed around your event.
How do you work out quantities?
Pans are sized to your numbers and other courses. Tell us what else is being served. Our guide to portions explains more.
How does live paella catering work?
We bring everything needed to cook on site, cook in front of your guests, and serve when you are ready to eat.
Which paellas suit our guests?
It depends on your guests. A chicken or mixed paella is generally the most popular, alongside seafood and vegetable or vegan pans.
What about pudding?
We do. Churros, crema catalana and tarta de Santiago are popular choices, or you can serve your own cake.
Catering an event in Merton Abbey
Merton Abbey is about 2 miles south-east of Wimbledon, in Greater London. Events in Merton Abbey are planned around your venue and timings: a quote, a plan and live cooking on the day. Merton Abbey is one of 764 places in Greater London we cover. We cook right across the region, from Merton Abbey to London (about 7 miles away).
Nearby historic houses include Southside House (2.2 miles west) and Nonsuch Mansion (4.3 miles south-west). Historic venues often limit cooking, so ask early if you are booking one. School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Haslemere Primary School, can book us as a food stall.
We cook at events all over the SW19, CR4 and SW17 postcode area and the streets around it. Local streets include East Road, Hardy Road and Mount Road; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. Merton Abbey sits on or near the A24, so getting the burners and pans to your event is simple. If your venue is just outside Merton Abbey, we also cover Merton (1 mile west), Colliers Wood (1 mile north-east), South Wimbledon (1 mile north-west), Eastfields (1 mile east) and Tooting Bec (1 mile north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover London (7 miles north-east), City of Westminster (7 miles north), Marylebone (7 miles north), Kensington (6 miles north), St Pancras (8 miles north) and Shoreditch (9 miles north-east).
A little further out are Southside Wandsworth (3 miles north) and St George's Hospital (1 mile north). Green spaces nearby include Henman Hill and Battersea Park Lake.
- Local schools include Rutlish School (1.2 miles west) and Ensham School (1.2 miles north-east)
- Local pubs include King's Head pub (less than half a mile north)
- Other local spots include St Leonard's (2.5 miles north-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