Hampshire · England
Live paella catering in Michelmersh, Hampshire
Cooked live, served hot and made to share: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event for events in Michelmersh and across Hampshire.
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Retirement celebrations
- Engagement and anniversary parties
Planning an event in Michelmersh?
Paella catering for your event in Michelmersh
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. Typical bookings include summer garden parties and retirement and leaving parties, serving vegetable paella, seafood paella and vegan paella.
In a hamlet or village like Michelmersh, your own garden or a neighbour’s field can make a wonderful venue. Gates, verges and soft ground are worth mentioning when you enquire. Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included, with each paella cooked in its own pan and clearly labelled.
Diets, allergies and planning
Dietary needs are easy to plan for with a little notice. We suggest:
- Collect dietary needs with your RSVPs
- Request clear labels at the serving table
- Put allergy details in writing
- Let us know about other food at the event
You shouldn’t have to worry about the food on the day. We set up, cook and serve, and keep in touch with you or your venue about timings.
Finish with churros, crema catalana or tarta de Santiago.
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
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. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
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.
Also near Michelmersh
More for events in Michelmersh
Organising for someone else?
For repeat events, such as annual staff parties or seasonal fairs, let us know your dates early, so we can plan ahead.
Planning an event for a club, school or charity in Michelmersh? Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets. Give us the details and we’ll suggest a plan.
FAQs for Michelmersh
Do you come out to small places like Michelmersh?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Let us know about access and parking.
Which station should guests use for Michelmersh?
Mottisfont & Dunbridge station, about 1.5 miles west of the centre.
Which paellas suit our guests?
That depends on who’s coming. A chicken or mixed paella is normally the most popular, alongside seafood and vegetable or vegan pans.
Do you provide plates and cutlery?
Yes, on request. Proper crockery or quality disposables are available.
Can you do gluten-free paella?
We can cook a gluten-free paella in its own pan. Tell us about any coeliac guests when you book so we take the right care.
Is halal food available?
We can. Tell us how many guests need halal food, and we’ll cook a separate pan.
Do you do starters?
Yes, and it is a popular combination. Tapas go out first, then the paella.
Do you come to Michelmersh?
We do. Michelmersh is one of the places we cover. Send us your date to check availability.
Planning the cooking area
We’ll agree the cooking spot with you before the day. A good spot ticks these boxes:
- Open air or a well-ventilated covered spot
- Flat, firm ground for the cooking area
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
If you are unsure, send a photo of the space and we’ll say what we think.
On the menu in Michelmersh
- Paella Valenciana
- Mixed paella
- Seafood paella
- Vegetable paella
- Vegan paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
What affects the price in Michelmersh
We’ll give you a clear, itemised quote. What affects it most:
- How many courses
- How many guests are eating
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
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.
What we need to know
To check availability and price, we need:
- Which courses you have in mind
- Your date and when you want to eat
- Where the event is
- A picture of where we’d cook
Every quote is put together for your event. Tell us your date and guest numbers, and we’ll check availability at the same time.
Planning live paella in Michelmersh
Michelmersh is about 3 miles north-west of Romsey, in Hampshire. Across the SO51 area, we will come to your venue or garden. Michelmersh is one of 683 places in Hampshire we cover. You can also see our page for Southampton, about 9 miles away.
Historic houses near Michelmersh include Mottisfont Abbey (1.2 miles north-west). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early. For guests coming by train, Mottisfont & Dunbridge station is about 1.5 miles away.
Anywhere in SO51, we can bring paella catering to you. We can cater an event on streets such as Yew Tree Lane, Staff Road and Haccups Lane. For events just outside Michelmersh, we cover Timsbury (1 mile south), Stonymarsh (1 mile north-west), Kimbridge (1 mile west), Mottisfont (1 mile west) and Dunbridge (1 mile west). We also cook in nearby towns such as Winchester (9 miles east), Eastleigh (9 miles south-east), Andover (12 miles north), Totton (8 miles south), Chandler's Ford (6 miles south-east) and Hedge End (12 miles south-east).
Well-known places in the area include King Johns House (3 miles south) and Romsey Community Hospital (3.1 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Emer Bog and Baddesley Common.
- Nearby, you will find The Malthouse Inn (0.5 miles south)
Why choose paella catering in Michelmersh?
People book live paella because it is food and entertainment at once. The pans become a focal point, and the food itself is hot and plentiful.
We are booked for all kinds of occasions in Michelmersh and nearby. Some of the most common are:
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Engagement and anniversary parties
For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St Mary, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone.
What your quote should include
- Exactly what’s included in the price
- How dietary needs and allergies are handled
- When payment is due
- The venue requirements
How it works
Here’s how the day generally runs: we set up the pans and start the sofrito, your guests watch the rice cook, and we serve straight from the pan when you’re ready to eat. Around midsummer it stays light in Michelmersh until about 9:25pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:10pm, so summer evening events are generally served in daylight. In December it is dark by about 4:00pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- Start with the date, the place and the numbers.
- We come back with paellas to suit your guests, plus any extras.
- Closer to the day, we confirm timings and the cooking spot.
- We set up, cook from scratch and keep an eye on your timings.
- Guests are served from the pan, and our area is cleared afterwards.
Preparing for the day
- Tell us when you want to eat
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
How to get a price
It is easy to get a price: share your date, venue, numbers and diets. We will come back with a clear quote and a suggested menu.
Related guides
The menu, dish by dish
Black rice
Black rice gets its colour from squid ink, traditionally with alioli. It is a striking addition to a seafood menu.
Vegetable and vegan paella
The vegetable pan is a dish in its own right: artichokes, beans, peppers and saffron, cooked in its own pan.
- 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