Surrey · England
Paella Catering for Mid Holmwood events
Planning paella catering in Mid Holmwood? We arrive with the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook in front of your guests.
- Community events and fairs
- Family celebrations and christenings
- Staff parties and work lunches
Book paella catering in Mid Holmwood
Dishes our guests love
Vegetable and vegan paella
The vegetable pan is a dish in its own right: peppers, artichokes and beans with saffron, cooked in its own pan.
Paella Valenciana
In Valencia, the recipe is fiercely debated. The classic version is chicken, green beans and butter beans with saffron, and it’s a crowd-pleaser.
About our paella catering in Mid Holmwood
There is something generous about paella: big pans, bright colours and a crispy base everyone wants a spoonful of. It makes the food an event in itself. Popular choices include paella Valenciana, chicken and chorizo paella and vegan paella, and we’re often booked for big birthdays and leaving dos and retirements.
For a rural spot like Mid Holmwood, the countryside is part of the appeal: a paella cooking in a garden or field feels right at home. Let us know about access and ground conditions. Timings are planned around your event, whether that is speeches, a lunch break or a festival schedule.
Catering an event in Mid Holmwood
Mid Holmwood is about 2 miles south of Dorking, in Surrey. Give us the address of your event in Mid Holmwood, and we’ll plan access and set-up before the day. We cook in all 395 towns and villages in Surrey, from the larger towns to small villages. We cook right across the region, from Mid Holmwood to Guildford (about 11 miles away).
Nearby historic houses include Polesden Lacey (4.2 miles north-west). Historic venues frequently limit cooking, so ask early if you’re booking one. For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Holmwood station, about 1.6 miles south. The Surrey Hills National Landscape is within about 3 miles of Mid Holmwood. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
Here we cover the RH5 postcode area. Local streets include Horsham Road, Swallow Lane and Mid Holmwood Lane; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. Nearby, we also cater events in North Holmwood (1 mile north-east), Blackbrook (1 mile north-east), Dorking (2 miles north), Westcott (2 miles north-west) and Wotton (3 miles west). Larger places within reach include Guildford (11 miles west), Woking (13 miles north-west), Epsom (10 miles north), Horley (7 miles east), Redhill (7 miles east) and Ewell (11 miles north).
A little further out are Betchworth Castle (2.7 miles north-east) and Mesolithic Museum (3.4 miles west). The countryside around Mid Holmwood includes Vann Lake and Leith Hill.
- Nearby schools include The Priory CofE Voluntary Aided School (1.7 miles north)
- Pubs nearby include The Norfolk Arms (less than half a mile south)
Common questions in Mid Holmwood
We are having a ceremony at Church of St John the Evangelist: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Live cooking normally happens at the reception venue, not the church. Tell us where the reception will be.
How far is Mid Holmwood from London?
Roughly 23 miles from the centre of London, and well within our area.
Do you take everything away?
We clear our cooking area away when service is finished. Waiting staff can clear tables if you book them.
How much space do you need?
Less than you might think: a level spot clear of fences, hedges and branches, with room for a serving table. If in doubt, send a picture.
How much paella per person?
Pans are sized to your numbers and other courses. Tell us what else is being served. See how much paella per person.
Can you serve tapas as well?
Yes, and it’s a popular combination. Tapas first, paella to follow.
Can you cook indoors?
Indoors only where ventilation and the venue allow it. Most events have us cooking outside or in a doorway or courtyard.
Do you cook it at the event?
It is. We bring the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook on the day, then serve straight from the pan.
Towns and villages near Mid Holmwood
Other catering in Mid Holmwood
Dietary needs and planning tips
Few dishes handle mixed diets as well as paella, because each paella is cooked in its own pan. A few tips:
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
- Make sure each pan is labelled
If you’ve booked staff, they’ll serve, clear and help keep things moving, so you can relax.
Add canapé tapas with the drinks or table tapas as a starter while the paella cooks.
What happens on the day
When the rice goes in, it’s left alone. That is what gives paella its separate grains and crispy base. Your guests will smell it before they see it. Evenings in Mid Holmwood stay light until about 9:20pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:05pm; once it is dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- Get in touch with the basics: when, where and how many.
- Expect a menu idea and a clear, itemised price.
- A week or so before, we confirm the plan.
- On the day we cook live, timed around your event.
- Guests are served from the pan, and our area is cleared afterwards.
Before we arrive
- Let us know the timings for the day
- Have a gazebo or cover ready if rain is likely
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
How to get a price
Still deciding on the menu? No problem: give us the basics about your event, and we’ll make suggestions. Start when you are ready: fill in our quote form.
Related guides
Where we can cook in Mid Holmwood
If a space is not suitable, we’ll tell you, and help find another spot. The main points are:
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
- Flat, firm ground for the cooking area
- Parking close enough to carry equipment
Not sure about your space? Send us a picture and we’ll tell you honestly.
Popular choices
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegan paella
- Seafood paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegetable paella
- Mixed paella
For event organisers in Mid Holmwood
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.
If your event is in a public space, such as a park, check what permission you need first. We can send whatever the landowner or council needs from us.
Events we cater in Mid Holmwood
Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets, so it suits all kinds of occasions. It also gives guests something to watch and talk about.
Almost any gathering can work with live paella. In Mid Holmwood, people book us for occasions like:
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Family celebrations and christenings
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Big birthdays
School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as St John's Church of England Primary School, can book us as a food stall.
What to look for in a quote
- Payment terms and deposit
- Exactly what’s included in the price
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- How late numbers can change
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
Not sure whether to cook yourself or book a caterer? Consider your numbers, your guests’ diets and your own time. We’re happy to give you a quote to compare.
Some hosts like to cook themselves. Common mistakes are mismatched pans and burners, overfilling and stirring. If you’d rather enjoy the party, let us cook.
Paella compared with other options
If you want something different from the usual buffet or roast, live paella adds colour, smell and theatre. Got a budget? Let us know, and we will put together a menu that fits. Even a simple menu can be a feast.
Why book with us
- Fast service from the pan
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
- Events in Mid Holmwood and across Surrey
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- 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