Hampshire · England
Live paella catering in Oakridge, Hampshire
Bring the theatre of live paella to your event in Oakridge. Everything is cooked fresh on the day, and serve it straight from the pan.
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Community events and fairs
- Garden get-togethers
Paella catering for Oakridge events
Paella catering in Oakridge, made fresh on the day
You can keep it simple or build a full menu: paella on its own, or with canapés, table tapas, desserts and sangria. We will recommend what fits your event. Whether it is leaving dos and retirements and fairs, fêtes and festivals, we will put together a menu of seafood paella, chicken and chorizo paella and paella Valenciana and more.
For a place the size of Oakridge, your own garden is frequently the best venue: no venue hire, and nobody stuck cooking. Let us know about access to the house. Your quote spells out exactly what’s included: menu, staff, crockery and anything else you choose.
How we price paella catering
Live paella pricing is straightforward once we know the basics:
- How many courses
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
- Travel, parking and access
Live paella pricing depends on the event. A garden party lunch and a full wedding menu are very different jobs. We itemise everything in your quote.
What to tell us
We can quote more accurately with a few details. Here’s what’s useful:
- Any dietary needs and allergies
- A picture of where we’d cook
- Your date and when you want to eat
- Where the event is
Every quote is put together for your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we’ll check availability at the same time.
Diets, allergies and planning
Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included. To get it right:
- Collect dietary needs with your RSVPs
- Mention any other courses or food
- Pick a mix of paellas to cover every diet
- Request clear labels at the serving table
Let the paella rest for a few minutes before serving, and that’s when we invite guests up.
We can add sangria and bar staff for your own drinks.
Before you choose a spot
The right spot keeps things safe and helps the paella cook evenly. We need:
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
- Outdoor space or a ventilated gazebo
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you honestly.
Menu ideas
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Seafood paella
- Vegan paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegetable paella
- Mixed paella
- Paella Valenciana
Questions from Oakridge
Can you cook in Eastrop Park?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, usually the council. Check with them, and we’ll provide our paperwork.
How far is Oakridge from London?
Roughly 46 miles from the centre of London.
Does paella work for big events?
Very much so. We plan the number of pans and serving points around your numbers.
What if the weather’s bad?
Rain does not stop us, as long as there is a ventilated cover. We’ll make a plan B with you.
Do you cater for coeliacs?
We can, if you tell us in advance. The rice is gluten-free, but stocks and chorizo can contain gluten, so we make a separate gluten-free pan.
Can paella be the only main course?
It can be. With bread and salad, paella is a complete main.
Can you do sangria?
Sangria, yes. We can also supply bar staff for your own drinks.
Are premium seafood options available?
Seafood choices are agreed when we plan the menu.
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, keep the stock hot, and don’t stir once the rice goes in. Keep a clear zone around the burner.
For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For larger numbers, mixed diets or a wedding, a caterer takes the pressure off, and handles separate pans for each diet.
Places near Oakridge
More for events in Oakridge
Planners, venues and businesses
Wedding planners and venue coordinators are welcome to contact us directly, and we will keep everyone informed on the day.
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.
What happens on the day
We get there well before serving, unload, set up the burners and prepare the stock. Your guests are welcome to watch as the paella takes shape. Evenings in Oakridge stay light until about 9:25pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:10pm; after dark, the cooking and serving areas need good lighting.
- It starts with your date, venue, numbers and any dietary needs.
- We suggest a menu and confirm a quote, including what’s included.
- On the day, we set up the burners and pans and get the stock going.
- Your guests watch the paella cook, with any tapas served first.
- It’s served straight from the pan, and we pack down afterwards.
Preparing for the day
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
- Tell us where to park and unload
- Tell us when you want to eat
How to get a price
The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote: venue, timings, courses and extras. To send your details, send us your details through our quote form.
Planning help
The menu, dish by dish
Vegetable and vegan paella
The vegetable pan is a dish in its own right: artichokes, beans, peppers and saffron, cooked in its own pan.
Paella Valenciana
The original paella from Valencia is a countryside dish of chicken and vegetables, not seafood. It’s frequently the most popular pan at an event.
Live paella in Oakridge: local details
Oakridge is about 1 mile north-east of Basingstoke, in Hampshire. Anywhere in RG21, we can cook for your guests. We cover all 683 towns and villages across Hampshire. You can also see our page for Reading, about 13 miles away.
Historic houses near Oakridge include The Vyne (2.6 miles north). Historic venues frequently limit cooking, so ask early if you are booking one. Parks such as Eastrop Park normally need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there.
Paella catering in RG21 and RG24 is planned around your venue and timings. Your event could be at a home on New Road, Vyne Road and Goat Lane. Oakridge is on the A3010, so it’s easy for us to reach with the van and pans. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Eastrop (1 mile south-east), Popley (1 mile north), Viables (1 mile south), Lychpit (2 miles east) and Old Basing (2 miles east). Further out, we also cater in Farnborough (14 miles east), Fleet (11 miles east), Aldershot (14 miles east), Alton (10 miles south-east), Yateley (12 miles north-east) and Tadley (6 miles north).
Other landmarks nearby include Basing House (1.6 miles east) and Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital (1.1 miles north-west). Not far away are Farleigh Hill and Daneshill Park Woods.
- Schools near Oakridge include Oakridge Junior School (under half a mile north-west) and The Costello School (0.7 miles south-east)
- Nearby, you will find The Rising Sun pub (less than half a mile south-west)
Why choose paella catering in Oakridge?
Paella is one of the few dishes that handles mixed diets easily, because each version is cooked in its own pan. Nobody gets a token ‘special meal’.
These are some of the occasions we cater:
- Anniversary celebrations
- Big birthdays
- Weddings and evening receptions
- Naming days and family parties
School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as The Vyne Community School, can book us as a food stall.
What your quote should include
- If the price includes VAT
- Staff numbers and hours
- Payment terms and deposit
- The deadline for final numbers
- 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