Surrey · England
Paella Catering in Pains-Hill
Paella for every guest: separate pans for meat, seafood and vegetarian or vegan guests. Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event for events in Pains-Hill.
- Birthday celebrations
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Garden get-togethers
Paella catering in Pains-Hill
The menu, dish by dish
Seafood paella
Prawns, mussels and squid in a rich fish stock, cooked until the rice is golden. It’s the pan people photograph.
Black rice
Squid ink rice is bold and savoury.
Paella catering for your event in Pains-Hill
We arrive with the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook the paella in front of your guests. Once it’s ready, we serve it hot from the pan. For garden parties and summer barbecues and festivals, fairs and school events, we can cook chicken and chorizo paella, paella Valenciana and vegan paella.
In a rural place like Pains-Hill, the setting does a lot of the work: a huge pan in a garden or field fits perfectly. Tell us about access and the ground. We cook every pan in full view of your guests, so the food is hot, fresh and part of the occasion.
Live paella in Pains-Hill: local details
Pains-Hill is about 6 miles south-east of Caterham, in Surrey. From the centre of Pains-Hill to the outskirts, paella catering works the same way: live cooking, separate pans for every diet and a clear price. We cover all 395 towns and villages across Surrey. Our nearest city page is London, about 18 miles away.
Historic houses near Pains-Hill include Titsey Place (2.1 miles north) and Chartwell (2.5 miles east). Historic venues often limit cooking, so ask early if you’re booking one. If you’re celebrating after a service at a church like St Andrew's, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well.
Here we cover the RH8 postcode area, so your event can be anywhere in it. Whether your event is on Pastens Road and Pains Hill or a nearby road, we can cook there. For events just outside Pains-Hill, we cover The Chart (1 mile east), Limpsfield (1 mile north-west), Hurst Green (1 mile west), Oxted (1 mile west) and Moorhouse Bank (1 mile north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Epsom (14 miles north-west), Horley (10 miles south-west), Redhill (8 miles west), Ewell (14 miles north-west), Reigate (10 miles west) and Caterham (6 miles north-west).
Nearby you’ll also find Tandridge Priory (0.5 miles north) and Haxted Watermill Museum (3.9 miles south). Open spaces near Pains-Hill include Botley Hill and Bay Pond.
- Schools near Pains-Hill include Hazelwood School (0.7 miles west) and Oxted School (1.4 miles north-west)
- Local pubs include Carpenters Arms (0.7 miles east)
Should I cook it myself?
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.
Not sure whether to cook yourself or book a caterer? Think about numbers, diets and how much you want to enjoy the day. We are happy to give you a quote to compare.
Events we cater in Pains-Hill
It suits relaxed, sociable events, with guests mingling as it cooks and then sit down to share.
Live paella suits almost any gathering. In Pains-Hill, people book us for events such as:
- Summer garden parties
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Big birthdays
School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Limpsfield CofE Infant School, can book us as a food stall.
Comparing caterers
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
- Travel and parking costs
- Staff numbers and hours
- How bad weather is handled
Diets, allergies and planning
We take diets and allergies seriously. Here’s how you can help:
- Let us know about other food at the event
- Tell us how many children are coming
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
- Ask about diets and allergies on your invitation or RSVP
A short rest after cooking helps, and that is when we invite guests up.
We can add sangria and bar staff to serve drinks you provide.
What happens on the day
Here’s how the day normally runs: we set up the pans and start the sofrito, the rice cooks in front of your guests, and it’s served hot from the pan when you’re ready to eat. Evenings in Pains-Hill stay light until about 9:20pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:05pm; once it’s dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- Contact us with the basics: when, where and how many.
- 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.
- We serve, then leave our area tidy.
Preparing for the day
- Keep the cooking spot clear of fences, hedges and branches
- Name one person we can ask on the day
- Let us know the timings for the day
Getting a price
Send us the date, your venue or RH8 postcode and guest numbers, plus any dietary needs, and we will reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. Just use our quote form.
Planning help
What paella catering costs
The same guest numbers can mean different prices, depending on:
- Parking and unloading
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
- How long we are needed on site
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
Extras such as tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are priced separately, so you can choose exactly what you need.
Details that help
You do not need everything decided to ask for a quote, but these help:
- Whether the venue has crockery or staff
- Which courses you have in mind
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
- The address or venue name
A detailed enquiry gets a more accurate quote: the venue, the timings, the courses you’d like and any extras. When you’re ready, use our quote form.
What we need at the venue
Most gardens and venues can host live paella, but there are a few things to check:
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- Space well away from trees, fences and gazebo walls
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we will tell you honestly.
What we offer
- Vegan paella
- Vegetable paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Mixed paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Paella Valenciana
- Seafood paella
Nearby places to Pains-Hill
Also in Pains-Hill
Organising for someone else?
If you’re planning an event on someone’s behalf, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we’ll work directly with you and the venue. It keeps things simple.
Venues often have their own rules about outside caterers: cooking areas, access times and documents. Tell us what your venue needs and we will work to it.
FAQs for Pains-Hill
What’s the nearest station to Pains-Hill for guests?
Hurst Green station, about 0.9 miles west of the centre.
We are having a ceremony at St Andrew's: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is generally elsewhere. Send us the reception address.
Can you cook in the rain?
We cook under cover, such as a gazebo, marquee or open-sided barn with good ventilation. We will agree a wet-weather plan with you.
Do you cater for vegetarian guests?
Yes. Vegetarian and vegan paellas are cooked in separate pans.
Can you provide dessert?
We can add a dessert. Tell us what you have in mind when you ask for a quote.
Do you cater in Pains-Hill?
Yes. We cover London and the South East, including Pains-Hill and the rest of Surrey. For a quote, send us your details through our quote form.
Do you provide plates and cutlery?
Yes, on request. Crockery, cutlery and napkins, or good-quality disposables are available.
Do you do starters?
Of course. Canapés with drinks or tapas for the tables, served while the paella cooks.
- 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