Greater London · England
Paella Catering for Pollards Hill events
Looking for paella catering in Pollards Hill? We arrive with the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook in front of your guests.
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Engagement and anniversary parties
Live paella catering in Pollards Hill
Paella compared with other options
Compared with a hog roast or barbecue, live paella is easier for vegetarian, vegan and halal guests, because each paella has its own pan. Service from the pan keeps queues moving. Travel, parking and access can affect the price, so tell us about the venue when you ask for a quote. Everything is confirmed in writing.
Why us?
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- Cooking your guests will gather round to watch
Take a look at Our prices page Or What paella catering costs.
How our paella catering works in Pollards Hill
We arrive with the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook the paella in front of your guests. When it is ready, it’s served straight from the pan. Whether it is community events and fairs and garden get-togethers, we can cook vegetable paella, paella Valenciana and chicken and chorizo paella.
Gardens in London can be narrow, which is fine for live paella as long as there is a level spot clear of fences and trees. For an event in Pollards Hill, tell us where we can park to unload. Everything is cooked from scratch at your event, never made in advance and reheated, and served the moment it’s ready.
- Location
- Pollards Hill (CR7, SW16, SE19)
- Region
- Greater London
- Diets
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal
- Also available
- Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff
- Price
- Contact us for a quote
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Events we cater in Pollards Hill
It needs no kitchen, so it is at home in gardens, fields and marquees where plated meals are hard.
Whatever you’re celebrating in Pollards Hill, live paella can be the centrepiece. We regularly cater:
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Company summer parties
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
- Festivals, fairs and school events
School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Kensington Avenue Primary School, can book us as a food stall.
Questions to ask before you book
- Any travel, parking or access charges
- If the price includes VAT
- How each diet is kept separate
- Space, access and power needs
DIY paella versus live catering
Weighing up DIY against a caterer? Think about numbers, diets and how much you want to enjoy the day. Ask us for a quote and compare.
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 at scale is tricky. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
Places near Pollards Hill
Other catering in Pollards Hill
For planners, venues and organisers
Wedding planners and venue coordinators are welcome to contact us directly, and we’ll keep everyone informed on the day.
If you are organising for someone else, whether you are a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we’re happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It keeps things simple.
Common questions in Pollards Hill
Which station should guests use for Pollards Hill?
The closest is Norbury station, roughly 0.6 miles away.
What about parking in Pollards Hill?
London parking needs planning: let us know about permits or off-street space. We will plan unloading around it.
Do we need to provide equipment?
We bring all the cooking equipment. Tell us what the venue provides, such as tables or crockery.
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, and we time it to your schedule.
What space do you need to cook?
Not a lot: a level spot clear of fences, hedges and branches, with room for a serving table. If in doubt, send a photo.
Can you feed a lot of people?
It’s ideal. Big pans feed a lot of people, and service from the pan is quick.
Can you supply plates?
Yes, on request. Proper crockery or quality disposables are available.
Do you cater for vegetarian guests?
Of course. Vegetarian and vegan paellas are cooked in separate pans.
How it works
Watching it cook is half the fun. Onion, garlic, peppers and tomato go in first, then the stock and saffron, then the rice, which cooks without stirring while your guests chat. Planning an evening event in Pollards Hill? Sunset is around 8:50pm in late May, 9:20pm at midsummer and 7:05pm in late September; after dark, the cooking and serving areas need good lighting.
- Start with the date, the place and the numbers.
- Expect a menu idea and a clear, itemised price.
- A week or so before, we confirm the plan.
- 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.
Before we arrive
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
- Make sure the spot is clear of anything flammable
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
How to get a price
Each quote is tailored to your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we’ll check availability at the same time.
Read more
Catering for every guest
Paella is one of the easiest dishes for mixed diets, because every paella has its own pan. A few tips:
- Have seats for most of your guests
- Confirm allergies by email
- Flag any coeliac guests, not just gluten-free preferences
- Collect dietary needs with your RSVPs
The rice takes about 20 minutes once it goes in, so we time it carefully. If timings shift, we adapt.
Finish with churros, crema catalana or tarta de Santiago, or serve your own cake.
Planning the cooking area
Safety and good cooking both depend on the spot we use. We need:
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
- Level ground for the pans and burners
- Outdoor space or a ventilated gazebo
As a London location, Pollards Hill is inside the Ultra Low Emission Zone, and parking takes planning: tell us about parking bays, permits or a driveway.
Not sure about your space? Send us a picture and we’ll tell you honestly before booking.
What we offer
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
- Vegetable paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegan paella
- Seafood paella
Live paella in Pollards Hill: local details
Pollards Hill is about 1 mile north of Thornton Heath, in Greater London. Across the CR7 area, we can cook for your guests. We cover 764 places across Greater London. Our nearest city page is London, about 6 miles away.
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Norbury station, about 0.6 miles west. Parks such as Grangewood Park usually need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there.
Paella catering in CR7, SW16 and SE19 is planned around your venue and timings. Whether your event is on Green Lane, Croft Road and Downs Road or a nearby road, we’ll bring the pans to you. If your venue is just outside Pollards Hill, we also cover Norbury (1 mile north), Thornton Heath (1 mile south), Streatham (2 miles north-west), Streatham Park (2 miles north-west) and Mitcham (2 miles west). We also cook in nearby towns such as London (6 miles north), City of Westminster (8 miles north), Marylebone (8 miles north), Kensington (7 miles north-west), St Pancras (8 miles north) and Shoreditch (8 miles north).
A little further out are Croydon University Hospital (1.3 miles south) and Centrale Croydon (2.3 miles south). The countryside around Pollards Hill includes Knight's Hill and Biggin Wood.
- Nearby schools include Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College for Girls (less than half a mile north-west) and Silburn Reid (0.9 miles north)
- Nearby, you’ll find The Moon Under Water pub (0.6 miles west)
- Local facilities include St Leonard's (1.7 miles north-west)
What affects the price in Pollards Hill
The same guest numbers can mean different prices, depending on:
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- The number of people
- The length of service
- Distance and access to the venue
The cost per head generally falls as numbers rise, because the cooking set-up is similar for different sizes of event. Give us your numbers and we will quote.
Details that help
You do not need everything decided to ask for a quote, but these help:
- The date and rough timings
- A picture of the space, if you can
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
- Roughly how many adults and children
It’s easy to get a price: tell us the date, place, numbers and any dietary needs. We will come back with a clear quote and a suggested menu.
- 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