Brighton and Hove · England
Paella Catering for Prestonville events
Bring the theatre of live paella to your event in Prestonville. We cook from scratch on site, and serve it straight from the pan.
- Anniversary celebrations
- Retirement celebrations
- Christenings and family gatherings
Book paella catering in Prestonville
How our paella catering works in Prestonville
Paella is generous food: big pans, bright colours and a crispy base everyone wants a spoonful of. It makes the food an event in itself. Popular choices include black rice, chicken and chorizo paella and seafood paella, and we’re often booked for retirement and leaving parties and naming days and family parties.
In a smaller place like Prestonville, a garden party is frequently the simplest option: no hire fees, and live paella feeds everyone without anyone stuck in the kitchen. Let us know about access to the house. We bring everything we need to cook, and pack down our cooking area when service is finished.
- Location
- Prestonville (BN1, BN3, BN88)
- County
- Brighton and Hove
- Special diets
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal
- Also available
- Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff
- Quote
- Ask us for a quote
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Prestonville: your questions answered
Could we have live paella in Preston Park?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, typically the council. Ask them first, and we’ll send any information they need.
Do you cater in the South Downs National Park?
Yes. Some venues there have rules about vehicles, ground and cooking, so check with yours. We’ll follow the site rules.
What if the weather’s bad?
We need a covered spot, such as a gazebo, marquee or open-sided barn with good ventilation. We plan for rain with you in advance.
How soon do we need to book?
Early, particularly for summer Saturdays. Even if it’s short notice, it’s worth asking.
Can you do sangria?
We can make sangria, and we can staff a bar with your drinks.
Can you bring crockery?
If you need them, yes. Proper crockery or quality disposables are available.
Which paellas suit our guests?
That depends on who’s coming. A chicken or mixed paella is typically the most popular, with seafood and vegetable pans alongside.
What seafood can we have?
Seafood choices are agreed when we plan the menu.
Diets, allergies and planning
Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included. To make it work smoothly:
- Ask about diets and allergies on your invitation or RSVP
- Put allergy details in writing
- Ensure most guests can sit to eat
- Pick a mix of paellas to cover every diet
The rice takes about 20 minutes once it goes in, so we start it at the right moment for your event. If timings shift, we adapt.
Bread, salad and lemon go well alongside and suit guests who aren’t big rice eaters.
What else we do in Prestonville
Space, weather and the venue
Most outdoor spaces and many venues work for live paella, but a few things matter:
- Outdoor space or a ventilated gazebo
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- Level ground for the pans and burners
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise before booking.
Menu ideas
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegetable paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Seafood paella
- Vegan paella
- Mixed paella
Occasions we cook for in Prestonville
Outdoor events and live paella go together: cooked outside, served hot and shared.
In Prestonville and nearby, we cater all sorts of events. Popular bookings include:
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Milestone birthday parties
- Family celebrations and christenings
- Leaving dos and retirements
Historic houses near Prestonville include Preston Manor & Gardens (within half a mile north) and Royal Pavilion (1.2 miles south-east). Historic venues frequently limit cooking, so ask early if you are booking one.
What to look for in a quote
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
- How dietary needs and allergies are handled
- The venue requirements
- What the price includes, item by item
What affects the price in Prestonville
Here’s what makes the biggest difference to the price:
- The number of people
- Distance and access to the venue
- Your choice of paellas
- The length of service
Compared with a plated meal, live paella is frequently good value, as there’s no kitchen to hire and fewer staff to pay. Ask us for a quote.
What to tell us
You do not need everything decided to ask for a quote, but it helps to know:
- Whether you want canapés, tapas or desserts
- Roughly how many adults and children
- Diets and allergies you know about
- The address or venue name
It is easy to get a price: share your date, venue, numbers and diets. We will come back with a clear quote.
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
A DIY paella party works for small groups. For larger numbers, mixed diets or a wedding, a caterer takes the pressure off, and keeps vegetarian and allergy-safe pans separate.
Doing it yourself saves money, but the host ends up stuck at the stove. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
Prestonville: venues, travel and local tips
Prestonville is about 1 mile west of Brighton, in Brighton and Hove. We cater events at homes, gardens and venues in Prestonville and the surrounding area. Prestonville is one of 30 places in Brighton and Hove where we cook.
Thinking of a picnic-style party in Preston Park? Public parks typically need permission from the council or landowner for cooking, so check first. If you are organising a summer fair for a school like Stanford Infant School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. Prestonville is within about 6 miles of the South Downs National Park. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours. Prestonville is within about 2 miles of the sea, and seafood paella always feels right near the sea. Coastal wind means we plan a sheltered spot.
Here we cover the BN1, BN3 and BN88 postcode area, and we can cater your event anywhere in it. Local streets include Dyke Road, Home Road and Lloyd Road; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. Main roads around Prestonville include the A23, which makes travel to your event easy. Close by, we cover events in Seven Dials (1 mile south), Preston (1 mile north), West Hill (1 mile south-east), Brunswick (1 mile south) and Withdean (1 mile north). We also cook in nearby towns such as Saltdean (5 miles south-east), East Saltdean (6 miles south-east), Roedean (3 miles south-east), Rottingdean (4 miles east) and Ovingdean (4 miles south-east).
Nearby you’ll also find Clayton Castle (5 miles north) and Churchill Square (1 mile south). Open spaces near Prestonville include Whitehawk Hill and Newmarket Hill.
- Nearby schools include Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College (less than half a mile south) and The Drive Prep School (0.7 miles west)
- Pubs nearby include Milligan House (under half a mile east)
How the day works
From set-up to serving, we look after the food, so you can enjoy your event. Any tapas or canapés are served first while the paella cooks. Planning an evening event in Prestonville? 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.
- You tell us the date, venue, guest numbers and any dietary needs.
- You get a suggested menu and an itemised quote.
- On the day we arrive in good time, set up and start the stock.
- The rice cooks in full view, while tapas or canapés go round.
- It is served straight from the pan, and we pack down afterwards.
Preparing for the day
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
- Have a level space ready for the pans
- Let us know the timings for the day
Ask for a quote
A detailed enquiry gets a more accurate quote: venue, timings, courses and extras. When you are ready, fill in our quote form.
Read more
Dishes our guests love
Vegetable and vegan paella
The vegetable pan is a dish in its own right: artichokes, beans, peppers and saffron.
Mixed paella
A mix of chicken and seafood, and a popular all-rounder.
Organising for someone else?
If you are booking for a business, tell us how you’d like to handle the booking and payment, and we’ll talk you through the process. We can work with your facilities team on access and timings.
Events in public spaces, like parks, normally need permission. We’ll provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
- 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