Buckinghamshire · England
Live paella catering in Quainton, Buckinghamshire
Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Quainton: paella cooked from scratch in huge pans, right in front of your guests, with tapas, desserts and drinks if you want them.
- Anniversary celebrations
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Family celebrations and christenings
Paella catering near Quainton
Catering an event in Quainton
Quainton is about 6 miles north-west of Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire. Wherever your event is in the HP22 area, we can bring the pans to you. Quainton is one of 263 towns and villages in Buckinghamshire we cover. Our events stretch from Quainton to Milton Keynes (13 miles away).
If you are celebrating after a service at a church like Church of St Mary and the Holy Cross, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. Nearby historic houses include Waddesdon Manor (2.3 miles south) and Claydon House (3.6 miles north-west). Historic venues frequently limit cooking, so ask early if you’re booking one.
For paella catering in HP22, we plan around your venue. We can cater an event on streets such as Station Road, Cautley Close and Pigott Orchard or the roads around them. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Waddesdon (2 miles south), Wormstone (2 miles south), Westcott (2 miles south-west), Kingswood (3 miles west) and Upper Winchendon (4 miles south). Within a short drive, we also cover Aylesbury (6 miles south-east), Buckingham (9 miles north), Elmhurst (6 miles south-east), Southcourt (7 miles south-east), Princes Risborough (11 miles south) and Haydon Hill (5 miles south-east).
Well-known places in the area include St John's Hospital (5.3 miles south) and Bolbec Castle (3.6 miles east). Green spaces nearby include Upper Ray Meadows.
- Schools near Quainton include Waddesdon Church of England School (2.1 miles south)
- Pubs nearby include Ye Swan and Castle pub (under half a mile north)
Paella catering for your event in Quainton
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 birthday celebrations and retirement celebrations, we’ll put together a menu of paella Valenciana, vegetable paella and black rice.
For a rural spot like Quainton, 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. Tapas, canapés, desserts, sangria and staff can all be added, so one booking can cover the whole menu.
- Where
- Quainton (HP22)
- County
- Buckinghamshire
- Dietary options
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Also available
- Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff
- Quote
- Contact us for a quote
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
The menu, dish by dish
Black rice
Black rice looks dramatic and tastes of the sea.
Vegetable and vegan paella
Seasonal vegetables on a rich sofrito base make a paella that stands on its own. Vegan versions use plant-based stock.
Diets, allergies and planning
Paella is one of the easiest dishes for mixed diets, because each paella is cooked in its own pan. A few tips:
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Have seats for most of your guests
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
- Tell us what else is being served
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.
Tapas or canapés make a good start as the rice cooks.
What paella catering costs
Your quote will be clear and itemised. The main things that affect it are:
- Starters, canapés and desserts
- Travel, parking and access
- The number of people
- Whether you need crockery
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
When you contact us, it helps to tell us:
- The courses you’d like
- Where the event is
- Your date and when you want to eat
- A picture of where we’d cook
Getting a quote is simple: tell us the date, place, numbers and any dietary needs. We will come back with a clear quote.
Organising for someone else?
For larger events, we plan the number of pans and serving points around your timings, so everyone eats promptly. Tell us how long you have for food.
Throwing a party at home? Send a photo of the space and tell us about parking, and we will tell you honestly whether live paella will work.
Step by step
When the rice goes in, it is left alone. That’s how the grains cook evenly and the toasted base, the socarrat, forms. Your guests will smell it before they see it. Around midsummer it stays light in Quainton until about 9:25pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:05pm, so summer evening events are typically served in daylight. In December it’s dark by about 3:55pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- Send us your date, numbers and venue.
- We plan the menu with you, including every diet.
- We arrive in good time to set up.
- The paella cooks as guests gather round.
- We serve hot from the pan and clear our cooking area.
Getting ready for the day
- Pick a flat, firm spot for us to cook
- Keep the cooking spot clear of fences, hedges and branches
- Tell us where to park and unload
How to get a price
We quote for each event separately, so the price fits what you actually want. To ask for one, use our quote form.
Read more
Why live cooking beats a buffet
A cold buffet is simple but has no theatre, and the food sits out. Paella is cooked in front of your guests and served hot. Access and travel can make a difference to the cost, so it helps to tell us about your venue. The full price is confirmed before you book.
What you get with us
- No hidden extras in your quote
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
- Every diet catered for, pan by pan
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
Read Our pricing Or The cost guide.
Quainton: your questions answered
Which station should guests use for Quainton?
Aylesbury Vale Parkway station, about 4 miles south-east of the centre.
Do you come out to small places like Quainton?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Let us know about access and parking.
Is paella a full meal?
Yes. Paella with bread and salad makes a full main course, and tapas or dessert can be added.
Do you cook it at the event?
Yes. We cook from scratch in large pans at your venue, where your guests can watch.
Do you cater for vegetarian guests?
Of course. Vegetarian and vegan paellas are cooked in separate pans, alongside the meat and seafood pans.
How do you work out quantities?
Quantities depend on numbers, timing and courses, with a little extra built in. Accurate numbers help.
Can you serve tapas as well?
Of course. Canapés with drinks or tapas for the tables, while the rice is cooking.
Can you cook halal paella?
Yes, we do. We use halal chicken and leave out pork and alcohol, in its own pan.
What we need at the venue
We cook in large pans over gas burners, so the cooking area needs a little planning. Here’s what we look for:
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
- Level ground for the pans and burners
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise.
On the menu in Quainton
- Mixed paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Vegetable paella
Who books paella catering in Quainton?
It needs no kitchen, so it’s at home in gardens, fields and marquees where plated meals are hard.
In Quainton and nearby, we cater all sorts of events. Some of the most common are:
- Company summer parties
- Retirement celebrations
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Big birthdays
For guests coming by train, Aylesbury Vale Parkway station is about 4 miles away.
What to look for in a quote
- If the price includes VAT
- Who provides the crockery
- Any travel, parking or access charges
- How long the team stays
Also in Quainton
- 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