Brighton and Hove · England
Live paella catering in Seven Dials, Brighton and Hove
Love Paella cooks live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event across Seven Dials and Brighton and Hove, catering for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests.
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Retirement and leaving parties
- Office lunches and staff parties
Paella catering in Seven Dials
Paella catering in Seven Dials, cooked live
Almost any venue with a level, ventilated spot will do: a garden, marquee, barn, courtyard or field in and around Seven Dials. Typical bookings include leaving dos and retirements and big birthdays, serving paella Valenciana, seafood paella and vegetable paella.
For a place the size of Seven Dials, your own garden is frequently the best venue: no venue hire, and nobody stuck cooking. Let us know about access to the house. The paella is served straight from the pan, so every plate is hot, and a queue moves quickly.
- Area
- Seven Dials (BN1, BN3, BN50)
- County
- Brighton and Hove
- Special diets
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Add-ons
- Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff
- Quote
- Contact us for a quote
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
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.
If you’re organising for someone else, whether you are a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we’ll work directly with you and the venue. It keeps things simple.
About the dishes
Mixed paella
Paella mixta combines meat and seafood in one pan.
Paella Valenciana
In Valencia, the recipe is fiercely debated. The traditional pan has chicken, flat green beans and butter beans, and it is a crowd-pleaser.
Questions from Seven Dials
Can you cook in St. Ann's Well Gardens?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, typically the council. Ask them first, and we’ll send any information they need.
What’s the nearest station to Seven Dials for guests?
Brighton station, in Seven Dials itself.
Do you cater for young children?
Of course. Children frequently love a simple chicken paella. Include children in your numbers.
Are premium seafood options available?
Seafood choices are agreed when we plan the menu, including premium options if you want them.
Do you provide plates and cutlery?
We can. Tell us what your venue provides and we’ll include the rest in the quote.
What is live paella catering?
We set up a cooking area at your venue, cook the paella from scratch in large pans while your guests watch, and serve it straight from the pan.
How many different paellas?
Most events have two or three: meat or mixed, seafood, and vegetable or vegan. We will suggest a split based on your guests.
Can you do sangria?
We can make sangria, and we can staff a bar with your drinks.
Planning live paella in Seven Dials
Seven Dials is about 1 mile west of Brighton, in Brighton and Hove. For an event in Seven Dials, we can cook in gardens, marquees, barns, courtyards and offices. We cover 30 places in Brighton and Hove.
For guests coming by train, Seven Dials has its own station, Brighton station. Parks such as St. Ann's Well Gardens usually need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there. The South Downs National Park is within about 7 miles of Seven Dials, a lovely setting for an outdoor event. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking. Seven Dials is within about a mile of the sea, and seafood paella always feels right near the sea. Sea breezes can be strong, so we plan a sheltered cooking spot.
This part of Brighton and Hove takes in BN1, BN3 and BN50. We can cater an event on streets such as Dyke Road, Powis Road and York Avenue. With the A2010 close by, Seven Dials is easy for us to reach. Neighbouring places where we cater events include West Hill (1 mile south-east), Prestonville (1 mile north), Brunswick (1 mile south-west), Brighton (1 mile east) and Hanover (1 mile east). Further out, we also cater in Hangleton (3 miles north-west), Saltdean (5 miles east), East Saltdean (6 miles east), Roedean (3 miles south-east), Rottingdean (4 miles east) and Ovingdean (3 miles east). As one of the bigger places in Brighton and Hove, Seven Dials has plenty of venues and gardens for events.
Nearby you’ll also find Montefiore Hospital (within half a mile west) and Brighton Transport Museum (0.6 miles north). The countryside around Seven Dials includes Newmarket Hill and Whitehawk Hill.
- Local schools include Stanford Junior School (less than half a mile north) and The Drive Prep School (0.9 miles west)
- Nearby, you’ll find The Cow pub (less than half a mile south)
Can I cook paella for a crowd 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 at scale is tricky. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
Cooking it yourself? Test your pan and burner first, have hot stock ready, and don’t stir once the rice goes in. Keep a clear zone around the burner.
What we need at the venue
Most gardens and venues can host live paella, but there are a few things to check:
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
- Open air or a well-ventilated covered spot
- A level, firm spot for the burners and pans
Not sure about your space? Send us a picture and we’ll tell you honestly.
On the menu in Seven Dials
- Mixed paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Vegetable paella
- Vegan paella
What happens on the day
Watching it cook is half the fun. We start with the sofrito, add the stock and saffron, then spread the rice across the pan and leave it alone to cook. In Seven Dials, the sun sets at about 9:15pm in late June and about 7:05pm in late September, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. In December it’s dark by about 3:55pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- 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.
- On the day we cook live, timed around your event.
- Guests are served from the pan, and our area is cleared afterwards.
How to prepare
- Let us know the timings for the day
- Have a level space ready for the pans
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
Ask for a quote
The quickest way to a quote is to use our quote form. Give us the details of your event, and we will put together a menu and price.
Related guides
Planning for every diet
Nearly every event has some special diets. To cater well for them:
- Ask about diets and allergies on your invitation or RSVP
- Pick a mix of paellas to cover every diet
- Put allergy details in writing
- Flag any coeliac guests, not just gluten-free preferences
On the day, you shouldn’t have to think about the food. We arrive in good time, set up, cook and serve, and keep in touch with you or your venue about timings.
Finish with churros, crema catalana or tarta de Santiago.
Prices and what affects them
We will give you a clear, itemised quote. What affects it most:
- Your choice of paellas
- How many staff you need
- Guest numbers
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
Comparing caterers? Look at what each quote includes: staff, crockery, bread and salads, travel and VAT. Our quotes spell it all out.
What to tell us
You don’t need every detail fixed to get a quote, but these help:
- A picture of where we’d cook
- The courses you’d like
- The address or venue name
- The date and time of the event
Not sure what you need yet? That’s fine: tell us about the occasion and the guests, and we’ll suggest a menu. To start, use our quote form.
Events we cater in Seven Dials
Paella is quick to serve and suits mixed diets, which is why it works for so many occasions. It also gives guests something to watch and talk about.
Big or small, live paella works well. Common bookings include:
- Birthday celebrations
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Leaving dos and retirements
If you’re celebrating after a service at a church like St Luke's Church Prestonville, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well.
Questions to ask before booking
- What happens if it rains
- When payment is due
- Plates, cutlery and napkins, or disposables
- How long the team stays
Towns and villages near Seven Dials
More for events in Seven Dials
- 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