Hampshire · England
Live paella catering in Shalden Green, Hampshire
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 in Shalden Green.
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
- Weddings and evening receptions
- Birthday celebrations
Live paella catering in Shalden Green
The menu, dish by dish
Paella Valenciana
Paella Valenciana is the original: chicken, beans and saffron, not seafood. It is often the most popular pan at an event.
Black rice
Black rice gets its colour from squid ink, and is typically served with alioli. It makes a dramatic second seafood pan.
Paella catering for your event in Shalden Green
One cooking area feeds plenty of people, very little goes to waste, and the food arrives hot. That is why it works for so many events. Typical bookings include summer garden parties and office lunches and staff parties, with paella Valenciana, vegetable paella and mixed paella.
In a small place like Shalden Green, events are typically in a garden, a field or a nearby hall. Tell us about narrow lanes or long drives and we’ll plan for them, and cooking close to where we can park helps. Everything is cooked from scratch at your event, never made in advance and reheated, and served the moment it is ready.
Shalden Green: your questions answered
How far is Shalden Green from London?
Roughly 45 miles from the centre of London, and well within our area.
What’s the nearest station to Shalden Green for guests?
Alton station, about 2.9 miles south-east of the centre.
Do you cater for coeliacs?
Yes, on request. Rice is naturally gluten-free, but stock and some ingredients may not be, so we cook a gluten-free paella separately.
Do you cook it at the event?
Yes, always. Every paella is cooked from scratch on site, where your guests can watch.
Which paellas suit our guests?
Two or three is usual: a mixed or chicken paella, a seafood paella and a vegetable or vegan one. See the sample menu.
Will there be enough food?
Quantities depend on numbers, timing and courses, with a little extra built in. Accurate numbers help.
How many different paellas?
Two or three is usual: a meat or mixed paella, a seafood paella and a vegetable or vegan one. We will suggest a split based on your guests.
Do you cater in Shalden Green?
Yes. We cover London and the South East, including Shalden Green. To check your date, use our quote form.
Catering an event in Shalden Green
Shalden Green is about 3 miles north-west of Alton, in Hampshire. For an event in Shalden Green, we can cook in gardens, marquees, barns, courtyards and offices in and around Shalden Green. Shalden Green is one of 683 towns and villages in Hampshire where we cook. Our events stretch from Shalden Green to Reading (about 18 miles away).
Nearby historic houses include Hall Place (3.1 miles south-west) and Bentworth Hall (3.4 miles south-west). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early. For guests coming by train, Alton station is about 2.9 miles away.
We cook at events all over the GU34 postcode area. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Shalden (1 mile south), Southrope (2 miles north-west), Bagmore (2 miles west), Burkham (3 miles west) and Bentworth (3 miles south-west). We also cook in nearby towns such as Basingstoke (7 miles north-west), Farnborough (13 miles north-east), Fleet (9 miles north-east), Aldershot (11 miles east), Alton (3 miles south-east) and Petersfield (13 miles south).
A little further out are Gliding Heritage Centre (0.9 miles west) and Alton Community Hospital (3.3 miles south). Green spaces nearby include Holybourne Hill.
- Nearby, you will find The Golden Pot pub (0.6 miles east)
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
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.
Cooking paella for a crowd yourself is possible, but it is harder than it looks. 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.
Occasions we cook for in Shalden Green
It needs no kitchen, so it works in gardens, fields and marquees where other catering struggles.
Whatever you are celebrating in Shalden Green, paella can be the star of the food. We often cook for:
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
If you are organising a summer fair for a school like HSDC Alton, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
Comparing caterers
- Payment terms and deposit
- What happens if it rains
- How each diet is kept separate
- What the caterer needs from your venue
Catering for every guest
Most events have a mix of diets. To cater well for them:
- Make sure each pan is labelled
- Tell us what else is being served
- Have seats for most of your guests
- Confirm allergies by email
Any staff you book serve and clear, so you can relax.
Bread, salad and lemon go well alongside and suit guests who are not big rice eaters.
Also in Shalden Green
What paella catering costs
Two events with the same number of guests can cost different amounts, depending on:
- How many staff you need
- How many guests are eating
- Timings and hours
- Starters, canapés and desserts
Live paella often compares well with a sit-down meal, as there’s no kitchen to hire and fewer staff to pay. Ask us for a quote.
What to tell us
A few details help us give you an accurate quote. Here’s what’s useful:
- The courses you’d like
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- A picture of where we’d cook
The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote: the venue, the timings, the courses you’d like and any extras. When you’re ready, use our quote form.
Live paella or other catering?
A plated meal needs a kitchen, more staff and normally costs more per head. Live paella needs only a level, ventilated spot and permission to cook, and it is entertaining too. Comparing caterers? Look at what each quote includes: staff, crockery, sides, travel and VAT. Our quotes spell it all out.
Why us?
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
- We cover Shalden Green and the whole of Hampshire
- No hidden extras in your quote
- Paella cooked from scratch on site
Take a look at Our pricing And The cost guide.
For event organisers in Shalden Green
If you’re organising for someone else, whether you’re a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we’ll work directly with you and the venue. It keeps things simple.
Planning an event for a club, school or charity in Shalden Green? Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets. Tell us about the event and we will suggest a menu.
What happens on the day
Service is quick: the paella goes straight from the pan to the plate, so even a long queue moves. When service is finished, we pack down. Evenings in Shalden Green stay light until about 9:25pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:10pm; 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.
- We arrive early, set up the cooking area and start the stock.
- The paella cooks in front of your guests, with tapas first if you’ve chosen them.
- We serve it hot from the pan and clear our area when service ends.
How to prepare
- Ensure the spot is clear of anything flammable
- Make sure we can park close by to unload
- Give us your final numbers and diets
How to get a price
Not sure what you need yet? No problem: give us the basics about your event, and we will make suggestions. To start, send us your details through our quote form.
Planning help
- 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