Greater London · England
Live paella catering in Shirley, Greater London
Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Shirley: paella cooked from scratch in huge pans, right in front of your guests.
- Milestone birthday parties
- Family celebrations and christenings
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
Live paella catering in Shirley
Paella catering in Shirley, made fresh on the day
You can keep it simple or build a full menu: just paella, or paella with tapas, desserts and drinks. We’ll suggest what suits your event. We cook vegetable paella, seafood paella and paella Valenciana, and we are often booked for fairs, fêtes and festivals and anniversaries and engagement parties.
Gardens in London can be narrow, which is fine for live paella as long as there’s a level spot clear of fences and trees. In Shirley, the bigger question is parking near the house or venue. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in a separate pan and clearly labelled.
- Location
- Shirley (CR0, SE25, CR9)
- Region
- Greater London
- Diets
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Also available
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Quote
- Contact us for a quote
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
Shirley: your questions answered
Is parking a problem for events in Shirley?
It can be, so tell us about parking bays, permits or a driveway. We will plan unloading around it.
Which station should guests use for Shirley?
The closest is Elmers End station, roughly 1.2 miles away.
Is live paella good for a large crowd?
Very much so. We size pans and serving points to your guest list.
Is the paella gluten-free?
We can, if you tell us in advance. The rice is gluten-free, but stocks and chorizo can contain gluten, so we make a separate gluten-free pan.
Can you bring crockery?
If you need them, yes. Proper crockery or quality disposables can be added to your booking.
Can you provide dessert?
We can add a dessert. Let us know if you’d like one when you ask for a quote.
Which paella is most popular?
It depends on your guests. A chicken or mixed paella is typically the most popular, alongside seafood and vegetable or vegan pans.
Do you clear up afterwards?
We clear our cooking area away when service is finished. Waiting staff can clear tables if you book them.
Should I cook it myself?
Cooking paella for a crowd yourself is possible, but it’s harder than it looks. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right at scale is tricky. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
You can hire equipment and do it yourself, but you will still need to source ingredients, prep and cook for hours. We take care of all of it.
How we price paella catering
Two events with the same number of guests can cost different amounts, because of:
- Whether you need crockery
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
- The number of people
If you have a budget in mind, tell us, and we’ll put together a menu that fits. Even a simple menu can be a feast.
Getting an accurate quote
We can quote more accurately with a few details. Here’s what’s useful:
- A picture of where we’d cook
- The venue or postcode
- Roughly how many adults and children
- Diets and allergies you know about
Every quote is put together for your event. Tell us your date and guest numbers, and we’ll confirm whether we’re available that day.
Also in Shirley
Catering for every guest
Good planning keeps every guest safe and happy. Here’s how:
- Mention any other courses or food
- Make sure most guests can sit to eat
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Ask for labels on each pan
Once the rice is in, it needs about 20 minutes, so we time it carefully. If timings shift, we adapt.
Bread, salad and lemon wedges make the meal go further.
How the day works
We cook over gas burners in wide, shallow pans. We need a level, ventilated spot, which we agree with you beforehand. Planning an evening event in Shirley? 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.
Preparing for the day
- Leave space around the cooking area
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Let us know the timings for the day
Getting a price
The quickest way to a quote is to use our quote form. Tell us about your event in Shirley, and we will put together a menu and price.
Related guides
Why choose live paella in Shirley?
A cold buffet is simple but has no theatre, and food can sit out for a while. Paella is cooked live and served hot. There is no one-size-fits-all price for live paella. A simple paella lunch costs less than a wedding with canapés, three paellas and waiting staff. Your quote spells it all out.
What you get with us
- Starters and desserts to complete the menu
- Paella cooked from scratch on site
- No hidden extras in your quote
- Waiting staff and crockery on request
See How we price And What paella catering costs.
Before you choose a spot
The right spot keeps things safe and helps the paella cook evenly. We need:
- Outdoor space or a ventilated gazebo
- Somewhere close to park and unload
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
As a London location, Shirley is inside the Ultra Low Emission Zone, and parking takes planning: tell us about parking bays, permits or a driveway.
If you are unsure, send a photo of the space and we will say what we think.
What we offer
- Mixed paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegetable paella
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan paella
Dishes our guests love
Mixed paella
Paella mixta combines meat and seafood in one pan, and it is often the first pan to empty.
Paella Valenciana
In Valencia, the recipe is fiercely debated. The classic version is chicken, green beans and butter beans with saffron, and it is a crowd-pleaser.
Catering an event in Shirley
Shirley is about 2 miles north-east of Croydon, in Greater London. Events in Shirley are planned around your venue and timings: a clear quote, agreed timings and paella cooked live on the day. Shirley is one of 764 places in Greater London we cover. We cook right across the region, from Shirley to London (about 8 miles away).
If you’re celebrating after a service at a church like St George The Martyr Church, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. For guests coming by train, Elmers End station is about 1.2 miles away.
We cook at events all over CR0, SE25 and CR9 and the streets around it. That could mean an event in a garden on Poppy Lane, Homer Road and Craven Road or the roads around them. You’ll find Shirley on the A232, so it’s easy for us to reach with the van and pans. Other places close to Shirley for paella catering include Monks Orchard (1 mile north), Shirley Oaks (1 mile west), Addiscombe (1 mile west), Ashburton (1 mile north-west) and Woodside (1 mile north-west). Further out, we also cater in London (8 miles north), City of Westminster (10 miles north-west), Marylebone (10 miles north-west), Kensington (10 miles north-west), St Pancras (10 miles north) and Shoreditch (10 miles north).
A little further out are National Psychosis Unit (1 mile east) and Addiscombe (1.2 miles west). The countryside around Shirley includes Duppas Hill and Bramley Bank.
- Local schools include Orchard Way Primary School (0.6 miles east)
- Nearby, you will find The Cricketers pub (within half a mile west)
For planners, venues and organisers
Wedding planners and venue coordinators are welcome to contact us directly, and we’ll keep you updated on timings and set-up.
Events in public spaces, like parks, normally need permission. We can send whatever the landowner or council needs from us.
- 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