Greater London · England
Paella Catering in Shirley Oaks
Hot, generous and cooked in front of everyone: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Shirley Oaks and the surrounding area.
- Big birthdays
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Summer garden parties
Paella catering near Shirley Oaks
What paella catering costs
The price comes down to a few factors:
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
- The length of service
- The number of people
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
The cost per head typically falls as numbers rise, because the cooking set-up is similar for different sizes of event. Give us your numbers and we will quote.
What to tell us
To speed things up, tell us:
- Your date and when you want to eat
- Any dietary needs and allergies
- A photo of the cooking space, if it’s a garden or field
- Where the event is
Send us the date, your venue or CR0 postcode and guest numbers, along with any dietary needs, and we’ll reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. To get started, fill in our quote form.
Paella catering for your event in Shirley Oaks
Almost any venue with a level, ventilated spot will do: a garden, marquee, barn, courtyard or field. We are frequently asked to cater leaving dos and retirements and festivals, fairs and school events, serving mixed paella, black rice and vegetable paella.
Around Shirley Oaks, most London events we are asked about are in gardens, courtyards and hired venues. Parking and loading are the main things to plan, so tell us about permits, bays or a driveway when you ask for a quote. You can add tapas, desserts, sangria, bar staff and waiting staff, so one booking can cover the whole menu.
- Area
- Shirley Oaks (CR0, SE25, CR9)
- Region
- Greater London
- Diets
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal
- Also available
- Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff
- Price
- Contact us for a quote
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
Paella compared with other options
Next to a hog roast or barbecue, live paella is easier for vegetarian, vegan and halal guests, because each paella has its own pan. Service from the pan keeps queues moving. Got a budget? Let us know, and we’ll suggest a menu to match. Even a simple menu can be a feast.
Why book with us
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- Drinks service on request
- Every diet catered for, pan by pan
- Starters and desserts to complete the menu
What’s in the pans
Mixed paella
Paella mixta combines meat and seafood in one pan.
Black rice
Black rice gets its colour from squid ink, traditionally with alioli. It is a striking addition to a seafood menu.
How it works
A typical event goes like this: we arrive, set up and start cooking, your guests watch the rice cook, and we serve straight from the pan when you’re ready to eat. Planning an evening event in Shirley Oaks? 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.
- First, tell us about your event.
- You get a menu and an itemised quote.
- We agree timings, access and the cooking spot.
- We cook live on the day while guests watch.
- We serve from the pan, then pack down.
Before we arrive
- Share the running order, including any speeches
- Make sure we can park close by to unload
- Choose a level spot for the cooking area
Getting a price
Most quotes start with a few simple details: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. You can fill in our quote form.
Read more
Events we cater in Shirley Oaks
There’s no kitchen needed, so it works in gardens, fields and marquees where plated meals are hard.
Live paella suits almost any gathering. People in Shirley Oaks book us for occasions like:
- Family celebrations and christenings
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Summer garden parties
- Birthday celebrations
Nearby historic houses include Addington Palace (1.8 miles south-east) and Kingswood House (3.6 miles north). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early.
Comparing caterers
- How each diet is kept separate
- Staff numbers and hours
- The deposit and payment dates
- Space, access and power needs
Questions from Shirley Oaks
Which station should guests use for Shirley Oaks?
Elmers End station, about 1.2 miles north of the centre.
What about parking in Shirley Oaks?
It can be, so tell us about parking bays, permits or a driveway. We’ll plan unloading around it.
Do you clear up afterwards?
Our cooking area is packed away and left clean. Ask us about table clearing if you need it.
What equipment do you bring?
All cooking kit comes with us. Tell us what the venue provides, such as tables or crockery.
How much space do you need?
Level ground for the burners, pans and a table, in the open air or a ventilated covered area, and the venue’s permission for live cooking.
What happens with live paella?
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.
What does paella catering cost?
We quote for each event, so you only pay for what you need. Tell us your date and numbers for a clear quote.
Will there be enough food?
We plan quantities from your guest numbers, timings and other courses, with a sensible margin. Accurate numbers help.
Should I cook it myself?
Not sure whether to cook yourself or book a caterer? Consider your numbers, your guests’ diets and your own time. We are happy to give you a quote to compare.
If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, have hot stock ready, and leave the rice alone once it is in. And keep children and pets well away from the burner.
Shirley Oaks: venues, travel and local tips
Shirley Oaks is about 2 miles north-east of Croydon, in Greater London. For paella catering in Shirley Oaks, we cater in back gardens, halls with outdoor space, barns, marquees and offices in and around Shirley Oaks. Shirley Oaks is one of 764 places in Greater London where we cook. You can also see our page for London, about 8 miles away.
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Elmers End station, about 1.2 miles north. If you are organising a summer fair for a school like Oasis Academy Shirley Park, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
We cover events in every part of the CR0, SE25 and CR9 postcode area and the streets around it. That could mean an event in a garden on Poppy Lane, Baring Road and Craven Road. You will find Shirley Oaks on the A232, which makes it straightforward to bring the equipment. Close by, we cover events in Shirley (1 mile east), Monks Orchard (1 mile east), 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), Kensington (10 miles north-west), St Pancras (10 miles north) and Shoreditch (10 miles north).
Other landmarks nearby include National Psychosis Unit (1.1 miles east) and St George's Walk (1.9 miles west). Open spaces near Shirley Oaks include Bramley Bank and Duppas Hill.
- Nearby schools include St. John's Church of England Primary School (0.7 miles south)
- Pubs nearby include The Cricketers pub (within half a mile west)
- Other local spots include Addiscombe (1 mile west)
Towns and villages near Shirley Oaks
More for events in Shirley Oaks
Working with your venue
For big numbers, we plan pans and serving points to keep queues short, so guests are fed quickly. Let us know how long the food break is.
Venues often have their own rules about outside caterers: cooking areas, access times and documents. Tell us what your venue needs and we’ll work to it.
Before you choose a spot
The right spot keeps things safe and helps the paella cook evenly. We need:
- Open air or a well-ventilated covered spot
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
- Clearance from fences, hedges, branches and anything flammable
Shirley Oaks is in London, within the Ultra Low Emission Zone, and parking can be tight: tell us about parking bays, permits or a driveway.
If you’re unsure, send a picture of the space and we’ll say what we think before booking.
Menu ideas
- Vegetable paella
- Seafood paella
- Vegan paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Mixed paella
- 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