Surrey · England
Paella Catering in Shortfield Common
Love Paella cooks live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Shortfield Common and nearby, with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options.
- Company summer parties
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Naming days and family parties
Paella catering in Shortfield Common
Organising for someone else?
Events in public spaces, like parks, typically need permission. We’ll provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
If you run the same event each year, tell us your dates early, so we can plan ahead.
Paella catering in Shortfield Common, made fresh on the day
Live paella works almost anywhere with a level, ventilated spot: a garden, marquee, barn, courtyard or field in and around Shortfield Common. Popular choices include paella Valenciana, seafood paella and black rice, and we are often booked for fairs, fêtes and festivals and garden get-togethers.
Somewhere as small as Shortfield Common, a garden or field is frequently the venue. Country lanes and long drives are no problem if we know about them, and a firm spot near where we park makes set-up easier. Tapas, canapés, desserts, sangria and staff can all be added, so the whole menu comes from one caterer.
Planning the cooking area
No two venues are the same, so we’ll ask about yours when you get in touch. Generally, we look for:
- Space well away from trees, fences and gazebo walls
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- Flat, firm ground for the cooking area
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise.
What we offer
- Mixed paella
- Vegetable paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Vegan paella
The process
When we arrive, we set up the burners and pans and start cooking the sofrito and stock. The rice goes in about 20 minutes before serving, so the timing is planned around your event. Evenings in Shortfield Common stay light until about 9:20pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:05pm; once it’s dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- 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.
- On the day we cook live, timed around your event.
- We serve, then leave our area tidy.
Getting ready for the day
- Keep the cooking spot clear of fences, hedges and branches
- Arrange parking near the cooking spot
- Share the running order, including any speeches
Getting a price
It is easy to get a price: share your date, venue, numbers and diets. We’ll send a clear, itemised quote.
Read more
Planning for every diet
We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests. To make it work smoothly:
- Mention any other courses or food
- Ask for labels on each pan
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
- Count adults and children separately
Any staff you book serve and clear, so you can relax.
Add canapé tapas with the drinks or table tapas as a starter as the rice cooks.
Your questions about paella catering in Shortfield Common
Can you cook in Underdown nature reserve?
Only if the landowner, normally the council, allows it. Check with them, and we will provide our paperwork.
Can you cater a reception after a service at Church of St Mary the Virgin?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is normally elsewhere. Tell us where the reception will be.
Can you feed a lot of people?
It’s ideal. Big pans feed a lot of people, and service from the pan is quick.
Can you do gluten-free paella?
Yes, on request. The rice is gluten-free, but stocks and chorizo can contain gluten, so we cook a gluten-free paella separately.
Who clears up?
We pack down our cooking area after service. Clearing guests’ plates and tables can be added with waiting staff.
Can you do sangria?
Sangria can be added, and we can staff a bar with your drinks.
What if the weather’s bad?
We cook under cover, such as a gazebo, marquee or open-sided barn with good ventilation. We plan for rain with you in advance.
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.
The menu, dish by dish
Vegetable and vegan paella
A slow sofrito, seasonal vegetables and a good vegetable stock make a proper main dish. Vegan versions use plant-based stock.
Seafood paella
The secret is a well-made seafood stock. The shellfish is added late so it stays tender.
Live paella or other catering?
With a barbecue, food comes in waves. Paella is cooked as one big dish and served together. Live paella pricing depends on the event. A garden party lunch and a full wedding menu are very different jobs. We itemise everything in your quote.
Why Shortfield Common hosts choose us
- Sangria and bar staff available
- A quote that spells everything out
- Options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in its own pan
- We cover Shortfield Common and the whole of Surrey
Take a look at How we price Or Our guide to catering costs.
Events we cater in Shortfield Common
People book live paella because it is food and entertainment at once. The pans become a focal point, and the food is hot and generous.
Here are some of the events we cook for:
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Weddings and evening receptions
- Community events and fairs
- Retirement and leaving parties
If you are organising a summer fair for a school like Edgeborough School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
Questions to ask before booking
- Staff numbers and hours
- How dietary needs and allergies are handled
- VAT, if it applies
- Exactly what’s included in the price
Live paella in Shortfield Common: local details
Shortfield Common is about 2 miles south of Farnham, in Surrey. For an event in Shortfield Common, we cater in back gardens, halls with outdoor space, barns, marquees and offices. We cook in all 395 towns and villages across Surrey. Our nearest city page is Guildford, about 11 miles away.
If you’re celebrating after a service at a church like Church of St Mary the Virgin, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. Historic houses near Shortfield Common include Farnham Castle (3 miles north). Historic venues often limit cooking, so ask early if you’re booking one. Shortfield Common is within about 6 miles of the Surrey Hills National Landscape, and country venues and gardens there suit live paella perfectly. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
Paella catering in GU10 is planned around your venue and timings. That could mean an event in a garden on Hamlash Lane, West End Lane and Moons Hill or the roads around them. Nearby, we also cater events in Millbridge (1 mile east), Frensham (1 mile south), Lower Bourne (1 mile north), Tilford Reeds (2 miles east) and Crosswater (2 miles south-east). Further out, we also cater in Guildford (11 miles north-east), Woking (14 miles north-east), Camberley (11 miles north), Frimley (10 miles north), Haslemere (7 miles south-east) and Cranleigh (14 miles east).
Nearby you will also find Museum of Farnham (2.6 miles north) and Chase Community Hospital (5.5 miles south-west). Not far away are Culverswell Hill and Farnham Heath.
- Schools near Shortfield Common include St Mary's CofE Aided Infant School (0.8 miles south-east) and Weydon School (2 miles north)
Also near Shortfield Common
More for events in Shortfield Common
Prices and what affects them
Every event is priced individually, and the price depends on a few things:
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- How many courses
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
- How many staff you need
When you compare quotes, check what each one includes: staff, crockery, bread and salads, travel and VAT. Our quotes spell it all out.
What to tell us
To speed things up, tell us:
- Which courses you have in mind
- The address or venue name
- Expected numbers
- A picture of the cooking space, if it is a garden or field
Not sure what you need yet? That is fine: tell us about the occasion and the guests, and we will make suggestions. Start when you are ready: send us your details through our quote form.
- 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