Hampshire · England
Paella Catering in South Ham
From the first sizzle in the pan to the last crispy spoonful, live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event makes the food a highlight of your event in South Ham.
- Naming days and family parties
- Summer garden parties
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
Live paella catering in South Ham
Paella catering for your event in South Ham
Keep it simple, or go all out: just paella, or paella with tapas, desserts and drinks. We’ll suggest what suits your event. For retirement and leaving parties and summer garden parties, we’ll put together a menu of black rice, vegan paella and seafood paella and more.
In a smaller place like South Ham, a garden party is frequently the simplest option: no venue hire, and nobody stuck cooking. Let us know about access to the house. We bring everything we need to cook, and pack down our cooking area when service is finished.
Planning live paella in South Ham
South Ham is about 1 mile south-west of Basingstoke, in Hampshire. Give us the address of your event in South Ham, and we’ll plan access and set-up. South Ham is one of 683 places in Hampshire we cover. We cook right across the region, from South Ham to Reading (14 miles away).
School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as St Anne's Catholic Primary School, can book us as a food stall. Historic houses near South Ham include The Vyne (3.5 miles north). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early.
We cook at events all over RG22, RG21 and RG23 and the streets around it. We can cater an event on streets such as Pheby Road, Wella Road and Lennox Road. Close by, we cover events in Brighton Hill (1 mile south), Basingstoke (1 mile north-east), Winklebury (1 mile north-west), Buckskin (1 mile west) and Worting (1 mile west). We also cook in nearby towns such as Farnborough (15 miles east), Fleet (12 miles east), Aldershot (15 miles east), Alton (10 miles south-east), Yateley (13 miles north-east) and Tadley (7 miles north).
A little further out are Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital (1.5 miles north) and Basing House (2.7 miles east). Open spaces near South Ham include Farleigh Hill and Daneshill Park Woods.
- Local schools include Aldworth School (under half a mile south-west) and Coppice Spring School (0.7 miles south-west)
- Nearby, you’ll find The White Hart Inn (1 mile west)
Events we cater in South Ham
Paella is one of the few dishes that handles mixed diets easily, thanks to separate pans for each version. Nobody gets a token ‘special meal’.
Big or small, live paella works well. Common bookings include:
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Community events and fairs
If you are celebrating after a service at a church like Saint Peter's Church, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well.
Questions to ask before you book
- Any travel, parking or access charges
- What the price includes, item by item
- If the price includes VAT
- How each diet is kept separate
Is live paella right for your event?
A cold buffet is simple but has no theatre, and food can sit out for a while. Paella is cooked live and served hot. Premium seafood costs more than chicken or vegetables, so your choice of paellas affects the total. Tell us your budget and we will suggest a menu.
Why book with us
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
- A quote that spells everything out
- Crockery and waiting staff if you need them
- Cooking your guests will gather round to watch
Read How we price Or The cost guide.
Space, weather and the venue
Live paella is cooked over gas burners in large pans, so the cooking area needs a little planning. These are the things we check:
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
- Level ground for the pans and burners
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
If you’re unsure, send a photo of the space and we’ll say what we think.
Popular choices
- Paella Valenciana
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Seafood paella
- Mixed paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Vegetable paella
- Vegan paella
Your questions about paella catering in South Ham
We are having a ceremony at Saint Peter's Church: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is usually elsewhere. Send us the reception address.
How far is South Ham from London?
Roughly 47 miles from the centre of London, and well within our area.
Do you cover South Ham?
Yes. We cover London and the South East, and South Ham is within our area. To check your date, send us your details through our quote form.
Do you cater for young children?
Children are welcome. Let us know numbers and ages, and we will plan a pan with them in mind.
How many different paellas?
Two or three covers most guests. We will recommend a mix based on diets.
What is live paella catering?
We cook from scratch at your venue in big pans, in front of your guests, and serve straight from the pan.
How soon do we need to book?
As soon as you have a date. Peak dates go quickly, so it pays to ask early.
Can you feed plenty of people?
It’s ideal. Large pans and fast service from the pan make it well suited to crowds.
Working with your venue
Hosting a party at home? Send a picture of the space and tell us about parking, and we’ll let you know if live paella is a good fit.
If you run the same event each year, tell us your dates early, so we can hold the date.
Towns and villages near South Ham
What else we do in South Ham
How we price paella catering
Your quote will be clear and itemised. What affects it most:
- The length of service
- Your choice of paellas
- Travel, parking and access
- The number of people
Comparing caterers? Look at what each quote includes: staff, crockery, sides, travel and VAT. Our quotes spell it all out.
What to tell us
To speed things up, tell us:
- Where the event is
- A photo of the space, if you can
- The date and rough timings
- Whether the venue has crockery or staff
Still deciding on the menu? No problem: give us the basics about your event, and we will suggest a menu. Start when you are ready: use our quote form.
About the dishes
Vegetable and vegan paella
The vegetable pan is a dish in its own right: artichokes, beans, peppers and saffron.
Paella Valenciana
In Valencia, the recipe is fiercely debated. The traditional pan has chicken, flat green beans and butter beans, and it’s a crowd-pleaser.
DIY paella versus live catering
Not sure whether to cook yourself or book a caterer? Think about numbers, diets and how much you want to enjoy the day. We are happy to give you a quote to compare.
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. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
How it works
Expect a friendly, organised team. Arrival and serving times are agreed beforehand, set up the pans and burners, and get on with cooking and serving. Around midsummer it stays light in South Ham until about 9:25pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:10pm, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. In December it’s dark by about 4:00pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- It starts with your date, venue, numbers and any dietary needs.
- We suggest a menu and confirm a quote, including what’s included.
- 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 from the pan, then clear our cooking area away.
How to prepare
- Ensure the spot is clear of anything flammable
- Tell us when you want to eat
- Choose a level spot for the cooking area
How to get a price
It’s easy to get a price: tell us the date, place, numbers and any dietary needs. We’ll come back with a clear quote.
Read more
- 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