Hampshire · England
Live paella catering in Southwick, Hampshire
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 Southwick.
- Weddings and evening receptions
- Family celebrations and christenings
- Engagement and anniversary parties
Planning an event in Southwick?
Paella catering in Southwick, cooked live
One cooking area feeds plenty of people, very little goes to waste, and the food is served hot. It is why live paella suits so many kinds of event. Popular choices include black rice, vegetable paella and chicken and chorizo paella, and typical bookings are for christenings and family gatherings and engagement and anniversary parties.
In a rural place like Southwick, the setting does plenty of the work: a paella cooking in a garden or field feels right at home. Tell us about access and the ground. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, with each paella cooked in its own pan.
Before you choose a spot
We’ll agree the cooking spot with you before the day. It needs to meet a few simple requirements:
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
- Parking close enough to carry equipment
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we will tell you honestly.
On the menu in Southwick
- Mixed paella
- Vegetable paella
- Vegan paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Paella Valenciana
- Seafood paella
A closer look at the menu
Black rice
Black rice looks dramatic and tastes of the sea.
Mixed paella
A mix of chicken and seafood, and a popular all-rounder.
What paella catering costs
Every event is priced individually, based on a few main things:
- How many staff you need
- Parking and unloading
- Guest numbers
- The length of service
Live paella often compares well with a sit-down meal, as there is no kitchen to hire and fewer staff to pay. We will send you a quote.
Getting an accurate quote
Here’s what makes a quick, accurate quote possible:
- Anything your venue supplies
- Any dietary needs and allergies
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- The courses you’d like
Thinking about paella catering for your event in Southwick? Send us the details and we will reply with a menu and a clear price. Just use our quote form.
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
Plenty of people try cooking paella for their own party. Common mistakes are mismatched pans and burners, overfilling and stirring. If you’d rather be with your guests, we’ll do the cooking.
DIY catering keeps costs down, but the host spends the party cooking. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
Towns and villages near Southwick
What else we do in Southwick
Diets, allergies and planning
Most events have a mix of diets. To cater well for them:
- Mention any other courses or food
- Have seats for most of your guests
- Ensure each pan is labelled
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
On the day, you shouldn’t have to think about the food. We set up, cook and serve, and stay in touch with your venue about timings.
Sangria and bar staff can be added to serve drinks you provide.
Common questions in Southwick
Is Southwick close to London?
Roughly 62 miles from the centre of London, and well within our area.
What’s the nearest station to Southwick for guests?
Portchester station, about 1.9 miles south of the centre.
Can you cook indoors?
Mostly outside or under an open cover, because we use gas burners. We’ll check whether your venue has a suitable space.
Should we have more than one paella?
Two or three covers most guests. We’ll recommend a mix based on diets.
Can we add tapas or canapés?
Yes, and it is a popular combination. Tapas go out first, then the paella.
How does live paella catering work?
We arrive with pans, burners and ingredients, cook in front of your guests, and serve when you are ready to eat.
Which paellas suit our guests?
It depends on your guests. A chicken or mixed paella is usually the most popular, alongside seafood and vegetable or vegan pans.
Do you take everything away?
We take our equipment and leave the cooking area tidy. Ask us about table clearing if you need it.
Events we cater in Southwick
Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets, so it suits all kinds of occasions. It gives people something to gather round, too.
These are some of the occasions we cater around Southwick:
- Garden get-togethers
- Retirement and leaving parties
- Anniversary celebrations
- Weddings and evening receptions
If you are organising a summer fair for a school like King Richard School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
What to look for in a quote
- Whether travel is included
- The wet-weather plan
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- If the price includes VAT
How it works
Service is quick: the paella goes straight from the pan to the plate, so even a long queue moves. Afterwards we clear our cooking area away. Around midsummer it stays light in Southwick until about 9:20pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:10pm, so summer evening events are usually served in daylight. In December it is dark by about 4:00pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- Start with the date, the place and the numbers.
- We come back with paellas to suit your guests, plus any extras.
- Closer to the day, we confirm timings and the cooking spot.
- 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.
Before we arrive
- Let us know the timings for the day
- Plan cover in case of rain
- Confirm the venue is happy with live cooking
How to get a price
A detailed enquiry gets a more accurate quote: the venue, the timings, the courses you’d like and any extras. To send your details, use our quote form.
Planning help
Working with your venue
If you’re organising for someone else, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we are happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It keeps things simple.
If your event is in a public space, such as a park, check what permission you need first. We will provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
Live paella in Southwick: local details
Southwick is about 3 miles west of Purbrook, in Hampshire. We bring paella catering to homes, gardens and venues in Southwick and the surrounding area. We cover 683 places across Hampshire, from the larger towns to small villages. We cook right across the region, from Southwick to Southampton (13 miles away).
For guests coming by train, Portchester station is about 1.9 miles away. For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St James Without the Priory Gate, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone.
Here we cover the PO17 postcode area, and we can cater your event anywhere in it. Your event could be at a home on High Street, North Road West and Castle Road. We also cook at events in Boarhunt (1 mile west), North Boarhunt (2 miles north-west), Portchester (2 miles south), Hundred Acres (3 miles north-west) and North Fareham (3 miles west). Larger places within reach include Gosport (5 miles south), Havant (5 miles east), Eastleigh (12 miles north-west), Fareham (4 miles west), Horndean (5 miles north-east) and Chandler's Ford (14 miles north-west).
Nearby you’ll also find Portchester Castle (2.6 miles south) and Fareham Shopping Centre (3.2 miles south-west). Open spaces near Southwick include Portsdown Hill and St Clair's Meadow.
- Nearby, you’ll find Red Lion Inn (less than half a mile west)
- 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