West Sussex · England
Live paella catering in Southwick, West Sussex
Something for every guest: meat, seafood, vegetarian and vegan pans side by side. Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event for events in Southwick.
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
Paella catering near Southwick
How our paella catering works in Southwick
We cook every paella from scratch on the day, starting with a slow sofrito of onion, garlic, peppers and tomato, followed by stock, saffron and rice. We’re frequently asked to cater garden get-togethers and fairs, fêtes and festivals, serving paella Valenciana, black rice and mixed paella.
There may be a hall or club near Southwick if your garden is small; live paella can work at any of them, given permission and outdoor space. We bring everything we need to cook, and pack down our cooking area when service is finished.
- Area
- Southwick (BN42, BN41, BN43)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Dietary options
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal
- Extras
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Quote
- Contact us for a quote
- Last updated
- 23 October 2026
What affects the price in Southwick
The same guest numbers can mean different prices, depending on:
- Parking and unloading
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- Waiting and bar staff
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 we need to know
Good planning starts with a few facts. Try to include:
- The date and rough timings
- A picture of the cooking space, if it’s a garden or field
- The venue or postcode
- Diets and allergies you know about
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, plus any dietary needs, and you’ll get a menu idea and a price. To get started, fill in our quote form.
Why live cooking beats a buffet
A plated meal needs a kitchen, more staff and usually costs more per head. Live paella needs a level, ventilated spot and the venue’s permission to cook, and it is entertaining too. Cost depends on guest numbers, the menu and the courses, along with staff, extras and travel. We quote for each event individually.
What you get with us
- Crockery and waiting staff if you need them
- Sangria and bar staff available
- Everything cooked fresh at your event
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
Places near Southwick
Other catering in Southwick
Occasions we cook for in Southwick
Outdoor events and live paella go together: it is cooked in the open, served hot and eaten together.
Live paella suits almost any gathering. In Southwick, people book us for events such as:
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Community events and fairs
- Garden get-togethers
For guests coming by train, Southwick has its own station, Southwick station.
Questions to ask before booking
- The deposit and payment dates
- How dietary needs and allergies are handled
- The deadline for final numbers
- How bad weather is handled
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
DIY catering keeps costs down, but the host spends the party cooking. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
You can hire equipment and do it yourself, but there is shopping, prep and hours of cooking. A caterer handles all of that.
Dishes our guests love
Seafood paella
The secret is a well-made seafood stock. Shellfish goes in towards the end so it stays tender.
Paella Valenciana
The original paella from Valencia is a countryside dish of chicken and vegetables, rather than seafood. It’s a favourite with guests who do not eat fish.
Southwick questions
How far is Southwick from London?
About 46 miles from central London, and we cover it as standard.
Can you cook in Benfield Hill?
Only if the landowner, usually the council, allows it. Check with them, and we will provide our paperwork.
Can you do gluten-free paella?
We can, if you tell us in advance. Rice is naturally gluten-free, but stock and some ingredients may not be, so we make a separate gluten-free pan.
Does paella work for big events?
Very much so. We size pans and serving points to your guest list.
Are premium seafood options available?
We’ll talk through seafood options when we plan your menu.
Do you cover Southwick?
We do. We cook at events in Southwick and across West Sussex. Send us your date to check availability.
Do you do vegan paella?
Yes. Vegetarian and vegan paellas are cooked in separate pans, alongside the meat and seafood pans.
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.
Working with your venue
Events in public spaces, like parks, generally need permission. We will provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
If you are organising for someone else, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we’re happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It saves passing messages back and forth.
Before you choose a spot
We’ll agree the cooking spot with you before the day. A good spot ticks these boxes:
- Clearance from fences, hedges, branches and anything flammable
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise before booking.
Menu ideas
- Vegetable paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Seafood paella
- Vegan paella
How the day works
We work to your timings. If speeches run late or the photos take longer, we adjust the cooking so it is still served fresh. Planning an evening event in Southwick? Sunset is around 8:50pm in late May, 9:20pm at midsummer and 7:05pm in late September; once it’s dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- You tell us the date, venue, guest numbers and any dietary needs.
- You get a suggested menu and an itemised quote.
- On the day, we set up the burners and pans and get the stock going.
- Your guests watch the paella cook, with any tapas served first.
- We serve it hot from the pan and clear our area when service ends.
Getting ready for the day
- Choose a level spot for the cooking area
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
- Keep the cooking spot clear of fences, hedges and branches
Ask for a quote
Planning paella catering in Southwick? Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll reply with a menu and a clear price. To contact us, send us your details through our quote form.
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Paella catering around Southwick
Southwick is about 2 miles east of Shoreham-by-Sea, in West Sussex. For paella catering in Southwick, we cater in back gardens, halls with outdoor space, barns, marquees and offices in and around Southwick. Southwick is one of 371 places in West Sussex where we cook.
Thinking of a picnic-style party in Benfield Hill? Public parks typically need permission from the council or landowner for cooking, so check first. Historic houses near Southwick include Portslade Manor (0.8 miles north-east) and Preston Manor & Gardens (3.7 miles east). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early. Southwick is within about 8 miles of the South Downs National Park, a lovely setting for an outdoor event. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking. The coast is within about 2 miles of Southwick, so a seafood pan is a popular choice. Coastal wind means we plan a sheltered spot.
We cater events across the BN42, BN41 and BN43 postcode area and the streets around it. Local streets include Station Road, Roman Crescent and Southwick Street; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. Southwick is on the A259 and A270, so it is easy for us to reach with the van and pans. If your venue is just outside Southwick, we also cover Kingston by Sea (1 mile north-west), Portslade (1 mile north-east), Shoreham-by-Sea (2 miles west), Hangleton (2 miles north-east) and Old Shoreham (2 miles west). Larger places within reach include Worthing (7 miles west), Haywards Heath (13 miles north-east), Burgess Hill (10 miles north-east), Littlehampton (13 miles west), Lancing (4 miles west) and Rustington (12 miles west).
Well-known places in the area include Southlands Hospital (1 mile west) and Churchill Square (4 miles east). Green spaces nearby include Shoreham Beach and Thundersbarrow Hill.
- Schools near Southwick include Shoreham Academy (0.5 miles west) and Shoreham College (0.6 miles south-west)
- Local pubs include The Ship Inn (within half a mile south)
- 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