East Sussex · England
Live paella catering in St Helen's, East Sussex
From the first sizzle in the pan to the last crispy spoonful, live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event turns food into part of your event in St Helen's.
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
Live paella catering in St Helen's
How our paella catering works in St Helen's
You can keep it simple or build a full menu: paella on its own, or with canapés, table tapas, desserts and sangria. We will suggest what suits your event. Whether it’s garden get-togethers and company summer parties, we can cook seafood paella, vegan paella and vegetable paella for your guests.
Around St Helen's, events are frequently in gardens, local halls or nearby venues. If the road in is narrow, tell us so we can plan the van. Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included, each in a separate pan and clearly labelled.
- Location
- St Helen's (TN34, TN37)
- County
- East Sussex
- Dietary options
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Extras
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Price
- Quoted for your event
- Last updated
- 23 October 2026
What’s in the pans
Vegetable and vegan paella
Seasonal vegetables on a rich sofrito base make a paella that stands on its own. Vegan versions use plant-based stock.
Seafood paella
Seafood paella starts with a good fish and shellfish stock. Shellfish goes in towards the end so it stays tender.
Events we cater in St Helen's
Few dishes cope with mixed diets like paella, because each version is cooked in its own pan. Nobody gets a token ‘special meal’.
Whatever you’re celebrating in St Helen's, paella can be the star of the food. We frequently cook for:
- Birthday celebrations
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Anniversary celebrations
For guests coming by train, Ore station is about 0.8 miles away.
Questions to ask before booking
- Allergen information for each dish
- How long the team stays
- Payment terms and deposit
- The wet-weather plan
Planning for every diet
Nearly every event has some special diets. To plan for them:
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
- Pick a mix of paellas to cover every diet
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Let us know about other food at the event
Paella is at its best straight from the pan, so we serve when guests are ready.
Bread, salad and lemon wedges make the meal go further and suit guests who are not big rice eaters.
How the day works
Once the rice is in, we don’t stir it. That’s how the grains cook evenly and the toasted base, the socarrat, forms. The smell usually draws people over. In St Helen's, the sun sets at about 9:15pm in late June and about 7:00pm in late September, so summer evening events are normally served in daylight. For winter events, when it’s dark by about 3:55pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- We start with a few details about your event.
- You get a menu and an itemised quote.
- Timings, access and the cooking area are agreed in advance.
- We cook live on the day while guests watch.
- It’s served straight from the pan, and we clear our area afterwards.
Getting ready for the day
- Tell us where to park and unload
- Make sure the spot is clear of anything flammable
- Let us know the timings for the day
Get a quote
The quickest way to a quote is to send us your details through our quote form. Give us the details of your event, and we will put together a menu and price.
Read more
Should I cook it myself?
Hiring a pan and burner is one option, but there’s shopping, prep and hours of cooking. A caterer handles all of that.
Some hosts like to cook themselves. The usual problems are a pan too big for the burner, too much rice and stirring once the rice is in. If you’d rather be with your guests, we will do the cooking.
Before you choose a spot
We will agree the cooking spot with you before the day. A good spot ticks these boxes:
- Space well away from trees, fences and gazebo walls
- Level ground for the pans and burners
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you honestly.
On the menu in St Helen's
- Vegetable paella
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Mixed paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegan paella
FAQs for St Helen's
Can you cook near the sea around St Helen's?
Yes, as long as we can shelter from the wind. Wind is the main issue on the coast, so we plan shelter.
Can you cater a reception after a service at St Peter & St Paul?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Live cooking usually happens at the reception venue, not the church. Tell us where the reception will be.
How much is live paella catering?
The price depends on numbers, menu, courses, staff and travel. Tell us about your event and we’ll send a quote.
Can paella be the only main course?
Yes. Paella with bread and salad makes a full main course, and tapas or dessert can be added.
Do you do starters?
Yes. Canapé tapas with the drinks, or table tapas to share, while the rice is cooking.
Do you cook inside?
Normally we cook outdoors or under a ventilated cover, since the burners are gas. We will check whether your venue has a suitable space.
Where do you cater?
London and the South East: Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight, including St Helen's.
Can you supply plates?
We can. Tell us what your venue provides and we will include the rest in the quote.
Places near St Helen's
Also in St Helen's
Why choose live paella in St Helen's?
Food trucks and street-food vans serve one portion at a time. A big pan serves many guests fast, which suits weddings and parties where everyone eats together. Access and travel can make a difference to the cost, so tell us about the venue when you ask for a quote. Everything is confirmed in writing.
What you get with us
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
- Every diet catered for, pan by pan
- A clear, itemised quote
What paella catering costs
There are no hidden charges: the price is based on:
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- The paellas you choose
- Guest numbers
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
When you contact us, it helps to tell us:
- The courses you’d like
- What the venue already provides
- Roughly how many adults and children
- Your date and when you want to eat
It is easy to get a price: share your date, venue, numbers and diets. We’ll come back with a clear quote.
Planning live paella in St Helen's
St Helen's is about 1 mile north-east of Hastings, in East Sussex. Events in St Helen's are planned around your venue and timings: a clear quote, agreed timings and paella cooked live on the day. We cook in all 289 towns and villages in East Sussex. You can also see our page for Brighton, about 31 miles away.
School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Ark Blacklands Primary Academy, can book us as a food stall. For a christening or wedding at a church such as St Peter & St Paul, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone. St Helen's is within about 2 miles of the sea, and seafood paella always feels right near the sea. Sea breezes can be strong, so we plan a sheltered cooking spot.
Paella catering in TN34 and TN37 is planned around your venue. That could mean an event in a garden on Park Avenue, Keppel Road and Down's Road. Close by, we cover events in Blacklands (1 mile south), Hastings (1 mile south-west), Silverhill (1 mile south-west), Belmont (1 mile south-east) and Hollington (1 mile west). Further out, we also cater in Eastbourne (14 miles south-west), Bexhill-on-Sea (5 miles west), Hailsham (14 miles west), Polegate (15 miles west), Old Town (15 miles south-west) and Heathfield (15 miles north-west).
Other landmarks nearby include Priory Meadow Shopping Centre (1.2 miles south) and Hastings Old Town Hall Museum (1.3 miles south-east). The countryside around St Helen's includes Church Wood and Robsack Wood and Senlac Hill.
- Schools near St Helen's include William Parker Sports College (less than half a mile west) and University School (1.3 miles south)
- Nearby, you will find The Duke pub (0.9 miles 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