Live paella catering, cooked fresh at your event · London and the South East
A giant pan of seafood paella with mussels and prawns cooking over a burner

West Sussex · England

Paella Catering in Stedham

From the first sizzle of the sofrito to the last spoonful of crispy rice, live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event makes the food a highlight of your event in Stedham.

  • Office lunches and staff parties
  • Family celebrations and christenings
  • Retirement and leaving parties

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Live paella catering in Stedham

Questions from Stedham

Can you cook at venues in the South Downs National Park?

Yes. Some venues there have rules about vehicles, ground and cooking, so check with yours. We will follow the site rules.

Can you cater a reception after a service at The Parish Church of St James?

Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Live cooking generally happens at the reception venue, not the church. Tell us where the reception will be.

Do you provide drinks?

We can make sangria, and provide bar staff to serve drinks you supply.

Do you cater for vegetarian guests?

Of course. Vegetarian and vegan paellas are cooked in separate pans, alongside the meat and seafood pans.

What happens with live paella?

We cook from scratch at your venue in big pans, in front of your guests, and serve straight from the pan.

Can you supply plates?

If you need them, yes. Crockery, cutlery and napkins, or good-quality disposables can be added to your booking.

Are premium seafood options available?

Seafood choices are agreed when we plan the menu, including premium options if you want them.

Do you come to Stedham?

We do. We cook at events in Stedham and across West Sussex. Send us your date to check availability.

Paella catering in Stedham, cooked live

Almost any venue with a level, ventilated spot will do: a garden, marquee, barn, courtyard or field. Whether it is anniversary celebrations and garden parties and summer barbecues, we’ll put together a menu of seafood paella, vegan paella and vegetable paella and more.

For a rural spot like Stedham, the countryside is part of the appeal: a paella cooking in a garden or field feels right at home. Tell us about access and the ground. Tapas, canapés, desserts, sangria and staff can all be added, so one booking can cover the whole menu.

Where
Stedham (GU29)
County
West Sussex
Diets
Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
Add-ons
Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
Price
Ask us for a quote
Updated
23 October 2026
Overhead view of a seafood paella with prawns, mussels and lemon

Catering an event in Stedham

Stedham is about 7 miles east of Petersfield, in West Sussex. Give us the address of your event in Stedham, and we’ll plan the journey and set-up. We cook in 371 places across West Sussex. We cook right across the region, from Stedham to Guildford (19 miles away).

If you’re celebrating after a service at a church like The Parish Church of St James, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. If you are organising a summer fair for a school like Stedham Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. Stedham is within about 2 miles of the South Downs National Park. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.

We cook at events all over GU29 and the streets around it. Whether your event is on The Street, The Alley and Queens Street or anywhere nearby, we can cook there. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Iping (1 mile north-west), Woolbeding (1 mile east), Minsted (1 mile south-west), Bepton Common (1 mile south-east) and Midhurst (1 mile south-east). Further out, we also cater in Bognor Regis (15 miles south), Chichester (11 miles south), Emsworth (12 miles south-west), Storrington (15 miles east), Billingshurst (14 miles east) and Portfield (11 miles south).

Nearby you will also find Midhurst Museum (1.6 miles east) and Lodsworth Castle (4.5 miles east). Not far away are Iping and Stedham Commons and Wheeler's Down.

  • Local schools include Midhurst Rother College (1.6 miles east)
Map of Stedham © OpenStreetMap contributors

Before you choose a spot

Most outdoor spaces and many venues work for live paella, but there are a few things to check:

  • Level ground for the pans and burners
  • Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
  • Open air or a well-ventilated covered spot

If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise.

Popular choices

  • Vegan paella
  • Paella Valenciana
  • Mixed paella
  • Chicken & chorizo paella
  • Black rice (arroz negro)
  • Vegetable paella
  • Seafood paella

View our sample menu

For event organisers in Stedham

Planning an event for a club, school or charity in Stedham? Paella is quick to serve to a crowd and suits most diets. Give us the details and we will suggest a plan.

Events in public spaces, like parks, generally need permission. We can send whatever the landowner or council needs from us.

Perfect for your event in Stedham

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’.

We are booked for all kinds of occasions in Stedham and nearby. Popular bookings include:

  • Fairs, fêtes and festivals
  • Christenings and family gatherings
  • Leaving dos and retirements
  • Weddings, from canapés to evening food

Nearby historic houses include Cowdray House (1.8 miles east). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early.

What to look for in a quote

  • Whether travel is included
  • The deposit and payment dates
  • The deadline for final numbers
  • The wet-weather plan

Our caterer checklist

Is live paella right for your event?

Compared with a hog roast or barbecue, live paella is easier for vegetarian, vegan and halal guests, because each paella has its own pan. Service from the pan keeps queues moving. Live paella often compares well with a sit-down meal, because it needs no kitchen and fewer staff. Ask us for a quote.

What you get with us

  • Events in Stedham and across West Sussex
  • Every diet catered for, pan by pan
  • A quote that spells everything out
  • Crockery and waiting staff if you need them

Take a look at Our prices page Or What paella catering costs.

Catering for every guest

A little planning makes sure everyone can eat. Here’s how:

  • Tell us what else is being served
  • Request clear labels at the serving table
  • Add a dietary question to your invitations
  • Count adults and children separately

Paella is best eaten as soon as it is ready, so we serve when guests are ready.

Spanish desserts such as churros or crema catalana finish the meal.

How it works

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. Around midsummer it stays light in Stedham until about 9:20pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:05pm, so summer evening events are usually served in daylight. In December it’s dark by about 4:00pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.

  1. We start with a few details about your event.
  2. You get a menu and an itemised quote.
  3. Timings, access and the cooking area are agreed in advance.
  4. We cook live on the day while guests watch.
  5. It is served straight from the pan, and we clear our area afterwards.

Preparing for the day

  • Let us know who to talk to on the day
  • Have a gazebo or cover ready if rain is likely
  • Arrange parking near the cooking spot

How to get a price

We need only a few details to quote: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. To send them, fill in our quote form.

Ask for a quote

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About the dishes

Vegetable and vegan paella

A slow sofrito, seasonal vegetables and a good vegetable stock make a proper main dish. For vegans, the stock is plant-based.

Paella Valenciana

Valencians take their paella seriously. The traditional pan has chicken, flat green beans and butter beans.

Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?

Some hosts like to cook themselves. Common mistakes are mismatched pans and burners, overfilling and stirring. If you’d rather be with your guests, we will do the cooking.

For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For larger numbers, mixed diets or a wedding, a caterer takes the pressure off, and handles separate pans for each diet.

  • 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

See the menu · How it works · Get a quote