Oxfordshire · England
Paella Catering for Steeple Aston events
Hot, generous and cooked in front of everyone: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event for events in Steeple Aston and across Oxfordshire.
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Family celebrations and christenings
Paella catering for Steeple Aston events
Planning the cooking area
Most outdoor spaces and many venues work for live paella, but a few things matter:
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise before booking.
Popular choices
- Mixed paella
- Seafood paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Vegan paella
- Vegetable paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
Paella catering in Steeple Aston, cooked live
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. On the menu are mixed paella, vegetable paella and black rice, and typical bookings are for anniversaries and engagement parties and fairs, fêtes and festivals.
Somewhere as small as Steeple Aston, a garden or field is often the venue. Tell us about narrow lanes or long drives and we will plan for them, and cooking close to where we can park helps. Tapas, canapés, desserts, sangria and staff can all be added, so one booking can cover the whole menu.
- Area
- Steeple Aston (OX25)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Dietary options
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Also available
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Price
- Quoted for your event
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
DIY paella versus live catering
Plenty of people try cooking paella for their own party. 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 enjoy the party, let us cook.
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
What affects the price in Steeple Aston
These are the factors that matter most:
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
- How many guests are eating
- Starters, canapés and desserts
- Waiting and bar staff
There’s 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. We itemise everything in your quote.
What to tell us
Good planning starts with a few facts. Try to include:
- A photo of the cooking space, if it’s a garden or field
- The courses you’d like
- The address or venue name
- What the venue already provides
We need only a few details to quote: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. To send them, send us your details through our quote form.
How the day works
Watching it cook is half the fun. Onion, garlic, peppers and tomato go in first, then the stock and saffron, then the rice, which cooks without stirring. Planning an evening event in Steeple Aston? Sunset is around 9:00pm in late May, 9:30pm at midsummer and 7:10pm in late September; after dark, the cooking and serving areas need good lighting.
- It starts with your date, venue, numbers and any dietary needs.
- We put together a menu and a clear quote.
- On the day we arrive in good time, set up 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.
Getting ready for the day
- Ensure we can park close by to unload
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
- Ensure the spot is clear of anything flammable
Getting a price
A detailed enquiry gets a more accurate quote: the venue, the timings, the courses you’d like and any extras. When you are ready, send us your details through our quote form.
Related guides
Your questions about paella catering in Steeple Aston
We are having a ceremony at Church of St Peter and St Paul: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Live cooking usually happens at the reception venue, not the church. Send us the reception address.
How far is Steeple Aston from London?
About 60 miles from central London, and we cover it as standard.
Is halal food available?
Yes, we do. We use halal chicken and leave out pork and alcohol, in a separate pan.
Can you cook in the rain?
Rain does not stop us, as long as there is a ventilated cover. We will talk it through before the day.
Do you cater for young children?
Children are welcome. Let us know numbers and ages, and we’ll plan a pan with them in mind.
Which paellas do you recommend?
That depends on who’s coming. Chicken and mixed paellas tend to go first, with seafood and vegetable pans alongside.
When do you arrive?
That depends on your menu and numbers. We will agree arrival, cooking and serving times with you so the paella is ready when you want it.
Where do you cater?
London and South East England: Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Bucks, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight, including Steeple Aston.
Paella compared with other options
Compared with a hog roast or barbecue, paella makes vegetarian, vegan and halal guests easier to cater for, thanks to separate pans. Service from the pan keeps queues moving. Seafood and premium ingredients cost more than chicken or vegetable paellas, so your choice of paellas affects the total. We will suggest options to suit your budget.
Why Steeple Aston hosts choose us
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
- A clear, itemised quote
- Crockery and waiting staff if you need them
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
See Our pricing Or The cost guide.
For event organisers in Steeple Aston
Planners and coordinators can contact us directly, and we’ll keep everyone informed on the day.
Events in public spaces, like parks, usually need permission. We can send whatever the landowner or council needs from us.
Planning live paella in Steeple Aston
Steeple Aston is about 7 miles west of Bicester, in Oxfordshire. For an event in Steeple Aston, we can cook in gardens, marquees, barns, courtyards and offices in and around Steeple Aston. Steeple Aston is one of 443 towns and villages in Oxfordshire where we cook. We cook right across the region, from Steeple Aston to Oxford (13 miles away).
For guests coming by train, Heyford station is about 0.9 miles away. School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Dr Radcliffe's Church of England Primary School, can book us as a food stall.
Wherever your event is in OX25, we can cook for your guests, from busy streets to quiet lanes. From Jubilee Close, Paines Hill and North Side or anywhere nearby, we can cook there. Nearby, we also cater events in Middle Aston (1 mile north), Steeple Barton (2 miles west), Duns Tew (2 miles north-west), North Aston (2 miles north) and Dane Hill (2 miles north). We also cook in nearby towns such as Oxford (13 miles south), Banbury (9 miles north), Bicester (7 miles east), Witney (12 miles south-west), Kidlington (8 miles south) and Headington Quarry (13 miles south).
A little further out are Deddington Castle (3.6 miles north).
- Pubs nearby include White Lion pub (less than half a mile south-east)
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.
Black rice
Black rice gets its colour from squid ink, traditionally with alioli. It is a striking addition to a seafood menu.
Nearby places to Steeple Aston
More for events in Steeple Aston
Occasions we cook for in Steeple Aston
Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets, which is why it works for so many occasions. It also gives guests something to watch and talk about.
Live paella works for big and small events alike. Typical bookings include:
- Community events and fairs
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Naming days and family parties
For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St Peter and St Paul, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone.
Before booking anyone
- Whether VAT is included
- How each diet is kept separate
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
- Whether travel is included
- 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