Greater London · England
Paella Catering for Tooting events
We cook live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event across Tooting and Greater London, with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options.
- Retirement celebrations
- Milestone birthday parties
- Company summer parties
Live paella catering in Tooting
Paella compared with other options
Vans serve one order at a time. A paella pan serves many portions quickly, which suits weddings and parties where everyone eats together. The price depends on your guest numbers, the menu and how many courses you choose, plus any staff, crockery and travel. Every event gets its own quote.
Why choose Love Paella in Tooting
- Cooking your guests will gather round to watch
- We cover Tooting and the whole of Greater London
- Paella cooked from scratch on site
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
Read Our pricing Or The cost guide.
About our paella catering in Tooting
The cooking is half the fun. People drift over as the sofrito sizzles and the rice turns gold, and the aroma does the rest. For christenings and family gatherings and garden parties and summer barbecues, we will put together a menu of vegan paella, seafood paella and black rice and more.
London gardens are often long and narrow, but a level spot away from fences and trees is normally all we need. In Tooting, the bigger question is parking near the house or venue. We serve straight from the pan, so every plate is hot, and service is quick once it’s ready.
- Where
- Tooting (SW17, SW19, CR4)
- Area hub
- Greater London
- Diets
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal
- Add-ons
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Price
- Quoted for your event
- Last updated
- 23 October 2026
Should I cook it myself?
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 will do the cooking.
Cooking it yourself? Test your pan and burner first, have hot stock ready, and leave the rice alone once it’s in. Keep a clear zone around the burner.
Events we cater in Tooting
Few dishes cope with mixed diets like paella, because each version is cooked in its own pan. Everyone gets the same kind of meal.
Live paella suits almost any gathering. In Tooting, people book us for events such as:
- Company summer parties
- Retirement celebrations
- Family celebrations and christenings
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
For a christening or wedding at a church such as St Augustine, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone.
Comparing caterers
- Whether travel is included
- If the price includes VAT
- Staff numbers and hours
- When payment is due
What else we do in Tooting
Tooting: your questions answered
Can you cook in Wandle Park?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, usually the council. Ask them first, and we’ll send any information they need.
What about parking in Tooting?
London parking needs planning: let us know about permits or off-street space. We’ll work around it.
How far ahead should we book?
As early as you can, especially for summer weekends. Ask about your date even if it’s soon.
Do you do vegan paella?
Yes, and meat eaters frequently go back for seconds. Each is cooked separately, with its own stock and utensils.
What if the weather’s bad?
A covered, ventilated spot keeps us cooking in the rain. We’ll talk it through before the day.
How does live paella catering work?
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.
Is the paella gluten-free?
We can, if you tell us in advance. Rice is naturally gluten-free, but stock and some ingredients may not be, so we cook a gluten-free paella separately.
Is halal food available?
Yes, we do. We use halal chicken and leave out pork and alcohol, in a separate pan.
Live paella in Tooting: local details
Tooting is about 3 miles south-west of Stockwell, in Greater London. We cook at events in gardens, halls and venues around Tooting. We cater in all 764 towns and villages across Greater London, from the larger towns to small villages. Our nearest city page is London, about 6 miles away.
School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as St Boniface RC Primary School, can book us as a food stall. Historic houses near Tooting include Southside House (3 miles west) and Kingswood House (3.6 miles east). Historic venues often limit cooking, so ask early if you’re booking one.
We cater events across the SW17, SW19 and CR4 postcode area and the streets around it. We can cater an event on streets such as Vant Road, Byton Road and Avarn Road or the roads around them. For events just outside Tooting, we cover Tooting Bec (1 mile north-west), Colliers Wood (1 mile south), Furzedown (1 mile east), Streatham Park (1 mile east) and Summerstown (1 mile north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover London (6 miles north-east), City of Westminster (6 miles north), Marylebone (6 miles north), Kensington (5 miles north), St Pancras (7 miles north) and Shoreditch (8 miles north-east).
Other landmarks nearby include St Leonard's (1.5 miles east) and Southside Wandsworth (2.2 miles north-west). The countryside around Tooting includes Battersea Park Lake and Myrna Close.
- Schools near Tooting include Ensham School (under half a mile south-east) and Graveney School (0.7 miles south-east)
- Local pubs include King's Head pub (less than half a mile north)
For event organisers in Tooting
For repeat events, such as annual staff parties or seasonal fairs, let us know your dates early, so we can plan ahead.
If your event is in a public space, such as a park, check what permission you need first. We’ll provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
What paella catering costs
Every event is priced individually, and the price depends on a few things:
- Waiting and bar staff
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
- Starters, canapés and desserts
- Timings and hours
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.
Getting an accurate quote
We can quote more accurately with a few details. Here’s what’s useful:
- The courses you’d like
- The date and time of the event
- What the venue already provides
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
Thinking about paella catering for your event in Tooting? Send us the details and we will reply with a menu and a clear price. Just send us your details through our quote form.
Planning the cooking area
We will be honest if a space won’t work, and suggest an alternative. The main points are:
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
Tooting is in London, within the Ultra Low Emission Zone, and parking can be tight: tell us about parking bays, permits or a driveway.
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you honestly before booking.
Popular choices
- Vegetable paella
- Seafood paella
- Mixed paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegan paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
What’s in the pans
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, and is generally served with alioli. It makes a dramatic second seafood pan.
Step by step
We cook over gas burners in wide, shallow pans. We need a level, ventilated spot, which we agree with you beforehand. Around midsummer it stays light in Tooting until about 9:20pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:05pm, so summer evening events are usually served in daylight. For winter events, when it is dark by about 3:55pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- First, tell us about your event.
- You get a menu and an itemised quote.
- We agree timings, access and the cooking spot.
- On the day, we set up and cook in front of your guests.
- It’s served straight from the pan, and we clear our area afterwards.
Before we arrive
- Ensure the spot is clear of anything flammable
- Name one person we can ask on the day
- Confirm the venue is happy with live cooking
How to get a price
Still deciding on the menu? That is fine: tell us about the occasion and the guests, and we’ll suggest a menu. To start, fill in our quote form.
Planning help
- 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