Reading · England
Live paella catering in Trash Green, Reading
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 Trash Green.
- Christenings and family gatherings
- Anniversary celebrations
- Summer garden parties
Planning an event in Trash Green?
Paella catering for your event in Trash Green
The cooking is half the fun. People drift over as the sofrito sizzles and the rice turns gold, and the aroma does the rest. Popular choices include mixed paella, paella Valenciana and chicken and chorizo paella, and we’re often booked for engagement and anniversary parties and office lunches and staff parties.
In a hamlet or village like Trash Green, your own garden or a neighbour’s field can make a wonderful venue. Gates, verges and soft ground are worth mentioning when you enquire. All the cooking equipment comes with us, and we clear our cooking area away afterwards.
About the dishes
Vegetable and vegan paella
Seasonal vegetables on a rich sofrito base make a proper main dish. Vegan versions use plant-based stock.
Seafood paella
Prawns, mussels and squid in a rich fish stock, finished with lemon wedges. It’s the pan people photograph.
Live paella or other catering?
Plated meals need a kitchen and a bigger team. Live paella needs only a level, ventilated spot and permission to cook, and it is entertaining too. Premium seafood costs more than chicken or vegetables, so the menu you choose affects the price. Tell us your budget and we’ll suggest a menu.
What you get with us
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
- Drinks service on request
- A clear, itemised quote
Read Our pricing Or Our guide to catering costs.
The process
A typical event goes like this: we set up the pans and start the sofrito, your guests watch the rice cook, and we serve straight from the pan at the agreed time. Planning an evening event in Trash Green? Sunset is around 8:55pm in late May, 9:25pm at midsummer and 7:10pm in late September; once it is dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- Send us your date, numbers and venue.
- We plan a menu that covers every diet.
- We arrive in good time to set up.
- The sofrito, stock and rice go in, and guests gather to watch.
- We serve hot from the pan and clear our cooking area.
Before we arrive
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
- Share the running order, including any speeches
Get a quote
Most quotes start with a few simple details: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. To send them, fill in our quote form.
Planning help
Occasions we cook for in Trash Green
It is ideal for relaxed, sociable occasions, where guests can mingle while it cooks and then sit down to share.
We can help if you’re planning any of the following:
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Retirement celebrations
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
For guests coming by train, Theale station is about 1.4 miles away.
Questions to ask before you book
- The deposit and payment dates
- The deadline for final numbers
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
- Allergen information for each dish
Planners, venues and businesses
If you run the same event each year, tell us your dates early, so we can hold the date.
Events in public spaces, like parks, generally need permission. We will provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
FAQs for Trash Green
Do you come out to small places like Trash Green?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
Is Trash Green close to London?
About 42 miles from central London.
Can you feed a lot of people?
It’s ideal. Big pans feed plenty of people, and service from the pan is quick.
Can you serve drinks?
Sangria can be added, and we can staff a bar with your drinks.
How soon do we need to book?
Early, particularly for summer Saturdays. Even if it’s short notice, it’s worth asking.
Is paella enough as a main?
Paella is a meal in itself. Many hosts add tapas first or dessert after.
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 cook a gluten-free paella separately.
Do you cater for vegetarian guests?
Yes, and meat eaters frequently go back for seconds. Each is cooked separately, with its own stock and utensils.
Planning live paella in Trash Green
Trash Green is about 4 miles south-west of Reading, in Reading. Give us the address of your event in Trash Green, and we will plan access and set-up. Trash Green is one of 34 towns and villages in Reading where we cook.
Historic houses near Trash Green include Mapledurham House (4.7 miles north). Historic venues often limit cooking, so ask early if you are booking one. School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Burghfield St Mary's C.E. Primary School, can book us as a food stall.
Paella catering in RG30 is planned around your venue. Your event could be at a home on Bennett's Hill and Theale Road. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Burghfield (1 mile south), Sheffield Bottom (1 mile north-west), Burghfield Hill (1 mile south), Sulhamstead Bannister Upper End (1 mile west) and Sulhamstead Abbots (1 mile south-west). Further out, we also cater in Caversham (6 miles north-east), Norcot (3 miles north-east), West Reading (4 miles north-east), Tilehurst Within (3 miles north), Shinfield (5 miles east) and Arborfield Garrison (7 miles east).
Nearby you will also find Thames Valley Police Museum (1 mile west) and Battle Hospital (3.8 miles north-east). Not far away are Hosehill Lake and Fobney Island Wetland Reserve.
- Schools near Trash Green include The Willink School (1.6 miles south-west)
- Local pubs include Fox & Hounds pub (0.7 miles north-west)
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
Doing it yourself saves money, but the host ends up stuck at the stove. Booking us means you get the show without the stress.
Cooking paella for a crowd yourself is possible, but it is harder than it looks. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
Towns and villages near Trash Green
What else we do in Trash Green
Planning for every diet
With a little notice, every diet is easy. Our advice:
- Ask about diets and allergies on your invitation or RSVP
- Ask for labels on each pan
- Count adults and children separately
- Let us know about other food at the event
You shouldn’t have to worry about the food on the day. We set up, cook and serve, and keep in touch with you or your venue about timings.
Bread, salad and lemon wedges make the meal go further.
Planning the cooking area
Live paella is cooked over gas burners in large pans, so we need a suitable spot. Here’s what we look for:
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
- Parking close enough to carry equipment
- Flat, firm ground for the cooking area
If you’re unsure, send a picture of the space and we’ll say what we think.
What we offer
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegan paella
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
- Vegetable paella
- 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