Oxfordshire · England
Paella Catering in Upper Brailes
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 Upper Brailes.
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Birthday celebrations
- Christenings and family gatherings
Planning an event in Upper Brailes?
Upper Brailes questions
Do you come out to small places like Upper Brailes?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Let us know about access and parking.
Can you cater a reception after a service at Church of St George?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is normally elsewhere. Tell us where the reception will be.
What do you need at the venue?
Level ground for the burners, pans and a table, in the open air or a ventilated covered area, plus the venue’s agreement to cooking.
Which paella is most popular?
That depends on who’s coming. A chicken or mixed paella is usually the most popular, with seafood and vegetable pans alongside.
Which areas do you serve?
London and South East England: Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight, including Upper Brailes.
Does paella work for big events?
Yes. Big pans feed a lot of people, and service from the pan is quick.
Can you cook in the rain?
We need a covered spot, such as a gazebo, marquee or open-sided barn with good ventilation. We’ll agree a wet-weather plan with you.
Is paella a full meal?
It is a full meal on its own. Many hosts add tapas first or dessert after.
Paella catering in Upper Brailes, made fresh on the day
One cooking area feeds a lot of people, very little goes to waste, and the food arrives hot. It’s why live paella suits so many kinds of event. For anniversary celebrations and weddings, from canapés to evening food, we’ll put together a menu of seafood paella, vegetable paella and chicken and chorizo paella for your guests.
In a rural place like Upper Brailes, the setting does a lot of the work: a huge pan in a garden or field fits perfectly. Let us know about access and ground conditions. We serve straight from the pan, so every plate is hot, and a queue moves quickly.
- Location
- Upper Brailes (OX15)
- County
- Oxfordshire
- Dietary options
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal
- Extras
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Price
- Contact us for a quote
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
What we need at the venue
Every venue is different, so we ask about the space when you get in touch. In general, we need:
- Space well away from trees, fences and gazebo walls
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
If you’re unsure, send a picture of the space and we will say what we think before you book.
What we offer
- Vegetable paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Mixed paella
- Vegan paella
- Seafood paella
- Paella Valenciana
The process
We arrive in good time before you want to eat, unload, set up the burners and prepare the stock. Your guests are welcome to watch while it cooks. Around midsummer it stays light in Upper Brailes until about 9:30pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:10pm, so summer evening events are typically served in daylight. In December it’s dark by about 3:55pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- It starts with your date, venue, numbers and any dietary needs.
- You get a suggested menu and an itemised quote.
- We arrive early, set up the cooking area and start the stock.
- The rice cooks in full view, while tapas or canapés go round.
- We serve from the pan, then clear our cooking area away.
Before we arrive
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
- Tell us when you want to eat
Get a quote
Planning paella catering in Upper Brailes? Send us the details and we’ll come back with ideas and a quote. To contact us, fill in our quote form.
Planning help
Planning for every diet
Allergies and diets are taken seriously. Here’s how you can help:
- Mention any other courses or food
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
- Ensure each pan is labelled
- Choose two or three paellas so every guest has a choice
Let the paella rest for a few minutes before serving, and that’s when we invite guests up.
Need plates or staff? We can provide them.
Why live cooking beats a buffet
A cold buffet is simple but has no theatre, and the food sits out. Paella is cooked live and served hot. The price depends on your guest numbers, the menu and how many courses you choose, plus any staff, crockery and travel. We quote for each event individually.
Why Upper Brailes hosts choose us
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
- No hidden extras in your quote
- Sangria and bar staff available
- Add tapas, canapés and Spanish desserts
Why choose paella catering in Upper Brailes?
Few dishes cope with mixed diets like paella, because each version is cooked in its own pan. Everyone gets the same kind of meal.
Whatever the occasion, live paella can be the centrepiece. We often cook for:
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
- Community events and fairs
- Milestone birthday parties
- Staff parties and work lunches
For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St George, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone.
Before you book anyone
- A clear list of what’s included
- When final numbers are due
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- Whether travel is included
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
Hiring a pan and burner is one option, but there is shopping, prep and hours of cooking. A caterer handles all of that.
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’ll do the cooking.
For planners, venues and organisers
If you are organising for someone else, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we are happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It saves passing messages back and forth.
For larger events, we plan the number of pans and serving points around your timings, so guests are fed quickly. Let us know how long the food break is.
About the dishes
Paella Valenciana
Valencians take their paella seriously. The classic version is chicken, green beans and butter beans with saffron.
Black rice
Black rice looks dramatic and tastes of the sea, and is popular with adventurous guests.
Catering an event in Upper Brailes
Upper Brailes is about 9 miles west of Banbury, in Oxfordshire. For paella catering in Upper Brailes, we can cook in gardens, marquees, barns, courtyards and offices in and around Upper Brailes. We cover 443 places across Oxfordshire. Our events stretch from Upper Brailes to Oxford (about 25 miles away).
School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Brailes CofE Primary School, can book us as a food stall.
Here we cover the OX15 postcode area, so your event can be anywhere in it. Your event could be at a home on Castle Hill, Fant Hill and Henbrook Lane. For events just outside Upper Brailes, we cover Lower Brailes (1 mile south-east) and Sutton-under-Brailes (2 miles south). Larger places within reach include Banbury (9 miles east), Chipping Norton (8 miles south), Neithrop (8 miles east), Grimsbury (10 miles east), Ruscote (8 miles east) and Bloxham (8 miles east).
Other landmarks nearby include Ellen Badger Hospital (2.9 miles west). The countryside around Upper Brailes includes Castle Hill and Woodford Bottom and Lamb's Pool.
- Pubs nearby include The Gate Inn (within half a mile south)
Nearby places to Upper Brailes
Also in Upper Brailes
- 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