West Sussex · England
Paella Catering for West Stoke events
Paella for every guest: separate pans for meat, seafood and vegetarian or vegan guests. Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event for events in West Stoke.
- Milestone birthday parties
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
Book paella catering in West Stoke
Paella catering for your event in West Stoke
Everything is cooked from scratch on site, starting with a slow sofrito of onion, garlic, peppers and tomato, followed by stock, saffron and rice. On the menu are black rice, paella Valenciana and vegan paella, and typical bookings are for office lunches and staff parties and retirement and leaving parties.
In a small place like West Stoke, events are normally in a garden, a field or a nearby hall. Country lanes and long drives are no problem if we know about them, and cooking close to where we can park helps. The paella is served straight from the pan, so it is hot and generous, and a queue moves quickly.
- Location
- West Stoke (PO18)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Diets
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Extras
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Price
- Quoted for your event
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Perfect for your event in West Stoke
Few dishes cope with mixed diets like paella, because each version is cooked in its own pan. Nobody gets a token ‘special meal’.
Whatever you are celebrating in West Stoke, paella can be the star of the food. We regularly cater:
- Family celebrations and christenings
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
- Office lunches and staff parties
For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St Andrew, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone.
Questions to ask before booking
- The deposit and payment dates
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- Any travel, parking or access charges
Common questions in West Stoke
What’s the nearest station to West Stoke for guests?
Fishbourne station, about 2.2 miles south of the centre.
We are having a ceremony at Church of St Andrew: can you cater afterwards?
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.
What areas do you cover?
London and the South East: Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight, including West Stoke.
What happens if it rains?
A covered, ventilated spot keeps us cooking in the rain. We’ll make a plan B with you.
Do you cater in West Stoke?
We do. We cook at events in West Stoke and across West Sussex. Send us your date to check availability.
Is paella a full meal?
It’s a full meal on its own. Many hosts add tapas first or dessert after.
Do you cater for young children?
Yes. A simple chicken paella is normally popular with children. Include children in your numbers.
Is live paella good for a large crowd?
It is ideal. Big pans feed plenty of people, and service from the pan is quick.
Also near West Stoke
What else we do in West Stoke
Diets, allergies and planning
Few dishes handle mixed diets as well as paella, because each paella is cooked in its own pan. A few tips:
- Give us separate numbers for children
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
- Put allergy details in writing
On the day, you shouldn’t have to think about the food. We arrive in good time, set up, cook and serve, and keep in touch with you or your venue about timings.
Add canapé tapas with the drinks or table tapas as a starter while the paella cooks.
How we price paella catering
These are the factors that matter most:
- Your choice of paellas
- Guest numbers
- Parking and unloading
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
Travel, parking and access can affect the price, so it helps to tell us about your venue. Everything is confirmed in writing.
Getting an accurate quote
For a quote, it helps to have:
- Anything your venue supplies
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
- Where the event is
- Whether you want canapés, tapas or desserts
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, along with any dietary needs, and we’ll reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. Just use our quote form.
Step by step
Once the rice is in, we do not stir it. That’s how the grains cook evenly and the toasted base, the socarrat, forms. The smell usually draws people over. Planning an evening event in West Stoke? Sunset is around 8:50pm in late May, 9:20pm at midsummer and 7:05pm in late September; once it is dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- Contact us with the basics: when, where and how many.
- Expect a menu idea and a clear, itemised price.
- Closer to the day, we confirm timings and the cooking spot.
- We set up, cook from scratch and keep an eye on your timings.
- Guests are served from the pan, and our area is cleared afterwards.
Before we arrive
- Tell us when you want to eat
- Confirm the venue is happy with live cooking
- Plan cover in case of rain
Get a quote
Getting a quote is simple: share your date, venue, numbers and diets. We’ll send a clear, itemised quote.
Read more
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For big numbers or lots of diets, a caterer makes life easier, and keeps vegetarian and allergy-safe pans separate.
You can hire equipment and do it yourself, but there’s shopping, prep and hours of cooking. We take care of all of it.
Planning the cooking area
Every venue is different, so we will ask about yours when you get in touch. In general, we need:
- Outdoor space or a ventilated gazebo
- Space well away from trees, fences and gazebo walls
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise before booking.
Popular choices
- Vegan paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegetable paella
- Seafood paella
- Mixed paella
Live paella in West Stoke: local details
West Stoke is about 3 miles north-west of Chichester, in West Sussex. Anywhere in PO18, we will come to your venue or garden. We cater in all 371 towns and villages across West Sussex. We cook right across the region, from West Stoke to Southampton (25 miles away).
For guests coming by train, Fishbourne station is about 2.2 miles away. If you’re organising a summer fair for a school like Bishop Luffa School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. The South Downs National Park is within about 8 miles of West Stoke. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
We cover events in every part of PO18 and the streets around it. Local streets include Downs Road and Lye Lane; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. We also cook at events in East Ashling (1 mile south-west), West Ashling (1 mile south-west), Funtington (2 miles west), Broadbridge (2 miles south-west) and Fishbourne (2 miles south). We also cook in nearby towns such as Bognor Regis (8 miles south-east), Chichester (3 miles south-east), Selsey (10 miles south), Littlehampton (13 miles east), Emsworth (5 miles west) and Rustington (14 miles east).
A little further out are Chichester Castle (3 miles south-east) and Chichester Centre (2.8 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Stoke Down and Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve.
- Local pubs include The Horse And Groom Public House (0.8 miles south-west)
About the dishes
Seafood paella
The secret is a well-made seafood stock. Shellfish goes in towards the end so it stays tender.
Black rice
Arroz negro is coloured and flavoured with squid ink, traditionally with alioli. It’s a striking addition to a seafood menu.
Organising for someone else?
Planning an event for a club, school or charity in West Stoke? Paella is quick to serve to a crowd and suits most diets. Give us the details and we’ll suggest a plan.
Venues frequently have their own rules about outside caterers: cooking areas, access times and documents. Send us your venue’s requirements and we’ll follow them.
- 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