Hampshire · England
Paella Catering for West Town events
Hot, generous and cooked in front of everyone: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event for events in West Town and across Hampshire.
- Milestone birthday parties
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Naming days and family parties
Live paella catering in West Town
Catering for every guest
Most events have a mix of diets. To cater well for them:
- Ensure most guests can sit to eat
- Make sure each pan is labelled
- Mention any other courses or food
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
After service, we pack down our cooking area, quietly and quickly.
Add canapé tapas with the drinks or table tapas as a starter as the rice cooks.
Paella catering in West Town, made fresh on the day
Paella was made for feeding a crowd: cooked outdoors in a wide, shallow pan and shared. That is what we bring to events in West Town. We are often asked to cater birthday celebrations and christenings and family gatherings, serving chicken and chorizo paella, paella Valenciana and black rice.
In and around West Town, gardens and local halls are common choices. If access is tight, we’ll plan around it. We bring everything we need to cook, and pack down our cooking area when service is finished.
Nearby places to West Town
More for events in West Town
Catering an event in West Town
West Town is about 1 mile west of South Hayling, in Hampshire. For an event in West Town, we can cook in gardens, marquees, barns, courtyards and offices in and around West Town. We cover 683 places in Hampshire, from the larger towns to small villages. Our events stretch from West Town to Southampton (20 miles away).
Nearby historic houses include Warblington Castle (3.9 miles north). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early. School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Mengham Infant School, can book us as a food stall. West Town is within about a mile of the sea, so a seafood pan is a popular choice. Coastal wind means we plan a sheltered spot.
Wherever your event is in PO11, we can bring paella catering to you. Whether your event is on West Lane, Beach Road and Bacon Lane or a nearby road, we can cook there. For events just outside West Town, we cover South Hayling (1 mile east), Tourner Bury (1 mile east), Stoke (2 miles north), Tye (2 miles north-east) and North Hayling (3 miles north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Gosport (7 miles west), Havant (5 miles north), Fareham (10 miles north-west), Horndean (8 miles north), Waterlooville (7 miles north) and Petersfield (15 miles north).
Nearby you will also find Eastney Beam Engine House (2.5 miles west) and The Bridge Shopping Centre (4 miles west). Open spaces near West Town include The Kench.
- Schools near West Town include The Hayling College (0.7 miles north-east) and The Hayling College (0.7 miles north-east)
- Nearby, you’ll find Newton House Hotel (under half a mile north)
Before you choose a spot
If a space isn’t suitable, we’ll tell you, and suggest an alternative. The main points are:
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
- Level ground for the pans and burners
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise before you book.
On the menu in West Town
- Mixed paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Vegetable paella
- Seafood paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan paella
How we price paella catering
Every event is priced individually, and the price depends on a few things:
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
- Travel, parking and access
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- Guest numbers
Access and travel can make a difference to the cost, so it helps to tell us about your venue. The full price is confirmed before booking.
Getting an accurate quote
To speed things up, tell us:
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- The courses you’d like
- A picture of where we’d cook
Not sure what you need yet? No problem: tell us about the occasion and the guests, and we will make suggestions. To start, use our quote form.
Perfect for your event in West Town
It needs no kitchen, so it’s at home in gardens, fields and marquees where other catering struggles.
These are some of the occasions we cater in West Town and Hampshire:
- Garden get-togethers
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Community events and fairs
For a christening or wedding at a church such as St Mary's Church, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone.
What your quote should include
- How bad weather is handled
- Allergen information for each dish
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- VAT, if it applies
DIY paella versus live catering
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 cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. A big pan needs a burner that heats it evenly, and getting the rice right at scale is tricky. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
What happens on the day
We take care of the food from set-up to service, so you’re free to enjoy your event. If you’ve chosen tapas or canapés, they go out first as the rice is cooking. In West Town, the sun sets at about 9:20pm in late June and about 7:05pm in late September, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. For winter events, when it is dark by about 4:00pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- Send us your date, numbers and venue.
- We plan a menu that covers every diet.
- We arrive early to set up the burners and pans.
- The paella cooks as guests gather round.
- Service is straight from the pan, then we pack down.
Getting ready for the day
- Tell us when you want to eat
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
- Pick a flat, firm spot for us to cook
Getting a price
Most quotes start with a few simple details: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. To send them, use our quote form.
Read more
The menu, dish by dish
Mixed paella
Chicken and seafood together, for guests who want a bit of everything.
Paella Valenciana
Valencians take their paella seriously. The classic version is chicken, green beans and butter beans with saffron, and it is a crowd-pleaser.
West Town questions
What about events near the coast?
Yes, with a sheltered cooking spot. Wind is the main issue on the coast, so we plan shelter.
What’s the nearest station to West Town for guests?
The closest is Fratton station, roughly 3.8 miles away.
Who clears up?
We clear our cooking area away when service is finished. Waiting staff can clear tables if you book them.
Do you provide plates and cutlery?
Yes, on request. Crockery, cutlery and napkins, or good-quality disposables are available.
How do you work out quantities?
Pans are sized to your numbers and other courses. Let us know about any other food. Our guide to portions explains more.
Which paellas do you recommend?
That depends on who’s coming. A chicken or mixed paella is usually the most popular, with seafood and vegetable pans alongside.
Are premium seafood options available?
Tell us your preferences and we will suggest seafood options to suit your menu and budget. Premium options are available.
Can you feed plenty of people?
Yes, that is what it is made for. We plan the number of pans and serving points around your numbers.
Why choose live paella in West Town?
Plated meals need a kitchen and a bigger team. Live paella needs only a level, ventilated spot and permission to cook, and gives guests something to watch. Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are optional extras, so you can choose exactly what you need.
Why choose Love Paella in West Town
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- No hidden extras in your quote
- We cover West Town and the whole of Hampshire
- Drinks service on request
See Our pricing And Our guide to catering costs.
- 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