Surrey · England
Paella Catering for Witley events
Hot, generous and cooked in front of everyone: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Witley and the surrounding area.
- Big birthdays
- Weddings and evening receptions
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
Paella catering in Witley
How our paella catering works in Witley
One cooking area feeds a lot of people, very little goes to waste, and the food arrives hot. That is why it works for so many events. We’re frequently asked to cater family celebrations and christenings and birthday celebrations, serving vegetable paella, black rice and chicken and chorizo paella.
Somewhere like Witley, a field or garden is often the perfect setting. Gates, verges and soft ground are worth mentioning when you enquire. Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included, with each paella cooked in its own pan.
The menu, dish by dish
Seafood paella
The secret is a well-made seafood stock. Shellfish goes in towards the end so it stays tender.
Paella Valenciana
The original paella from Valencia is a countryside dish of chicken and vegetables, rather than seafood. It is often the most popular pan at an event.
What happens on the day
Service is quick: the paella goes straight from the pan to the plate, so even a long queue moves. When service is finished, we pack down. Evenings in Witley stay light until about 9:20pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:05pm; once it is dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- We start with a few details about your event.
- We suggest paellas and extras and send a clear quote.
- Timings, access and the cooking area are agreed in advance.
- 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.
How to prepare
- Keep the cooking spot clear of fences, hedges and branches
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
Ask for a quote
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 fill in our quote form.
Related guides
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
Cooking paella for a crowd yourself is possible, but it’s harder than it looks. A big pan needs a burner that heats it evenly, and getting the rice right at scale is tricky. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
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.
Planning for every diet
Paella is one of the easiest dishes for mixed diets, because each paella is cooked in its own pan. A few tips:
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
- Put allergy details in writing
- Give us separate numbers for children
You shouldn’t have to worry about the food on the day. We arrive in good time, set up, cook and serve, and stay in touch with your venue about timings.
Sangria and bar staff can be added to serve drinks you provide.
Places near Witley
More for events in Witley
What paella catering costs
These are the factors that matter most:
- The number of people
- Your choice of paellas
- Distance and access to the venue
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
Travel, parking and access can affect the price, so it helps to tell us about your venue. Everything is confirmed in writing.
What we need to know
For a quote, it helps to have:
- Your date and when you want to eat
- Which courses you have in mind
- The venue or postcode
- Diets and allergies you know about
We need only a few details to quote: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. You can use our quote form.
Witley: venues, travel and local tips
Witley is about 7 miles south-west of Guildford, in Surrey. From the centre of Witley to the outskirts, we offer the same service: paella cooked live, every diet catered for and a clear quote. We cover 395 places in Surrey. We cook right across the region, from Witley to Guildford (about 7 miles away).
If you are celebrating after a service at a church like Church of All Saints, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as The Chandler CofE Aided Junior School, can book us as a food stall. The Surrey Hills National Landscape is within about 5 miles of Witley, a lovely setting for an outdoor event. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
Paella catering in GU8 is planned around your venue and timings. From Sunny Down, Willow Mead and Dorlcote Way or a nearby road, we will bring the pans to you. Other places close to Witley for paella catering include Cramhurst (1 mile north), Ockford Ridge (1 mile north-east), Mousehill (1 mile north), Enton Green (1 mile east) and Milford (1 mile north). We also cook in nearby towns such as Guildford (7 miles north-east), Woking (12 miles north), Camberley (13 miles north), Farnham (7 miles north-west), Dorking (15 miles east) and Frimley (11 miles north).
Nearby you will also find Godalming Museum (2.6 miles north-east) and Milford Hospital (1.4 miles north-east). Not far away are Upper Lake and Hydon's Ball.
- Nearby schools include Rodborough (0.6 miles north) and King Edward's School Witley (1.2 miles south)
- Nearby, you will find The Star Public House (under half a mile north-east)
Occasions we cook for in Witley
It suits relaxed, sociable events, with guests mingling as it cooks before sitting down to eat.
Almost any gathering can work with live paella. In Witley, people book us for occasions like:
- Big birthdays
- Retirement and leaving parties
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Festivals, fairs and school events
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Milford (Surrey) station, about 0.9 miles north-east.
Before you book anyone
- Travel and parking costs
- Whether VAT is included
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- When final numbers are due
Paella compared with other options
Compared with a hog roast or barbecue, live paella is easier for vegetarian, vegan and halal guests, thanks to separate pans. Service from the pan keeps queues moving. The cost per head typically falls as numbers rise, since the set-up is much the same either way. Give us your numbers and we will quote.
Why us?
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
- Everything cooked fresh at your event
- Every diet catered for, pan by pan
Take a look at How we price Or The cost guide.
Working with your venue
Planning an event for a club, school or charity in Witley? Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets. Tell us about the event and we’ll suggest a menu.
If you run the same event each year, tell us your dates early, so we can plan ahead.
Your questions about paella catering in Witley
Could we have live paella in Rodborough Common?
Only if the landowner, normally the council, allows it. Ask them first, and we will send any information they need.
How far is Witley from London?
Roughly 34 miles from the centre of London, and we cover it as standard.
Can you do gluten-free paella?
Yes, on request. Rice is naturally gluten-free, but stock and some ingredients may not be, so we make a separate gluten-free pan.
Do you bring everything you need?
All cooking kit comes with us. Let us know what your venue has, like tables or crockery.
Can you supply plates?
Yes, on request. Crockery, cutlery and napkins, or good-quality disposables are available.
Do you cook inside?
Mostly outside or under an open cover, because we use gas burners. Some venues have suitable spaces; we’ll check with you and the venue.
Is it really cooked live?
Yes, always. We cook from scratch in large pans at your venue, where your guests can watch.
Is halal food available?
Yes. We use halal chicken and leave out pork and alcohol, in its own pan.
- 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