Hampshire · England
Paella Catering in Woolmer
Hot, generous and cooked in front of everyone: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Woolmer and the surrounding area.
- Summer garden parties
- Milestone birthday parties
- Community events and fairs
Book paella catering in Woolmer
Paella catering in Woolmer, cooked live
Paella has always been food for a crowd: cooked in the open in a big, shallow pan and shared straight from it. That is what we bring to events in Woolmer. We cook vegetable paella, chicken and chorizo paella and seafood paella, and typical bookings are for anniversary celebrations and company summer parties.
In a small place like Woolmer, events are generally in a garden, a field or a nearby hall. Tell us about narrow lanes or long drives and we’ll plan for them, and a firm spot near where we park makes set-up easier. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, with each paella cooked in its own pan.
The process
The paella is cooked in giant, shallow pans over gas burners. We need a level, ventilated spot, which we agree with you beforehand. In Woolmer, 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. In December it is dark by about 4:00pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- Send us your date, numbers and venue.
- We plan the menu with you, including every diet.
- We arrive in good time to set up.
- The sofrito, stock and rice go in, and guests gather to watch.
- Service is straight from the pan, then we pack down.
How to prepare
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
- Make sure we can park close by to unload
- Tell us when you want to eat
How to get a price
It’s easy to get a price: share your date, venue, numbers and diets. We’ll send a clear, itemised quote.
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Nearby places to Woolmer
Other catering in Woolmer
The menu, dish by dish
Paella Valenciana
Valencians take their paella seriously. The classic version is chicken, green beans and butter beans with saffron.
Mixed paella
A mix of chicken and seafood.
Woolmer: your questions answered
Is Woolmer close to London?
About 44 miles from central London, and we cover it as standard.
Can you cater a reception after a service at St Matthew's Church?
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.
Can you cater for vegetarians and vegans?
Of course. We cook vegetarian and vegan paellas in their own pans, alongside the meat and seafood pans.
Can you do sangria?
We can make sangria, and we can staff a bar with your drinks.
Do you come to Woolmer?
We do. Woolmer is one of the places we cover. Send us your date to check availability.
Which paella is most popular?
It depends on your guests. Chicken and mixed paellas tend to go first, with seafood and vegetable pans alongside.
Can we add tapas or canapés?
Yes. Canapés with drinks or tapas for the tables, served while the paella cooks.
What happens with live paella?
We cook from scratch at your venue in big pans, in front of your guests, and serve straight from the pan.
Catering for every guest
Nearly every event has some special diets. To plan for them:
- Mention any other courses or food
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Make sure each pan is labelled
- Confirm allergies by email
If you’ve booked staff, they’ll serve, clear and help keep things moving, so you can relax.
Add canapé tapas with the drinks or table tapas as a starter while the paella cooks.
What we need at the venue
Most gardens and venues can host live paella, but there are a few things to check:
- Clearance from fences, hedges, branches and anything flammable
- A level, firm spot for the burners and pans
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise.
Menu ideas
- Mixed paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Seafood paella
- Vegetable paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegan paella
Should I cook it myself?
Some hosts like to cook themselves. Common mistakes are mismatched pans and burners, overfilling and stirring. If you’d rather be with your guests, we will do the cooking.
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 live paella in Woolmer
Woolmer is about 2 miles south of Bordon, in Hampshire. Anywhere in GU33, we can cook for your guests. Woolmer is one of 683 towns and villages in Hampshire where we cook. We cook right across the region, from Woolmer to Guildford (17 miles away).
For a christening or wedding at a church such as St Matthew's Church, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone. For guests coming by train, Liss station is about 2.8 miles away. The South Downs National Park is within about 7 miles of Woolmer, and country venues and gardens there suit live paella perfectly. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
Paella catering in GU33 is planned around your venue and your guests. That could mean an event in a garden on Benhams Lane and Petersfield Road. Other places close to Woolmer for paella catering include Greatham (1 mile south), Blackmoor (1 mile north-west), Longmoor (1 mile south-east), Weavers Down (2 miles east) and Liss Forest (2 miles south). Larger places within reach include Farnborough (15 miles north), Fleet (13 miles north), Horndean (13 miles south-west), Aldershot (12 miles north-east), Alton (6 miles north-west) and Waterlooville (15 miles south-west).
A little further out are Chase Community Hospital (1.7 miles north-east) and The Romany Museum (2.8 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Deadwater Valley and Selborne Hill.
- Schools near Woolmer include Mill Chase Academy (2.4 miles north-east)
Who books paella catering in Woolmer?
It suits relaxed, sociable events, with guests mingling as it cooks and then sit down to share.
Whatever you are celebrating in Woolmer, live paella can be the centrepiece. We regularly cater:
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
- Milestone birthday parties
- Retirement and leaving parties
If you are organising a summer fair for a school like St Matthew's Church of England Aided Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
What to look for in a quote
- What happens if it rains
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
- If the price includes VAT
Working with your venue
If you are organising for someone else, whether you’re a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we’re happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It saves passing messages back and forth.
Hosting a party at home? Send us a picture of the garden and tell us about access, and we’ll tell you honestly whether live paella will work.
What paella catering costs
Each event is quoted on its own, based on a few main things:
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
- Your choice of paellas
- Parking and unloading
Larger events usually cost less per head, since the set-up is much the same either way. Give us your numbers and we’ll quote.
Details that help
You do not need every detail fixed to get a quote, but these help:
- Your date and when you want to eat
- A photo of the cooking space, if it’s a garden or field
- The address or venue name
- What the venue already provides
The quickest way to a quote is to fill in our quote form. Tell us about your event in Woolmer, and we’ll suggest paellas and extras to suit.
- 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