East Sussex · England
Paella Party Catering in Cross in Hand
Paella catering for birthday parties, garden parties and private events in Cross in Hand: paella made from scratch in big, shallow pans, right in front of your guests.
- Wakes and memorial gatherings
- Milestone birthdays
- Big family gatherings
Live paella party catering in Cross in Hand
Paella party catering in Cross in Hand, cooked live
You get to be a guest at your own party: no shopping, prep or cooking. We take care of the food. Whether it is wakes and memorial gatherings and milestone birthdays, we’ll put together a menu of seafood paella, vegetable paella and mixed paella for your guests.
In a small place like Cross in Hand, a party in the garden or a nearby field is often the plan. Tell us about lanes and parking, and we will handle the rest. We bring everything we need to cook, and pack down our cooking area when service is finished.
- Where
- Cross in Hand (TN21)
- Area hub
- East Sussex
- Special diets
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Add-ons
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Quote
- Contact us for a quote
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
Should I cook it myself?
Cooking it yourself? Test your pan and burner first, have hot stock ready, and don’t stir once the rice goes in. Keep a clear zone around the burner.
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 will do the cooking.
About the dishes
Chicken & chorizo paella
Chicken and chorizo is a crowd-pleaser, though it isn’t traditional in Valencia.
Seafood paella
The seafood pan is frequently the showpiece, and is best served with lemon.
What happens on the day
We get there well before serving, unload, set up the burners and prepare the stock. Your guests are welcome to watch while it cooks. Sunset in Cross in Hand is about 8:50pm in late May and 9:15pm in late June. After dark, the cooking area needs good lighting.
- Send us your date, address and numbers.
- We suggest paellas and extras and send a quote.
- We arrive before your guests and set up.
- The paella cooks while your guests chat.
- We serve, then clear our area.
How to prepare
- Tell us when you want to eat
- Make sure the spot is clear of anything flammable
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
Getting a price
We quote for each event separately, so you only pay for what you need. To ask for one, use our quote form.
Related guides
Why live cooking beats a buffet
If you want special but not formal, live paella fits perfectly. Extras such as tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are priced separately, so you only pay for what you want.
Why Cross in Hand hosts choose us
- Starters and desserts to complete the menu
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- A quote that spells everything out
- Crockery and waiting staff if you need them
See How we price And The cost guide.
Organising for someone else?
If you’re organising for someone else, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we’re happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It keeps things simple.
If you run the same event each year, tell us your dates early, so we can hold the date.
How we price paella party catering
Your quote will be clear and itemised. The main things that affect it are:
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
- Your choice of paellas
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- Starters, canapés and desserts
There is no one-size-fits-all price for live paella. A garden party lunch and a full wedding menu are very different jobs. Your quote spells it all out.
Getting an accurate quote
A few details help us give you an accurate quote. Here’s what’s useful:
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- The date and rough timings
- The address or venue name
- Anything your venue supplies
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, along with any dietary needs, and you’ll get a menu idea and a price. To get started, send us your details through our quote form.
Where we can cook in Cross in Hand
No two venues are the same, so we ask about the space before we confirm. In general, we need:
- Space well away from trees, fences and gazebo walls
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
- Somewhere close to park and unload
If you are unsure, send a photo of the space and we’ll say what we think.
Menu ideas
- Seafood paella
- Mixed paella
- Tapas
- Vegetable paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Churros
- Chicken & chorizo paella
Common questions in Cross in Hand
What’s the nearest station to Cross in Hand for guests?
Buxted station, about 3.9 miles west of the centre.
Can you cater a reception after a service at St Bartholomew?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is typically elsewhere. Tell us where the reception will be.
Can you serve tapas as well?
Yes. Canapé tapas with the drinks, or table tapas to share, served while the paella cooks.
What if the weather’s bad?
We cook under cover, such as a gazebo, marquee or open-sided barn with good ventilation. We plan for rain with you in advance.
Do you cook inside?
Typically we cook outdoors or under a ventilated cover, because we use gas burners. We will check whether your venue has a suitable space.
Is the paella cooked on site?
Yes. We cook from scratch in large pans at your venue, where your guests can watch.
Do you offer halal options?
Yes. We use halal chicken and leave out pork and alcohol, in its own pan.
Can you cater for vegetarians and vegans?
Yes. Vegetarian and vegan paellas are cooked in separate pans, alongside the meat and seafood pans.
Nearby places to Cross in Hand
More for events in Cross in Hand
Parties in Cross in Hand: gardens, venues and local tips
Cross in Hand is about 5 miles east of Uckfield, in East Sussex. Whether your party is in the middle of Cross in Hand or on the outskirts, we offer the same service: paella cooked live, every diet catered for and a clear quote. We cover 289 places across East Sussex, from the larger towns to small villages. You can also see our page for Brighton, about 18 miles away.
Thinking of a party in Passingworth Park? Cooking in a public park normally needs permission from the council or landowner, so check first. If guests are coming by rail, Buxted station is about 3.9 miles away. The High Weald National Landscape is within about 4 miles of Cross in Hand, so many gardens around here have a great outlook.
We cook at parties all over TN21 and the streets around it. That could mean a party in a garden on Fir Grove Road, Windmill Place and Dads Hill or the roads around them. Neighbouring places where we cater parties include Roser's Cross (1 mile south-west), Waldron (1 mile south-west), Heathfield (2 miles east), Sandy Cross (2 miles south-east) and Lions Green (2 miles south). Larger places within reach include Eastbourne (13 miles south), Bexhill-on-Sea (14 miles south-east), Seaford (14 miles south), Lewes (11 miles south-west), Hailsham (8 miles south) and Crowborough (6 miles north).
A little further out are Sussex Farm Museum (2.8 miles south) and Tickerage Castle (2.9 miles west). Not far away are Selwyns Wood.
Diets, allergies and planning
Most events have a mix of diets. To cater well for them:
- Put out bins for general waste and recycling
- Warn the neighbours
- Arrange a gazebo in case of rain
- Plan seats for most guests
We are set up before guests arrive.
Bread, salad and lemon wedges round off the meal.
- 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