Oxfordshire · England
Paella Party Catering for Drayton St Leonard events
Paella catering for birthday parties, garden parties and private events in Drayton St Leonard: paella cooked from scratch in huge pans, in full view of your guests, with tapas, desserts and drinks if you want them.
- Retirement and leaving parties
- Wakes and memorial gatherings
- Street parties and neighbourhood get-togethers
Paella party catering near Drayton St Leonard
Paella party catering for your party in Drayton St Leonard
The smell of paella cooking is the best party invitation. Guests gather round, glass in hand, to watch. For leaving dos and retirements and big birthdays, we’ll put together a menu of vegetable paella, seafood paella and churros for your guests.
Near Drayton St Leonard, parties are frequently in gardens or fields. Let us know about access, and we’ll handle the rest. All the cooking equipment comes with us, and we clear our cooking area away afterwards.
- Location
- Drayton St Leonard (OX10)
- Area hub
- Oxfordshire
- Diets
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal
- Add-ons
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Price
- Quoted for your event
- Last updated
- 23 October 2026
FAQs for Drayton St Leonard
We’re having a ceremony at Church of St Leonard: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is normally elsewhere. Send us the reception address.
Is Drayton St Leonard too small for live paella?
No, we cook in small places too. Let us know about access and parking.
What if the weather’s bad?
Rain does not stop us, as long as there’s a ventilated cover. We’ll talk it through before the day.
Can you do gluten-free paella?
A gluten-free pan is no problem. Let us know about coeliac guests in advance so we take the right care.
Do you provide drinks?
Sangria can be added, and provide bar staff to serve drinks you supply.
What about pudding?
Yes, Spanish desserts can be added. Let us know if you’d like one in your enquiry.
Can you cater for children?
Yes, children are easy to cater for. Tell us how many and roughly how old, and we will plan for them.
How soon do we need to book?
As soon as you have a date. Peak dates go quickly, so get in touch early.
Planning a party in Drayton St Leonard
Drayton St Leonard is about 6 miles north-east of Didcot, in Oxfordshire. We bring paella party catering to gardens, halls and venues around Drayton St Leonard. We cater in 443 places across Oxfordshire. Our events stretch from Drayton St Leonard to Oxford (7 miles away).
Nearby historic houses include Clifton Hampden Manor (3.1 miles west) and Garsington Manor (3.5 miles north). If you are hiring a historic venue for a big birthday, check its rules on outside caterers first. After a christening at a church like Church of St Leonard, a paella lunch is an easy way to feed family and friends. The Chilterns National Landscape is within about 8 miles of Drayton St Leonard, so a garden party here comes with a lovely backdrop.
Here we cover the OX10 postcode area, so your party can be anywhere in it. Streets in the area include High Street, Church Lane and Ford Lane, and we can cook for a party on any of them. If your venue is just outside Drayton St Leonard, we also cover Great Holcombe (1 mile east), Newington (1 mile east), Brookhampton (1 mile north), Stadhampton (1 mile north) and Berinsfield (1 mile west). We also cook in nearby towns such as Oxford (7 miles north-west), Didcot (6 miles south-west), Abingdon-on-Thames (6 miles west), Thame (9 miles north-east), Wantage (13 miles west) and Henley-on-Thames (13 miles south-east).
A little further out are Littlemore Hospital (5.3 miles north-west) and Aston Martin Heritage Trust Museum (less than half a mile south). Not far away are Wittenham Clumps and Wells Farm.
- Local pubs include The Catherine Wheel pub (under half a mile south)
Nearby places to Drayton St Leonard
What else we do in Drayton St Leonard
Dietary needs and planning tips
Good planning keeps every guest safe and happy. Here’s how:
- Make sure most people can sit to eat
- Give the neighbours a heads-up
- Arrange a gazebo in case of rain
- Keep a clear zone around the cooking area
Children love watching the paella cook.
We can bring plates, cutlery and staff.
Who books paella party catering in Drayton St Leonard?
Any occasion works, from christenings to retirements.
Here are some of the events we cook for around Drayton St Leonard:
- Big family gatherings
- Summer garden parties
- Retirement celebrations
- Street parties and neighbourhood get-togethers
If guests are coming by rail, the nearest station is Culham station, about 4.3 miles west.
Questions to ask before you book
- How each diet is kept separate
- What happens if it rains
- The deposit and payment dates
- What the caterer needs from your venue
What’s in the pans
Tapas
Tapas keep guests going while they watch the pans.
Vegetable paella
A proper vegetable paella, not an afterthought, with peppers, beans and artichokes.
How the day works
Watching it cook is half the fun. We start with the sofrito, add the stock and saffron, then spread the rice across the pan and leave it alone to cook while your guests chat. A summer party in Drayton St Leonard stays light until about 9:25pm at midsummer, which gives a garden party a long evening. In late September it is dark by about 7:10pm; add lights for the evening.
- First, we check the date and the space.
- You pick paellas, tapas and desserts.
- The burners go on and the sofrito starts.
- In goes the rice, and guests gather.
- It’s served hot, and we clear away afterwards.
Preparing for the day
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
- Have a level space ready for the pans
- Leave space around the cooking area
Getting a price
Still deciding on the menu? That’s fine: tell us about the occasion and the guests, and we will make suggestions. Start when you are ready: send us your details through our quote form.
Related guides
Should I cook it 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.
Hiring a pan and burner is one option, but there’s shopping, prep and hours of cooking. A caterer handles all of that.
Live paella or other catering?
Unlike a barbecue, paella is ready at once, so everyone eats together. And nobody is stuck at the grill. There’s no one-size-fits-all price for live paella. A garden party lunch and a full wedding menu are very different jobs. We itemise everything in your quote.
Why Drayton St Leonard hosts choose us
- Crockery and waiting staff if you need them
- Catering across Oxfordshire, including Drayton St Leonard
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
- Every diet catered for, pan by pan
Take a look at How we price And The cost guide.
Prices and what affects them
Two events with the same number of guests can cost different amounts, because of:
- The number of people
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- The paellas you choose
Cost depends on guest numbers, the menu and the courses, plus any staff, crockery and travel. Every event gets its own quote.
Getting an accurate quote
These details help us quote quickly:
- A picture of the cooking space, if it’s a garden or field
- Diets and allergies you know about
- What the venue already provides
- Whether you want canapés, tapas or desserts
Thinking about paella party catering for your party in Drayton St Leonard? Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll come back with ideas and a quote. To get in touch, fill in our quote form.
Space, weather and the venue
We’ll be honest if a space will not work. The main points are:
- Level ground for the pans and burners
- Somewhere close to park and unload
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
If you’re unsure, send a photo of the space and we will say what we think before booking.
What we offer
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Mixed paella
- Churros
- Vegetable paella
- Tapas
- Paella Valenciana
- Seafood paella
- 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