Live paella catering, cooked fresh at your event · London and the South East

Surrey · England

Paella catering in RH5

Live paella catering across RH5, from North Holmwood, Beare Green and Newdigate. For weddings, parties and corporate events, with every diet catered for.

Live paella across RH5

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Places in RH5

Events we cater in RH5

Tell us your date, numbers and venue for a quote: fill in our quote form.

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Map of RH5 © OpenStreetMap contributors

Paella catering in RH5: what to expect

Keep it simple, or go all out: paella on its own, or with canapés, table tapas, desserts and sangria. We’ll recommend what fits your event. Popular choices include mixed paella, paella Valenciana and vegetable paella, and typical bookings are for anniversary celebrations and garden parties and summer barbecues.

Service is quick: we serve straight from the pan, so large groups are fed quickly. Afterwards we clear our cooking area away.

  1. First, you send us your date, venue, numbers and diets.
  2. We put together a menu and a clear quote.
  3. On the day we arrive in good time, set up and start the stock.
  4. The paella cooks in front of your guests, with tapas first if you’ve chosen them.
  5. We serve from the pan, then clear our cooking area away.

What you’ll pay

Larger events normally cost less per head, since the set-up is much the same either way. Give us your numbers and we’ll quote.

Why choose Love Paella

  • Every diet catered for, pan by pan
  • Hot food served quickly from the pan
  • A quote that spells everything out
  • Food that becomes part of the entertainment

Ask for a quote

Not sure what you need yet? No problem: give us the basics about your event, and we will suggest a menu. To start, fill in our quote form.

Landmarks near North Holmwood

In North Holmwood, that can mean a party near Church of St John the Evangelist, Pippbrook House and St John's Church of England Primary School and the streets around them. Also close by are Royal Oak pub (0.5 miles north-east), Inholms Clay Pit (under half a mile south-east) and The Priory CofE Voluntary Aided School (1.3 miles north-west). North Holmwood’s nearest station is Dorking West station, about 1.8 miles north-west. Nearby you’ll also find Mesolithic Museum (3.7 miles west) and Headley Court (5.9 miles north). For a walk before or after the party, there is Reigate Heath and Box Hill.

Paella catering in RH5: local guide

RH5 covers everything from Dorking, North Holmwood and Pixham to 28 small villages and hamlets, and live paella works in all of them. Town events mean planning parking; village events mean planning access. The Surrey Hills National Landscape is within easy reach of places across RH5, where some venues have extra rules about vehicles and cooking.

North Holmwood: Parks such as Inholms Clay Pit typically need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there. For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St John the Evangelist, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone. Around midsummer it stays light in North Holmwood until about 9:20pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:05pm, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. In December it is dark by about 3:55pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.

The menu, dish by dish

Mixed paella

A mix of chicken and seafood, for guests who want a bit of everything.

Seafood paella

A rich seafood stock with prawns, mussels and squid, cooked until the rice is golden. It’s the pan people photograph.

Before you choose a spot

Most outdoor spaces and many venues work for live paella, but a few things matter:

  • Outdoor space or a ventilated gazebo
  • Somewhere close to park and unload
  • The venue’s permission for live cooking

Diets, allergies and planning

Dietary needs are easy to plan for with a little notice. Our advice:

  • Tell us what else is being served
  • Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
  • Choose two or three paellas so every guest has a choice
  • Ensure most guests can sit to eat

The rice takes about 20 minutes once it goes in, so we start it at the right moment for your event. If timings shift, we adapt.

Bread, salad and lemon go well alongside.

Cook it yourself or book a caterer?

A DIY paella party works for small groups. For big numbers or lots of diets, a caterer makes life easier, and keeps vegetarian and allergy-safe pans separate.

If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, have hot stock ready, and leave the rice alone once it’s in. Keep a clear zone around the burner.

Why live cooking beats a buffet

Barbecues cook in batches, so food comes off in waves. Paella is cooked as one big dish and served together.

What your quote should include

  • The deposit and payment dates
  • Whether VAT is included
  • Any travel, parking or access charges
  • How dietary needs and allergies are handled

FAQs for RH5

Can you cook halal paella?

We can. Let us know your halal numbers, and it’s cooked separately.

Is live paella good for a large crowd?

Very much so. We plan the number of pans and serving points around your numbers.

Can we add tapas or canapés?

Of course. Canapés with drinks or tapas for the tables, served while the paella cooks.

What if the weather’s bad?

We need a covered spot, like a gazebo or open-sided marquee. We plan for rain with you in advance.

What is live paella catering?

We set up a cooking area at your venue, cook the paella from scratch in large pans while your guests watch, and serve it straight from the pan.

What areas do you cover?

We cover London and the South East, Surrey included. Find your area.

How soon do we need to book?

The sooner the better. Peak dates go quickly, so it pays to ask early.

  • 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

See the menu · How it works · Get a quote