Oxfordshire · England
Tapas Catering for Drayton St Leonard events
Spanish tapas and canapé catering, on its own or alongside a paella in Drayton St Leonard: paella cooked from scratch in giant pans, in full view of your guests.
- Sharing tapas starters
- Drinks reception canapés
- Launches and office parties
Live tapas catering in Drayton St Leonard
Why choose live paella in Drayton St Leonard?
Crisps and nibbles fill a gap. Tapas are a real course. Premium seafood costs more than chicken or vegetables, so the menu you choose affects the price. We’ll suggest options to suit your budget.
Why us?
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
- Sangria and bar staff available
- Fast service from the pan
Read How we price Or What paella catering costs.
About our tapas catering in Drayton St Leonard
The best spreads mix hot and cold: Manchego, Serrano ham and olives alongside patatas bravas, croquetas and gambas al ajillo. We cook patatas bravas, padrón peppers and croquetas, and we’re regularly asked to cater sharing boards for evening guests and birthday drinks.
Near Drayton St Leonard, tapas and sangria suit a garden or field party. All the cooking equipment comes with us, and we clear our cooking area away afterwards.
- Location
- Drayton St Leonard (OX10)
- Area hub
- Oxfordshire
- Special diets
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Also available
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Price
- Contact us for a quote
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Diets, allergies and planning
Dietary needs are easy to plan for with a little notice. Our advice:
- Let us know if tapas are a starter or the main event
- Separate seafood dishes from the rest
- Add sangria or cava
- Widen the selection for a tapas-only menu
Staff keep the canapés coming.
Add a live paella main.
How we price tapas catering
Live paella pricing is straightforward once we know the basics:
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
- How long we’re needed on site
- The number of people
- The paellas you choose
Got a budget? Let us know, and we’ll put together a menu that fits. A simple menu can still feel generous.
What we need to know
When you contact us, it helps to tell us:
- Your date and when you want to eat
- Any dietary needs and allergies
- Roughly how many adults and children
- A picture of where we’d cook
Still deciding on the menu? No problem: tell us about the occasion and the guests, and we will suggest a menu. Start when you are ready: use our quote form.
Planning the cooking area
We’ll be honest if a space will not work. The main points are:
- A spot for our serving station
- Table space for sharing dishes at seated meals
- Access to unload near the serving area
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you honestly.
What we offer
- Tortilla española
- Croquetas
- Padrón peppers
- Patatas bravas
- Chorizo in red wine
- Gambas al ajillo
- Manchego & membrillo
- Olives & bread
- Albóndigas
- Serrano ham
Events we cater in Drayton St Leonard
They’re the classic starter before paella.
Here are some of the events we cook for:
- Engagement celebrations
- Evening sharing boards
- Drinks parties and receptions
- Table tapas as a starter
If you’re looking at a historic venue around Drayton St Leonard, check its catering rules early, as many limit cooking.
What to look for in a quote
- Allergen information for each dish
- What the price includes, item by item
- Staff numbers and hours
- VAT, if it applies
FAQs for Drayton St Leonard
Which station should guests use for Drayton St Leonard?
The closest is Culham station, roughly 4.3 miles away.
Is Drayton St Leonard too small for live paella?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
Can you do gluten-free paella?
We can cook a gluten-free paella in its own pan. Let us know about coeliac guests in advance so we take the right care.
Do you come to Drayton St Leonard?
We do. We cook at events in Drayton St Leonard and across Oxfordshire. Send us your date to check availability.
Do you provide drinks?
We can make sangria, and we can staff a bar with your drinks.
Do you cater for young children?
Of course. Children frequently love a simple chicken paella. Tell us how many are coming.
Can you cater for vegetarians and vegans?
Of course. Vegetarian and vegan paellas are cooked in separate pans, alongside the meat and seafood pans.
What if the weather’s bad?
A covered, ventilated spot keeps us cooking in the rain. We’ll talk it through before the day.
Also near Drayton St Leonard
Also in Drayton St Leonard
How the day works
We get there well before serving, set up the cooking area and get the stock going. Your guests are welcome to watch as the paella takes shape. Evening receptions in Drayton St Leonard stay light until about 8:55pm in late May and 9:25pm in late June, which suits an outdoor reception.
- You tell us the date, venue, numbers and how you’d like the tapas served.
- We put together a tapas selection and a quote.
- On the day, we set up and prepare the hot tapas there.
- Canapés go round with the drinks, or table tapas go out to share.
- We clear away our equipment when service is finished.
Preparing for the day
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
- Check the venue allows live cooking
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. To get started, fill in our quote form.
Read more
The menu, dish by dish
Patatas bravas
A tapas classic and normally vegetarian.
Croquetas
Crisp outside, creamy inside, frequently with ham or mushroom.
Drinks receptions around Drayton St Leonard
Drayton St Leonard is about 6 miles north-east of Didcot, in Oxfordshire. From the centre of Drayton St Leonard to the outskirts, tapas catering works the same way: paella cooked live, every diet catered for and a clear quote. Drayton St Leonard is one of 443 places in Oxfordshire where we cook. Our nearest city page is Oxford, about 7 miles away.
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Culham station, about 4.3 miles west. Historic houses near Drayton St Leonard include Clifton Hampden Manor (3.1 miles west) and Garsington Manor (3.5 miles north). Where a historic venue doesn’t allow live cooking, canapé tapas may still be possible; ask the venue. The Chilterns National Landscape is within about 8 miles of Drayton St Leonard, a lovely setting for a drinks reception outdoors.
Wherever your event is in OX10, we can cook for your guests, from busy streets to quiet lanes. From High Street, Church Lane and Ford Lane or a nearby road, we can cook there. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Great Holcombe (1 mile east), Newington (1 mile east), Brookhampton (1 mile north), Stadhampton (1 mile north) and Berinsfield (1 mile west). Within a short drive, we also cover 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 (under half a mile south). Open spaces near Drayton St Leonard include Wittenham Clumps and Wells Farm.
- Nearby, you’ll find The Catherine Wheel pub (under half a mile south)
Organising for someone else?
Booking for a company? Tell us what your finance team needs, and we’ll talk you through the process. We can work with your facilities team on access and timings.
For larger events, we plan the number of pans and serving points around your timings, so guests are fed quickly. Tell us how long you have for food.
- 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