Hampshire · England
Tapas Catering in Red Rice
Something for every guest: separate pans for meat, seafood and vegetarian or vegan guests. Spanish tapas and canapé catering, on its own or alongside a paella for events in Red Rice.
- Tapas and paella menus
- Engagement drinks
- Drinks parties and receptions
Planning an event in Red Rice?
Questions from Red Rice
We’re having a ceremony at Church of St Mary the Virgin: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Live cooking normally happens at the reception venue, not the church. Send us the reception address.
Which station should guests use for Red Rice?
Andover station, about 2.6 miles north-east of the centre.
Do you serve drinks with tapas?
Sangria and bar staff can be added.
What happens if it rains?
A covered, ventilated spot keeps us cooking in the rain. We’ll talk it through before the day.
How many tapas per person?
We plan quantities around your timings and courses. Tell us more for a suggestion.
Do you cater for young children?
Yes. A simple chicken paella is normally popular with children. Tell us how many are coming.
Are the tapas served hot?
We finish hot dishes on site; cold tapas are laid out as guests arrive.
How long do you need on site?
That depends on your menu and numbers. We will agree arrival, cooking and serving times with you.
How our tapas catering works in Red Rice
Tapas are made for sharing and talking over. We serve them in two ways: canapés carried round while guests mingle, or table tapas set down to share. Whether it’s work receptions and welcome-drink canapés, we can cook albóndigas, Serrano ham and Manchego with membrillo for your guests.
Near Red Rice, tapas suit gardens, barns and marquees. We plan the timings around your day, whether that’s speeches, a lunch break or a festival schedule.
Nearby places to Red Rice
Other catering in Red Rice
Before you choose a spot
Safety and good cooking both depend on the spot we use. We look for:
- A spot for our serving station
- Venue approval for outside catering
- An area to prepare hot tapas
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we will tell you honestly.
Menu ideas
- Gambas al ajillo
- Padrón peppers
- Chorizo in red wine
- Patatas bravas
- Serrano ham
- Tortilla española
- Albóndigas
- Croquetas
- Manchego & membrillo
- Olives & bread
Planners, venues and businesses
Organising a club, school or community event in Red Rice? Paella is quick to serve to a crowd and suits most diets. Give us the details and we will suggest a plan.
For big numbers, we plan pans and serving points to keep queues short, so guests are fed quickly. Let us know how long the food break is.
Live paella or other catering?
Standard canapés can feel samey. Tapas bring something different. Comparing caterers? Look at what each quote includes: staff, crockery, bread and salads, travel and VAT. Our quotes spell it all out.
What you get with us
- Waiting staff and crockery on request
- Separate pans for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests
- Real theatre, not just catering
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
What happens on the day
The paella is cooked in giant, shallow pans over gas burners. It needs a level spot with some shelter and good ventilation, and we agree where that is before the day. A summer drinks reception in Red Rice has daylight until about 9:25pm at midsummer, ideal for tapas in the garden. By late September it’s dark around 7:10pm, and in December by about 4:00pm.
- Tell us the date, venue and numbers.
- You get a selection and a price.
- We set up and finish the hot dishes.
- Canapés go round or tapas go to the tables.
- We pack down when service ends.
Preparing for the day
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
- Tell us where to park and unload
- Make sure the spot is clear of anything flammable
Getting a price
We quote for each event separately, so you only pay for what you need. For a quote, send us your details through our quote form.
Read more
Diets, allergies and planning
Dietary needs are easy to plan for with a little notice. We suggest:
- Label vegetarian and allergen-free dishes
- Decide whether tapas are a starter, canapés or the whole meal
- Widen the selection for a tapas-only menu
- Check diets in advance
Staff keep the canapés coming.
Follow tapas with a live paella.
Events we cater in Red Rice
They cover lots of tastes and diets in one spread.
We’re booked for all kinds of occasions in Red Rice and nearby. Popular bookings include:
- Evening grazing
- Receptions and drinks parties
- Tapas starters
- Anniversary parties
For guests coming by train, Andover station is about 2.6 miles away.
Questions to ask before booking
- When payment is due
- How bad weather is handled
- A clear list of what’s included
- Plates, cutlery and napkins, or disposables
Prices and what affects them
The price comes down to a few factors:
- Timings and hours
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
- The paellas you choose
- The number of people
The cost per head typically falls as numbers rise, because the cooking set-up is similar for different sizes of event. Give us your numbers and we’ll quote.
What to tell us
To speed things up, tell us:
- Anything your venue supplies
- The date and time of the event
- Where the event is
- Roughly how many adults and children
To get a price, fill in our quote form. Give us the details of your event, and we will put together a menu and price.
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
Some hosts like to cook themselves. The usual problems are a pan too big for the burner, too much rice and stirring once the rice is in. If you’d rather be with your guests, we will do the cooking.
You can hire equipment and do it yourself, but you’ll still need to source ingredients, prep and cook for hours. A caterer handles all of that.
Planning a tapas spread in Red Rice
Red Rice is about 3 miles south-west of Andover, in Hampshire. For an event in Red Rice, we can cook in gardens, marquees, barns, courtyards and offices in and around Red Rice. We cover 683 places across Hampshire, from the larger towns to small villages. Our events stretch from Red Rice to Southampton (about 19 miles away).
If you’re looking at a historic venue around Red Rice, check its catering rules early, as many limit cooking. After a ceremony at a church such as Church of St Mary the Virgin, canapé tapas with the drinks keep guests happy during photos.
We cook at events all over the SP11 postcode area and the streets around it. From Red Rice Road and Fullerton Road or a nearby road, we’ll bring the pans to you. We also cook at events in Little Ann (1 mile north), Abbotts Ann (1 mile north-west), Anna Valley (1 mile north), Monxton (2 miles north-west) and Kentsboro (2 miles south-west). We also cook in nearby towns such as Winchester (12 miles south-east), Andover (3 miles north-east), Chandler's Ford (14 miles south-east), Romsey (13 miles south), Hyde (12 miles south-east) and Tidworth (8 miles north-west).
Other landmarks nearby include Andover Museum (2.8 miles north-east) and Andover War Memorial Hospital (2.8 miles north). The countryside around Red Rice includes Mill Lake and Quarley Hill.
- Nearby schools include Abbotts Ann Church of England Primary School (0.7 miles north-west) and John Hanson Community School (2 miles north)
- 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