Hampshire · England
Tapas & canapé catering in South Ham, Hampshire
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 South Ham.
- Receptions and drinks parties
- Launches and office parties
- Tapas before paella
Book tapas catering in South Ham
How our tapas catering works in South Ham
Plenty of tapas are vegetarian, such as tortilla, bravas and padrón peppers, and several can be made gluten-free. Typical bookings include engagement drinks and evening sharing boards, with patatas bravas, croquetas and albóndigas.
Around South Ham, tapas suit garden parties and village-hall celebrations. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in a separate pan.
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
Cooking it yourself? Test your pan and burner first, keep the stock hot, and leave the rice alone once it’s in. And keep children and pets well away from the burner.
For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For larger numbers, mixed diets or a wedding, a caterer takes the pressure off, and keeps vegetarian and allergy-safe pans separate.
Planning for every diet
We take diets and allergies seriously. Here’s how you can help:
- Canapés need staff to serve
- Match tapas with Spanish drinks
- Widen the selection for a tapas-only menu
- Label vegetarian and allergen-free dishes
Staff carry canapés round and keep boards topped up.
Waiting staff for canapés.
Where we can cook in South Ham
We cook in large pans over gas burners, so the cooking area needs a little planning. Here’s what we look for:
- Unloading access
- A suitable spot to finish hot tapas
- The venue’s agreement to outside caterers
Not sure about your space? Send us a picture and we will tell you honestly before you book.
Menu ideas
- Serrano ham
- Olives & bread
- Croquetas
- Tortilla española
- Albóndigas
- Padrón peppers
- Patatas bravas
- Chorizo in red wine
- Gambas al ajillo
- Manchego & membrillo
Step by step
It’s a relaxed, well-organised set-up. Arrival and serving times are agreed beforehand, set up the pans and burners, and get on with cooking and serving. At midsummer, it is light in South Ham until about 9:25pm, ideal for tapas in the garden. By late September it’s dark around 7:10pm, and in December by about 4:00pm.
- We check your date.
- You choose canapés, table tapas or both.
- We set up on arrival.
- Hot and cold tapas are served.
- Afterwards, we clear up.
Preparing for the day
- Pick a flat, firm spot for us to cook
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Have a gazebo or cover ready if rain is likely
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. Just fill in our quote form.
Planning help
Who books tapas catering in South Ham?
They cover lots of tastes and diets in one spread.
Live paella works for big and small events alike. Typical bookings include:
- Birthday and anniversary parties
- Drinks parties and receptions
- Work receptions
- Tapas and paella menus
Guests travelling by rail: Basingstoke station is about 1.2 miles away.
What to look for in a quote
- How bad weather is handled
- How late numbers can change
- The deposit and payment dates
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
For event organisers in South Ham
If you’re planning an event on someone’s behalf, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we are happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It saves passing messages back and forth.
Booking for a company? Tell us what your finance team needs, and we’ll explain how it works. We are happy to liaise with facilities on access and timings.
How we price tapas catering
These are the factors that matter most:
- Timings and hours
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- Waiting and bar staff
- Parking and unloading
Extras such as tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are priced separately, so you can choose exactly what you need.
Getting an accurate quote
A few details help us give you an accurate quote. Here’s what’s useful:
- The courses you’d like
- Roughly how many adults and children
- What the venue already provides
- The date and rough timings
To get a price, use our quote form. Tell us about your event in South Ham, and we will put together a menu and price.
South Ham questions
Could we have live paella in Eastrop Park?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, usually the council. Check with them, and we’ll provide our paperwork.
Can you cater a reception after a service at Saint Peter's Church?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Live cooking usually happens at the reception venue, not the church. Tell us where the reception will be.
Can you do sangria?
We can add sangria and bar staff.
Do you cook tapas on site?
Hot tapas are finished on site so they’re served at their best.
Do you cater in South Ham?
Yes. We cover London and the South East, including South Ham and the rest of Hampshire. To check your date, use our quote form.
How long do you need on site?
We get there in good time to set up. The rice itself takes about 20 minutes, and we time it to your schedule.
Do you provide serving staff?
Staff make canapés work, and we can provide them.
Is it really cooked live?
Yes. We bring the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook on the day, serving it hot from the pan.
Receptions and parties in South Ham
South Ham is about 1 mile south-west of Basingstoke, in Hampshire. We cater events at homes, gardens and venues in South Ham and the surrounding area. We cover 683 places in Hampshire. Our events stretch from South Ham to Reading (14 miles away).
Historic houses near South Ham include The Vyne (3.5 miles north). For a drinks reception at a historic venue, canapé tapas can work where live cooking is not allowed. Parks such as Eastrop Park have their own rules for catering, so check before planning a party there.
This part of Hampshire takes in RG22, RG21 and RG23, so your event can be anywhere in it. Streets in the area include Pheby Road, Wella Road and Lennox Road, and we can cook for an event on any of them. Nearby, we also cater events in Brighton Hill (1 mile south), Basingstoke (1 mile north-east), Winklebury (1 mile north-west), Buckskin (1 mile west) and Worting (1 mile west). Larger places within reach include Farnborough (15 miles east), Fleet (12 miles east), Aldershot (15 miles east), Alton (10 miles south-east), Yateley (13 miles north-east) and Tadley (7 miles north).
A little further out are Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital (1.5 miles north) and Basing House (2.7 miles east). Green spaces nearby include Farleigh Hill and Daneshill Park Woods.
- Nearby schools include Aldworth School (less than half a mile south-west) and Coppice Spring School (0.7 miles south-west)
- Pubs nearby include The White Hart Inn (1 mile west)
About the dishes
Tortilla española
A vegetarian favourite.
Croquetas
Creamy croquettes with a crisp coat, often with ham or mushroom.
Also near South Ham
What else we do in South Ham
- 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