Hampshire · England
Tapas Catering in Sprat's Down
Love Paella cooks Spanish tapas and canapé catering, on its own or alongside a paella in Sprat's Down and nearby, catering for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests.
- Birthday drinks
- Engagement drinks
- Table tapas as a starter
Tapas catering near Sprat's Down
Live paella or other catering?
Plated starters need a kitchen. Table tapas are shared and relaxed. If you have a budget in mind, tell us, and we will suggest a menu to match. Even a simple menu can be a feast.
Why choose Love Paella in Sprat's Down
- Drinks service on request
- Catering across Hampshire, including Sprat's Down
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- Served hot, straight from the pan
Take a look at Our prices page Or Our guide to catering costs.
Tapas catering for your event in Sprat's Down
Tapas suit drinks receptions, evening parties, office events and weddings in and around Sprat's Down. Popular choices include padrón peppers, gambas al ajillo and Manchego with membrillo, and typical bookings are for cocktail parties and sharing boards for evening guests.
In a rural spot like Sprat's Down, tapas can be served in a garden, barn or marquee. Each paella is cooked from scratch on the day, never made in advance and reheated, and served as soon as it’s ready.
What else we do in Sprat's Down
Events we cater in Sprat's Down
They’re easy to eat with a drink in hand.
If you are planning any of these, we can help:
- Office parties and launches
- Cocktail parties
- Evening sharing boards
- Drinks reception canapés
Guests travelling by rail: Hamble station is about 4 miles away.
Comparing caterers
- How late numbers can change
- What the price includes, item by item
- Whether travel is included
- How bad weather is handled
DIY paella versus live catering
Some hosts like to cook themselves. Common mistakes are mismatched pans and burners, overfilling and stirring. If you’d rather enjoy the party, let us cook.
For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For larger numbers, mixed diets or a wedding, a caterer takes the pressure off, and handles separate pans for each diet.
Diets, allergies and planning
Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included. To make it work smoothly:
- Plan more dishes if tapas are the meal
- Label seafood clearly
- Ask for labels on each dish
- Include staff for canapés
Table tapas are set down to share at the start of the meal.
Bar staff and sangria.
Questions from Sprat's Down
Can you cater a reception after a service at St George?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Live cooking usually happens at the reception venue, not the church. Send us the reception address.
What’s the nearest station to Sprat's Down for guests?
The closest is Hamble station, roughly 4 miles away.
Is the paella cooked on site?
Yes. Every paella is cooked from scratch on site, where your guests can watch.
How many different paellas?
Two or three is usual: a meat or mixed paella, a seafood paella and a vegetable or vegan one. We will suggest a split based on your guests.
Can you do sangria?
We can make sangria, and provide bar staff to serve drinks you supply.
Can we have tapas without paella?
Of course. Tapas can be booked without paella.
Do you take everything away?
We take our equipment and leave the cooking area tidy. Table clearing is available with waiting staff.
Do you cater for coeliacs?
We can, if you tell us in advance. The rice is gluten-free, but stocks and chorizo can contain gluten, so we make a separate gluten-free pan.
Prices and what affects them
The price comes down to a few factors:
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
- Waiting and bar staff
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
- The length of service
Access and travel can make a difference to the cost, so it helps to tell us about your venue. Everything is confirmed in writing.
What to tell us
To check availability and price, we need:
- A photo of the space, if you can
- The date and rough timings
- Roughly how many adults and children
- The venue or postcode
The quickest way to a quote is to fill in our quote form. Tell us about your event in Sprat's Down, and we will suggest paellas and extras to suit.
The process
We get there well before serving, unload, set up the burners and prepare the stock. Your guests are welcome to watch while it cooks. A summer drinks reception in Sprat's Down has daylight until about 9:20pm at midsummer, perfect for canapés outdoors. By late September it is 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 hot tapas on site.
- Canapés go round or tapas go to the tables.
- We pack down when service ends.
Preparing for the day
- Share the running order, including any speeches
- Ensure we can park close by to unload
- Name one person we can ask on the day
Ask for a quote
A detailed enquiry gets a more accurate quote: venue, timings, courses and extras. When you are ready, send us your details through our quote form.
Planning help
Dishes our guests love
Croquetas
Always among the first to go.
Patatas bravas
Crisp potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce.
For planners, venues and organisers
Events in public spaces, like parks, generally need permission. We’ll provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
Booking for a company? Tell us what your finance team needs, and we’ll explain how it works. We’re happy to liaise with facilities on access and timings.
Planning a tapas spread in Sprat's Down
Sprat's Down is about 4 miles north of Cowes, in Hampshire. For tapas catering in Sprat's Down, we cater in back gardens, halls with outdoor space, barns, marquees and offices. Sprat's Down is one of 683 places in Hampshire where we cook. Our events stretch from Sprat's Down to Southampton (8 miles away).
Nearby historic houses include Beaulieu Palace House (4.7 miles west). Where a historic venue doesn’t allow live cooking, canapé tapas may still be possible; ask the venue. Historic buildings near Sprat's Down frequently have strict catering rules, so ask early if that is your venue. Sprat's Down is within about 5 miles of the New Forest National Park, ideal for an outdoor reception. The coast is within about 4 miles, so garlic prawns are popular.
Anywhere in SO45, we can cook for your guests, from busy streets to quiet lanes. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Calshot (1 mile east), Stonehills (1 mile north), Stanswood (1 mile south), Hillhead (1 mile east) and Ashlett (1 mile north). Further out, we also cater in Gosport (8 miles east), Eastleigh (11 miles north), Fareham (7 miles north-east), Totton (10 miles north-west), Chandler's Ford (12 miles north) and Hedge End (7 miles north).
A little further out are Calshot Castle (1.6 miles east) and Sir Max Aitken Museum (3.9 miles south-east). Open spaces near Sprat's Down include Mercury Marshes and Mill Hill.
- Pubs nearby include Falcon Hotel (1 mile 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