Oxfordshire · England
Tapas & canapé catering in Wantage, Oxfordshire
From the first sizzle of the sofrito to the last spoonful of crispy rice, Spanish tapas and canapé catering, on its own or alongside a paella makes the food a highlight of your event in Wantage.
- Cocktail parties
- Table tapas as a starter
- Birthday drinks
Tapas catering near Wantage
Working with your venue
Events in public spaces, like parks, generally need permission. We can send whatever the landowner or council needs from us.
For big numbers, we plan pans and serving points to keep queues short, so guests are fed quickly. Tell us how long you have for food.
Tapas catering in Wantage, cooked live
We’ll recommend a tapas selection for your event, whether tapas are a starter or the whole meal. Whether it’s launches and office parties and receptions and drinks parties, we can cook padrón peppers, tortilla española and patatas bravas.
Tapas work for parties and receptions in Wantage. We need a small area to finish hot tapas. All the cooking equipment comes with us, and we clear our cooking area away afterwards.
- Area
- Wantage (OX12)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Dietary options
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Extras
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Quote
- Contact us for a quote
- Last updated
- 23 October 2026
Common questions in Wantage
We are having a ceremony at Church of St Peter and St Paul: can you cater afterwards?
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. Send us the reception address.
Can you cook in Betjeman Millennium Park?
Only if the landowner, normally the council, allows it. Check with them, and we’ll provide our paperwork.
Do you have a kids’ option?
Yes. A simple chicken paella is normally popular with children. Tell us how many are coming.
Can you serve drinks?
We can make sangria, and we can staff a bar with your drinks.
Do you provide serving staff?
Yes, if you want them. Canapés need staff to carry them round.
Do you do vegan paella?
Of course. Vegetarian and vegan paellas are cooked in separate pans, alongside the meat and seafood pans.
Can we add tapas or canapés?
Yes. Canapés with drinks or tapas for the tables, served while the paella cooks.
What happens if it rains?
Rain doesn’t stop us, as long as there’s a ventilated cover. We’ll talk it through before the day.
Places near Wantage
What else we do in Wantage
Dishes our guests love
Tortilla española
Tortilla is vegetarian and naturally gluten-free when made carefully.
Manchego & membrillo
Spanish sheep’s cheese with quince paste.
Diets, allergies and planning
Nearly every event has some special diets. To plan for them:
- Label seafood clearly
- Ask for labels on each dish
- Pair tapas with sangria, cava or sherry
- Tell us what role tapas play
Staff keep the canapés coming.
Follow tapas with a live paella.
Why live cooking beats a buffet
Nibbles fill a gap. Tapas are a real course. There is no one-size-fits-all price for live paella. A simple paella lunch costs less than a wedding with canapés, three paellas and waiting staff. Your quote spells it all out.
Why us?
- Sangria and bar staff available
- Events in Wantage and across Oxfordshire
- Real theatre, not just catering
- Served hot, straight from the pan
Take a look at Our prices page Or Our guide to catering costs.
How it works
Expect a friendly, organised team. We agree arrival and serving times in advance, set up our cooking area, and get on with cooking and serving. Evening receptions in Wantage stay light until about 9:00pm in late May and 9:25pm in late June, so canapés can go round outdoors on a summer evening.
- Tell us the date, venue and numbers.
- We suggest a selection and a quote.
- We set up and finish the hot dishes.
- Canapés go round or tapas go to the tables.
- We clear our equipment afterwards.
How to prepare
- Check the venue allows live cooking
- Choose a level spot for the cooking area
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
Getting a price
Every quote is put together for your event. Tell us your date and guest numbers, and we’ll confirm whether we are available that day.
Planning help
Occasions we cook for in Wantage
They cover lots of tastes and diets in one spread.
Live paella works for big and small events alike. Typical bookings include:
- Tapas before paella
- Birthday and anniversary parties
- Tapas starters
- Receptions and drinks parties
Canapé tapas suit the drinks after a ceremony at a church like Church of St Peter and St Paul.
What your quote should include
- Whether travel is included
- Whether VAT is included
- How long the team stays
- Allergen information for each dish
Should I cook it myself?
DIY catering keeps costs down, but the host spends the party cooking. Booking us means you get the show without the stress.
A DIY paella party works for small groups. For big numbers or lots of diets, a caterer makes life easier, and handles separate pans for each diet.
What tapas catering costs
Every event is priced individually, based on a few main things:
- Your choice of paellas
- How many staff you need
- Whether you need crockery
- Timings and hours
Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are optional extras, so you only pay for what you want.
Getting an accurate quote
You do not need every detail fixed to get a quote, but these help:
- The date and rough timings
- Whether you want canapés, tapas or desserts
- The venue or postcode
- Any dietary needs and allergies
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, along with any dietary needs, and you will get a menu idea and a price. Just use our quote form.
Wantage: venues and local tips
Wantage is about 8 miles west of Didcot, in Oxfordshire. Give us the address of your event in Wantage, and we will plan access and set-up. We cook in 443 places in Oxfordshire, from the larger towns to small villages. Our nearest city page is Oxford, about 14 miles away.
Parks such as Betjeman Millennium Park have their own rules for catering, so check before planning a party there. If you’re looking at a historic venue around Wantage, check its catering rules early, as many limit cooking. Wantage is within about 8 miles of the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, a lovely setting for a drinks reception outdoors.
Tapas catering in OX12 is planned around your venue. Whether your event is on Market Place, Limborough Road and Humber Close or anywhere nearby, we’ll bring the pans to you. Main roads around Wantage include the A338 and A417, so getting the burners and pans to your event is simple. Close by, we cover events in Charlton (1 mile east), East Challow (1 mile west), Letcombe Regis (2 miles south-west), West Challow (2 miles west) and Childrey (2 miles west). Larger places within reach include Oxford (14 miles north-east), Didcot (8 miles east), Abingdon-on-Thames (8 miles north-east), Witney (14 miles north), Carterton (14 miles north-west) and Faringdon (8 miles north-west). Wantage is among the bigger towns we cover in Oxfordshire, with plenty of venues for events.
Nearby you’ll also find Williams F1 Grand Prix Collection (1.9 miles north). The countryside around Wantage includes Letcombe Valley and Chain Hill.
- Nearby schools include King Alfred's (under half a mile south-west) and Wantage Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles south)
- Nearby, you’ll find The Abingdon Arms (under half a mile south-east)
- 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