Greater London · England
Wedding Paella Catering for Monkhams events
Hot, generous and cooked in front of everyone: paella catering for weddings, from canapés to the wedding breakfast and evening food for events in Monkhams and across Greater London.
- Marquee and garden weddings
- Civil partnerships and vow renewals
- Rustic barn weddings
Live wedding paella catering in Monkhams
Wedding paella catering in Monkhams, cooked live
Evening paella is a favourite: hot, filling and served quickly from the pan, so evening guests are fed and the dancing carries on. We’re often asked to cater sharing-style wedding meals and receptions after an intimate ceremony, with table tapas, canapé tapas and evening paella.
For a wedding in Monkhams, think about how guests travel between ceremony and reception. The paella can be cooking while everyone makes their way over, ready to serve on arrival. Each paella is cooked from scratch on the day, not reheated, and served as soon as it is ready.
- Where
- Monkhams (IG8, IG9, E4)
- Region
- Greater London
- Dietary options
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Also available
- Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff
- Price
- Ask us for a quote
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
For event organisers in Monkhams
If you’re organising for someone else, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we are happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It keeps things simple.
Hosting a party at home? Send a picture of the space and tell us about parking, and we will tell you honestly whether live paella will work.
DIY paella versus live catering
DIY catering keeps costs down, but the host spends the party cooking. Booking us means you get the show without the stress.
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. A big pan needs a burner that heats it evenly, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
Occasions we cook for in Monkhams
It gives guests something to do between the ceremony and the meal: gather round the cooking.
Live paella works for big and small events alike. Typical bookings include:
- Garden and marquee weddings
- Big weddings with every diet
- Weddings with a Spanish theme
- Sharing-style wedding meals
Historic houses near Monkhams include Valentines Mansion (3.6 miles south-east) and Bruce Castle (4.5 miles west). Historic houses and estates often have their own rules on caterers and cooking, so check early if that is your venue.
What to look for in a quote
- The wet-weather plan
- Whether travel is included
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- How each diet is kept separate
Diets, allergies and planning
Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included. To make it work smoothly:
- Tell us when speeches will be
- Choose pan-side or table service
- Introduce us to your venue coordinator
- Confirm the venue’s catering rules early
If things run late, and we will adjust the cooking so it is still served fresh.
Canapé tapas with the drinks reception keep guests going during photos.
Monkhams: your questions answered
Can you cater a reception after a service at All Saints' Church?
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.
Can you cook in The Highams Park?
Only if the landowner, normally the council, allows it. Ask them first, and we will send any information they need.
How much paella per person?
We plan quantities from your guest numbers, timings and other courses, with a sensible margin. Accurate numbers help.
Do you cater for suppliers?
Of course. Include suppliers in your numbers.
How long does the paella take?
It depends on the menu and numbers. We will agree arrival, cooking and serving times with you so the paella is ready when you want it.
Can you provide dessert?
Yes, Spanish desserts can be added. Tell us what you have in mind when you ask for a quote.
Will you talk to our venue?
Of course. We will speak to your venue about access and timings.
Can you cook indoors?
Typically we cook outdoors or under a ventilated cover, because we use gas burners. Some venues have suitable spaces; we’ll check with you and the venue.
What affects the price in Monkhams
The price comes down to a few factors:
- The length of service
- Parking and unloading
- Guest numbers
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
Compared with a plated meal, live paella is often good value, because it needs no kitchen and fewer staff. Ask us for a quote.
What to tell us
Here’s what makes a quick, accurate quote possible:
- Diets and allergies you know about
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- A picture of where we’d cook
- The venue or postcode
Every event is quoted individually, so the price fits what you actually want. To ask for one, use our quote form.
Wedding venues and ceremonies near Monkhams
Monkhams is about 1 mile north of Woodford, in Greater London. Tell us where your wedding in Monkhams will be, and we’ll plan access and set-up. Monkhams is one of 764 towns and villages in Greater London where we cook. Our nearest city page is London, about 10 miles away.
Couples marrying at local churches such as All Saints' Church frequently hold the reception nearby: the paella can be cooking while you have photos taken, so the meal is ready when you arrive. Highams Park Lake nearby makes a lovely backdrop for photos, and the countryside around Monkhams suits an outdoor reception.
We cater weddings across IG8, IG9 and E4. Streets in the area include Oak Lane, Wood Lane and Mill Lane, and we can cook for a wedding on any of them. Monkhams sits on or near the A121, which makes travel to your wedding easy. If your venue is just outside Monkhams, we also cover Woodford Wells (1 mile east), Friday Hill (1 mile west), Woodford (1 mile south), Chingford Hatch (1 mile west) and Waltham Forest (1 mile north). We also cook in nearby towns such as London (10 miles south-west), City of Westminster (10 miles south-west), Marylebone (10 miles south-west), Kensington (13 miles south-west), St Pancras (9 miles south-west) and Shoreditch (8 miles south-west).
Other landmarks nearby include Claybury Hospital (2.1 miles south-east) and 17 & Central (3.1 miles south-west). Not far away are Highams Park Lake and Pole Hill.
- Schools near Monkhams include Trinity Catholic High School (within half a mile west) and Woodford Green Preparatory School (0.6 miles south)
- Pubs nearby include The Monkhams pub (0.8 miles east)
- Parks and local facilities nearby include Buckhurst Hill East (1.1 miles north-east)
Towns and villages near Monkhams
Other catering in Monkhams
Where we can cook in Monkhams
Most outdoor spaces and many venues work for live paella, but there are a few things to check:
- Space well away from trees, fences and gazebo walls
- Outdoor space or a ventilated gazebo
- A separate open-sided gazebo if the meal is in a marquee
As a London location, Monkhams is inside the Ultra Low Emission Zone, and parking takes planning: tell us about parking bays, permits or a driveway.
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise before you book.
Menu ideas
- Evening paella
- Sangria & bar staff
- Dessert
- Canapé tapas
- Table tapas
- Paella wedding breakfast
What’s in the pans
Canapé tapas
Canapés keep guests happy between the ceremony and the meal, without spoiling appetites.
Evening paella
Fresh pans for evening guests, quick to serve and filling.
How it works
On the day, we set up the burners and pans and start cooking the sofrito and stock. The rice goes in about 20 minutes before serving, so we time everything to your schedule. For a summer wedding in Monkhams, the sun sets at about 9:20pm in late June and about 7:05pm in late September, so an evening paella for evening guests is typically served in daylight in high summer. For autumn and winter weddings, when it’s dark by about 3:50pm in December, plan lighting for the cooking area.
- Share your date, venue, numbers and plans for the day.
- We build the menu course by course and send a quote.
- We fit our timings around your speeches, photos and venue.
- On the day we set up, cook live and serve each course as planned.
- We pack down our cooking area, with staff staying as long as agreed.
Getting ready for the day
- Pick a flat, firm spot for us to cook
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
- Tell us when you want to eat
Ask for a quote
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, plus any dietary needs, and we will reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. Just fill in our quote form.
Related guides
- 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