Ten teams, 90 minutes and one simple mission: cook a paella, respect the tradition — and try not to fuck it up.
Paella has tradition, technique and plenty of rules. But sometimes, things simply go wrong.
Last Sunday On World Paella Day, London hosted the World’s First Paella Fail Championship, a new competition created by London Paella School and Paella Shack at Walthamstow Sunday Social Market to celebrate the less-than-perfect side of cooking paella.
Ten teams took on 90 minutes of heat, pressure and creativity, starting with the same traditional ingredients before putting their own spin on the dish.
Ahead of the competition, participants joined a Traditional Paella Valenciana Masterclass led by Xavier Meroño, Chef and Founder of London Paella School and Paella Shack.
Chicken, rabbit, green beans, garrofó, tomato, extra virgin olive oil, Senia/Bahia rice, paprika, natural saffron, rosemary, salt and water formed the common starting point. Each team could then add up to four extra ingredients. The philosophy was simple: a paella could be creative, unexpected or completely outrageous, but it had to be edible. Burnt rice, soggy rice, excessive salt or forgetting the saffron were considered genuine fails. Pineapple, however, was officially allowed.
“Paella is much more than food. It is tradition, culture, family and friends around a table. Sometimes it is also a complete disaster, and that’s OK. What matters is that everyone has fun, that the paella is edible, and that we celebrate what makes paella such a social dish.”
Xavier Meroño, Chef Founder, London Paella School & Paella Shack
THE WINNERS The championship featured four awards celebrating different ways of succeeding — or spectacularly failing — with a paella.
PAELLA CHAMPION Winner: Aiman — Team Paella Thai Flow Runner-up: Nacho — Team Paella Patata
PAELLA FAIL CHAMPION Winner: Damian — Team Paella Grandpa’s Sausage Runner-up: Jose — Team Paella Black Mamba
PEOPLE’S PAELLA Winner: — Cami – Team Paella Ella Ey Ey Runner-up: Bibi — Team Paella Delicioso
THE GOLDEN FAIL Winner: Xan — Team Paella Carallón
The judging considered flavour and seasoning, rice and cooking point, socarrat, aroma and appearance, creativity and overall execution. The public also had the opportunity to vote for their favourite paella.
The event was supported by Social Street Markets Ltd and Walthamstow Sunday Social Market, with Executive Chef Juan Cabarcos joining the judging panel.
The event was hosted by Jonathan, The Complete Toastmaster, and documented by photographer and videographer Sameer.
The organisers also gave special thanks to Marlene, Sandra and Carmen, the Paella Shack team, and all the traders and neighbours of Walthamstow Sunday Social Market who helped make the event possible.
The World’s First Paella Fail Championship builds on the work of London Paella School, founded by Xavier Meroño in 2016, and Paella Shack, its street food and events operation. Together, they have spent years bringing paella culture and Valencian food to audiences across London and the UK.
Because paella can be tradition. It can be technique. It can be creativity. And sometimes, it can be a complete disaster. Make a paella. Try not to fuck it up.
