Medway · England
Festival & event paella in Frindsbury, Medway
From the first sizzle in the pan to the last crispy spoonful, paella street food for festivals, fairs, markets and community events makes the food a highlight of your event in Frindsbury.
- Festivals
- County and country shows
- Sports club events
Festival paella catering near Frindsbury
DIY paella versus live catering
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. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
Hiring a pan and burner is one option, but there’s shopping, prep and hours of cooking. A caterer handles all of that.
About our festival paella catering in Frindsbury
Nothing draws a festival crowd like a giant paella. The sight and smell of it cooking brings people over, and service from the pan is fast. On the menu are giant-pan paella, chicken and chorizo paella and vegan paella, and typical bookings are for open days and community events and VIP and hospitality areas.
Events near Frindsbury are often volunteer-run, so a self-sufficient trader makes life easier. Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included, with each paella cooked in its own pan.
Community events around Frindsbury
Frindsbury is about 1 mile north-east of Rochester, in Medway. Give us the address of your event in Frindsbury, and we’ll plan access and set-up before the day. We cook in 68 places in Medway, from the larger towns to small villages. We cook right across the region, from Frindsbury to Canterbury (about 26 miles away).
If you’re organising a summer fair or fundraiser for a school such as English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. For visitors coming by rail, Frindsbury has its own station, Strood station.
Here we cover the ME2 and ME1 postcode area, so your event can be anywhere in it. Whether your event is on Mill Road, Grove Road and Bowes Road or anywhere nearby, we can cook there. Main roads around Frindsbury include the A289, which makes travel to your event easy. If your venue is just outside Frindsbury, we also cover Rochester Riverside (1 mile south), Brompton (1 mile south-east), Chatham Waterfront (1 mile south-east), Luton (2 miles south-east) and Chatham (3 miles south). Within a short drive, we also cover Gillingham (4 miles south-east), Rainham (5 miles south-east), Park Wood (5 miles south-east), Lordswood (5 miles south), Twydall (4 miles south-east) and Hoo St Werburgh (3 miles north-east).
Well-known places in the area include City of Rochester-upon-Medway (0.6 miles south-west) and Pentagon Shopping Centre (1.4 miles south-east). Not far away are Rede Common and Gad's Hill.
- Nearby schools include Temple School (0.8 miles north-west) and Fort Pitt Grammar School (1.4 miles south)
- Local pubs include The Bell pub (within half a mile north-west)
- Other local spots include Former Ordnance Store At Chatham Gun Wharf (1.2 miles south-east)
Dietary needs and planning tips
We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests. To get it right:
- Ask about peak-time capacity
- Check allergen info is on display
- Ask traders about packaging and waste
- Check every diet is covered by the line-up
If crew or volunteer meals are booked, they’re served at the agreed times.
Churros and tapas can join the menu.
How the day works
Once the rice is in, we do not stir it. That’s how the grains cook evenly and the toasted base, the socarrat, forms. The smell usually draws people over. Summer events in Frindsbury have daylight until about 9:20pm at midsummer and about 7:00pm by late September, so evening trading typically finishes in daylight in high summer. For winter markets, dark by about 3:50pm, the pitch needs lighting.
- Send us your event details and pitch information.
- We confirm menu, pitch needs and documents.
- We arrive and set up at the agreed time.
- We cook in full view and serve all event.
- We clear and leave the pitch clean.
How to prepare
- Check the venue allows live cooking
- Tell us where to park and unload
- Pick a flat, firm spot for us to cook
Get a quote
Not sure what you need yet? No problem: give us the basics about your event, and we will suggest a menu. To start, use our quote form.
Related guides
For event organisers in Frindsbury
For repeat events, such as annual staff parties or seasonal fairs, let us know your dates early, so we can hold the date.
Events in public spaces, like parks, generally need permission. We can send whatever the landowner or council needs from us.
Dishes our guests love
Chicken & chorizo paella
Popular with families.
Vegan paella
Vegan visitors get a real meal.
Common questions in Frindsbury
Is Frindsbury close to London?
Roughly 27 miles from the centre of London, and we cover it as standard.
Which station should guests use for Frindsbury?
Strood station, in Frindsbury itself.
What documents can you send?
Share your trader requirements.
Can you serve drinks?
Sangria can be added, and we can staff a bar with your drinks.
How quickly can you serve?
It is one of the quickest hot foods to serve, ideal for peak times.
Is there a vegan option?
Yes. A vegan paella pan sits alongside the meat and seafood pans.
Can you cook halal paella?
Yes, we do. We use halal chicken and leave out pork and alcohol, in its own pan.
Can we add tapas or canapés?
Yes, and it’s a popular combination. Tapas first, paella to follow.
Towns and villages near Frindsbury
Other catering in Frindsbury
Perfect for your event in Frindsbury
It feeds crew and volunteers well.
If you are planning any of these, we can help:
- School fairs and fundraisers
- Sports club events
- Festivals
- VIP and hospitality areas
If your event is in Broomhill Park, the organiser will need the landowner’s permission; we’ll supply our paperwork.
Questions to ask before booking
- Whether VAT is included
- When final numbers are due
- Plates, cutlery and napkins, or disposables
- Any travel, parking or access charges
What affects the price in Frindsbury
These are the factors that matter most:
- Your choice of paellas
- Parking and unloading
- How many staff you need
- Timings and hours
The cost per head typically falls as numbers rise, since the set-up is much the same either way. Give us your numbers and we’ll quote.
Getting an accurate quote
The more we know about your event, the better we can plan. Try to include:
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- A photo of the space, if you can
- The courses you’d like
- What the venue already provides
Send us the date, your venue or ME2 postcode and guest numbers, along with any dietary needs, and we will reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. Just send us your details through our quote form.
Why choose live paella in Frindsbury?
For crew catering, sandwiches are easy but uninspiring. A hot meal keeps crew happy. Comparing caterers? Look at what each quote includes: staff, crockery, sides, travel and VAT. Our quotes spell it all out.
What you get with us
- Sangria and bar staff available
- A clear, itemised quote
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
- We cover Frindsbury and the whole of Medway
Read Our prices page And The cost guide.
- 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