Kent · England
Festival Paella Catering for Old Wives Lees events
Cooked live, served hot and made to share: paella street food for festivals, fairs, markets and community events for events in Old Wives Lees and across Kent.
- Food and music festivals
- Agricultural and county shows
- Community events and open days
Festival paella catering near Old Wives Lees
Old Wives Lees questions
Is Old Wives Lees too small for live paella?
No, we cook in small places too. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
Can you cook at venues in the Kent Downs National Landscape?
Yes. Some venues there have rules about vehicles, ground and cooking, so check with yours. We’ll follow the site rules.
Can you cater for crew and volunteers?
Yes, timed to your schedule. Send us numbers and times.
Do you cook inside?
Only in a suitable, well-ventilated area with the venue’s permission. Courtyards, doorways and terraces frequently work.
Is the paella cooked on site?
Yes. We arrive with everything we need and cook on the day, serving it hot from the pan.
What paperwork do you provide?
Send us your list and we will respond.
What do you need at the pitch?
Send pitch details and we will confirm.
How much paella per person?
We plan quantities from your guest numbers, timings and other courses, with a sensible margin. Accurate numbers help.
About our festival paella catering in Old Wives Lees
Organisers can book us as a stall or as caterers for staff, crew, volunteers or VIP areas. We cook vegan paella, chicken and chorizo paella and churros, and we are regularly asked to cater school and charity events and crew, volunteer and VIP catering.
At a field event near Old Wives Lees, power and water may be limited; tell us what’s available and we’ll plan around it. Every pan is cooked in front of your guests, so the food is hot, fresh and part of the occasion.
Who books festival paella catering in Old Wives Lees?
It covers several diets with one trader.
We can help if you’re planning any of the following:
- Community events and open days
- Music and food festivals
- Christmas and farmers’ markets
- Race days and sports events
If you’re organising a summer fair or fundraiser for a school such as Chilham, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
What your quote should include
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
- Travel and parking costs
- Exactly what’s included in the price
- If the price includes VAT
How it works
Serving is fast: we serve straight from the pan, so even a long queue moves. When service is finished, we pack down. For an evening event in Old Wives Lees, sunset is about 8:45pm in late May and 9:15pm in late June; after dark, we need a lit pitch.
- Tell us about the event and pitch.
- We send our menu, needs and paperwork.
- We arrive and set up at the agreed time.
- We cook in full view and serve all event.
- We pack down and tidy the pitch.
How to prepare
- Have a level space ready for the pans
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Share the running order, including any speeches
Ask for a quote
Send us the date, your venue or CT4 postcode and guest numbers, along with any dietary needs, and you will get a menu idea and a price. Just send us your details through our quote form.
Read more
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For larger numbers, mixed diets or a wedding, a caterer takes the pressure off, and keeps vegetarian and allergy-safe pans separate.
Cooking paella for a crowd yourself is possible, but it’s harder than it looks. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right at scale is tricky. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
Event catering near Old Wives Lees
Old Wives Lees is about 5 miles west of Canterbury, in Kent. For festival paella catering in Old Wives Lees, we can cook in gardens, marquees, barns, courtyards and offices in and around Old Wives Lees. We cater in all 922 towns and villages in Kent.
Events in parks such as Broadham Down need permission from the council or landowner, and we’ll send any documents they ask for. For visitors coming by rail, the nearest station is Chilham station, about 0.8 miles south-east. Within about 6 miles is the Kent Downs National Landscape, where events may have extra rules on vehicles and waste; we work to the site rules.
For festival paella catering in CT4, we plan around your venue. Streets in the area include Cherry Orchard, Cobbs Hill and Green Lane, and we can cook for an event on any of them. If your venue is just outside Old Wives Lees, we also cover Chilham (1 mile south), Mountain Street (1 mile south), Oversland (2 miles north), Neames Forstal (2 miles north-west) and Shottenden (2 miles west). Larger places within reach include Ashford (9 miles south-west), Canterbury (5 miles east), Sittingbourne (12 miles north-west), Folkestone (15 miles south-east), Whitstable (7 miles north) and Faversham (5 miles north-west).
Other landmarks nearby include Chilham Castle (0.9 miles south-west) and Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr (5.1 miles east). The countryside around Old Wives Lees includes Blean Woods RSPB Reserve.
- Pubs nearby include The Star Inn (under half a mile north-west)
Places near Old Wives Lees
Also in Old Wives Lees
Planning the cooking area
We’ll be honest if a space will not work, and suggest an alternative. What matters most:
- Spacing from tents and other structures
- A level pitch on firm ground
- Vehicle access to the pitch at set-up and break-down
If you’re unsure, send a picture of the space and we’ll say what we think before booking.
Popular choices
- Seafood paella
- Tapas
- Giant paella pans
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan paella
- Churros
Working with your venue
If your event is in a public space, such as a park, check what permission you need first. We can send whatever the landowner or council needs from us.
If you are organising for someone else, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we’ll work directly with you and the venue. It keeps things simple.
What festival paella catering costs
We will give you a clear, itemised quote. The main things that affect it are:
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- How long we’re needed on site
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
- Travel, parking and access
Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are optional extras, so you only pay for what you want.
What we need to know
You do not need every detail fixed to get a quote, but it helps to know:
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- Whether you want canapés, tapas or desserts
- Any dietary needs and allergies
- The venue or postcode
Most quotes start with a few simple details: date, location, guest numbers and diets. To send them, send us your details through our quote form.
Why live cooking beats a buffet
For crew catering, sandwiches are easy but uninspiring. A hot paella keeps crew going. Comparing caterers? Look at what each quote includes: staff, crockery, sides, travel and VAT. We itemise ours.
Why Old Wives Lees hosts choose us
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
- No hidden extras in your quote
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
Take a look at How we price Or What paella catering costs.
Diets, allergies and planning
Allergies and diets are taken seriously. Help us by following these steps:
- Check every diet is covered by the line-up
- Send traders one clear trader pack
- Plan seating near the food area
- Ask traders about packaging and waste
We keep our pitch tidy and safe throughout the day.
Vegan paella alongside the rest.
- 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