Kent · England
Paella Catering in Bean
Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Bean: paella cooked from scratch in giant pans, right in front of your guests.
- Retirement and leaving parties
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Weddings and evening receptions
Planning an event in Bean?
Paella catering in Bean, made fresh on the day
The cooking is half the fun. People drift over as the sofrito sizzles and the rice turns gold, and the smell does the rest. Popular choices include black rice, seafood paella and vegan paella, and we are often booked for leaving dos and retirements and staff parties and work lunches.
Somewhere as small as Bean, a garden or field is often the venue. Country lanes and long drives are no problem if we know about them, and cooking close to where we can park helps. All the cooking equipment comes with us, and we clear our cooking area away afterwards.
Why choose live paella in Bean?
Cold buffets are easy but forgettable, and food can sit out for a while. Paella is cooked live and served hot. Cost depends on guest numbers, the menu and the courses, plus any staff, crockery and travel. Every event gets its own quote.
What you get with us
- Events in Bean and across Kent
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
- Live cooking, not reheated food
Read Our prices page Or The cost guide.
How it works
It is a relaxed, well-organised set-up. Arrival and serving times are agreed beforehand, set up our cooking area, and get on with cooking and serving. In Bean, the sun sets at about 9:20pm in late June and about 7:00pm in late September, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. In December it’s dark by about 3:50pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- First, you send us your date, venue, numbers and diets.
- We put together a menu and a clear quote.
- We arrive early, set up the cooking area and start the stock.
- The paella cooks in front of your guests, with tapas first if you’ve chosen them.
- We serve from the pan, then clear our cooking area away.
How to prepare
- Arrange parking near the cooking spot
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Make sure the spot is clear of anything flammable
Get a quote
Still deciding on the menu? No problem: give us the basics about your event, and we will suggest a menu. To start, use our quote form.
Planning help
Dishes our guests love
Vegetable and vegan paella
Seasonal vegetables on a rich sofrito base make a proper main dish. Vegan versions use plant-based stock.
Black rice
Black rice gets its colour from squid ink, and is generally served with alioli. It makes a dramatic second seafood pan.
Towns and villages near Bean
Also in Bean
What we need at the venue
We cook in large pans over gas burners, so the cooking area needs a little planning. These are the things we check:
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
If you are unsure, send a picture of the space and we’ll say what we think before you book.
What we offer
- Vegetable paella
- Mixed paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Vegan paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
Bean questions
Which station should guests use for Bean?
The closest is Greenhithe for Bluewater station, roughly 1.7 miles away.
Do you cater in the Kent Downs National Landscape?
Yes. Some venues there have rules about vehicles, ground and cooking, so check with yours. We will work to whatever the site needs.
Do you bring everything you need?
We bring all the cooking equipment. Let us know what your venue has, like tables or crockery.
Can paella be the only main course?
It can be. Paella with bread and salad makes a full main course, and tapas or dessert can be added.
Which areas do you serve?
London and South East England: Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Bucks, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight, including Bean.
How much paella per person?
Pans are sized to your numbers and other courses. Let us know about any other food. Our guide to portions explains more.
When should we book?
As soon as you have a date. Peak dates go quickly, so it pays to ask early.
Can the paella be cooked in a hall?
Only in a suitable, well-ventilated area with the venue’s permission. Most events have us cooking outside or in a doorway or courtyard.
Diets, allergies and planning
Dietary needs are easy to plan for with a little notice. We suggest:
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
- Send allergies to us in writing
- Count adults and children separately
- Choose two or three paellas so every guest has a choice
The rice takes about 20 minutes once it goes in, so we start it at the right moment for your event. If timings shift, we adapt.
Bread, salad and lemon wedges make the meal go further and suit guests who aren’t big rice eaters.
Bean: venues, travel and local tips
Bean is about 3 miles west of Northfleet, in Kent. For paella catering in Bean, we plan around your venue and timings: a quote, a plan and live cooking on the day. We cover 922 places in Kent. Our nearest city page is London, about 17 miles away.
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Greenhithe for Bluewater station, about 1.7 miles north. School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Bean Primary School, can book us as a food stall. Bean is within about 8 miles of the Kent Downs National Landscape. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
Paella catering in DA2 is planned around your venue and your guests. From High Street, Drudgeon Way and Foxwood Road or anywhere nearby, we can cook there. Bean sits on or near the B255, so getting the burners and pans to your event is simple. If your venue is just outside Bean, we also cover Green Street Green (1 mile south), Westwood (1 mile south-east), Darenth (1 mile west), Swanscombe (1 mile north) and Grubb Street (1 mile south). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (15 miles south-east), Dartford (3 miles north-west), Sevenoaks (11 miles south-west), Gravesend (4 miles east), Northfleet (3 miles east) and Swanley (5 miles south-west).
Nearby you’ll also find Stone Museum of Geology (2.2 miles north-west) and Stone Castle (1.2 miles north). Green spaces nearby include Chafford Gorges Nature Park and Sawyers Lake.
- Schools near Bean include The Ebbsfleet Academy (1.5 miles north-east)
- Local pubs include The Black Horse pub (under half a mile south-west)
For planners, venues and organisers
Throwing a party at home? Send us a photo of the garden and tell us about access, and we’ll tell you honestly whether live paella will work.
For repeat events, such as annual staff parties or seasonal fairs, let us know your dates early, so we can hold the date.
Prices and what affects them
We’ll give you a clear, itemised quote. What affects it most:
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
- Waiting and bar staff
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- How many guests are eating
Got a budget? Let us know, and we’ll suggest a menu to match. A simple menu can still feel generous.
What we need to know
A few details help us give you an accurate quote. Here’s what’s useful:
- Whether you want canapés, tapas or desserts
- The date and rough timings
- Roughly how many adults and children
- The venue or postcode
Each quote is tailored to your event. Tell us your date and guest numbers, and we will check availability at the same time.
Events we cater in Bean
Paella is one of the few dishes that handles mixed diets easily, thanks to separate pans for each version. Everyone gets the same kind of meal.
Here are some of the events we cook for in Bean and Kent:
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Retirement and leaving parties
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Birthday celebrations
Thinking of a picnic-style party in Beacon Wood Country Park? Public parks typically need permission from the council or landowner for cooking, so check first.
Comparing caterers
- Whether VAT is included
- The wet-weather plan
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- Any travel, parking or access charges
- 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