Kent · England
Paella Catering for Challock events
Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Challock: paella cooked from scratch in giant pans, in full view of your guests.
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
Live paella catering in Challock
How our paella catering works in Challock
Almost any venue with a level, ventilated spot will do: a garden, marquee, barn, courtyard or field in and around Challock. For engagement and anniversary parties and weddings, from canapés to evening food, we can cook vegan paella, black rice and seafood paella and more.
Somewhere like Challock, a field or garden is frequently the perfect setting. Gates, verges and soft ground are worth mentioning when you enquire. All the cooking equipment comes with us, and we clear our cooking area away afterwards.
Paella compared with other options
Plated meals need a kitchen and a bigger team. Live paella needs a level, ventilated spot and the venue’s permission to cook, and it’s entertaining too. Got a budget? Let us know, and we will suggest a menu to match. A simple menu can still feel generous.
Why choose Love Paella in Challock
- We cover Challock and the whole of Kent
- Real theatre, not just catering
- No hidden extras in your quote
- Fast service from the pan
Take a look at Our prices page And The cost guide.
Challock: your questions answered
Can you cater a reception after a service at Church of St Cosmas and St Damian?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Live cooking typically happens at the reception venue, not the church. Send us the reception address.
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.
Can you cook in the rain?
We cook under cover, such as a gazebo, marquee or open-sided barn with good ventilation. We will agree a wet-weather plan with you.
Is halal food available?
Yes, we do. We use halal chicken and leave out pork and alcohol, in its own pan.
Do you provide plates and cutlery?
We can. Let us know what you have, and we will quote for the rest.
Do you cater for coeliacs?
We can, if you tell us in advance. The rice is gluten-free, but stocks and chorizo can contain gluten, so we cook a gluten-free paella separately.
How do you work out quantities?
Quantities depend on numbers, timing and courses, with a sensible margin. Accurate numbers help.
How does live paella catering work?
We bring everything needed to cook on site, cook in front of your guests, and serve when you’re ready to eat.
Occasions we cook for in Challock
It’s ideal for relaxed, sociable occasions, where guests can mingle while it cooks before sitting down to eat.
These are some of the occasions we cater in Challock and Kent:
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Anniversary celebrations
- Family celebrations and christenings
School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Challock Primary School, can book us as a food stall.
Questions to ask before booking
- How dietary needs and allergies are handled
- Any travel, parking or access charges
- Whether VAT is included
- How long the team stays
Catering for every guest
With a little notice, every diet is easy. We suggest:
- Mention any other courses or food
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Put allergy details in writing
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
The rice takes about 20 minutes once it goes in, so we time it carefully. If timings shift, we adapt.
We can add sangria and bar staff for your own drinks.
Catering an event in Challock
Challock is about 5 miles north of Ashford, in Kent. Wherever your event is in the TN25 area, we can bring the pans to you. Challock is one of 922 towns and villages in Kent where we cook. Our nearest city page is Canterbury, about 10 miles away.
Nearby historic houses include Belmont House and Gardens (3.9 miles north) and Godinton House (4.5 miles south-west). Historic venues frequently limit cooking, so ask early if you’re booking one. For guests coming by train, Wye station is about 3.3 miles away. Challock is within about 4 miles of the Kent Downs National Landscape. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
Anywhere in TN25, we can bring paella catering to you, from busy streets to quiet lanes. From Chapmans Close, Blind Lane and Old Clock House Green or a nearby road, we will bring the pans to you. Close by, we cover events in Pested (1 mile north), Paddock (1 mile west), Stocker's Head (3 miles west), Badlesmere (3 miles north) and Throwley Forstal (3 miles north). We also cook in nearby towns such as Maidstone (15 miles west), Ashford (5 miles south), Canterbury (10 miles north-east), Sittingbourne (11 miles north-west), Whitstable (11 miles north-east) and Faversham (7 miles north).
Nearby you will also find Tower keep castle at Chilham (3.9 miles north-east) and William Harvey Hospital (5.6 miles south).
- Schools near Challock include The Hayesbrook School (2.2 miles south)
- Pubs nearby include The Chequers pub (less than half a mile south-west)
Where we can cook in Challock
If a space is not suitable, we will tell you. What matters most:
- Space well away from trees, fences and gazebo walls
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- Outdoor space or a ventilated gazebo
If you are unsure, send a picture of the space and we’ll say what we think.
Menu ideas
- Paella Valenciana
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
- Vegetable paella
- Vegan paella
- Seafood paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
What affects the price in Challock
Two events with the same number of guests can cost different amounts, because of:
- Timings and hours
- Parking and unloading
- The paellas you choose
- The number of people
Live paella pricing depends on the event. A simple paella lunch costs less than a wedding with canapés, three paellas and waiting staff. We itemise everything in your quote.
Getting an accurate quote
You do not need everything decided to ask for a quote, but it helps to know:
- A picture of where we’d cook
- The venue or postcode
- Anything your venue supplies
- Diets and allergies you know about
Every event is quoted individually, so the price fits what you actually want. To ask for one, send us your details through our quote form.
Organising for someone else?
If your event is in a public space, such as a park, check what permission you need first. We will provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
If you’re booking for a business, tell us how you’d like to handle the booking and payment, and we will talk you through the process. We can work with your facilities team on access and timings.
What happens on the day
It’s a relaxed, well-organised set-up. Arrival and serving times are agreed beforehand, set up the pans and burners, and get on with cooking and serving. In Challock, the sun sets at about 9:15pm in late June and about 7:00pm in late September, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. For winter events, when it’s dark by about 3:50pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- You tell us the date, venue, guest numbers and any dietary needs.
- You get a suggested menu and an itemised quote.
- We arrive early, set up the cooking area and start the stock.
- The rice cooks in full view, while tapas or canapés go round.
- We serve it hot from the pan and clear our area when service ends.
Preparing for the day
- Pick a flat, firm spot for us to cook
- Plan cover in case of rain
- Give us your final numbers and diets
Getting a price
Each quote is tailored to your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we’ll check availability at the same time.
Related guides
Also near Challock
More for events in Challock
About the dishes
Seafood paella
A rich seafood stock with prawns, mussels and squid, cooked until the rice is golden. It is typically the most photographed pan.
Paella Valenciana
Paella Valenciana is the original: chicken, beans and saffron, rather than seafood. It’s frequently the most popular pan at an event.
- 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