Kent · England
Live paella catering in Charlton-in-Dover, Kent
Looking for paella catering in Charlton-in-Dover? We arrive with the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook in front of your guests.
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Family celebrations and christenings
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
Paella catering near Charlton-in-Dover
Paella catering in Charlton-in-Dover, cooked live
Live paella works almost anywhere with a level, ventilated spot: gardens, marquees, barns, courtyards and festival fields in and around Charlton-in-Dover. Typical bookings include company summer parties and big birthdays, with vegetable paella, seafood paella and mixed paella.
Around Charlton-in-Dover, events are often in gardens, local halls or nearby venues. If the road in is narrow, tell us so we can plan the van. We plan the timings around your day, so the paella is ready when you want to eat.
Diets, allergies and planning
Few dishes handle mixed diets as well as paella, because every paella has its own pan. A few tips:
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
- Ask for labels on each pan
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
Once everyone is fed, we clear our cooking area.
We can add sangria and bar staff to serve drinks you provide.
A closer look at the menu
Paella Valenciana
The original paella from Valencia is a countryside dish of chicken and vegetables, rather than seafood. It’s a favourite with guests who do not eat fish.
Vegetable and vegan paella
A slow sofrito, seasonal vegetables and a good vegetable stock make a proper main dish. For vegans, the stock is plant-based.
What paella catering costs
Every event is priced individually, based on a few main things:
- How many staff you need
- How long we are needed on site
- Guest numbers
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
Larger events typically cost less per head, since the set-up is much the same either way. Give us your numbers and we will quote.
Getting an accurate quote
To check availability and price, we need:
- Roughly how many adults and children
- Your date and when you want to eat
- The courses you’d like
- A photo of the space, if you can
Every quote is put together for your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we’ll check availability at the same time.
FAQs for Charlton-in-Dover
Can you cook in Connaught Park?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, typically the council. Ask them first, and we’ll send any information they need.
Can you cook near the sea around Charlton-in-Dover?
Yes, as long as we can shelter from the wind. Sea breezes cool the pan, so a windbreak, building or gazebo helps.
Do you cater for coeliacs?
We can, if you tell us in advance. Rice is naturally gluten-free, but stock and some ingredients may not be, so we make a separate gluten-free pan.
How does live paella catering work?
We arrive with pans, burners and ingredients, cook in front of your guests, and serve when you are ready to eat.
Can you cook indoors?
Mostly outside or under an open cover, because we use gas burners. Some venues have suitable spaces; we’ll check with you and the venue.
Do you cater for young children?
Of course. A simple chicken paella is typically popular with children. Tell us how many are coming.
Can we add tapas or canapés?
Yes. Canapés with drinks or tapas for the tables, while the rice is cooking.
Can you cook halal paella?
We can. Let us know your halal numbers, and it’s cooked separately.
For planners, venues and organisers
If you are organising for someone else, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we are happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It keeps things simple.
Venues frequently have their own rules about outside caterers: cooking areas, access times and documents. Send us your venue’s requirements and we’ll follow them.
Towns and villages near Charlton-in-Dover
Other catering in Charlton-in-Dover
Step by step
The cooking is part of the entertainment. Onion, garlic, peppers and tomato go in first, then the stock and saffron, then the rice, which cooks without stirring while your guests chat. Around midsummer it stays light in Charlton-in-Dover until about 9:15pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:00pm, so summer evening events are typically served in daylight. In December it’s dark by about 3:50pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- We start with a few details about your event.
- You get a menu and an itemised quote.
- We agree timings, access and the cooking spot.
- On the day, we set up and cook in front of your guests.
- We serve from the pan, then pack down.
Preparing for the day
- Tell us where to park and unload
- Give us a contact for the day
- Have a level space ready for the pans
Ask for a quote
Every event is quoted individually, so you only pay for what you need. To ask for one, send us your details through our quote form.
Planning help
Planning the cooking area
If a space isn’t suitable, we will tell you, and suggest an alternative. What matters most:
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise.
Popular choices
- Vegan paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Mixed paella
- Seafood paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Vegetable paella
Planning live paella in Charlton-in-Dover
Charlton-in-Dover is about 1 mile south-east of Dover, in Kent. We cook at events in gardens, halls and venues around Charlton-in-Dover and nearby villages. Charlton-in-Dover is one of 922 towns and villages in Kent we cover. You can also see our page for Canterbury, about 14 miles away.
For guests coming by train, Dover Priory station is about 0.6 miles away. School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Charlton Church of England Primary School, can book us as a food stall. Charlton-in-Dover is within about a mile of the sea, so a seafood pan is a popular choice. Coastal wind means we plan a sheltered spot.
We cater events across CT16, CT17 and CT15 and the streets around it. Whether your event is on Odo Road, Eric Road and Lorne Road or anywhere nearby, we will bring the pans to you. Charlton-in-Dover sits on or near the A256, which makes travel to your event easy. For events just outside Charlton-in-Dover, we cover Tower Hamlets (1 mile south-west), Guston (2 miles north-east), Church Whitfield (2 miles north), East Langdon (3 miles north-east) and West Cliffe (3 miles north-east). Larger places within reach include Canterbury (14 miles north-west), Folkestone (7 miles south-west), Ramsgate (15 miles north), Deal (7 miles north-east), Hythe (11 miles south-west) and Walmer (6 miles north-east).
Other landmarks nearby include Dover Castle (0.9 miles south-east) and Old Town Gaol (within half a mile south). Not far away are Dover Western Heights.
- Schools near Charlton-in-Dover include Dover Grammar School for Girls (under half a mile south-east) and St Edmund's Catholic School (less than half a mile north-east)
- Local pubs include The Red Lion pub (within half a mile south)
Paella compared with other options
Next to a hog roast or barbecue, live paella is easier for vegetarian, vegan and halal guests, because each paella has its own pan. It is served quickly from the pan, so queues move. Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are optional extras, so you can choose exactly what you need.
Why choose Love Paella in Charlton-in-Dover
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- A quote that spells everything out
- Options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in its own pan
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
Perfect for your event in Charlton-in-Dover
It suits relaxed, sociable events, where guests can mingle while it cooks and then sit down to share.
Whatever you’re celebrating in Charlton-in-Dover, live paella can be the centrepiece. We often cook for:
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
- Big birthdays
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
Parks such as Connaught Park generally need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there.
Comparing caterers
- Exactly what’s included in the price
- The deadline for final numbers
- Payment terms and deposit
- How dietary needs and allergies are handled
- 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