Medway · England
Live paella catering in Church Street, Medway
Hot, generous and cooked in front of everyone: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event for events in Church Street and across Medway.
- Christenings and family gatherings
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Engagement and anniversary parties
Paella catering near Church Street
Planning for every diet
With a little notice, every diet is easy. Our advice:
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
- Pick a mix of paellas to cover every diet
- Mention any other courses or food
- Ask about diets and allergies on your invitation or RSVP
Paella is at its best straight from the pan, so we plan service for when guests are ready to eat.
Add canapé tapas with the drinks or table tapas as a starter while the paella cooks.
Paella catering in Church Street, cooked live
Two or three pans side by side cover every guest: a meat or mixed paella, a seafood paella and a vegetable or vegan one. Each is cooked separately, so diets are easy to manage. We cook black rice, mixed paella and vegetable paella, and typical bookings are for festivals, fairs and school events and big birthdays.
In a rural place like Church Street, the setting does a lot of the work: a huge pan in a garden or field fits perfectly. Tell us about access and the ground. The paella is served straight from the pan, so every plate is hot, and service is quick once it’s ready.
Live paella in Church Street: local details
Church Street is about 4 miles north of Rochester, in Medway. We bring paella catering to gardens, halls and venues around Church Street and the surrounding area. We cook in 68 places in Medway. You can also see our page for London, about 25 miles away.
For a christening or wedding at a church such as St Mary's Church, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone. For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Higham station, about 0.9 miles south.
Wherever your event is in ME3, we can cook for your guests, from busy streets to quiet lanes. For events just outside Church Street, we cover Lower Higham (1 mile south), Cliffe Woods (1 mile east), Mockbeggar (2 miles south-east), Higham (2 miles south) and Cliffe (2 miles north-east). Further out, we also cater in Gillingham (7 miles south-east), Chatham (6 miles south-east), Rochester (4 miles south), Rainham (8 miles south-east), Strood (3 miles south) and Luton (6 miles south-east).
A little further out are Upnor Castle (3.4 miles south-east) and Huguenot Museum (3.8 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Gad's Hill and Rede Common.
- Local pubs include The Chequers pub (0.7 miles south)
What’s in the pans
Paella Valenciana
Paella Valenciana is the original: chicken, beans and saffron, rather than seafood. It is a favourite with guests who don’t eat fish.
Mixed paella
Paella mixta combines meat and seafood in one pan.
Paella compared with other options
Vans serve one order at a time. A big pan serves many guests fast, so everyone can eat at the same time. Compared with a plated meal, live paella is often good value, as there is no kitchen to hire and fewer staff to pay. We will send you a quote.
What you get with us
- Events in Church Street and across Medway
- A clear, itemised quote
- Every diet catered for, pan by pan
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
Events we cater in Church Street
It needs no kitchen, so it is at home in gardens, fields and marquees where other catering struggles.
If you are planning any of these, we can help:
- Big birthdays
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
- Company summer parties
- Weddings and evening receptions
School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Higham Primary School, can book us as a food stall.
What your quote should include
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- When payment is due
- How dietary needs and allergies are handled
Common questions in Church Street
Do you come out to small places like Church Street?
No, we cook in small places too. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
How far is Church Street from London?
Roughly 25 miles from the centre of London, and we cover it as standard.
What space do you need to cook?
A level space for the pans, burners and a serving table, in the open air or a ventilated covered area, and the venue’s permission for live cooking.
How much does paella catering cost in Church Street?
It depends on guest numbers, the menu, the courses, staff and travel. Send us the details for a quote.
Who clears up?
We take our equipment and leave the cooking area tidy. Table clearing is available with waiting staff.
Is the paella gluten-free?
We can, if you tell us in advance. The rice is gluten-free, but stocks and chorizo can contain gluten, so we make a separate gluten-free pan.
Can you cater for children?
Yes. Children often love a simple chicken paella. Include children in your numbers.
How much paella per person?
We plan quantities from your guest numbers, timings and other courses, with a sensible margin. Give us accurate numbers for the best result.
How it works
Service is quick: the paella goes straight from the pan to the plate, so even a long queue moves. Afterwards we clear our cooking area away. In Church Street, the sun sets at about 9:20pm in late June and about 7:00pm in late September, so summer evening events are usually served in daylight. In December it’s dark by about 3:50pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- It starts with your date, venue, numbers and any dietary needs.
- 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.
Preparing for the day
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
- Share the running order, including any speeches
- Keep the cooking spot clear of fences, hedges and branches
How to get a price
Send us the date, your venue or ME3 postcode and guest numbers, plus any dietary needs, and we will reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. Just fill in our quote form.
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DIY paella versus live catering
If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, have hot stock ready, and leave the rice alone once it’s in. And keep children and pets well away from the burner.
Not sure whether to cook yourself or book a caterer? Consider your numbers, your guests’ diets and your own time. Ask us for a quote and compare.
Space, weather and the venue
Most outdoor spaces and many venues work for live paella, but there are a few things to check:
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise before booking.
On the menu in Church Street
- Seafood paella
- Vegetable paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
Towns and villages near Church Street
Also in Church Street
Organising for someone else?
Throwing a party at home? Send us a picture of the garden and tell us about access, and we’ll tell you honestly whether live paella will work.
Planning an event for a club, school or charity in Church Street? Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets. Tell us about the event and we’ll suggest a menu.
- 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