Medway · England
Live paella catering in Cliffe, Medway
Planning paella catering in Cliffe? We arrive with the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook while your guests watch.
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Garden get-togethers
Paella catering for Cliffe events
About our paella catering in Cliffe
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. For garden parties and summer barbecues and fairs, fêtes and festivals, we will put together a menu of black rice, chicken and chorizo paella and vegan paella for your guests.
In a rural place like Cliffe, 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. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, with each paella cooked in its own pan.
Dishes our guests love
Mixed paella
Mixed paella brings meat and seafood together, and it’s often the first pan to empty.
Vegetable and vegan paella
The vegetable pan is a dish in its own right: peppers, artichokes and beans with saffron.
Towns and villages near Cliffe
Other catering in Cliffe
Paella catering around Cliffe
Cliffe is about 5 miles north of Rochester, in Medway. Tell us where your event in Cliffe will be, and we’ll plan the journey and set-up. Cliffe is one of 68 towns and villages in Medway we cover. Our events stretch from Cliffe to London (about 26 miles away).
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Higham station, about 2.6 miles south-west. If you’re organising a summer fair for a school like St Helen's Church of England Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
For paella catering in ME3, we plan around your venue and your guests. From Station Road, St Helens Road and Chesterton Road or a nearby road, we’ll bring the pans to you. For events just outside Cliffe, we cover Cliffe Woods (2 miles south), Church Street (2 miles south-west), Mockbeggar (3 miles south), Lower Higham (3 miles south-west) and Higham (4 miles south-west). We also cook in nearby towns such as Gillingham (7 miles south-east), Chatham (7 miles south), Rochester (5 miles south), Rainham (8 miles south-east), Strood (5 miles south) and Luton (6 miles south).
A little further out are French Hospital (4.9 miles south) and Upnor Castle (3.8 miles south). Open spaces near Cliffe include Gad's Hill and Thurrock Thameside Nature Park.
- Nearby, you will find The Evening Star pub (under half a mile south-west)
Planners, venues and businesses
Venues often have their own rules about outside caterers: where cooking is allowed, access times and the paperwork they need. Tell us what your venue needs and we will work to it.
Planners and coordinators can contact us directly, and we’ll keep you updated on timings and set-up.
Live paella or other catering?
If you want something different from the usual buffet or roast, live paella brings colour, aroma and a touch of Spain to your event in Cliffe. If you have a budget in mind, tell us, and we will suggest a menu to match. Even a simple menu can be a feast.
Why us?
- Fast service from the pan
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
- Separate pans for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests
- Waiting staff and crockery on request
Read How we price Or The cost guide.
Diets, allergies and planning
Nearly every event has some special diets. To plan for them:
- Let us know about other food at the event
- Ensure each pan is labelled
- Pick a mix of paellas to cover every diet
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
On the day, you shouldn’t have to think about the food. We set up, cook and serve, and stay in touch with your venue about timings.
Bread, salad and lemon go well alongside.
DIY paella versus live catering
Cooking it yourself? Test your pan and burner first, keep the stock hot, and leave the rice alone once it is in. Keep a clear zone around the burner.
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.
Why choose paella catering in Cliffe?
Paella is one of the few dishes that handles mixed diets easily, because each version is cooked in its own pan. Everyone gets the same kind of meal.
Whatever the occasion, live paella can be the centrepiece. We regularly cater:
- Summer garden parties
- Milestone birthday parties
- Weddings and evening receptions
- Engagement and anniversary parties
Nearby historic houses include Temple Manor (4.9 miles south). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early.
What your quote should include
- Any travel, parking or access charges
- VAT, if it applies
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
- The wet-weather plan
Cliffe questions
What’s the nearest station to Cliffe for guests?
The closest is Higham station, roughly 2.6 miles away.
We’re having a ceremony at Church of St Helen: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is usually elsewhere. Send us the reception address.
Do you cater for vegetarian guests?
Yes. We cook vegetarian and vegan paellas in their own pans, alongside the meat and seafood pans.
Which paellas do you recommend?
Most events choose two or three: chicken or mixed, seafood, and vegetable or vegan. Our menu lists the options.
Do you come to Cliffe?
Yes, we do. We cook at events in Cliffe and across Medway. Send us your date to check availability.
How many different paellas?
Two or three is usual: a meat or mixed paella, a seafood paella and a vegetable or vegan one. We’ll help you decide the split.
Do you take everything away?
Our cooking area is packed away and left clean. Ask us about table clearing if you need it.
Can you cook halal paella?
Yes, on request. Tell us how many guests need halal food, and it’s cooked separately.
Step by step
When the rice goes in, it’s left alone. That’s how the grains cook evenly and the toasted base, the socarrat, forms. The smell generally draws people over. Around midsummer it stays light in Cliffe until about 9:20pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:00pm, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. For winter events, when it is dark by about 3:50pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- 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.
- Your guests watch the paella cook, with any tapas served first.
- It is served straight from the pan, and we pack down afterwards.
Preparing for the day
- Have a gazebo or cover ready if rain is likely
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
- Let us know the timings for the day
Getting a price
Each quote is tailored to your event. Tell us your date and guest numbers, and we will check availability at the same time.
Related guides
Planning the cooking area
Safety and good cooking both depend on the spot we use. We look for:
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
- Outdoor space or a ventilated gazebo
If you are unsure, send a picture of the space and we will say what we think.
Popular choices
- Vegetable paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Paella Valenciana
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Mixed paella
- Vegan paella
- Seafood paella
- 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