Kent · England
Paella Catering for Cotman's Ash events
From the first sizzle in the pan to the last crispy spoonful, live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event turns food into part of your event in Cotman's Ash.
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Summer garden parties
- Family celebrations and christenings
Paella catering for Cotman's Ash events
Why choose live paella in Cotman's Ash?
A cold buffet is simple but has no theatre, and the food sits out. Paella is cooked in front of your guests and served hot. The price depends on your guest numbers, the menu and how many courses you choose, along with staff, extras and travel. We quote for each event individually.
Why Cotman's Ash hosts choose us
- Starters and desserts to complete the menu
- Served hot, straight from the pan
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
- Sangria and bar staff available
See Our pricing And The cost guide.
How our paella catering works in Cotman's Ash
We arrive with the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook the paella in front of your guests. When it’s ready, it’s served straight from the pan. We are frequently asked to cater fairs, fêtes and festivals and anniversaries and engagement parties, serving paella Valenciana, mixed paella and seafood paella.
In a rural place like Cotman's Ash, the setting does a lot of the work: a paella cooking in a garden or field feels right at home. Tell us about access and the ground. Timings are planned around your event, whether that is speeches, a lunch break or a festival schedule.
How we price paella catering
These are the factors that matter most:
- How many guests are eating
- Timings and hours
- Starters, canapés and desserts
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
Access and travel can make a difference to the cost, so it helps to tell us about your venue. The full price is confirmed before you book.
What we need to know
Here’s what makes a quick, accurate quote possible:
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
- The address or venue name
- The courses you’d like
- The date and rough timings
Not sure what you need yet? No problem: give us the basics about your event, and we will make suggestions. Start when you’re ready: fill in our quote form.
Events we cater in Cotman's Ash
Outdoor events and live paella go together: it is cooked in the open, served hot and eaten together.
If you are planning any of these, we can help:
- Retirement celebrations
- Naming days and family parties
- Summer garden parties
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
Historic houses near Cotman's Ash include Lullingstone Castle (3.4 miles north-west) and Knole House (3.9 miles south-west). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early.
What your quote should include
- Whether travel is included
- How each diet is kept separate
- Payment terms and deposit
- Staff numbers and hours
Also near Cotman's Ash
Also in Cotman's Ash
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
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.
DIY catering keeps costs down, but the host spends the party cooking. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
Planning live paella in Cotman's Ash
Cotman's Ash is about 3 miles north-east of Sevenoaks, in Kent. Give us the address of your event in Cotman's Ash, and we’ll plan access and set-up before the day. Cotman's Ash is one of 922 towns and villages in Kent we cover. Our events stretch from Cotman's Ash to London (about 19 miles away).
If you’re celebrating after a service at a church like Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Kemsing Primary School, can book us as a food stall. Cotman's Ash is within about 3 miles of the Kent Downs National Landscape, and country venues and gardens there suit live paella perfectly. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
Wherever your event is in TN15, we can bring paella catering to you. Close by, we cover events in Woodlands (1 mile north-east), Heaverham (1 mile south-east), Knatts Valley (1 mile north), Romney Street (1 mile north-west) and Kemsing (1 mile south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Maidstone (13 miles east), Dartford (9 miles north), Sevenoaks (3 miles south-west), Royal Tunbridge Wells (13 miles south), Gravesend (10 miles north-east) and Tonbridge (8 miles south).
Nearby you’ll also find Kemsing Castle Bank (0.9 miles south-west) and Sevenoaks Hospital (2.8 miles south-west). Not far away are Dryhill Nature Reserve.
- Pubs nearby include The Rising Sun pub (under half a mile north-west)
How the day works
Expect a friendly, organised team. We agree arrival and serving times in advance, set up our cooking area, and cook and serve without fuss. Around midsummer it stays light in Cotman's Ash until about 9:20pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:05pm, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. In December it is dark by about 3:55pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- First, you send us your date, venue, numbers and diets.
- We suggest a menu and confirm a quote, including what’s included.
- On the day, we set up the burners and pans and get the stock going.
- The paella cooks in front of your guests, with tapas first if you’ve chosen them.
- We serve it hot from the pan and clear our area when service ends.
How to prepare
- Tell us where to park and unload
- Tell us when you want to eat
- Give us a contact for the day
How to get a price
A detailed enquiry gets a more accurate quote: the venue, the timings, the courses you’d like and any extras. When you are ready, fill in our quote form.
Read more
Planning for every diet
Nearly every event has some special diets. To cater well for them:
- Have seats for most of your guests
- Confirm allergies by email
- Give us separate numbers for children
- Make sure each pan is labelled
After service, we pack down our cooking area.
Tapas or canapés make a good start while the paella cooks.
About the dishes
Seafood paella
A rich seafood stock with prawns, mussels and squid, finished with lemon wedges. It is the pan people photograph.
Vegetable and vegan paella
A slow sofrito, seasonal vegetables and a good vegetable stock make a proper main dish. Vegan versions use plant-based stock.
Planning the cooking area
The right spot keeps things safe and helps the paella cook evenly. We look for:
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
- Open air or a well-ventilated covered spot
- Flat, firm ground for the cooking area
If you are unsure, send a picture of the space and we will say what we think.
Popular choices
- Seafood paella
- Vegetable paella
- Vegan paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Mixed paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Black rice (arroz negro)
Common questions in Cotman's Ash
Can you cook at venues in the Kent Downs National Landscape?
Yes, though some venues in protected landscapes have extra rules; ask your venue. We will work to whatever the site needs.
What’s the nearest station to Cotman's Ash for guests?
Kemsing station, about 1.4 miles south of the centre.
What happens with live paella?
We arrive with pans, burners and ingredients, cook in front of your guests, and serve at the time you want.
What areas do you cover?
We cover London and the South East, including Kent. Find your area.
What equipment do you bring?
All cooking kit comes with us. Tell us what the venue provides, such as tables or crockery.
Can you feed a lot of people?
Yes, that’s what it’s made for. We plan the number of pans and serving points around your numbers.
Is the paella gluten-free?
Yes, on request. Rice is naturally gluten-free, but stock and some ingredients may not be, so we cook a gluten-free paella separately.
Can we add tapas or canapés?
Yes, and it is a popular combination. Tapas go out first, then the 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