Kent · England
Live paella catering in Eccles, Kent
Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Eccles: paella made from scratch in big, shallow pans, right in front of your guests, with tapas, desserts and drinks if you want them.
- Garden get-togethers
- Big birthdays
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
Live paella catering in Eccles
Planning for every diet
Most events have a mix of diets. To cater well for them:
- Choose two or three paellas so every guest has a choice
- Count adults and children separately
- Ask for labels on each pan
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
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 as the rice cooks.
Paella catering for your event in Eccles
A couple of different pans covers everyone: a meat or mixed paella, a seafood paella and a vegetable or vegan one. Each is cooked separately, so diets are easy to manage. Typical bookings include summer garden parties and company summer parties, serving paella Valenciana, vegan paella and chicken and chorizo paella.
For a rural spot like Eccles, the countryside is part of the appeal: a huge pan in a garden or field fits perfectly. Let us know about access and ground conditions. You can add tapas, desserts, sangria, bar staff and waiting staff, so one booking can cover the whole menu.
Eccles: venues, travel and local tips
Eccles is about 3 miles south-west of Chatham, in Kent. Across the ME20 area, we’ll come to your venue or garden. We cater in 922 places in Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. Our events stretch from Eccles to Canterbury (about 26 miles away).
If you’re celebrating after a service at a church like Church of St Peter and St Paul, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. If you’re organising a summer fair for a school like St Mark's Church of England Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. The Kent Downs National Landscape is within about 8 miles of Eccles, and country venues and gardens there suit live paella perfectly. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
Anywhere in ME20, we can cook for your guests, from busy streets to quiet lanes. Streets in the area include Bull Lane, Springett Close and Jenner Way, and we can cook for an event on any of them. We also cook at events in Burham (1 mile north), Pratling Street (1 mile south-east), Forstal (1 mile south-east), New Hythe (1 mile south-west) and Scarborough (2 miles north). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (4 miles south-east), Sittingbourne (11 miles east), Dartford (14 miles north-west), Sevenoaks (13 miles west), Gravesend (9 miles north-west) and Tonbridge (12 miles south-west).
A little further out are Fremlin Walk (3.5 miles south-east) and Allington Castle (2.2 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Burham Down and Blue Bell Hill.
- Nearby schools include Aylesford School (1.5 miles south-west)
- Nearby, you will find The Red Bull Public House (under half a mile north-east)
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.
Organising a club, school or community event in Eccles? Paella is quick to serve to a crowd and suits most diets. Tell us about the event and we will suggest a menu.
Occasions we cook for in Eccles
It suits relaxed, sociable events, with guests mingling as it cooks and then sit down to share.
Whatever you’re celebrating in Eccles, paella can be the star of the food. We frequently cook for:
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Naming days and family parties
- Milestone birthday parties
Thinking of a picnic-style party in Burham Marsh? Public parks generally need permission from the council or landowner for cooking, so check first.
What to look for in a quote
- Exactly what’s included in the price
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- What happens if it rains
- The venue requirements
What’s in the pans
Paella Valenciana
In Valencia, the recipe is fiercely debated. The traditional pan has chicken, flat green beans and butter beans, and it is a crowd-pleaser.
Vegetable and vegan paella
Seasonal vegetables on a rich sofrito base make a proper main dish. Vegan versions use plant-based stock.
Live paella or other catering?
Next to a hog roast or barbecue, paella makes vegetarian, vegan and halal guests easier to cater for, because each paella has its own pan. Service from the pan keeps queues moving. Compared with a plated meal, live paella is frequently good value, as there is no kitchen to hire and fewer staff to pay. Ask us for a quote.
What you get with us
- Catering across Kent, including Eccles
- Fast service from the pan
- Everything cooked fresh at your event
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
Towns and villages near Eccles
More for events in Eccles
The process
It’s a relaxed, well-organised set-up. We agree arrival and serving times in advance, set up the pans and burners, and cook and serve without fuss. Around midsummer it stays light in Eccles 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.
- You tell us the date, venue, guest 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.
- It’s served straight from the pan, and we pack down afterwards.
Preparing for the day
- Have a level space ready for the pans
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
- Name one person we can ask on the day
Getting a price
Every quote is put together for your event. Tell us your date and guest numbers, and we will check availability at the same time.
Read more
FAQs for Eccles
How far is Eccles from London?
Roughly 28 miles from the centre of London.
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’ll follow the site rules.
Do you do desserts?
Yes, Spanish desserts can be added. Tell us what you have in mind in your enquiry.
Do you offer halal options?
We can. Tell us how many guests need halal food, and it is cooked separately.
Is live paella good for a large crowd?
It is ideal. Large pans and fast service from the pan make it well suited to crowds.
Can the paella be cooked in a hall?
Only in a suitable, well-ventilated area with the venue’s permission. Most events have us cooking outside or in a doorway or courtyard.
Is the paella cooked on site?
Yes. We arrive with everything we need and cook it there and then, serving it hot from the pan.
Do you come to Eccles?
Yes. We cover London and the South East, including Eccles and the rest of Kent. For a quote, fill in our quote form.
DIY paella versus live catering
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.
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.
How we price paella catering
We’ll give you a clear, itemised quote. What affects it most:
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- Distance and access to the venue
- How many staff you need
- How many guests are eating
The price depends on your guest numbers, the menu and how many courses you choose, along with staff, extras and travel. Every event gets its own quote.
What to tell us
These details help us quote quickly:
- A picture of the space, if you can
- The address or venue name
- The date and rough timings
- Any dietary needs and allergies
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, plus any dietary needs, and we will reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. Just use our quote form.
- 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