Medway · England
Live paella catering in Gadshill, Medway
Hot, generous and cooked in front of everyone: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event for events in Gadshill and across Medway.
- Retirement celebrations
- Anniversary celebrations
- Summer garden parties
Paella catering in Gadshill
Prices and what affects them
We’ll give you a clear, itemised quote. The main things that affect it are:
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- How many courses
- Your choice of paellas
- How many staff you need
Access and travel can make a difference to the cost, so it helps to tell us about your venue. Everything is confirmed in writing.
Getting an accurate quote
The more we know about your event, the better we can plan. Please include:
- Any dietary needs and allergies
- The date and time of the event
- A photo of the cooking space, if it is a garden or field
- Where the event is
It’s easy to get a price: share your date, venue, numbers and diets. We’ll send a clear, itemised quote and a suggested menu.
How our paella catering works in Gadshill
Live paella works almost anywhere with a level, ventilated spot: a garden, marquee, barn, courtyard or field in and around Gadshill. Popular choices include chicken and chorizo paella, paella Valenciana and vegetable paella, and we’re regularly asked to cater engagement and anniversary parties and family celebrations and christenings.
In a small place like Gadshill, events are usually in a garden, a field or a nearby hall. Tell us about narrow lanes or long drives and we’ll plan for them, and a firm spot near where we park makes set-up easier. All the cooking equipment comes with us, and we clear our cooking area away afterwards.
About the dishes
Mixed paella
A mix of chicken and seafood, for guests who want a bit of everything.
Black rice
Black rice gets its colour from squid ink, and is usually served with alioli. It makes a dramatic second seafood pan.
Diets, allergies and planning
Good planning keeps every guest safe and happy. Try these:
- Confirm allergies by email
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
- Tell us how many children are coming
- Ask for labels on each pan
Once the rice is in, it needs about 20 minutes, so we start it at the right moment for your event. If plans change, tell us and we will adjust.
Bread, salad and lemon go well alongside.
Step by step
On the day, we set up the burners and pans and start cooking the sofrito and stock. Once the rice goes in, it takes about 20 minutes, so the timing is planned around your event. Around midsummer it stays light in Gadshill until about 9:20pm; 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.
- We suggest paellas and extras and send a clear quote.
- Timings, access and the cooking area are agreed in advance.
- On the day, we set up and cook in front of your guests.
- We serve from the pan, then pack down.
Before we arrive
- Share the running order, including any speeches
- Give us your final numbers and diets
- Ensure we can park close by to unload
How to get a price
The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote: the venue, the timings, the courses you’d like and any extras. When you’re ready, fill in our quote form.
Related guides
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
DIY catering keeps costs down, but the host spends the party cooking. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. A big pan needs a burner that heats it evenly, and getting the rice right at scale is tricky. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
For planners, venues and organisers
If your event is in a public space, such as a park, check what permission you need first. We can send whatever the landowner or council needs from us.
If you are organising for someone else, whether you’re a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we will work directly with you and the venue. It saves passing messages back and forth.
Places near Gadshill
What else we do in Gadshill
Catering an event in Gadshill
Gadshill is about 2 miles north-west of Rochester, in Medway. Events in Gadshill are planned around your venue and timings: a quote, a plan and live cooking on the day. We cover 68 places across Medway. Our nearest city page is London, about 25 miles away.
For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St John, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone. Historic houses near Gadshill include Temple Manor (1.9 miles south-east) and Restoration House (2.5 miles south-east). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early.
For paella catering in ME3, we plan around your venue. Streets in the area include Copperfield Crescent, Charles Dickens Avenue and Gravesend Road, and we can cook for an event on any of them. Nearby, we also cater events in Higham (1 mile north), Shorne Ridgeway (1 mile west), Shorne (1 mile west), Lower Higham (1 mile north) and Mockbeggar (2 miles north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Gillingham (6 miles south-east), Chatham (5 miles south-east), Rainham (7 miles south-east), Luton (4 miles south-east), Park Wood (7 miles south-east) and Lordswood (6 miles south-east).
Nearby you will also find Huguenot Museum (2.3 miles south-east) and Pentagon Shopping Centre (3.3 miles south-east). Open spaces near Gadshill include Gad's Hill and Rede Common.
- Schools near Gadshill include Higham Primary School (1 mile north) and Temple School (1.4 miles east)
- Local pubs include Sir John Falstaff Public House (under half a mile north-west)
- Other local spots include City of Rochester-upon-Medway (2 miles south-east)
Occasions we cook for in Gadshill
Live paella is food and a show in one. The pans become a focal point, and the food is hot and generous.
We can help if you’re planning any of the following:
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Retirement and leaving parties
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
Thinking of a picnic-style party in Rede Common? Public parks typically need permission from the council or landowner for cooking, so check first.
Before booking anyone
- Space, access and power needs
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
- The wet-weather plan
- When final numbers are due
Is live paella right for your event?
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. It’s served quickly from the pan, so queues move. Got a budget? Let us know, and we’ll put together a menu that fits. Even a simple menu can be a feast.
Why Gadshill hosts choose us
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- Separate pans for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
- Real theatre, not just catering
Take a look at How we price And The cost guide.
Common questions in Gadshill
How far is Gadshill from London?
Roughly 25 miles from the centre of London, and we cover it as standard.
We’re having a ceremony at Church of St John: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Live cooking generally happens at the reception venue, not the church. Send us the reception address.
Do you offer halal options?
We can. Tell us how many guests need halal food, and we’ll cook a separate pan.
What about pudding?
We can add a dessert. Tell us what you have in mind when you ask for a quote.
Where do you cater?
London and the South East: Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight, including Gadshill.
Do you cater in Gadshill?
Yes. We cover London and the South East, and Gadshill is within our area. To check your date, use our quote form.
Which paellas do you recommend?
That depends on who’s coming. Chicken and mixed paellas tend to go first, alongside seafood and vegetable or vegan pans.
Is the paella cooked on site?
Yes. We bring the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook it there and then, serving it hot from the pan.
- 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