Kent · England
Paella Catering for Great Mongeham events
Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Great Mongeham: paella made from scratch in big, shallow pans, right in front of your guests.
- Retirement celebrations
- Garden get-togethers
- Anniversary celebrations
Live paella catering in Great Mongeham
What paella catering costs
We will give you a clear, itemised quote. The main things that affect it are:
- How long we are needed on site
- Your choice of paellas
- Waiting and bar staff
- Travel, parking and access
The price depends on your guest numbers, the menu and how many courses you choose, plus any staff, crockery and travel. We quote for each event individually.
Getting an accurate quote
A few details help us give you an accurate quote. Here’s what to include:
- The date and time of the event
- A picture of the cooking space, if it is a garden or field
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- Diets and allergies you know about
Thinking about paella catering for your event in Great Mongeham? Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll come back with ideas and a quote. Just use our quote form.
Paella catering in Great Mongeham, made fresh on the day
Everything is cooked from scratch on site, starting with a slow sofrito of onion, garlic, peppers and tomato, followed by stock, saffron and rice. Popular choices include paella Valenciana, vegan paella and chicken and chorizo paella, and we are regularly asked to cater naming days and family parties and weddings and evening receptions.
In a small place like Great Mongeham, 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. Each paella is cooked from scratch on the day, never made in advance and reheated, and served as soon as it is ready.
The process
Watching it cook is half the fun. We start with the sofrito, add the stock and saffron, then spread the rice across the pan and leave it alone to cook. Evenings in Great Mongeham stay light until about 9:15pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:00pm; after dark, the cooking and serving areas need good lighting.
- Start with the date, the place and the numbers.
- We come back with paellas to suit your guests, plus any extras.
- Closer to the day, we confirm timings and the cooking spot.
- We set up, cook from scratch and keep an eye on your timings.
- We serve, then leave our area tidy.
How to prepare
- Tell us when you want to eat
- Make sure we can park close by to unload
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
Ask for a quote
Not sure what you need yet? No problem: give us the basics about your event, and we’ll make suggestions. To start, send us your details through our quote form.
Planning help
Is live paella right for your event?
Vans serve one order at a time. A paella pan serves many portions quickly, so everyone can eat at the same time. Premium seafood costs more than chicken or vegetables, so your choice of paellas affects the total. Tell us your budget and we will suggest a menu.
Why choose Love Paella in Great Mongeham
- A clear, itemised quote
- Crockery and waiting staff if you need them
- Events in Great Mongeham and across Kent
- Served hot, straight from the pan
Read How we price And The cost guide.
Your questions about paella catering in Great Mongeham
Is Great Mongeham too small for live paella?
No, we cook in small places too. Let us know about access and parking.
What’s the nearest station to Great Mongeham for guests?
Walmer station, about 1.2 miles south-east of the centre.
What is live paella catering?
We set up a cooking area at your venue, cook the paella from scratch in large pans while your guests watch, and serve it straight from the pan.
Can you cater for children?
Yes. Children frequently love a simple chicken paella. Tell us how many are coming.
How many paellas should we have?
Two or three covers most guests. Tell us about your guests’ diets and we’ll suggest the mix.
Do you take everything away?
Our cooking area is packed away and left clean. Ask us about table clearing if you need it.
Is halal food available?
Yes, we do. We use halal chicken and leave out pork and alcohol, in a separate pan.
Can you serve tapas as well?
Of course. Canapé tapas with the drinks, or table tapas to share, served while the paella cooks.
Events we cater in Great Mongeham
It needs no kitchen, so it is at home in gardens, fields and marquees where other catering struggles.
Live paella works for big and small events alike. Typical bookings include:
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Company summer parties
- Milestone birthday parties
Thinking of a picnic-style party in Betteshanger Park? Public parks normally need permission from the council or landowner for cooking, so check first.
What to look for in a quote
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- The wet-weather plan
- How each diet is kept separate
- Plates, cutlery and napkins, or disposables
Catering for every guest
Good planning keeps every guest safe and happy. Try these:
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
- Ensure each pan is labelled
- Mention any other courses or food
A short rest after cooking helps, and that is when we invite guests up.
Spanish desserts such as churros or crema catalana finish the meal.
Places near Great Mongeham
What else we do in Great Mongeham
A closer look at the menu
Black rice
Black rice looks dramatic and tastes of the sea, and is popular with adventurous guests.
Seafood paella
The secret is a well-made seafood stock. Shellfish goes in towards the end so it stays tender.
What we need at the venue
We will be honest if a space will not work. The main points are:
- Flat, firm ground for the cooking area
- Open air or a well-ventilated covered spot
- Parking close enough to carry equipment
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise before you book.
Popular choices
- Vegetable paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
- Seafood paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegan paella
DIY paella versus live catering
A DIY paella party works for small groups. For big numbers or lots of diets, a caterer makes life easier, and handles separate pans for each diet.
Doing it yourself saves money, but the host ends up stuck at the stove. Booking us means you get the show without the stress.
Live paella in Great Mongeham: local details
Great Mongeham is about 1 mile west of Deal, in Kent. Events in Great Mongeham are planned around your venue and timings: a clear quote, agreed timings and paella cooked live on the day. We cater in all 922 towns and villages in Kent. Our events stretch from Great Mongeham to Canterbury (13 miles away).
School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as Hornbeam Primary School, can book us as a food stall. For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Walmer station, about 1.2 miles south-east. Great Mongeham is within about 2 miles of the sea, so a seafood pan is a popular choice. Sea breezes can be strong, so we plan a sheltered cooking spot.
For paella catering in CT14, we plan around your venue and your guests. We can cater an event on streets such as Church Path, Northbourne Road and Mongeham Road or the roads around them. Close by, we cover events in Mill Hill (1 mile east), Sholden Meadows (1 mile north-east), Sholden (1 mile north-east), Ripple (1 mile south) and Northbourne (1 mile north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Canterbury (13 miles west), Margate (12 miles north), Dover (6 miles south-west), Folkestone (12 miles south-west), Ramsgate (9 miles north) and Broadstairs (11 miles north).
Nearby you’ll also find Deal Castle (1.9 miles east) and Kent Museum of the Moving Image (1.8 miles east). Not far away are Monk's Wall nature reserve.
- Schools near Great Mongeham include Castle Community College (1.4 miles east)
- Local pubs include The Mill Inn (1 mile east)
- 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