Medway · England
Live paella catering in Hale, Medway
Love Paella cooks live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Hale and nearby, with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options.
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Naming days and family parties
- Retirement and leaving parties
Book paella catering in Hale
Paella catering in Hale, made fresh on the day
A single cooking set-up can feed a crowd, there’s very little waste, and the food is served hot. It is why live paella suits so many kinds of event. On the menu are vegan paella, paella Valenciana and mixed paella, and we’re regularly asked to cater weddings, from canapés to evening food and garden parties and summer barbecues.
In a rural place like Hale, 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. We bring everything we need to cook, and pack down our cooking area when service is finished.
Working with your venue
For larger events, we plan the number of pans and serving points around your timings, so everyone eats promptly. Tell us how long you have for food.
Planners and coordinators can contact us directly, and we’ll keep everyone informed on the day.
Dietary needs and planning tips
We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests. To make it work smoothly:
- Make sure most guests can sit to eat
- Tell us what else is being served
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
Paella is at its best straight from the pan, so we serve when guests are ready.
Sangria and bar staff can be added for your own drinks.
Who books paella catering in Hale?
Paella is one of the few dishes that handles mixed diets easily, because each version is cooked in its own pan. Nobody gets a token ‘special meal’.
Here are some of the events we cook for:
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Summer garden parties
- Festivals, fairs and school events
If you’re organising a summer fair for a school like Kingfisher Community Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
Questions to ask before booking
- How bad weather is handled
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- Payment terms and deposit
- Whether VAT is included
How the day works
Serving is fast: the paella goes straight from the pan to the plate, so even a long queue moves. When service is finished, we pack down. In Hale, the sun sets at about 9:20pm in late June and about 7:00pm in late September, so summer evening events are normally served in daylight. In December it’s dark by about 3:50pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- Send us your date, numbers and venue.
- We plan a menu that covers every diet.
- We arrive in good time to set up.
- The sofrito, stock and rice go in, and guests gather to watch.
- We serve hot from the pan and clear our cooking area.
How to prepare
- Check the venue allows live cooking
- Name one person we can ask on the day
- Let us know the timings for the day
Getting a price
We need only a few details to quote: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. You can send us your details through our quote form.
Related guides
Dishes our guests love
Vegetable and vegan paella
A vegetable paella isn’t an afterthought: peppers, artichokes and beans with saffron, cooked in its own pan.
Seafood paella
A rich seafood stock with prawns, mussels and squid, finished with lemon wedges. It’s the pan people photograph.
Hale: your questions answered
Can you cook in Darland Banks?
Only if the landowner, usually the council, allows it. Ask them first, and we will send any information they need.
Can you cook at venues in the Kent Downs National Landscape?
Yes. Some venues there have rules about vehicles, ground and cooking, so check with yours. We’ll work to whatever the site needs.
Can we add tapas or canapés?
Yes, it is the classic pairing. Tapas first, paella to follow.
How much is live paella catering?
Every event is quoted individually, so you only pay for what you need. Give us your date, numbers and menu ideas and we’ll reply with a price.
Do you do desserts?
Yes, Spanish desserts can be added. Let us know if you’d like one in your enquiry.
Can you cook halal paella?
Yes. We use halal chicken and leave out pork and alcohol, in a separate pan.
Which paellas suit our guests?
It depends on your guests. Chicken and mixed paellas tend to go first, alongside seafood and vegetable or vegan pans.
Do you cater for vegetarian guests?
Yes, and they’re popular with everyone. Each is cooked separately, with its own stock and utensils.
Space, weather and the venue
Every venue is different, so we ask about the space when you contact us. In general, we need:
- Flat, firm ground for the cooking area
- Parking close enough to carry equipment
- Space well away from trees, fences and gazebo walls
If you are unsure, send a picture of the space and we’ll say what we think before booking.
What we offer
- Seafood paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegetable paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
- Vegan paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
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, thanks to separate pans. It is served quickly from the pan, so queues move. Travel, parking and access can affect the price, so tell us about the venue when you ask for a quote. The full price is confirmed before you book.
Why book with us
- Catering across Medway, including Hale
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
- Waiting staff and crockery on request
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
See How we price Or The cost guide.
Should I cook it myself?
DIY catering keeps costs down, but the host spends the party cooking. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
Weighing up DIY against a caterer? Consider your numbers, your guests’ diets and your own time. Ask us for a quote and compare.
Catering an event in Hale
Hale is about 1 mile south-west of Gillingham, in Medway. We cook at events in gardens, halls and venues around Hale and nearby villages. Hale is one of 68 towns and villages in Medway we cover. We cook right across the region, from Hale to Canterbury (23 miles away).
Parks such as Darland Banks usually need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there. If you’re celebrating after a service at a church like Christ Church, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. Hale is within about 8 miles of the Kent Downs National Landscape, a lovely setting for an outdoor event. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
This part of Medway takes in ME5, and we can cater your event anywhere in it. Nearby, we also cater events in Darland (1 mile south-east), Capstone (1 mile south-east), Luton (1 mile north-west), Gillingham (1 mile north-east) and Chatham (1 mile south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Rochester (3 miles north-west), Strood (4 miles north-west), Hoo St Werburgh (4 miles north), Rochester Riverside (3 miles north-west), Peters Village (4 miles west) and Frindsbury (3 miles north-west).
Nearby you’ll also find Rochester Castle (2.9 miles north-west) and Pentagon Shopping Centre (1.9 miles north-west). Green spaces nearby include Blue Bell Hill and Burham Down.
- Schools near Hale include Chatham Grammar School for Girls (0.8 miles north) and The Robert Napier School (1 mile north)
- Nearby, you’ll find The Star pub (0.7 miles north-east)
- Local facilities include Chatham Free Library (1.4 miles north-west)
What else we do in Hale
- 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