Kent · England
Paella Catering for Hawkinge events
Love Paella cooks live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Hawkinge and nearby, catering for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests.
- Big birthdays
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
- Retirement celebrations
Paella catering near Hawkinge
Catering an event in Hawkinge
Hawkinge is about 2 miles north of Folkestone, in Kent. For paella catering in Hawkinge, we cater in back gardens, halls with outdoor space, barns, marquees and offices in and around Hawkinge. Hawkinge is one of 922 places in Kent we cover. You can also see our page for Canterbury, about 12 miles away.
For a christening or wedding at a church such as St Luke's, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone. School fairs and fundraisers, for a school such as The Churchill School, can book us as a food stall. Hawkinge is within about 4 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. Hawkinge is within about 3 miles of the sea, so a seafood pan is a popular choice. Coastal wind means we plan a sheltered spot.
Here we cover the CT18 postcode area, so your event can be anywhere in it. We can cater an event on streets such as The Street, Spitfire Way and Waddington Drive. For events just outside Hawkinge, we cover Densole (1 mile north), Old Hawkinge (1 mile east), Arpinge (1 mile south-west), Swingfield Minnis (2 miles north) and Selsted (3 miles north). Within a short drive, we also cover Ashford (13 miles west), Canterbury (12 miles north), Dover (6 miles east), Deal (12 miles north-east), Hythe (4 miles south-west) and Tower Hamlets (6 miles east).
Nearby you will also find Royal Victoria Hospital (2 miles south) and Elham Valley Countryside Centre And Railway Museum (2.1 miles south-west). Green spaces nearby include Cheriton Hill.
- Schools near Hawkinge include Turner Free School (1.6 miles south)
- Pubs nearby include The Mayfly pub (less than half a mile south-east)
About our paella catering in Hawkinge
Live paella catering means we bring the pans, burners and fresh ingredients to your event and cook in front of your guests. When it is ready, it is served straight from the pan. On the menu are vegetable paella, chicken and chorizo paella and vegan paella, and we’re often booked for retirement and leaving parties and garden get-togethers.
In a smaller place like Hawkinge, a garden party is frequently the simplest option: no hire fees, and live paella feeds everyone without anyone stuck in the kitchen. Let us know about access to the house. You can add tapas, desserts, sangria, bar staff and waiting staff, so the whole menu comes from one caterer.
Diets, allergies and planning
With a little notice, every diet is easy. Our advice:
- Tell us what else is being served
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
- Collect dietary needs with your RSVPs
- Ask for labels on each pan
Paella is best eaten as soon as it’s ready, so we serve when guests are ready.
Crockery, cutlery and waiting staff are available if your venue does not provide them.
Planners, venues and businesses
Throwing a party at home? Send us a picture of the garden and tell us about access, and we will let you know if live paella is a good fit.
For big numbers, we plan pans and serving points to keep queues short, so guests are fed quickly. Let us know how long the food break is.
Questions from Hawkinge
What’s the nearest station to Hawkinge for guests?
Folkestone West station, about 2 miles south of the centre.
Can you cater a reception after a service at St Luke's?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is usually elsewhere. Send us the reception address.
Do we need to provide equipment?
We bring the pans, burners and ingredients. You provide a suitable spot and access.
Can you provide dessert?
Yes, Spanish desserts can be added. Let us know if you’d like one when you ask for a quote.
How does live paella catering work?
We cook from scratch at your venue in big pans, in front of your guests, and serve straight from the pan.
Do you do starters?
Yes, it’s the classic pairing. Tapas go out first, then the paella.
Is paella enough as a main?
Paella is a meal in itself. Many hosts add tapas first or dessert after.
Can you cook halal paella?
Yes, we do. Halal paella is cooked with halal chicken and no pork or alcohol, in a separate pan.
Should I cook it myself?
You can hire equipment and do it yourself, but you will still need to source ingredients, prep and cook for hours. A caterer handles all of that.
Some hosts like to cook themselves. The usual problems are a pan too big for the burner, too much rice and stirring once the rice is in. If you’d rather be with your guests, we’ll do the cooking.
What’s in the pans
Seafood paella
Seafood paella starts with a good fish and shellfish stock. Shellfish goes in towards the end so it stays tender.
Vegetable and vegan paella
A vegetable paella is not an afterthought: artichokes, beans, peppers and saffron.
How it works
We cook over gas burners in wide, shallow pans. We need a level, ventilated spot, and we agree where that is before the day. In Hawkinge, the sun sets at about 9:15pm in late June and about 7:00pm in late September, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. For winter events, when it’s dark by about 3:50pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- It starts with your date, venue, 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 rice cooks in full view, while tapas or canapés go round.
- We serve it hot from the pan and clear our area when service ends.
Preparing for the day
- Let us know the timings for the day
- Pick a flat, firm spot for us to cook
- Confirm numbers and diets before 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. To send your details, fill in our quote form.
Related guides
Why live cooking beats a buffet
Food trucks and street-food vans serve one portion at a time. A paella pan serves many portions quickly, which suits weddings and parties where everyone eats together. Larger events generally cost less per head, since the set-up is much the same either way. Tell us your numbers for an accurate price.
Why Hawkinge hosts choose us
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
- Served hot, straight from the pan
- Cooking your guests will gather round to watch
- Catering across Kent, including Hawkinge
Take a look at Our prices page Or Our guide to catering costs.
Nearby places to Hawkinge
What else we do in Hawkinge
Perfect for your event in Hawkinge
It needs no kitchen, so it is at home in gardens, fields and marquees where plated meals are hard.
Live paella suits almost any gathering. People in Hawkinge book us for events such as:
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Weddings and evening receptions
- Retirement and leaving parties
For guests coming by train, Folkestone West station is about 2 miles away.
Comparing caterers
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- Space, access and power needs
- A clear list of what’s included
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
What we need at the venue
Safety and good cooking both depend on the spot we use. We look for:
- Parking close enough to carry equipment
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
- Open air or a well-ventilated covered spot
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise before booking.
Menu ideas
- Paella Valenciana
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
- Seafood paella
- Vegetable paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan 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