Kent · England
Live paella catering in Heart's Delight, Kent
From the first sizzle in the pan to the last crispy spoonful, live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event turns food into part of your event in Heart's Delight.
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Christenings and family gatherings
- Birthday celebrations
Live paella catering in Heart's Delight
Paella catering for your event in Heart's Delight
There’s something generous about paella: huge pans, saffron colour and a toasted crust that everyone fights over. It turns a meal into an occasion. We’re often asked to cater retirement celebrations and engagement and anniversary parties, with black rice, paella Valenciana and vegetable paella.
In a rural place like Heart's Delight, 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. Everything is cooked from scratch at your event, not reheated.
Heart's Delight questions
Can you cook in Cromers Wood?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, typically the council. Check with them, and we’ll provide our paperwork.
Can you cook at venues in the Kent Downs National Landscape?
Yes, though some venues in protected landscapes have extra rules; ask your venue. We’ll work to whatever the site needs.
Can you cook indoors?
Mostly outside or under an open cover, since the burners are gas. We will check whether your venue has a suitable space.
How do you work out quantities?
We size the pans for your numbers and the rest of the menu. Tell us what else is being served. Our guide to portions explains more.
Is the paella gluten-free?
We can, if you tell us in advance. The rice is gluten-free, but stocks and chorizo can contain gluten, so we cook a gluten-free paella separately.
How much is live paella catering?
The price depends on numbers, menu, courses, staff and travel. Send us the details for a quote.
What if the weather’s bad?
Rain does not stop us, as long as there is a ventilated cover. We will make a plan B with you.
What do you need at the venue?
Less than you might think: a level spot clear of fences, hedges and branches, with room for a serving table. Send us a photo if you’re not sure.
Places near Heart's Delight
Also in Heart's Delight
How the day works
The paella is cooked in huge, shallow pans over gas burners. It needs a level spot with some shelter and good ventilation, and we agree where that is before the day. In Heart's Delight, the sun sets at about 9:15pm in late June and about 7:00pm in late September, so summer evening events are generally served in daylight. For winter events, when it’s dark by about 3:50pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- Get in touch with the basics: when, where and how many.
- We come back with paellas to suit your guests, plus any extras.
- Closer to the day, we confirm timings and the cooking spot.
- On the day we cook live, timed around your event.
- We serve, then leave our area tidy.
Getting ready for the day
- Give us a contact for the day
- Have a gazebo or cover ready if rain is likely
- Choose a level spot for the cooking area
Get a quote
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, plus any dietary needs, and we’ll reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. To get started, use our quote form.
Related guides
Why live cooking beats a buffet
For something a little different, live paella brings colour, aroma and a touch of Spain. Cost depends on guest numbers, the menu and the courses, along with staff, extras and travel. We quote for each event individually.
Why book with us
- Separate pans for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
- Paella cooked from scratch on site
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
A closer look at the menu
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: peppers, artichokes and beans with saffron, cooked in its own pan.
Working with your venue
If you’re booking for a business, tell us how you’d like to handle the booking and payment, and we’ll explain how it works. We can work with your facilities team on access and timings.
Planning an event for a club, school or charity in Heart's Delight? Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets. Give us the details and we’ll suggest a plan.
Catering an event in Heart's Delight
Heart's Delight is about 1 mile south-west of Sittingbourne, in Kent. Across the ME10 area, we can cook for your guests. Heart's Delight is one of 922 towns and villages in Kent where we cook. You can also see our page for Canterbury, about 16 miles away.
If you are organising a summer fair for a school like Minterne Community Junior School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. If you are 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. Heart's Delight is within about 6 miles of the Kent Downs National Landscape, 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.
We cater events across the ME10 and ME9 postcode area and the streets around it. Whether your event is on The Street, Borden Lane and Coppins Lane or a nearby road, we can cook there. If your venue is just outside Heart's Delight, we also cover Borden (1 mile north-west), Tunstall (1 mile south-east), Sittingbourne (1 mile north-east), Highsted (2 miles south-east) and Rodmersham Green (2 miles south-east). Further out, we also cater in Maidstone (9 miles south-west), Ashford (15 miles south-east), Whitstable (14 miles east), Faversham (8 miles east), Minster (7 miles north-east) and Kings Hill (14 miles west).
Nearby you’ll also find Sittingbourne Heritage Museum (1.5 miles north-east) and Sittingbourne and Milton Urban District (1.7 miles north-east).
- Local schools include Westlands School (0.9 miles north)
Events we cater in Heart's Delight
People book live paella because it is food and entertainment at once. The pans become a focal point, and the food is hot and generous.
Almost any gathering can work with live paella. In Heart's Delight, people book us for events such as:
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
- Milestone birthday parties
- Family celebrations and christenings
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Sittingbourne station, about 1.4 miles north-east.
What your quote should include
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- How long the team stays
- If the price includes VAT
- The deadline for final numbers
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. We take care of all of it.
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 affects the price in Heart's Delight
Here’s what makes the biggest difference to the price:
- The length of service
- Guest numbers
- Travel, parking and access
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
Live paella pricing depends on the event. A simple paella lunch costs less than a wedding with canapés, three paellas and waiting staff. Your quote spells it all out.
Details that help
To speed things up, tell us:
- Whether the venue has crockery or staff
- The courses you’d like
- A photo of the space, if you can
- The venue or postcode
The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote: the venue, the timings, the courses you’d like and any extras. When you are ready, use our quote form.
What we need at the venue
We will agree the cooking spot with you before the day. A good spot ticks these boxes:
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
- Space well away from trees, fences and gazebo walls
- Somewhere close to park and unload
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise before you book.
Menu ideas
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Seafood paella
- Mixed paella
- Vegan paella
- Vegetable 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