Kent · England
Paella Catering in Hockenden
Cooked live, served hot and made to share: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Hockenden and the surrounding area.
- Weddings and evening receptions
- Milestone birthday parties
- Festivals, fairs and school events
Planning an event in Hockenden?
Paella catering for your event in Hockenden
Paella is generous food: huge pans, saffron colour and a toasted crust that everyone fights over. It makes the food an event in itself. Typical bookings include big birthdays and anniversaries and engagement parties, serving seafood paella, black rice and paella Valenciana.
Somewhere like Hockenden, a field or garden is often the perfect setting. Gates, verges and soft ground are worth mentioning when you enquire. We plan the timings around your day, whether that’s speeches, a lunch break or a festival schedule.
What paella catering costs
Every event is priced individually, based on a few main things:
- How many courses
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
- The paellas you choose
- Guest numbers
If you have a budget in mind, tell us, and we will put together a menu that fits. Even a simple menu can be a feast.
Getting an accurate quote
To check availability and price, we need:
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- A picture of the space, if you can
- The venue or postcode
- The courses you’d like
Every quote is put together for your event. Tell us your date and guest numbers, and we’ll confirm whether we are available that day.
Catering an event in Hockenden
Hockenden is about 2 miles north-east of Orpington, in Kent. We cater events at homes, gardens and venues in Hockenden. We cook in 922 places across Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. Our nearest city page is London, about 13 miles away.
If you’re celebrating after a service at a church like St Mary the Virgin, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. Parks such as Foots Cray Meadows generally need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there. Hockenden is within about 5 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.
Paella catering in BR8 is planned around your venue and your guests. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Upper Ruxley (1 mile north-west), Stonehill Green (1 mile north-east), Ruxley (1 mile north-west), Puddledock (2 miles north-east) and Hextable (2 miles north-east). We also cook in nearby towns such as Dartford (4 miles north-east), Sevenoaks (8 miles south), Gravesend (10 miles east), Tonbridge (15 miles south), Northfleet (9 miles east) and Kings Hill (14 miles south-east).
Other landmarks nearby include London Borough of Bromley Museum (2.6 miles south-west) and Eynsford Castle (3.4 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include The Warren and Summer Hill.
- Local schools include Orchards Academy (0.9 miles south-east)
The menu, dish by dish
Black rice
Squid ink rice is bold and savoury, and is popular with adventurous guests.
Vegetable and vegan paella
The vegetable pan is a dish in its own right: peppers, artichokes and beans with saffron.
Places near Hockenden
What else we do in Hockenden
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
Plenty of people try cooking paella for their own party. 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.
Cooking paella for a crowd yourself is possible, but it’s harder than it looks. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right at scale is tricky. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
Organising for someone else?
Planning an event for a club, school or charity in Hockenden? Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets. Tell us about the event and we’ll suggest a menu.
If you run the same event each year, tell us your dates early, so we can plan ahead.
Perfect for your event in Hockenden
There’s no kitchen needed, so it works in gardens, fields and marquees where plated meals are hard.
These are some of the occasions we cater:
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
- Garden get-togethers
- Retirement and leaving parties
- Milestone birthday parties
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Swanley station, about 1 mile south-east.
Before booking anyone
- Travel and parking costs
- VAT, if it applies
- How long the team stays
- What the caterer needs from your venue
How it works
From set-up to serving, we look after the food, so you are free to enjoy your event. If you’ve chosen tapas or canapés, they go out first as the rice is cooking. Evenings in Hockenden stay light until about 9:20pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:05pm; once it’s dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- We start with a few details about your event.
- We suggest paellas and extras and send a clear quote.
- We agree timings, access and the cooking spot.
- On the day, we set up and cook in front of your guests.
- It’s served straight from the pan, and we clear our area afterwards.
Preparing for the day
- Tell us where to park and unload
- Tell us when you want to eat
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
Get a quote
The quickest way to a quote is to fill in our quote form. Give us the details of your event, and we’ll put together a menu and price.
Related guides
What we need at the venue
Most outdoor spaces and many venues work for live paella, but there are a few things to check:
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
- A level, firm spot for the burners and pans
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise before booking.
On the menu in Hockenden
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan paella
- Mixed paella
- Vegetable paella
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Paella Valenciana
Dietary needs and planning tips
With a little notice, every diet is easy. We suggest:
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Ask for labels on each pan
- Pick a mix of paellas to cover every diet
- Let us know about other food at the event
The rice takes about 20 minutes once it goes in, so we start it at the right moment for your event. If timings shift, we adapt.
Sangria and bar staff can be added to serve drinks you provide.
Hockenden questions
Can you cater a reception after a service at St Mary the Virgin?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is usually elsewhere. Send us the reception address.
Is Hockenden too small for live paella?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Let us know about access and parking.
Do you cater in Hockenden?
Yes. We cover London and the South East, including Hockenden. For a quote, fill in our quote form.
What space do you need to cook?
Level ground for the burners, pans and a table, in the open air or a ventilated covered area, and the venue’s permission for live cooking.
What areas do you cover?
We cater across London and the South East, Kent included. See all areas.
Do you cater for coeliacs?
Yes, on request. Rice is naturally gluten-free, but stock and some ingredients may not be, so we cook a gluten-free paella separately.
What is live paella catering?
We bring everything needed to cook on site, cook while everyone watches, and serve when you are ready to eat.
Is live paella good for a large crowd?
It’s ideal. Big pans feed plenty of people, and service from the pan is quick.
- 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