Kent · England
Paella Catering in Hollingbourne
Love Paella cooks live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event across Hollingbourne and Kent, with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options.
- Retirement and leaving parties
- Family celebrations and christenings
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
Book paella catering in Hollingbourne
Paella catering in Hollingbourne, cooked live
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. Whether it’s company summer parties and leaving dos and retirements, we can cook vegan paella, chicken and chorizo paella and vegetable paella.
In a small place like Hollingbourne, events are normally in a garden, a field or a nearby hall. Country lanes and long drives are no problem if we know about them, and a firm spot near where we park makes set-up easier. We bring everything we need to cook, and pack down our cooking area when service is finished.
Events we cater in Hollingbourne
It suits relaxed, sociable events, with guests mingling as it cooks and then sit down to share.
We are booked for all kinds of occasions in Hollingbourne and nearby. Some of the most common are:
- Naming days and family parties
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Milestone birthday parties
- Weddings and evening receptions
For a christening or wedding at a church such as All Saints Church, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone.
Comparing caterers
- How each diet is kept separate
- Any travel, parking or access charges
- Staff numbers and hours
- Exactly what’s included in the price
Live paella or other catering?
Next to a hog roast or barbecue, live paella is easier for vegetarian, vegan and halal guests, thanks to separate pans. Service from the pan keeps queues moving. Cost depends on guest numbers, the menu and the courses, plus any staff, crockery and travel. Every event gets its own quote.
What you get with us
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
Take a look at Our pricing Or Our guide to catering costs.
What affects the price in Hollingbourne
These are the factors that matter most:
- The number of people
- How long we are needed on site
- Whether you need crockery
- Parking and unloading
Compared with a plated meal, live paella is frequently good value, as there is no kitchen to hire and fewer staff to pay. We will send you a quote.
Details that help
To speed things up, tell us:
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
- A picture of the space, if you can
- Which courses you have in mind
- What the venue already provides
Still deciding on the menu? No problem: tell us about the occasion and the guests, and we will suggest a menu. Start when you’re ready: send us your details through our quote form.
Hollingbourne questions
Is Hollingbourne too small for live paella?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
Can you cater a reception after a service at All Saints Church?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Live cooking generally happens at the reception venue, not the church. Tell us where the reception will be.
Do you have a kids’ option?
Of course. A simple chicken paella is generally popular with children. Include children in your numbers.
Can you feed plenty of people?
Yes, that’s what it’s made for. We size pans and serving points to your guest list.
What about pudding?
We do. Churros, crema catalana and tarta de Santiago are popular choices, or you can serve your own cake.
How does live paella catering work?
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.
Do you provide drinks?
Sangria, yes. For other drinks, we can provide bar staff to serve what you buy.
Is paella a full meal?
It’s a full meal on its own. Tapas and desserts can be added if you like.
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
Cooking paella for a crowd yourself is possible, but it’s harder than it looks. A big pan needs a burner that heats it evenly, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
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.
Towns and villages near Hollingbourne
Other catering in Hollingbourne
Where we can cook in Hollingbourne
Every venue is different, so we’ll ask about yours when you get in touch. In general, we need:
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- Flat, firm ground for the cooking area
Not sure about your space? Send us a picture and we will tell you honestly.
What we offer
- Mixed paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Paella Valenciana
- Seafood paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegetable paella
- Vegan paella
Planning for every diet
Paella is one of the easiest dishes for mixed diets, because every paella has its own pan. Here are a few tips for planning:
- Let us know about other food at the event
- Choose two or three paellas so every guest has a choice
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Give us separate numbers for children
You shouldn’t have to worry about the food on the day. We arrive in good time, set up, cook and serve, and keep in touch with you or your venue about timings.
Bread, salad and lemon go well alongside.
A closer look at the menu
Vegetable and vegan paella
A slow sofrito, seasonal vegetables and a good vegetable stock make a paella that stands on its own. For vegans, the stock is plant-based.
Mixed paella
Chicken and seafood together.
Step by step
We arrive in good time before you want to eat, unload, set up the burners and prepare the stock. Guests typically gather round to watch as the paella takes shape. Planning an evening event in Hollingbourne? Sunset is around 8:50pm in late May, 9:15pm at midsummer and 7:00pm in late September; once it’s dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- 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.
Preparing for the day
- Check the venue allows live cooking
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
- Make sure we can park close by to unload
Ask for a quote
Each quote is tailored to your event. Tell us your date and guest numbers, and we will check availability at the same time.
Related guides
Planning live paella in Hollingbourne
Hollingbourne is about 5 miles east of Maidstone, in Kent. Give us the address of your event in Hollingbourne, and we will plan the journey and set-up. Hollingbourne is one of 922 towns and villages in Kent we cover. We cook right across the region, from Hollingbourne to Canterbury (19 miles away).
Nearby historic houses include Leeds Castle (1.3 miles south-west) and Stoneacre (3 miles west). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early. If you are organising a summer fair for a school like Hollingbourne Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. Hollingbourne is within about a mile of the Kent Downs National Landscape, a lovely setting for an outdoor event. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
Wherever your event is in ME17, we can bring paella catering to you, from busy streets to quiet lanes. Local streets include Upper Street, Pilgrims Way and Hollingbourne Hill; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. Nearby, we also cater events in Eyhorne Street (1 mile south-west), Broad Street (1 mile north-west), Chegworth (2 miles south), Ashbank (2 miles south-west) and Broomfield (2 miles south). Further out, we also cater in Maidstone (5 miles west), Ashford (13 miles south-east), Sittingbourne (7 miles north-east), Faversham (11 miles east), Minster (13 miles north-east) and Kings Hill (10 miles west).
A little further out are Laundry Museum (0.9 miles south-west) and Leeds Castle (1.3 miles south-west). Not far away are Detling Hill.
- Pubs nearby include Glyder House Sugar Loaves Public House (0.7 miles south-west)
- 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