Medway · England
Live paella catering in Hoo St Werburgh, Medway
Something for every guest: separate pans for meat, seafood and vegetarian or vegan guests. Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Hoo St Werburgh.
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Anniversary celebrations
- Christenings and family gatherings
Paella catering in Hoo St Werburgh
Hoo St Werburgh: your questions answered
We are having a ceremony at Church of St Werburgh: can you cater afterwards?
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.
How far is Hoo St Werburgh from London?
Roughly 29 miles from the centre of London.
Do you clear up afterwards?
We clear our cooking area away when service is finished. Clearing guests’ plates and tables can be added with waiting staff.
When should we book?
Early, particularly for summer Saturdays. Even if it is short notice, it’s worth asking.
Can we choose the seafood?
We’ll suggest seafood to suit your menu and budget. Premium shellfish can be added.
Can you cook in the rain?
Rain doesn’t stop us, as long as there’s a ventilated cover. We’ll talk it through before the day.
Do you cater for young children?
Of course. A simple chicken paella is usually popular with children. Include children in your numbers.
Can you serve tapas as well?
Yes. Canapé tapas with the drinks, or table tapas to share, while the rice is cooking.
Paella catering in Hoo St Werburgh, cooked live
A single cooking set-up can feed a crowd, there is very little waste, and the food is served hot. It’s why live paella suits so many kinds of event. We cook chicken and chorizo paella, seafood paella and vegan paella, and we are regularly asked to cater retirement and leaving parties and community events and fairs.
In and around Hoo St Werburgh, gardens and local halls are common choices. If the road in is narrow, tell us so we can plan the van. Timings are planned around your event, so the paella is ready when you want to eat.
Dietary needs and planning tips
Nearly every event has some special diets. To cater well for them:
- Ask about diets and allergies on your invitation or RSVP
- Choose two or three paellas so every guest has a choice
- Request clear labels at the serving table
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
Paella is at its best straight from the pan, so we plan service for when guests are ready to eat.
Need plates or staff? We can provide them.
Why choose paella catering in Hoo St Werburgh?
It’s ideal for relaxed, sociable occasions, where guests can mingle while it cooks before sitting down to eat.
Whatever the occasion, paella can be the star of the food. We regularly cater:
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Birthday celebrations
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
Historic houses near Hoo St Werburgh include Restoration House (3.6 miles south-west) and Temple Manor (4 miles south-west). Historic venues frequently limit cooking, so ask early if you’re booking one.
Before you book anyone
- Space, access and power needs
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- Payment terms and deposit
- Whether VAT is included
What happens on the day
The cooking is part of the entertainment. Onion, garlic, peppers and tomato go in first, then the stock and saffron, then the rice, which cooks without stirring while your guests chat. Around midsummer it stays light in Hoo St Werburgh until about 9:20pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:00pm, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. In December it is dark by about 3:50pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- It starts with your date, venue, numbers and any dietary needs.
- We put together a menu and a clear quote.
- On the day we arrive in good time, set up and start the stock.
- Your guests watch the paella cook, with any tapas served first.
- We serve from the pan, then clear our cooking area away.
Before we arrive
- Keep the cooking spot clear of fences, hedges and branches
- Check the venue allows live cooking
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
Getting a price
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, plus any dietary needs, and you’ll get a menu idea and a price. To get started, send us your details through our quote form.
Related guides
Prices and what affects them
Every event is priced individually, based on a few main things:
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
- Distance and access to the venue
- The paellas you choose
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
Got a budget? Let us know, and we will suggest a menu to match. Even a simple menu can be a feast.
Getting an accurate quote
We can quote more accurately with a few details. Here’s what to include:
- The date and rough timings
- The venue or postcode
- Anything your venue supplies
- Diets and allergies you know about
Every event is quoted individually, so you only pay for what you need. For a quote, fill in our quote form.
Hoo St Werburgh: venues, travel and local tips
Hoo St Werburgh is about 4 miles north-east of Rochester, in Medway. Wherever your event is in the ME3 area, we will come to your venue or garden. Hoo St Werburgh is one of 68 towns and villages in Medway we cover. You can also see our page for Canterbury, about 25 miles away.
For guests coming by train, Gillingham (Kent) station is about 2.7 miles away. If you’re celebrating after a service at a church like Church of St Werburgh, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well.
Here we cover the ME3 postcode area, and we can cater your event anywhere in it. Streets in the area include Walters Road, St Johns Road and Bell's Lane, and we can cook for an event on any of them. Close by, we cover events in Chattenden (1 mile west), Sharnal Street (1 mile north-east), Lower Upnor (2 miles south-west), Kingsnorth (2 miles east) and Tunbridge Hill (2 miles north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Gillingham (4 miles south), Chatham (5 miles south), Rochester (4 miles south-west), Rainham (5 miles south-east), Strood (4 miles south-west) and Luton (4 miles south). Hoo St Werburgh is among the bigger towns we cover in Medway, with plenty of venues for events.
Other landmarks nearby include Upnor Castle (1.9 miles south-west) and Huguenot Museum (3.5 miles south-west). Open spaces near Hoo St Werburgh include Bishop Saltings and Gad's Hill.
- Local schools include The Hundred of Hoo Academy (0.5 miles south-west)
- Local pubs include The Chequer's Public House (0.5 miles south)
Also near Hoo St Werburgh
Also in Hoo St Werburgh
For event organisers in Hoo St Werburgh
If you are organising for someone else, whether you are a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we will work directly with you and the venue. It keeps things simple.
Booking for a company? Tell us what your finance team needs, and we will talk you through the process. We’re happy to liaise with facilities on access and timings.
Where we can cook in Hoo St Werburgh
Every venue is different, so we ask about the space when you get in touch. Generally, we look for:
- Space well away from trees, fences and gazebo walls
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
- Parking close enough to carry equipment
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise.
Menu ideas
- Vegan paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
- Vegetable paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Seafood paella
The menu, dish by dish
Seafood paella
Seafood paella starts with a good fish and shellfish stock. The shellfish is added late so it stays tender.
Vegetable and vegan paella
The vegetable pan is a dish in its own right: peppers, artichokes and beans with saffron, cooked in its own pan.
Should I cook it myself?
Hiring a pan and burner is one option, but there’s shopping, prep and hours of cooking. We take care of all of it.
Not sure whether to cook yourself or book a caterer? Think about numbers, diets and how much you want to enjoy the day. Ask us for a quote and compare.
- 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