Kent · England
Live paella catering in Hook Green, Kent
Hot, generous and cooked in front of everyone: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Hook Green and the surrounding area.
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Naming days and family parties
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
Planning an event in Hook Green?
Paella catering in Hook Green, cooked live
Everything is cooked from scratch on site, starting with a slow sofrito of onion, garlic, peppers and tomato, then the stock, saffron and rice. We cook mixed paella, black rice and chicken and chorizo paella, and typical bookings are for weddings, from canapés to evening food and milestone birthday parties.
In a small place like Hook Green, events are usually in a garden, a field or a nearby hall. Tell us about narrow lanes or long drives and we’ll plan for them, and a firm spot near where we park makes set-up easier. The paella is served straight from the pan, so every plate is hot, and service is quick once it’s ready.
What happens on the day
We arrive in good time before you want to eat, unload, set up the burners and prepare the stock. Your guests are welcome to watch while it cooks. Around midsummer it stays light in Hook Green until about 9:20pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:00pm, 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.
- Send us your date, numbers and venue.
- We plan the menu with you, including every diet.
- We arrive early to set up the burners and pans.
- The sofrito, stock and rice go in, and guests gather to watch.
- We serve hot from the pan and clear our cooking area.
How to prepare
- Name one person we can ask on the day
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
- Confirm the venue is happy with live cooking
Getting a price
We quote for each event separately, so you only pay for what you need. For a quote, send us your details through our quote form.
Related guides
Why choose paella catering in Hook Green?
Paella is quick to serve and suits mixed diets, which is why it works for so many occasions. It also gives guests something to watch and talk about.
Almost any gathering can work with live paella. People in Hook Green book us for events such as:
- Naming days and family parties
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Summer garden parties
- Engagement and anniversary parties
If you’re organising a summer fair for a school like Sedley's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
What your quote should include
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- Who provides the crockery
- How each diet is kept separate
- When payment is due
Nearby places to Hook Green
What else we do in Hook Green
About the dishes
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.
Black rice
Arroz negro is coloured and flavoured with squid ink, traditionally with alioli. It’s a striking addition to a seafood menu.
For event organisers in Hook Green
For big numbers, we plan pans and serving points to keep queues short, so everyone eats promptly. Tell us how long you have for food.
If you’re organising for someone else, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we will work directly with you and the venue. It saves passing messages back and forth.
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, have hot stock ready, and don’t stir once the rice goes in. And keep children and pets well away from the burner.
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. 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.
What we need at the venue
No two venues are the same, so we’ll ask about yours before we confirm. In general, we need:
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
- A level, firm spot for the burners and pans
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you honestly before you book.
Menu ideas
- Vegan paella
- Seafood paella
- Vegetable paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
Prices and what affects them
The same guest numbers can mean different prices, depending on:
- Whether you need crockery
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- How many staff you need
- Distance and access to the venue
Access and travel can make a difference to the cost, so it helps to tell us about your venue. Everything is confirmed in writing.
What to tell us
When you contact us, it helps to tell us:
- Anything your venue supplies
- Where the event is
- Diets and allergies you know about
- The date and rough timings
A detailed enquiry gets a more accurate quote: the venue, the timings, the courses you’d like and any extras. When you are ready, fill in our quote form.
Hook Green: venues, travel and local tips
Hook Green is about 2 miles south-west of Northfleet, in Kent. For an event in Hook Green, we cater in back gardens, halls with outdoor space, barns, marquees and offices in and around Hook Green. Hook Green is one of 922 towns and villages in Kent where we cook. You can also see our page for London, about 19 miles away.
Parks such as Longfield Chalk Bank generally need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there. If you are celebrating after a service at a church like Church of St Nicholas, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. Hook Green is within about 8 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 DA13 is planned around your venue. Streets in the area include Fred Mead, Barker Fields and Lambert Mews, and we can cook for an event on any of them. For events just outside Hook Green, we cover Southfleet (1 mile north-east), Betsham (1 mile north-west), Northfleet Green (1 mile east), Painters Ash (1 mile north-east) and Springhead (1 mile north). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (14 miles south-east), Dartford (5 miles north-west), Sevenoaks (11 miles south-west), Gravesend (3 miles north-east), Tonbridge (15 miles south) and Swanley (6 miles west).
Other landmarks nearby include Bluewater (2.8 miles north-west) and Darent Valley Hospital (3 miles north-west). Open spaces near Hook Green include Sawyers Lake.
- Local schools include Longfield Academy (1.1 miles south-west)
- Local pubs include Black Lion pub (less than half a mile north-east)
FAQs for Hook Green
Do you cater in the Kent Downs National Landscape?
Yes, though some venues in protected landscapes have extra rules; ask your venue. We will follow the site rules.
Could we have live paella in Longfield Chalk Bank?
Only if the landowner, generally the council, allows it. Check with them, and we’ll provide our paperwork.
Do you have a kids’ option?
Yes. A simple chicken paella is generally popular with children. Tell us how many are coming.
Do you do desserts?
Yes, Spanish desserts can be added. Tell us what you have in mind in your enquiry.
What equipment do you bring?
All cooking kit comes with us. Let us know what your venue has, like tables or crockery.
Can you cook in the rain?
A covered, ventilated spot keeps us cooking in the rain. We’ll make a plan B with you.
Should we have more than one paella?
Two or three is usual: a meat or mixed paella, a seafood paella and a vegetable or vegan one. We will help you decide the split.
Do you cater for vegetarian guests?
Yes. We cook vegetarian and vegan paellas in their own pans.
Why choose live paella in Hook Green?
Food trucks and street-food vans serve one portion at a time. A paella pan serves many portions quickly, so everyone can eat at the same time. Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are optional extras, so you can choose exactly what you need.
Why book with us
- We cover Hook Green and the whole of Kent
- Drinks service on request
- Every diet catered for, pan by pan
- Cooking your guests will gather round to watch
- 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