Kent · England
Paella Catering in Lashenden
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 for events in Lashenden.
- Big birthdays
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
Book paella catering in Lashenden
What we need at the venue
Most outdoor spaces and many venues work for live paella, but a few things matter:
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
- A level, firm spot for the burners and pans
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
If you are unsure, send a photo of the space and we’ll say what we think.
Popular choices
- Vegan paella
- Seafood paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
- Vegetable paella
Paella catering in Lashenden, cooked live
One cooking area feeds plenty of people, there’s very little waste, and the food arrives hot. It is why live paella suits so many kinds of event. We are frequently asked to cater family celebrations and christenings and festivals, fairs and school events, with vegan paella, seafood paella and mixed paella.
In a small place like Lashenden, events are generally 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. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in a separate pan and clearly labelled.
Who books paella catering in Lashenden?
Paella is quick to serve and suits mixed diets, so it suits all kinds of occasions. It gives people something to gather round, too.
Live paella suits almost any gathering. People in Lashenden book us for events such as:
- Naming days and family parties
- Anniversary celebrations
- Weddings and evening receptions
- Big birthdays
For guests coming by train, Headcorn station is about 1.8 miles away.
What your quote should include
- The deposit and payment dates
- How each diet is kept separate
- Travel and parking costs
- How bad weather is handled
Towns and villages near Lashenden
What else we do in Lashenden
What’s in the pans
Seafood paella
A rich seafood stock with prawns, mussels and squid, cooked until the rice is golden. It is the pan people photograph.
Paella Valenciana
Paella Valenciana is the original: chicken, beans and saffron, not seafood. It is a favourite with guests who do not eat fish.
Diets, allergies and planning
We take diets and allergies seriously. Here’s how you can help:
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
- Make sure each pan is labelled
- Put allergy details in writing
- Collect dietary needs with your RSVPs
Paella is at its best straight from the pan, so we plan service for when guests are ready to eat.
Bread, salad and lemon go well alongside and suit guests who are not big rice eaters.
DIY paella versus live catering
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 will do the cooking.
Hiring a pan and burner is one option, but there is shopping, prep and hours of cooking. A caterer handles all of that.
Paella catering around Lashenden
Lashenden is about 10 miles west of Ashford, in Kent. For an event in Lashenden, we can cook in gardens, marquees, barns, courtyards and offices. We cook in all 922 towns and villages across Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. We cook right across the region, from Lashenden to Canterbury (21 miles away).
The High Weald National Landscape is within about 6 miles of Lashenden, 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.
Here we cover the TN27 postcode area, and we can cater your event anywhere in it. Streets in the area include Bell Lane and Frittenden Road, and we can cook for an event on any of them. For events just outside Lashenden, we cover Standen (1 mile south-east), Curteis' Corner (1 mile south), Monk's Hill (1 mile east), Hareplain (2 miles south-west) and Smarden Bell (2 miles north-east). Further out, we also cater in Maidstone (10 miles north-west), Ashford (10 miles east), Sittingbourne (15 miles north), Kings Hill (14 miles north-west), Foley Park (11 miles north-west) and Paddock Wood (11 miles west).
A little further out are Kent Firefighting Museum (1.2 miles west) and Romden Castle (2.9 miles east).
Organising for someone else?
Planning an event for a club, school or charity in Lashenden? Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets. Tell us about the event and we’ll suggest a menu.
For repeat events, such as annual staff parties or seasonal fairs, let us know your dates early, so we can hold the date.
Step by step
When we arrive, we set up the burners and pans and start cooking the sofrito and stock. Once the rice goes in, it takes about 20 minutes, so we time everything to your schedule. Around midsummer it stays light in Lashenden until about 9:15pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:00pm, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. For winter events, when it is dark by about 3:50pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- First, tell us about your event.
- You get a menu and an itemised quote.
- Timings, access and the cooking area are agreed in advance.
- We cook live on the day while guests watch.
- It’s served straight from the pan, and we clear our area afterwards.
How to prepare
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
- Give us your final numbers and diets
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
Ask for a quote
The quickest way to a quote is to fill in our quote form. Give us the details of your event, and we will put together a menu and price.
Related guides
Lashenden: your questions answered
Can you cook at venues in the High Weald National Landscape?
Yes. Some venues there have rules about vehicles, ground and cooking, so check with yours. We will work to whatever the site needs.
Do you come out to small places like Lashenden?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
Can you do gluten-free paella?
We can cook a gluten-free paella in its own pan. Let us know about coeliac guests in advance so we can plan it carefully.
Do you bring everything you need?
All cooking kit comes with us. Let us know what your venue has, like tables or crockery.
How many paellas should we have?
Most events have two or three: a meat or mixed paella, a seafood paella and a vegetable or vegan one. We’ll suggest a split based on your guests.
Do you cook inside?
Only in a suitable, well-ventilated area with the venue’s permission. Most events have us cooking outside or in a doorway or courtyard.
How soon do we need to book?
The sooner the better. Peak dates go quickly, so it pays to ask early.
Do you cater for vegetarian guests?
Yes. We cook vegetarian and vegan paellas in their own pans.
Live paella or other catering?
Plated meals need a kitchen and a bigger team. Live paella needs only a level, ventilated spot and permission to cook, and it is entertaining too. The cost per head typically falls as numbers rise, because the cooking set-up is similar for different sizes of event. Give us your numbers and we will quote.
Why us?
- Add tapas, canapés and Spanish desserts
- Options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in its own pan
- Served hot, straight from the pan
- No hidden extras in your quote
See Our pricing And What paella catering costs.
- 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