Kent · England
Live paella catering in Lodge Lees, Kent
Planning paella catering in Lodge Lees? We bring the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook in front of your guests.
- Community events and fairs
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Naming days and family parties
Planning an event in Lodge Lees?
Paella catering for your event in Lodge Lees
You can keep it simple or build a full menu: paella on its own, or with canapés, table tapas, desserts and sangria. We will suggest what suits your event. Popular choices include mixed paella, paella Valenciana and vegetable paella, and we are frequently booked for milestone birthday parties and anniversaries and engagement parties.
In a rural place like Lodge Lees, the setting does a lot of the work: a paella cooking in a garden or field feels right at home. Let us know about access and ground conditions. The paella is served straight from the pan, so it is hot and generous, and a queue moves quickly.
Why live cooking beats a buffet
Next to a hog roast or barbecue, paella makes vegetarian, vegan and halal guests easier to cater for, because each paella has its own pan. Service from the pan keeps queues moving. The price depends on your guest numbers, the menu and how many courses you choose, along with staff, extras and travel. Every event gets its own quote.
Why choose Love Paella in Lodge Lees
- Catering across Kent, including Lodge Lees
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
- Everything cooked fresh at your event
- Real theatre, not just catering
Perfect for your event in Lodge Lees
People book live paella because it’s food and entertainment at once. The pans become a focal point, and the food is hot and generous.
We can help if you are planning any of the following:
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Leaving dos and retirements
- Summer garden parties
If you’re celebrating after a service at a church like Church of St Mary Magdalene, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well.
Comparing caterers
- Who provides the crockery
- If the price includes VAT
- Space, access and power needs
- Payment terms and deposit
Other catering in Lodge Lees
Dietary needs and planning tips
We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests. To get it right:
- Have seats for most of your guests
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
- Make sure each pan is labelled
- Give us separate numbers for children
Once the rice is in, it needs about 20 minutes, so we time it carefully. If timings shift, we adapt.
Crockery, cutlery and waiting staff are available if your venue doesn’t provide them.
Planning live paella in Lodge Lees
Lodge Lees is about 7 miles north-west of Dover, in Kent. For an event in Lodge Lees, we cater in back gardens, halls with outdoor space, barns, marquees and offices in and around Lodge Lees. We cover all 922 towns and villages in Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. Our nearest city page is Canterbury, about 7 miles away.
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Shepherds Well station, about 3 miles east. Thinking of a picnic-style party in Jumping Downs? Public parks typically need permission from the council or landowner for cooking, so check first. Lodge Lees is within about 3 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.
For paella catering in CT4, we plan around your venue and timings. Nearby, we also cater events in Denton (1 mile east), Breach (1 mile west), Wootton (1 mile south-east), Shelvin (1 mile east) and Selsted (2 miles south). Further out, we also cater in Ashford (13 miles west), Canterbury (7 miles north-west), Dover (7 miles south-east), Folkestone (7 miles south), Ramsgate (15 miles north-east) and Whitstable (13 miles north-west).
The countryside around Lodge Lees includes Cheriton Hill.
- Local pubs include The Jackdaw Inn (under half a mile south-east)
The menu, dish by dish
Black rice
Arroz negro is coloured and flavoured with squid ink, traditionally with alioli. It makes a dramatic second seafood pan.
Seafood paella
A rich seafood stock with prawns, mussels and squid, finished with lemon wedges. It is the pan people photograph.
For planners, venues and organisers
Hosting a party at home? Send us a photo of the garden and tell us about access, and we will let you know if live paella is a good fit.
Venues often have their own rules about outside caterers: where cooking is allowed, access times and the paperwork they need. Tell us what your venue needs and we will work to it.
What we need at the venue
We will agree the cooking spot with you before the day. It needs to meet a few simple requirements:
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise.
Menu ideas
- Vegan paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegetable paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Mixed paella
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
The process
Here’s how the day generally runs: we set up the pans and start the sofrito, the rice cooks in front of your guests, and we serve straight from the pan when you’re ready to eat. In Lodge Lees, the sun sets at about 9:15pm in late June and about 7:00pm in late September, so summer evening events are generally served in daylight. For winter events, when it is dark by about 3:50pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- First, you send us your date, venue, numbers and diets.
- We put together a menu and a clear quote.
- On the day, we set up the burners and pans and get the stock going.
- The paella cooks in front of your guests, with tapas first if you’ve chosen them.
- We serve it hot from the pan and clear our area when service ends.
Preparing for the day
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
- Choose a level spot for the cooking area
- Give us your final numbers and diets
How to get a price
Not sure what you need yet? No problem: give us the basics about your event, and we will make suggestions. Start when you’re ready: use our quote form.
Planning help
What paella catering costs
There are no hidden charges: the price is based on:
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- Distance and access to the venue
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
- Your choice of paellas
Live paella often compares well with a sit-down meal, because it needs no kitchen and fewer staff. We will send you a quote.
What to tell us
For a quote, it helps to have:
- Whether the venue has crockery or staff
- Any dietary needs and allergies
- Where the event is
- The date and time of the event
The quickest way to a quote is to use our quote form. Give us the details of your event, and we’ll put together a menu and price.
Lodge Lees questions
Can you cook in Jumping Downs?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, normally the council. Ask them first, and we will send any information they need.
How far is Lodge Lees from London?
About 58 miles from central London, and we cover it as standard.
Do you take everything away?
We take our equipment and leave the cooking area tidy. Table clearing is available with waiting staff.
How long do you need on site?
We arrive well before serving to set up and start the stock. Once the rice goes in, it takes about 20 minutes, and we time it to your schedule.
Is paella a full meal?
It’s a full meal on its own. Tapas and desserts can be added if you like.
Do you cater for vegetarian guests?
Yes, and meat eaters frequently go back for seconds. Each is cooked separately, with its own stock and utensils.
How does live paella catering work?
We cook from scratch at your venue in big pans, in front of your guests, and serve straight from the pan.
Is the paella gluten-free?
We can cook a gluten-free paella in its own pan. Tell us about any coeliac guests when you book so we can plan it carefully.
- 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