Kent · England
Paella Catering for Lower Hardres events
Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Lower Hardres: paella cooked from scratch in giant pans, in full view of your guests, with tapas, desserts and drinks if you want them.
- Retirement and leaving parties
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
- Garden get-togethers
Live paella catering in Lower Hardres
About our paella catering in Lower Hardres
Live paella catering means we bring the pans, burners and fresh ingredients to your event and cook in front of your guests. When it’s ready, it’s served straight from the pan. Typical bookings include festivals, fairs and school events and engagement and anniversary parties, with seafood paella, black rice and paella Valenciana.
Somewhere like Lower Hardres, a field or garden is often the perfect setting. Gates, verges and soft ground are worth mentioning when you enquire. Your quote spells out exactly what’s included: the menu, the staff and any extras, with no surprises on the day.
Planning for every diet
Nearly every event has some special diets. To cater well for them:
- Collect dietary needs with your RSVPs
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
- Confirm allergies by email
- Tell us how many children are coming
Paella is at its best straight from the pan, so we serve when guests are ready.
Spanish desserts such as churros or crema catalana finish the meal, or serve your own cake.
How we price paella catering
Two events with the same number of guests can cost different amounts, depending on:
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- Timings and hours
- Whether you need crockery
- How many guests are eating
Comparing caterers? Look at what each quote includes: staff, crockery, bread and salads, travel and VAT. We itemise ours.
What to tell us
For a quote, it helps to have:
- The courses you’d like
- A picture of the space, if you can
- Where the event is
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
We quote for each event separately, so you only pay for what you need. To ask for one, use our quote form.
Questions from Lower Hardres
Do you come out to small places like Lower Hardres?
No, we cook in small places too. Let us know about access and parking.
Do you cater in the Kent Downs National Landscape?
Yes. Some venues there have rules about vehicles, ground and cooking, so check with yours. We will follow the site rules.
Is halal food available?
We can. Let us know your halal numbers, and we will cook a separate pan.
Is it really cooked live?
It is. We bring the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook on the day, then serve straight from the pan.
Is paella enough as a main?
It is a full meal on its own. Many hosts add tapas first or dessert after.
Can you cater for children?
Children are welcome. Let us know numbers and ages, and we will plan a pan with them in mind.
Can you bring crockery?
Yes, on request. Crockery, cutlery and napkins, or good-quality disposables are available.
Do you do vegan paella?
Yes, and they’re popular with everyone. Each is cooked separately, with its own stock and utensils.
Why choose paella catering in Lower Hardres?
It suits relaxed, sociable events, where guests can mingle while it cooks and then sit down to share.
Whatever the occasion, paella can be the star of the food. We regularly cater:
- Summer garden parties
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Christenings and family gatherings
- Office lunches and staff parties
For guests coming by train, Canterbury East station is about 2.7 miles away.
What to look for in a quote
- Whether VAT is included
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- The wet-weather plan
- A clear list of what’s included
Places near Lower Hardres
More for events in Lower Hardres
What’s in the pans
Paella Valenciana
The original paella from Valencia is a countryside dish of chicken and vegetables, not seafood. It is frequently the most popular pan at an event.
Black rice
Arroz negro is coloured and flavoured with squid ink, and is generally served with alioli. It makes a dramatic second seafood pan.
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
Hiring a pan and burner is one option, but you’ll still need to source ingredients, prep and cook for hours. We take care of all of it.
Weighing up DIY against a caterer? Consider your numbers, your guests’ diets and your own time. Ask us for a quote and compare.
Before you choose a spot
We will be honest if a space will not work. What matters most:
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
- Level ground for the pans and burners
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
If you’re unsure, send a photo of the space and we’ll say what we think.
Popular choices
- Vegan paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Seafood paella
- Mixed paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Vegetable paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
The process
When the rice goes in, it’s left alone. That’s how the grains cook evenly and the toasted base, the socarrat, forms. Your guests will smell it before they see it. Around midsummer it stays light in Lower Hardres until about 9:15pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:00pm, so summer evening events are normally served in daylight. For winter events, when it is dark by about 3:50pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- Get in touch with the basics: when, where and how many.
- Expect a menu idea and a clear, itemised price.
- A week or so before, we confirm the plan.
- On the day we cook live, timed around your event.
- We serve, then leave our area tidy.
Getting ready for the day
- Choose a level spot for the cooking area
- Keep the cooking spot clear of fences, hedges and branches
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
How to get a price
Most quotes start with a few simple details: date, location, guest numbers and diets. To send them, use our quote form.
Planning help
Why live cooking beats a buffet
Plated meals need a kitchen and a bigger team. Live paella needs a level, ventilated spot and the venue’s permission to cook, and it’s entertaining too. Travel, parking and access can affect the price, so it helps to tell us about your venue. Everything is confirmed in writing.
Why book with us
- We cover Lower Hardres and the whole of Kent
- Sangria and bar staff available
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
Read Our pricing And The cost guide.
Paella catering around Lower Hardres
Lower Hardres is about 3 miles south of Canterbury, in Kent. Anywhere in CT4, we can bring the pans to you. Lower Hardres is one of 922 places in Kent we cover.
If you are celebrating after a service at a church like Church of St Mary, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. If you’re organising a summer fair for a school like Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. The Kent Downs National Landscape is within about 6 miles of Lower Hardres. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
Here we cover the CT4 postcode area, so your event can be anywhere in it. Nearby, we also cater events in Street End (1 mile north), Pett Bottom (1 mile south-east), Nackington (1 mile north), Upper Hardres (1 mile south) and Petham (2 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include Ashford (11 miles south-west), Canterbury (3 miles north), Dover (12 miles south-east), Folkestone (11 miles south), Whitstable (8 miles north) and Deal (14 miles east).
A little further out are Kent and Canterbury Hospital (2.2 miles north) and Whitefriars Shopping Centre (2.9 miles north). Green spaces nearby include Blean Woods RSPB Reserve.
- Local pubs include The Duck pub (0.8 miles south-east)
- 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