Kent · England
Paella Catering in Lower Hartlip
Hot, generous and cooked in front of everyone: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Lower Hartlip and the surrounding area.
- Retirement and leaving parties
- Big birthdays
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
Book paella catering in Lower Hartlip
How our paella catering works in Lower Hartlip
A couple of different pans covers everyone: meat, seafood and vegetarian or vegan paellas. Every pan is cooked on its own. Whether it’s milestone birthday parties and garden parties and summer barbecues, we will put together a menu of vegan paella, chicken and chorizo paella and mixed paella and more.
In a small place like Lower Hartlip, events are typically in a garden, a field or a nearby hall. Tell us about narrow lanes or long drives and we’ll plan for them, and cooking close to where we can park helps. You can add tapas, desserts, sangria, bar staff and waiting staff, so the whole menu comes from one caterer.
Occasions we cook for in Lower Hartlip
It suits relaxed, sociable events, where guests can mingle while it cooks and then sit down to share.
Live paella suits almost any gathering. In Lower Hartlip, people book us for events such as:
- Big birthdays
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Naming days and family parties
For guests coming by train, Newington station is about 1.1 miles away.
Questions to ask before booking
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
- Whether travel is included
- How late numbers can change
- When payment is due
Planning for every diet
Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included. To get it right:
- Mention any other courses or food
- Ask for labels on each pan
- Choose two or three paellas so every guest has a choice
- Tell us how many children are coming
Once everyone is fed, we clear our cooking area, quietly and quickly.
Crockery, cutlery and waiting staff are available if your venue doesn’t provide them.
Nearby places to Lower Hartlip
More for events in Lower Hartlip
How it works
The cooking is part of the entertainment. We start with the sofrito, add the stock and saffron, then spread the rice across the pan and leave it alone to cook. Around midsummer it stays light in Lower Hartlip until about 9:15pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:00pm, so summer evening events are usually served in daylight. For winter events, when it is dark by about 3:50pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- Start with the date, the place and the numbers.
- Expect a menu idea and a clear, itemised price.
- Closer to the day, we confirm timings and the cooking spot.
- On the day we cook live, timed around your event.
- Guests are served from the pan, and our area is cleared afterwards.
Before we arrive
- Choose a level spot for the cooking area
- Arrange parking near the cooking spot
- Tell us when you want to eat
Get a quote
The quickest way to a quote is to send us your details through our quote form. Tell us about your event in Lower Hartlip, and we’ll suggest paellas and extras to suit.
Related guides
Lower Hartlip: venues, travel and local tips
Lower Hartlip is about 3 miles south-east of Gillingham, in Kent. Give us the address of your event in Lower Hartlip, and we’ll plan the journey and set-up before the day. We cook in 922 places in Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. Our events stretch from Lower Hartlip to Canterbury (about 19 miles away).
Parks such as Foxburrow Wood usually need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there. For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St Michael, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone. The Kent Downs National Landscape is within about 6 miles of Lower Hartlip, and country venues and gardens there suit live paella perfectly. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
Anywhere in ME9, we can cook for your guests, from busy streets to quiet lanes. Local streets include Lower Hartlip Road, Grainey Field and Old House Lane; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. If your venue is just outside Lower Hartlip, we also cover Hartlip (1 mile west), Breach (1 mile north-east), Newington (1 mile east), Moor Street (1 mile north-west) and Meresborough (1 mile west). Within a short drive, we also cover Maidstone (8 miles south-west), Sittingbourne (4 miles east), Gravesend (13 miles north-west), Faversham (11 miles east), Northfleet (14 miles north-west) and Minster (8 miles north-east).
Well-known places in the area include Court Hall Museum (3.8 miles east) and Bayford Court (4.3 miles east). The countryside around Lower Hartlip includes Detling Hill and Bishop Saltings.
- Schools near Lower Hartlip include Leigh Academy Rainham (1.4 miles north-west)
A closer look at the menu
Paella Valenciana
In Valencia, the recipe is fiercely debated. The traditional pan has chicken, flat green beans and butter beans.
Seafood paella
A rich seafood stock with prawns, mussels and squid, finished with lemon wedges. It is the pan people photograph.
Questions from Lower Hartlip
Which station should guests use for Lower Hartlip?
Newington station, about 1.1 miles north-east of the centre.
Could we have live paella in Foxburrow Wood?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, generally the council. Check with them, and we will provide our paperwork.
How many different paellas?
Typically two or three, so every guest has a choice. We will recommend a mix based on diets.
Can you cater for vegetarians and vegans?
Yes. We cook vegetarian and vegan paellas in their own pans, alongside the meat and seafood pans.
Is it really cooked live?
It is. We arrive with everything we need and cook it there and then, serving it hot from the pan.
Do you provide plates and cutlery?
If you need them, yes. Proper crockery or quality disposables are available.
Do you come to Lower Hartlip?
Yes. We cover London and the South East, including Lower Hartlip. To check your date, send us your details through our quote form.
What is live paella catering?
We cook from scratch at your venue in big pans, in front of your guests, and serve straight from the pan.
Planning the cooking area
The right spot keeps things safe and helps the paella cook evenly. We look for:
- Level ground for the pans and burners
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
- Outdoor space or a ventilated gazebo
Not sure about your space? Send us a picture and we will tell you honestly before you book.
Popular choices
- Mixed paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegan paella
- Vegetable paella
Live paella or other catering?
With a barbecue, food comes in waves. Paella is cooked as one big dish and served together. Compared with a plated meal, live paella is often good value, because it needs no kitchen and fewer staff. We will send you a quote.
Why choose Love Paella in Lower Hartlip
- Add tapas, canapés and Spanish desserts
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
- Waiting staff and crockery on request
- No hidden extras in your quote
Take a look at Our prices page Or What paella catering costs.
Working with your venue
If your event is in a public space, such as a park, check what permission you need first. We will provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
For repeat events, such as annual staff parties or seasonal fairs, let us know your dates early, so we can plan ahead.
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For larger numbers, mixed diets or a wedding, a caterer takes the pressure off, and handles separate pans for each diet.
You can hire equipment and do it yourself, but you will still need to source ingredients, prep and cook for hours. We take care of all of it.
- 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