Kent · England
Live paella catering in Old Hawkinge, Kent
Bring the theatre of live paella to your event in Old Hawkinge. We cook from scratch on site, and serve it straight from the pan.
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Naming days and family parties
Paella catering for Old Hawkinge events
Your questions about paella catering in Old Hawkinge
Which station should guests use for Old Hawkinge?
Folkestone Central station, about 2.3 miles south of the centre.
Can you cook at venues 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.
Can you serve drinks?
Yes, sangria. We can also supply bar staff for your own drinks.
Should we have more than one paella?
Two or three is usual: meat or mixed, seafood, and vegetable or vegan. We’ll help you decide the split.
Do you come to Old Hawkinge?
We do. Old Hawkinge is one of the places we cover. Send us your date to check availability.
Is paella a full meal?
Yes. With bread and salad, paella is a complete main.
What if the weather’s bad?
A covered, ventilated spot keeps us cooking in the rain. We’ll talk it through before the day.
How far ahead should we book?
Early, particularly for summer Saturdays. Ask about your date even if it’s soon.
Paella catering for your event in Old Hawkinge
Live paella catering means we bring the pans, burners and fresh ingredients to your event and cook in front of your guests. When it is ready, it’s served straight from the pan. We cook chicken and chorizo paella, vegan paella and vegetable paella, and we’re often booked for weddings and evening receptions and anniversaries and engagement parties.
Somewhere as small as Old Hawkinge, a garden or field is often the venue. Tell us about narrow lanes or long drives and we will plan for them, and cooking close to where we can park helps. We plan the timings around your day, whether that is speeches, a lunch break or a festival schedule.
What’s in the pans
Vegetable and vegan paella
Seasonal vegetables on a rich sofrito base make a paella that stands on its own. Vegan versions use plant-based stock.
Seafood paella
Seafood paella starts with a good fish and shellfish stock. Shellfish goes in towards the end so it stays tender.
Working with your venue
Booking for a company? Tell us what your finance team needs, and we’ll talk you through the process. We are happy to liaise with facilities on access and timings.
If you run the same event each year, tell us your dates early, so we can hold the date.
Dietary needs and planning tips
Most events have a mix of diets. To plan for them:
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
- Give us separate numbers for children
- Plan seating for most guests: paella is easiest eaten sitting down
- Mention any other courses or food
A short rest after cooking helps, and that is when we invite guests up.
Bread, salad and lemon go well alongside.
Prices and what affects them
Your quote will be clear and itemised. The main things that affect it are:
- Starters, canapés and desserts
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- How many guests are eating
- Waiting and bar staff
The cost per head generally falls as numbers rise, because the cooking set-up is similar for different sizes of event. Tell us your numbers for an accurate price.
Details that help
When you get in touch, it helps to tell us:
- Whether you want canapés, tapas or desserts
- A picture of where we’d cook
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- The date and time of the event
Most quotes start with a few simple details: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. You can fill in our quote form.
Occasions we cook for in Old Hawkinge
Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets, so it suits all kinds of occasions. It gives people something to gather round, too.
Big or small, live paella works well. Typical bookings include:
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Naming days and family parties
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Milestone birthday parties
Nearby historic houses include Acrise Place (2.7 miles north-west). Historic venues often limit cooking, so ask early if you’re booking one.
What to look for in a quote
- Travel and parking costs
- VAT, if it applies
- How long the team stays
- How bad weather is handled
Catering an event in Old Hawkinge
Old Hawkinge is about 1 mile east of Hawkinge, in Kent. For paella catering in Old Hawkinge, we plan around your venue and timings: a clear quote, agreed timings and paella cooked live on the day. We cover all 922 towns and villages in Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. We cook right across the region, from Old Hawkinge to Canterbury (about 12 miles away).
Thinking of a picnic-style party in East Cliff and Warren Country Park? Public parks normally need permission from the council or landowner for cooking, so check first. For guests coming by train, Folkestone Central station is about 2.3 miles away. The Kent Downs National Landscape is within about 5 miles of Old Hawkinge, a lovely setting for an outdoor event. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking. The coast is within about 3 miles of Old Hawkinge, so a seafood pan is a popular choice. Sea breezes can be strong, so we plan a sheltered cooking spot.
Wherever your event is in CT18, we can cook for your guests, from busy streets to quiet lanes. Whether your event is on Standen Lane and Church Hill or anywhere nearby, we will bring the pans to you. We also cook at events in Hawkinge (1 mile west), Densole (2 miles north-west), Swingfield Minnis (2 miles north), Arpinge (2 miles west) and Selsted (3 miles north). Further out, we also cater in Ashford (14 miles west), Canterbury (12 miles north), Dover (5 miles east), Deal (11 miles north-east), Hythe (5 miles south-west) and Tower Hamlets (5 miles east).
Other landmarks nearby include Folkestone Castle (1.6 miles south-west) and Royal Victoria Hospital (2.1 miles south). The countryside around Old Hawkinge includes Sugar Loaf Hill.
- Local schools include Turner Free School (2.3 miles south-west)
- Local pubs include White Horse pub (0.7 miles west)
Step by step
On the day, we set up the burners and pans and start cooking the sofrito and stock. The rice goes in about 20 minutes before serving, so we time everything to your schedule. In Old Hawkinge, 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.
- You tell us the date, venue, guest numbers and any dietary needs.
- We put together a menu and a clear quote.
- On the day we arrive in good time, set up and start the stock.
- Your guests watch the paella cook, with any tapas served first.
- It is served straight from the pan, and we pack down afterwards.
How to prepare
- Check the venue allows live cooking
- Pick a flat, firm spot for us to cook
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
Ask for a quote
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, plus any dietary needs, and we’ll reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. To get started, use our quote form.
Planning help
Live paella or other catering?
A plated meal needs a kitchen, more staff and usually costs more per head. Live paella needs a level, ventilated spot and the venue’s permission to cook, and it is entertaining too. Got a budget? Let us know, and we’ll put together a menu that fits. Even a simple menu can be a feast.
What you get with us
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
- We cover Old Hawkinge and the whole of Kent
- Paella cooked from scratch on site
- Served hot, straight from the pan
See Our pricing And Our guide to catering costs.
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
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 enjoy the party, let us cook.
Not sure whether to cook yourself or book a caterer? Consider your numbers, your guests’ diets and your own time. We are happy to give you a quote to compare.
Also in Old Hawkinge
- 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