Kent · England
Live paella catering in Oldbury, Kent
From the first sizzle of the sofrito to the last spoonful of crispy rice, live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event makes the food a highlight of your event in Oldbury.
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Company summer parties
- Anniversary celebrations
Paella catering for Oldbury events
Organising for someone else?
If you’re planning an event on someone’s behalf, whether you’re a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we are happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It saves passing messages back and forth.
Venues frequently 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.
About our paella catering in Oldbury
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 is served straight from the pan. Popular choices include chicken and chorizo paella, paella Valenciana and vegan paella, and we’re regularly asked to cater garden parties and summer barbecues and staff parties and work lunches.
Somewhere like Oldbury, a field or garden is often the perfect setting. Gates, verges and soft ground are worth mentioning when you enquire. Everything is cooked from scratch at your event, not reheated.
Should I cook it myself?
Plenty of people try cooking paella for their own party. Common mistakes are mismatched pans and burners, overfilling and stirring. If you’d rather be with your guests, we will do the cooking.
If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, keep the stock hot, and don’t stir once the rice goes in. And keep children and pets well away from the burner.
Catering for every guest
Paella is one of the easiest dishes for mixed diets, because each paella is cooked in its own pan. Here are a few tips for planning:
- Put allergy details in writing
- Choose two or three paellas so every guest has a choice
- Tell us how many children are coming
- Let us know about other food at the event
On the day, you shouldn’t have to think about the food. We arrive in good time, set up, cook and serve, and keep in touch with you or your venue about timings.
Crockery, cutlery and waiting staff are available if your venue does not provide them.
Towns and villages near Oldbury
More for events in Oldbury
A closer look at the menu
Seafood paella
Seafood paella starts with a good fish and shellfish stock. The shellfish is added late so it stays tender.
Mixed paella
Chicken and seafood together.
FAQs for Oldbury
Can you cater a reception after a service at Church of St Peter?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is typically elsewhere. Send us the reception address.
Is Oldbury close to London?
Roughly 22 miles from the centre of London, and we cover it as standard.
Do you cater for young children?
Yes. A simple chicken paella is typically popular with children. Include children in your numbers.
What if the weather’s bad?
Rain does not stop us, as long as there is a ventilated cover. We’ll talk it through before the day.
How many different paellas?
Normally two or three, so every guest has a choice. Tell us about your guests’ diets and we’ll suggest the mix.
How much space do you need?
Less than you might think: a flat spot away from anything flammable, with space to serve. Send us a photo if you are not sure.
Can you cater for vegetarians and vegans?
Of course. We cook vegetarian and vegan paellas in their own pans, alongside the meat and seafood pans.
Can you provide dessert?
Yes. Churros, crema catalana and tarta de Santiago are popular choices, or you can serve your own cake.
What affects the price in Oldbury
Every event is priced individually, based on a few main things:
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
- Distance and access to the venue
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
Got a budget? Let us know, and we will put together a menu that fits. A simple menu can still feel generous.
Getting an accurate quote
For a quote, it helps to have:
- Your date and when you want to eat
- A photo of the cooking space, if it is a garden or field
- What the venue already provides
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote: venue, timings, courses and extras. When you’re ready, send us your details through our quote form.
Why choose paella catering in Oldbury?
It suits relaxed, sociable events, where guests can mingle while it cooks and then sit down to share.
In Oldbury and nearby, we cater all sorts of events. Popular bookings include:
- Birthday celebrations
- Garden parties and summer barbecues
- Weddings and evening receptions
- Festivals, fairs and school events
If you are celebrating after a service at a church like Church of St Peter, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well.
What your quote should include
- Exactly what’s included in the price
- How bad weather is handled
- Plates, cutlery and napkins, or disposables
- Allergen information for each dish
What we need at the venue
We cook in large pans over gas burners, so the cooking area needs a little planning. These are the things we check:
- A level, firm spot for the burners and pans
- Outdoor space or a ventilated gazebo
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise.
What we offer
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan paella
- Seafood paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegetable paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
Planning live paella in Oldbury
Oldbury is about 4 miles east of Sevenoaks, in Kent. Give us the address of your event in Oldbury, and we’ll plan access and set-up. We cover all 922 towns and villages across Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. We cook right across the region, from Oldbury to London (about 22 miles away).
Historic houses near Oldbury include Ightham Mote (1.9 miles south) and Old Soar Manor (2.4 miles south-east). If your event is at a historic house or estate, check its rules on caterers and cooking early. For guests coming by train, Borough Green & Wrotham station is about 1.4 miles away. The Kent Downs National Landscape is within about 6 miles of Oldbury, a lovely setting for an outdoor event. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
Anywhere in TN15, we can bring paella catering to you. We can cater an event on streets such as Oldbury Lane, Spring Lane and Sevenoaks Road or the roads around them. Close by, we cover events in Ightham (1 mile south), Styants Bottom (1 mile west), Ivy Hatch (1 mile south), Sheet Hill (1 mile south-east) and Stone Street (1 mile south-west). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (11 miles east), Dartford (11 miles north), Sevenoaks (4 miles west), Royal Tunbridge Wells (10 miles south), Gravesend (11 miles north-east) and Tonbridge (6 miles south).
A little further out are Beechin Wood Archery Museum (2.4 miles east) and Ightham Court (0.8 miles north-east).
- Schools near Oldbury include Wrotham School (1.8 miles north-east)
- Nearby, you’ll find The Old House (within half a mile south)
The process
When we arrive, we set up our cooking area, light the burners and start the sofrito. The rice goes in about 20 minutes before serving, so we time everything to your schedule. Evenings in Oldbury stay light until about 9:20pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:00pm; after dark, the cooking and serving areas need good lighting.
- You share your date, numbers and venue.
- We plan a menu that covers every diet.
- We arrive in good time to set up.
- The paella cooks as guests gather round.
- We serve hot from the pan and clear our cooking area.
Before we arrive
- Choose a level spot for the cooking area
- Confirm the venue is happy with live cooking
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
Getting a price
It is easy to get a price: share your date, venue, numbers and diets. We will come back with a clear quote.
Planning help
- 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