Kent · England
Paella Catering for Otham events
Cooked live, served hot and made to share: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event for events in Otham and across Kent.
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Company summer parties
Paella catering for Otham events
Should I cook it myself?
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 be with your guests, we will do the cooking.
For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For larger numbers, mixed diets or a wedding, a caterer takes the pressure off, and keeps vegetarian and allergy-safe pans separate.
About our paella catering in Otham
There is something generous about paella: big pans, bright colours and a crispy base everyone wants a spoonful of. It turns a meal into an occasion. Whether it’s retirement celebrations and wedding breakfasts and evening food, we can cook vegetable paella, seafood paella and black rice.
There may be a hall or club near Otham if your garden is small; any can work for paella, with permission and somewhere outside to cook. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in a separate pan and clearly labelled.
Nearby places to Otham
What else we do in Otham
Organising for someone else?
For big numbers, we plan pans and serving points to keep queues short, so guests are fed quickly. Let us know how long the food break is.
Booking for a company? Tell us what your finance team needs, and we’ll talk you through the process. We can work with your facilities team on access and timings.
Dishes our guests love
Paella Valenciana
Paella Valenciana is the original: chicken, beans and saffron, rather than seafood. It’s frequently the most popular pan at an event.
Black rice
Black rice looks dramatic and tastes of the sea, and is popular with adventurous guests.
What paella catering costs
There’s nothing hidden: the quote reflects:
- Your choice of paellas
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
- How many guests are eating
- Timings and hours
There’s no one-size-fits-all price for live paella. A garden party lunch and a full wedding menu are very different jobs. We itemise everything in your quote.
Details that help
For a quote, it helps to have:
- The date and rough timings
- The address or venue name
- Whether you want canapés, tapas or desserts
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
Planning paella catering in Otham? Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll come back with ideas and a quote. To get in touch, fill in our quote form.
Who books paella catering in Otham?
There’s no kitchen needed, so it’s at home in gardens, fields and marquees where plated meals are hard.
Almost any gathering can work with live paella. People in Otham book us for events such as:
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Company summer parties
- Milestone birthday parties
- Retirement celebrations
Nearby historic houses include Stoneacre (0.6 miles north-east) and Leeds Castle (2.7 miles east). Historic venues often limit cooking, so ask early if you’re booking one.
What your quote should include
- Travel and parking costs
- How bad weather is handled
- Payment terms and deposit
- The venue requirements
The process
We arrive in good time before you want to eat, unload, set up the burners and prepare the stock. Your guests are welcome to watch while it cooks. Evenings in Otham stay light until about 9:15pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:00pm; once it is dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- Get in touch with the basics: when, where and how many.
- We come back with paellas to suit your guests, plus any extras.
- 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
- Keep the cooking spot clear of fences, hedges and branches
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
Getting a price
The quickest way to a quote is to fill in our quote form. Tell us about your event in Otham, and we will put together a menu and price.
Related guides
Where we can cook in Otham
Most gardens and venues can host live paella, but a few things matter:
- Flat, firm ground for the cooking area
- Parking close enough to carry equipment
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise before you book.
Menu ideas
- Seafood paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Mixed paella
- Vegan paella
- Vegetable paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
Otham questions
Could we have live paella in Mote Park?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, generally the council. Check with them, and we’ll provide our paperwork.
What’s the nearest station to Otham for guests?
Bearsted station, about 2.1 miles north of the centre.
Can you cook indoors?
Only in a suitable, well-ventilated area with the venue’s permission. Most events have us cooking outside or in a doorway or courtyard.
Will there be enough food?
We size the pans for your numbers and the rest of the menu. Tell us what else is being served. See how much paella per person.
What about pudding?
We can add a dessert. Tell us what you have in mind in your enquiry.
What equipment do you bring?
Pans, burners and ingredients all come with us. You provide a suitable spot and access.
Can paella be the only main course?
It’s a full meal on its own. Many hosts add tapas first or dessert after.
How long do you need on site?
We get there in good time to set up. Once the rice goes in, it takes about 20 minutes, timed around your event.
Otham: venues, travel and local tips
Otham is about 2 miles south-east of Maidstone, in Kent. Give us the address of your event in Otham, and we will plan access and set-up before the day. We cook in 922 places in Kent. You can also see our page for Canterbury, about 22 miles away.
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Bearsted station, about 2.1 miles north. For a christening or wedding at a church such as St Nicholas's Church, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone. Otham is within about 4 miles of the Kent Downs National Landscape, a lovely setting for an outdoor event. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
Anywhere in ME15 and ME17, we can bring paella catering to you, from busy streets to quiet lanes. From Church Road, Spartall Drive and Ellis Field or anywhere nearby, we’ll bring the pans to you. We also cook at events in Willington (1 mile north-west), Park Wood (1 mile south-west), Langley (1 mile south-east), Shepway (1 mile north-west) and Caring (1 mile north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Ashford (15 miles south-east), Sittingbourne (10 miles north-east), Royal Tunbridge Wells (15 miles south-west), Gravesend (15 miles north-west), Tonbridge (13 miles west) and Faversham (15 miles east).
Nearby you will also find Kent Fire Brigade Museum (2.4 miles west) and KIMS hospital (2.8 miles north). Open spaces near Otham include Detling Hill.
- Schools near Otham include Senacre Wood Primary School (under half a mile north-west) and New Line Learning Academy (1.5 miles west)
- Local pubs include The White Horse pub (less than half a mile east)
Planning for every diet
Allergies and diets are taken seriously. Here’s how you can help:
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
- Plan seating for most guests: paella is easiest eaten sitting down
- Choose two or three paellas so every guest has a choice
- Ask for labels on each pan
The rice takes about 20 minutes once it goes in, so we time it carefully. If timings shift, we adapt.
Finish with churros, crema catalana or tarta de Santiago, or serve your own cake.
- 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