Kent · England
Live paella catering in Ottinge, Kent
Love Paella cooks live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event across Ottinge and Kent, with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options.
- Community events and fairs
- Naming days and family parties
- Summer garden parties
Book paella catering in Ottinge
Why choose live paella in Ottinge?
A plated meal needs a kitchen, more staff and generally costs more per head. Live paella needs only a level, ventilated spot and permission to cook, and gives guests something to watch. Travel, parking and access can affect the price, so it helps to tell us about your venue. The full price is confirmed before you book.
Why Ottinge hosts choose us
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
- Options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in its own pan
- Catering across Kent, including Ottinge
- Starters and desserts to complete the menu
Take a look at Our prices page Or Our guide to catering costs.
How our paella catering works in Ottinge
A couple of different pans covers everyone: meat, seafood and vegetarian or vegan paellas. Each is cooked separately, so diets are easy to manage. Typical bookings include milestone birthday parties and garden get-togethers, serving vegan paella, black rice and chicken and chorizo paella.
Somewhere like Ottinge, a field or garden is frequently the perfect setting. Mention gates and soft ground when you contact us. Each paella is cooked from scratch on the day, not reheated, and served as soon as it’s ready.
Common questions in Ottinge
Can you cook near the sea around Ottinge?
Yes, with a sheltered cooking spot. Wind is the main issue on the coast, so we plan shelter.
We’re having a ceremony at Church of St Mary the Virgin: can you cater afterwards?
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 usually elsewhere. Tell us where the reception will be.
Can you cook halal paella?
Yes, we do. We use halal chicken and leave out pork and alcohol, in a separate pan.
What equipment do you bring?
We bring the pans, burners and ingredients. You provide a suitable spot and access.
What happens with live paella?
We set up a cooking area at your venue, cook the paella from scratch in large pans while your guests watch, and serve it straight from the pan.
What about pudding?
Yes. Churros, crema catalana and tarta de Santiago are popular choices.
Which paella is most popular?
It depends on your guests. A chicken or mixed paella is typically the most popular, with seafood and vegetable pans alongside.
How long does the paella take?
We get there in good time to set up. The rice itself takes about 20 minutes, timed around your event.
Live paella in Ottinge: local details
Ottinge is about 5 miles north of Hythe, in Kent. For paella catering in Ottinge, we plan around your venue and timings: a quote, a plan and live cooking on the day. Ottinge is one of 922 places in Kent we cover. We cook right across the region, from Ottinge to Canterbury (about 10 miles away).
Historic houses near Ottinge include Acrise Place (1.6 miles east) and Westenhanger Castle (4.2 miles south-west). Historic venues frequently limit cooking, so ask early if you’re booking one. For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St Mary the Virgin, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone. The Kent Downs National Landscape is within about 2 miles of Ottinge, and country venues and gardens there suit live paella perfectly. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking. The coast is within about 6 miles of Ottinge, and seafood paella always feels right near the sea. Sea breezes can be strong, so we plan a sheltered cooking spot.
Anywhere in CT4, we can cook for your guests, from busy streets to quiet lanes. We can cater an event on streets such as Canterbury Road, Boyke Lane and Shuttlesfield Lane. If your venue is just outside Ottinge, we also cover Lyminge (1 mile south-west), Rhodes Minnis (1 mile west), Woodland (1 mile west), Skeete (2 miles south-west) and Hemsted (2 miles west). We also cook in nearby towns such as Ashford (10 miles west), Canterbury (10 miles north), Dover (9 miles east), Folkestone (5 miles south-east), Whitstable (15 miles north) and Deal (14 miles east).
Nearby you’ll also find Elham Valley Countryside Centre And Railway Museum (3 miles south) and Folkestone Castle (4 miles south-east). The countryside around Ottinge includes Cheriton Hill.
Planning for every diet
We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests. To get it right:
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
- Ensure each pan is labelled
- Give us separate numbers for children
- Have seats for most of your guests
A short rest after cooking helps, and that is when we invite guests up.
Bread, salad and lemon wedges make the meal go further.
What’s in the pans
Vegetable and vegan paella
The vegetable pan is a dish in its own right: peppers, artichokes and beans with saffron, cooked in its own pan.
Black rice
Arroz negro is coloured and flavoured with squid ink, and is usually served with alioli. It’s a striking addition to a seafood menu.
Working with your venue
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.
Planning an event for a club, school or charity in Ottinge? Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets. Tell us about the event and we will suggest a menu.
Space, weather and the venue
The right spot keeps things safe and helps the paella cook evenly. We need:
- Level ground for the pans and burners
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise.
On the menu in Ottinge
- Seafood paella
- Vegetable paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
Places near Ottinge
What else we do in Ottinge
How it works
Watching it cook is half the fun. Onion, garlic, peppers and tomato go in first, then the stock and saffron, then the rice, which cooks without stirring. Around midsummer it stays light in Ottinge until about 9:15pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:00pm, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. In December it is dark by about 3:50pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- We start with a few details about your event.
- You get a menu and an itemised quote.
- We agree timings, access and the cooking spot.
- We cook live on the day while guests watch.
- We serve from the pan, then pack down.
Before we arrive
- Let us know the timings for the day
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Give us a contact for the day
Getting a price
To get a price, use our quote form. Tell us about your event in Ottinge, and we will suggest paellas and extras to suit.
Planning help
What affects the price in Ottinge
Two events with the same number of guests can cost different amounts, depending on:
- Guest numbers
- How many courses
- The length of service
- Waiting and bar staff
Comparing caterers? Look at what each quote includes: staff, crockery, bread and salads, travel and VAT. Our quotes spell it all out.
What we need to know
We can quote more accurately with a few details. Here’s what to include:
- Which courses you have in mind
- Anything your venue supplies
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
- A picture of the space, if you can
We need only a few details to quote: date, location, guest numbers and diets. To send them, use our quote form.
DIY paella versus live catering
Cooking it yourself? Test your pan and burner first, have hot stock ready, and leave the rice alone once it’s in. Keep a clear zone around the burner.
Cooking paella for a crowd yourself is possible, but it is harder than it looks. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
- 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