Kent · England
Live paella catering in Saltwood, Kent
Paella for every guest: meat, seafood, vegetarian and vegan pans side by side. Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Saltwood.
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Retirement and leaving parties
Paella catering near Saltwood
About our paella catering in Saltwood
Paella has always been food for a crowd: cooked in the open in a big, shallow pan and shared straight from it. That is exactly what we bring to your event in Saltwood. Typical bookings include garden parties and summer barbecues and weddings, from canapés to evening food, serving vegetable paella, vegan paella and black rice.
Somewhere like Saltwood, 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, never made in advance and reheated, and served as soon as it is ready.
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
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’ll do the cooking.
Cooking it yourself? Test your pan and burner first, keep the stock hot, and don’t stir once the rice goes in. And keep children and pets well away from the burner.
Dietary needs and planning tips
Paella is one of the easiest dishes for mixed diets, because each paella is cooked in its own pan. A few tips:
- Ensure each pan is labelled
- Flag any coeliac guests, not just gluten-free preferences
- Pick a mix of paellas to cover every diet
- Tell us what else is being served
Let the paella rest for a few minutes before serving, which is when we normally call guests over.
Add canapé tapas with the drinks or table tapas as a starter while the paella cooks.
About the dishes
Paella Valenciana
Valencians take their paella seriously. The traditional pan has chicken, flat green beans and butter beans.
Vegetable and vegan paella
Seasonal vegetables on a rich sofrito base make a proper main dish. For vegans, the stock is plant-based.
What happens on the day
Service is quick: the paella goes straight from the pan to the plate, so even a long queue moves. Afterwards we clear our cooking area away. Planning an evening event in Saltwood? Sunset is around 8:45pm in late May, 9:15pm at midsummer and 7:00pm in late September; once it is dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- You tell us the date, venue, guest numbers and any dietary needs.
- We put together a menu and a clear quote.
- We arrive early, set up the cooking area and start the stock.
- The rice cooks in full view, while tapas or canapés go round.
- We serve it hot from the pan and clear our area when service ends.
Getting ready for the day
- Keep the cooking spot clear of fences, hedges and branches
- Name one person we can ask on the day
- Tell us where to park and unload
Ask for a quote
Not sure what you need yet? That’s fine: give us the basics about your event, and we’ll suggest a menu. Start when you are ready: use our quote form.
Related guides
For planners, venues and organisers
If you are booking for a business, tell us how you’d like to handle the booking and payment, and we’ll talk you through the process. We are happy to liaise with facilities on access and timings.
For larger events, we plan the number of pans and serving points around your timings, so everyone eats promptly. Let us know how long the food break is.
Before you choose a spot
Before the day, we will agree where we cook. It needs to meet a few simple requirements:
- A level, firm spot for the burners and pans
- Clearance from fences, hedges, branches and anything flammable
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you honestly before booking.
Popular choices
- Vegan paella
- Vegetable paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Mixed paella
- Seafood paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Black rice (arroz negro)
Why choose live paella in Saltwood?
Compared with a hog roast or barbecue, paella makes vegetarian, vegan and halal guests easier to cater for, thanks to separate pans. Service from the pan keeps queues moving. When you compare quotes, check what each one includes: staff, crockery, sides, travel and VAT. We itemise ours.
What you get with us
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- No hidden extras in your quote
- Starters and desserts to complete the menu
- Separate pans for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests
Take a look at Our pricing And The cost guide.
Saltwood questions
What’s the nearest station to Saltwood for guests?
Sandling station, about 0.9 miles north-west of the centre.
Is Saltwood close to London?
Roughly 58 miles from the centre of London, and we cover it as standard.
Do you take everything away?
We clear our cooking area away when service is finished. Clearing guests’ plates and tables can be added with waiting staff.
How much space do you need?
Less than you might think: a level spot clear of fences, hedges and branches, with room for a serving table. If in doubt, send a photo.
Can you provide dessert?
Yes, Spanish desserts can be added. Let us know if you’d like one in your enquiry.
Can paella be the only main course?
It’s a full meal on its own. Tapas and desserts can be added if you like.
Will there be enough food?
We plan quantities from your guest numbers, timings and other courses, with a little extra built in. Give us accurate numbers for the best result.
How does live paella catering work?
We cook from scratch at your venue in big pans, in front of your guests, and serve straight from the pan.
Paella catering around Saltwood
Saltwood is about 1 mile north of Hythe, in Kent. We bring paella catering to homes, gardens and venues in Saltwood. We cook in all 922 towns and villages across Kent. We cook right across the region, from Saltwood to Canterbury (about 14 miles away).
For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St Peter and St Paul, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone. For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Sandling station, about 0.9 miles north-west. Saltwood is within about 6 miles of the Kent Downs National Landscape, a lovely setting for an outdoor event. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking. Saltwood is within about a mile of the sea, so a seafood pan is a popular choice. Sea breezes can be strong, so we plan a sheltered cooking spot.
We cater events across CT21. Your event could be at a home on Old Saltwood Lane, The Green and Bartholomew Lane or the roads around them. For events just outside Saltwood, we cover Hythe (1 mile south), Sandling (1 mile north-west), Pedlinge (1 mile west), Palmarsh (2 miles south-west) and Newingreen (2 miles west). Within a short drive, we also cover Ashford (10 miles north-west), Canterbury (14 miles north), Dover (10 miles north-east), Folkestone (4 miles east), Tower Hamlets (10 miles east) and Hawkinge (4 miles north-east).
A little further out are Royal Victoria Hospital (4.1 miles east) and Hythe Museum (0.8 miles south). Green spaces nearby include Tolsford Hill.
- Nearby schools include Brockhill Park Performing Arts College (under half a mile west)
- Pubs nearby include Red Lion Public House (0.6 miles south)
Perfect for your event in Saltwood
Outdoor events and live paella go together: cooked outside, served hot and shared.
Here are some of the events we cook for:
- Family celebrations and christenings
- Retirement celebrations
- Birthday celebrations
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
If you are organising a summer fair for a school like Saltwood CofE Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
Questions to ask before booking
- Whether VAT is included
- How long the team stays
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
- The wet-weather plan
Nearby places to Saltwood
More for events in Saltwood
- 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