Kent · England
Live paella catering in Southborough, Kent
Hot, generous and cooked in front of everyone: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event for events in Southborough and across Kent.
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Birthday celebrations
Live paella catering in Southborough
How we price paella catering
Here’s what makes the biggest difference to the price:
- Distance and access to the venue
- Guest numbers
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
- Whether you need crockery
Seafood and premium ingredients cost more than chicken or vegetable paellas, so the menu you choose affects the price. Tell us your budget and we’ll suggest a menu.
What to tell us
We can quote more accurately with a few details. Here’s what to include:
- Anything your venue supplies
- Expected numbers
- Diets and allergies you know about
- The date and time of the event
The quickest way to a quote is to send us your details through our quote form. Tell us about your event in Southborough, and we’ll put together a menu and price.
Paella catering in Southborough, made fresh on the day
Two or three pans side by side cover every guest: a meat or mixed paella, a seafood paella and a vegetable or vegan one. Every pan is cooked on its own. Popular choices include vegetable paella, black rice and seafood paella, and we are frequently booked for wedding breakfasts and evening food and naming days and family parties.
There may be a hall or club near Southborough if your garden is small; live paella can work at any of them, given permission and outdoor space. The paella is served straight from the pan, so every plate is hot, and a queue moves quickly.
What’s in the pans
Black rice
Squid ink rice is bold and savoury, and is popular with adventurous guests.
Mixed paella
Chicken and seafood together, for guests who want a bit of everything.
Live paella or other catering?
Compared with a hog roast or barbecue, live paella is easier for vegetarian, vegan and halal guests, thanks to separate pans. Service from the pan keeps queues moving. Live paella often compares well with a sit-down meal, as there is no kitchen to hire and fewer staff to pay. Ask us for a quote.
Why book with us
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- Starters and desserts to complete the menu
- No hidden extras in your quote
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
Take a look at How we price Or Our guide to catering costs.
Diets, allergies and planning
Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included. To make it work smoothly:
- Put allergy details in writing
- Flag any coeliac guests, not just gluten-free preferences
- Pick a mix of paellas to cover every diet
- Ask about diets and allergies on your invitation or RSVP
You shouldn’t have to worry about the food on the day. We set up, cook and serve, and keep in touch with you or your venue about timings.
Spanish desserts such as churros or crema catalana finish the meal.
Planning live paella in Southborough
Southborough is about 1 mile north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, in Kent. For paella catering in Southborough, we plan around your venue and timings: a quote, a plan and live cooking on the day. Southborough is one of 922 places in Kent where we cook. Our nearest city page is London, about 28 miles away.
Historic houses near Southborough include Penshurst Place (3.5 miles west) and Groombridge Place (4 miles south-west). Historic venues frequently limit cooking, so ask early if you are booking one. For a christening or wedding at a church such as Christ Church, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone. Southborough is within about 8 miles of the High Weald National Landscape, and country venues and gardens there suit live paella perfectly. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
We cater events across the TN4 and TN2 postcode area and the streets around it. That could mean an event in a garden on London Road, Church Road and Norton Road. Main roads around Southborough include the A26, so getting the burners and pans to your event is simple. For events just outside Southborough, we cover High Brooms (1 mile south-east), Stockland Green (1 mile west), Bidborough (1 mile north-west), Royal Tunbridge Wells (1 mile south) and Speldhurst (2 miles west). Further out, we also cater in Maidstone (14 miles north-east), Sevenoaks (9 miles north), Tonbridge (3 miles north), Kings Hill (10 miles north-east), Foley Park (15 miles north-east) and Paddock Wood (6 miles east).
Nearby you’ll also find Kent and Sussex Hospital (1.4 miles south) and Tonbridge Castle (2.8 miles north). Green spaces nearby include Tudeley Woods RSPB reserve and Barden Lake.
- Nearby schools include St Gregory's Catholic School (0.5 miles south) and St Gregory's Catholic School (0.5 miles south)
- Nearby, you will find Flying Dutchman pub (under half a mile south-east)
What happens on the day
The cooking is part of the entertainment. We start with the sofrito, add the stock and saffron, then spread the rice across the pan and leave it alone to cook. Evenings in Southborough 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.
- Contact us with the basics: when, where and how many.
- Expect a menu idea and a clear, itemised price.
- A week or so before, we confirm the plan.
- We set up, cook from scratch and keep an eye on your timings.
- We serve, then leave our area tidy.
Preparing for the day
- Have a gazebo or cover ready if rain is likely
- Leave space around the cooking area
- Arrange parking near the cooking spot
Get a quote
We need only a few details to quote: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. You can send us your details through our quote form.
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Events we cater in Southborough
It’s ideal for relaxed, sociable occasions, with guests mingling as it cooks and then sit down to share.
Almost any gathering can work with live paella. People in Southborough book us for events such as:
- Birthday celebrations
- Christenings and family gatherings
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is High Brooms station, about 1 mile south-east.
Questions to ask before booking
- When payment is due
- The venue requirements
- Allergen information for each dish
- Whether VAT is included
Also near Southborough
Also in Southborough
Should I cook it myself?
You can hire equipment and do it yourself, but there is shopping, prep and hours of cooking. A caterer handles all of that.
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.
Your questions about paella catering in Southborough
Do you cater in the High Weald National Landscape?
Yes. Some venues there have rules about vehicles, ground and cooking, so check with yours. We’ll work to whatever the site needs.
Could we have live paella in Barnett's Wood?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, normally the council. Check with them, and we will provide our paperwork.
What if the weather’s bad?
We need a covered spot, like a gazebo or open-sided marquee. We plan for rain with you in advance.
Should we have more than one paella?
Usually two or three, so every guest has a choice. Tell us about your guests’ diets and we’ll suggest the mix.
Do you have a kids’ option?
Of course. Children often love a simple chicken paella. Tell us how many are coming.
Can we add tapas or canapés?
Yes. Canapés with drinks or tapas for the tables, served while the paella cooks.
Which areas do you serve?
We cater across London and the South East, including Kent. Find your area.
Do you do vegan paella?
Yes. We cook vegetarian and vegan paellas in their own pans.
For planners, venues and organisers
Throwing a party at home? Send us a picture of the garden and tell us about access, and we’ll tell you honestly whether live paella will work.
Events in public spaces, like parks, typically need permission. We can send whatever the landowner or council needs from us.
- 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