Kent · England
Paella Catering for St Michaels events
Hot, generous and cooked in front of everyone: live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in St Michaels and the surrounding area.
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
- Christenings and family gatherings
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
Paella catering in St Michaels
Paella catering for your event in St Michaels
Keep it simple, or go all out: just paella, or paella with tapas, desserts and drinks. We’ll suggest what suits your event. Typical bookings include office lunches and staff parties and retirement and leaving parties, with seafood paella, black rice and chicken and chorizo paella.
In a small place like St Michaels, events are generally in a garden, a field or a nearby hall. Country lanes and long drives are no problem if we know about them, and cooking close to where we can park helps. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in a separate pan.
Planning for every diet
Good planning keeps every guest safe and happy. Try these:
- Choose two or three paellas so every guest has a choice
- Have seats for most of your guests
- Mention any other courses or food
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
The rice takes about 20 minutes once it goes in, so we time it carefully. If plans change, tell us and we’ll adjust.
Sangria and bar staff can be added for your own drinks.
Working with your venue
If you are organising for someone else, whether you’re a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we’ll work directly with you and the venue. It saves passing messages back and forth.
If you run the same event each year, tell us your dates early, so we can plan ahead.
Planning live paella in St Michaels
St Michaels is about 8 miles south-west of Ashford, in Kent. We cook at events in gardens, halls and venues around St Michaels and nearby villages. St Michaels is one of 922 places in Kent we cover. Our events stretch from St Michaels to Canterbury (21 miles away).
Historic houses near St Michaels include Smallhythe Place (3.3 miles south). Historic venues often limit cooking, so ask early if you are booking one. For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St Michael, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone. The High Weald National Landscape is within about 8 miles of St Michaels. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
Here we cover the TN30 postcode area, so your event can be anywhere in it. That could mean an event in a garden on Ox Lane, Swain Road and Grange Road. Main roads around St Michaels include the A28, so getting the burners and pans to your event is simple. Neighbouring places where we cater events include London Beach (1 mile north), Tenterden (1 mile south), Broad Tenterden (2 miles south), Parkgate (2 miles west) and Clapper Hill (3 miles west). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (14 miles north-west), Ashford (8 miles north-east), Foley Park (15 miles north-west), Paddock Wood (15 miles north-west), Bearsted (14 miles north-west) and Park Wood (12 miles north-west).
A little further out are Tenterden and District Museum (1.3 miles south) and Romden Castle (4.3 miles north).
- Local schools include Homewood School (0.5 miles south)
How the day 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 while your guests chat. Evenings in St Michaels stay light until about 9:15pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:00pm; after dark, the cooking and serving areas need good lighting.
- First, you send us your date, venue, numbers and diets.
- You get a suggested menu and an itemised quote.
- On the day we arrive in good time, set up and start the stock.
- The paella cooks in front of your guests, with tapas first if you’ve chosen them.
- It’s served straight from the pan, and we pack down afterwards.
How to prepare
- Confirm the venue is happy with live cooking
- Have a gazebo or cover ready if rain is likely
- Give us your final numbers and diets
How to get a price
It is easy to get a price: share your date, venue, numbers and diets. We will send a clear, itemised quote.
Planning help
Perfect for your event in St Michaels
Paella is quick to serve and suits mixed diets, which is why it works for so many occasions. It also gives guests something to watch and talk about.
Big or small, live paella works well. Common bookings include:
- Company summer parties
- Retirement celebrations
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Engagement and anniversary parties
If you’re organising a summer fair for a school like St Michael's Church of England Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
Comparing caterers
- Whether travel is included
- Plates, cutlery and napkins, or disposables
- How dietary needs and allergies are handled
- When final numbers are due
DIY paella versus live catering
Some hosts like to cook themselves. 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.
You can hire equipment and do it yourself, but there’s shopping, prep and hours of cooking. We take care of all of it.
Also near St Michaels
Other catering in St Michaels
How we price paella catering
Live paella pricing is straightforward once we know the basics:
- The number of people
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- The paellas you choose
- How long we’re needed on site
Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are optional extras, so you only pay for what you want.
Getting an accurate quote
You don’t need every detail fixed to get a quote, but it helps to know:
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
- The date and rough timings
- The venue or postcode
- Expected numbers
Not sure what you need yet? That is fine: give us the basics about your event, and we will suggest a menu. To start, send us your details through our quote form.
A closer look at the menu
Vegetable and vegan paella
The vegetable pan is a dish in its own right: peppers, artichokes and beans with saffron.
Black rice
Arroz negro is coloured and flavoured with squid ink, and is usually served with alioli. It is a striking addition to a seafood menu.
Live paella or other catering?
Plated meals need a kitchen and a bigger team. Live paella needs only a level, ventilated spot and permission to cook, and it’s entertaining too. When you compare quotes, check what each one includes: staff, crockery, bread and salads, travel and VAT. We itemise ours.
Why St Michaels hosts choose us
- Every diet catered for, pan by pan
- Paella cooked from scratch on site
- Sangria and bar staff available
- Real theatre, not just catering
Take a look at Our pricing Or Our guide to catering costs.
Common questions in St Michaels
Can you cook at venues in the High Weald National Landscape?
Yes. Some venues there have rules about vehicles, ground and cooking, so check with yours. We will work to whatever the site needs.
Can you cater a reception after a service at Church of St Michael?
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. Tell us where the reception will be.
How much does paella catering cost in St Michaels?
Every event is quoted individually, so you only pay for what you need. Give us your date, numbers and menu ideas and we will reply with a price.
Is the paella gluten-free?
A gluten-free pan is no problem. Let us know about coeliac guests in advance so we take the right care.
How many different paellas?
Generally two or three, so every guest has a choice. We will recommend a mix based on diets.
Can you feed a lot of people?
Yes, that’s what it is made for. We plan the number of pans and serving points around your numbers.
Do you come to St Michaels?
Yes, we do. We cook at events in St Michaels and across Kent. Send us your date to check availability.
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. Our guide to portions explains more.
- 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