Kent · England
Live paella catering in Stede Quarter, Kent
Something for every guest: separate pans for meat, seafood and vegetarian or vegan guests. Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Stede Quarter.
- Community events and fairs
- Naming days and family parties
- Company summer parties
Book paella catering in Stede Quarter
How our paella catering works in Stede Quarter
The cooking is half the fun. Guests gather round as the sofrito sizzles and the saffron colours the rice, and the smell does the rest. We are often asked to cater engagement and anniversary parties and garden get-togethers, serving chicken and chorizo paella, paella Valenciana and seafood paella.
In a rural place like Stede Quarter, the setting does plenty of the work: a paella cooking in a garden or field feels right at home. Let us know about access and ground conditions. We bring everything we need to cook, and pack down our cooking area when service is finished.
Stede Quarter: your questions answered
Which station should guests use for Stede Quarter?
Headcorn station, about 4 miles north-west of the centre.
Do you come out to small places like Stede Quarter?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
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.
Can you cook in the rain?
We cook under cover, such as a gazebo, marquee or open-sided barn with good ventilation. We’ll agree a wet-weather plan with you.
Do you cook it at the event?
It is. We arrive with everything we need and cook on the day, then serve straight from the pan.
Do we need to provide equipment?
Pans, burners and ingredients all come with us. You provide a suitable spot and access.
How much space do you need?
Level ground for the burners, pans and a table, in the open air or a ventilated covered area, plus the venue’s agreement to cooking.
Can paella be the only main course?
It is a full meal on its own. Tapas and desserts can be added if you like.
The menu, dish by dish
Seafood paella
The secret is a well-made seafood stock. The shellfish is added late so it stays tender.
Black rice
Squid ink rice is bold and savoury.
Where we can cook in Stede Quarter
Every venue is different, so we ask about the space before we confirm. In general, we need:
- Outdoor space or a ventilated gazebo
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we will tell you honestly before booking.
Menu ideas
- Mixed paella
- Vegetable paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegan paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Seafood paella
Planners, venues and businesses
Events in public spaces, like parks, normally need permission. We can send whatever the landowner or council needs from us.
If you are booking for a business, tell us how you’d like to handle the booking and payment, and we will talk you through the process. We can work with your facilities team on access and timings.
Planning for every diet
Allergies and diets are taken seriously. Here’s how you can help:
- Request clear labels at the serving table
- Flag any coeliac guests, not just gluten-free preferences
- Confirm allergies by email
- Pick a mix of paellas to cover every diet
On the day, you shouldn’t have to think about the food. We arrive in good time, set up, cook and serve, and keep in touch with you or your venue about timings.
We can add sangria and bar staff to serve drinks you provide.
Should I cook it myself?
For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For big numbers or lots of diets, a caterer makes life easier, and keeps vegetarian and allergy-safe pans separate.
Plenty of people try cooking paella for their own party. Common mistakes are mismatched pans and burners, overfilling and stirring. If you’d rather enjoy the party, let us cook.
Step by step
A typical event goes like this: we arrive, set up and start cooking, your guests watch the rice cook, and we serve straight from the pan when you’re ready to eat. Around midsummer it stays light in Stede Quarter until about 9:15pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:00pm, so summer evening service is normally in daylight. In December it’s dark by about 3:50pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- Get in touch with the basics: when, where and how many.
- We come back with paellas to suit your guests, plus any extras.
- 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.
Before we arrive
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
- Arrange parking near the cooking spot
Getting a price
Every quote is put together for your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we’ll confirm whether we’re available that day.
Planning help
What affects the price in Stede Quarter
Here’s what makes the biggest difference to the price:
- Starters, canapés and desserts
- The length of service
- The number of people
- Travel, parking and access
Live paella pricing depends on the event. A simple paella lunch costs less than a wedding with canapés, three paellas and waiting staff. Your quote spells it all out.
Getting an accurate quote
These details help us quote quickly:
- The address or venue name
- A picture of the cooking space, if it is a garden or field
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
- Your date and when you want to eat
Send us the date, your venue or TN27 postcode and guest numbers, along with any dietary needs, and you’ll get a menu idea and a price. Just use our quote form.
Stede Quarter: venues, travel and local tips
Stede Quarter is about 9 miles west of Ashford, in Kent. For paella catering in Stede Quarter, we can cook in gardens, marquees, barns, courtyards and offices in and around Stede Quarter. We cater in 922 places in Kent. Our nearest city page is Canterbury, about 21 miles away.
Parks such as Wattle Wood usually need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there. Stede Quarter is within about 7 miles of the High Weald National Landscape. Some venues in protected landscapes have rules about vehicles and cooking, so check with yours.
Paella catering in TN27 is planned around your venue and your guests. Nearby, we also cater events in Woolpack Corner (1 mile south-west), Curteis' Corner (1 mile north-west), Biddenden (1 mile west), Standen (1 mile north-west) and Durrant Green (1 mile south-east). Further out, we also cater in Maidstone (12 miles north-west), Ashford (9 miles east), Foley Park (13 miles north-west), Paddock Wood (13 miles west), Tenterden (3 miles south) and Bearsted (12 miles north).
Nearby you’ll also find Benenden Hospital (3.1 miles south-west) and Kent Firefighting Museum (2.9 miles north-west).
Events we cater in Stede Quarter
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.
Live paella works for big and small events alike. Common bookings include:
- Retirement and leaving parties
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
- Christenings and family gatherings
- Birthday celebrations
For guests coming by train, Headcorn station is about 4 miles away.
What your quote should include
- The deadline for final numbers
- The wet-weather plan
- How each diet is kept separate
- Space, access and power needs
Towns and villages near Stede Quarter
More for events in Stede Quarter
- 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