Kent · England
Live paella catering in Tonge, Kent
Looking for paella catering in Tonge? We arrive with the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook in front of your guests.
- Weddings and evening receptions
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Birthday celebrations
Paella catering in Tonge
Prices and what affects them
Live paella pricing is straightforward once we know the basics:
- Guest numbers
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
- Travel, parking and access
- How many courses
Extras such as tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are priced separately, so you can choose exactly what you need.
What to tell us
You do not need every detail fixed to get a quote, but these help:
- Diets and allergies you know about
- The venue or postcode
- A picture of the cooking space, if it’s a garden or field
- The date and rough timings
Still deciding on the menu? That is fine: give us the basics about your event, and we will suggest a menu. To start, use our quote form.
Paella catering for your event in Tonge
A single cooking set-up can feed a crowd, there is very little waste, and the food is served hot. It’s why live paella suits so many kinds of event. Typical bookings include birthday celebrations and naming days and family parties, with seafood paella, paella Valenciana and vegan paella.
Somewhere like Tonge, a field or garden is frequently the perfect setting. Mention gates and soft ground when you contact us. Everything is cooked from scratch at your event, not reheated, and served as soon as it’s ready.
Where we can cook in Tonge
If a space is not suitable, we’ll tell you, and suggest an alternative. The main points are:
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
- Parking close enough to carry equipment
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise before booking.
Popular choices
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Seafood paella
- Mixed paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Vegan paella
- Vegetable paella
Nearby places to Tonge
More for events in Tonge
Catering an event in Tonge
Tonge is about 2 miles east of Sittingbourne, in Kent. We bring paella catering to homes, gardens and venues in Tonge and nearby villages. We cater in 922 places in Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. We cook right across the region, from Tonge to Canterbury (14 miles away).
For guests coming by train, the nearest station is Teynham station, about 1.7 miles south-east. For a christening or wedding at a church such as Church of St Giles, a paella lunch or reception nearby is an easy way to feed everyone.
Here we cover the ME9 postcode area, so your event can be anywhere in it. Close by, we cover events in Tonge Corner (1 mile south), Milton Regis (1 mile west), Murston (1 mile south-west), Radfield (1 mile south) and Kemsley (2 miles west). We also cook in nearby towns such as Maidstone (12 miles south-west), Ashford (15 miles south), Canterbury (14 miles east), Whitstable (11 miles east), Faversham (5 miles south-east) and Herne Bay (15 miles east).
Well-known places in the area include Sittingbourne and Milton Urban District (2.1 miles west) and Castle Rough (1.3 miles north-west).
For event organisers in Tonge
Venues frequently have their own rules about outside caterers: where cooking is allowed, access times and the paperwork they need. Tell us what your venue needs and we’ll work to it.
If you are organising for someone else, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we’re happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It saves passing messages back and forth.
FAQs for Tonge
Is Tonge close to London?
Roughly 39 miles from the centre of London, and well within our area.
Could we have live paella in Milton Creek Country Park?
Only if the landowner, usually the council, allows it. Check with them, and we will provide our paperwork.
Do you provide drinks?
Sangria can be added, and provide bar staff to serve drinks you supply.
What seafood can we have?
Seafood choices are agreed when we plan the menu.
How do you work out quantities?
Quantities depend on numbers, timing and courses, with a sensible margin. Accurate numbers help.
Which paellas do you recommend?
It depends on your guests. Chicken and mixed paellas tend to go first, alongside seafood and vegetable or vegan pans.
How much is live paella catering?
It depends on guest numbers, the menu, the courses, staff and travel. Send us the details for a quote.
Can you cook halal paella?
We can. Tell us how many guests need halal food, and we’ll cook a separate pan.
Dietary needs and planning tips
Few dishes handle mixed diets as well as paella, because each paella is cooked in its own pan. Here are a few tips for planning:
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Give us separate numbers for children
- Let us know if anyone has coeliac disease
- Ensure most guests can sit to eat
On the day, you shouldn’t have to think about the food. We set up, cook and serve, and keep in touch with you or your venue about timings.
Bread, salad and lemon wedges make the meal go further.
Events we cater in Tonge
There is no kitchen needed, so it works in gardens, fields and marquees where plated meals are hard.
Big or small, live paella works well. Common bookings include:
- Naming days and family parties
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Summer garden parties
If you are organising a summer fair for a school like Sittingbourne Community College, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
Questions to ask before you book
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- How each diet is kept separate
- The deadline for final numbers
- What the price includes, item by item
Why choose live paella in Tonge?
With a barbecue, food comes in waves. Paella is cooked as one big dish and served together. Cost depends on guest numbers, the menu and the courses, plus any staff, crockery and travel. Every event gets its own quote.
What you get with us
- A quote that spells everything out
- Sangria and bar staff available
- Cooking your guests will gather round to watch
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
Read Our pricing And What paella catering costs.
DIY paella versus live catering
A DIY paella party works for small groups. For big numbers or lots of diets, a caterer makes life easier, and handles separate pans for each diet.
Not sure whether to cook yourself or book a caterer? Consider your numbers, your guests’ diets and your own time. We are happy to give you a quote to compare.
How it works
The paella is cooked in huge, shallow pans over gas burners. We need a level, ventilated spot, and we agree where that is before the day. Around midsummer it stays light in Tonge until about 9:15pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:00pm, so summer evening events are typically served in daylight. In December it is dark by about 3:50pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- Start with the date, the place and the numbers.
- Expect a menu idea and a clear, itemised price.
- Closer to the day, we confirm timings and the cooking spot.
- On the day we cook live, timed around your event.
- We serve, then leave our area tidy.
Getting ready for the day
- Share the running order, including any speeches
- Choose a level spot for the cooking area
- Make sure the spot is clear of anything flammable
Get a quote
Every quote is put together for your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we will confirm whether we’re available that day.
Planning help
- 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