Kent · England
Live paella catering in Tower Hamlets, Kent
From the first sizzle in the pan to the last crispy spoonful, live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event makes the food a highlight of your event in Tower Hamlets.
- Milestone birthday parties
- Office lunches and staff parties
- Garden get-togethers
Paella catering near Tower Hamlets
For planners, venues and organisers
If you’re 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.
If you run the same event each year, tell us your dates early, so we can plan ahead.
How our paella catering works in Tower Hamlets
Paella is generous food: giant pans, saffron colour and a toasted crust that everyone fights over. It turns a meal into an occasion. We’re often asked to cater anniversary celebrations and leaving dos and retirements, serving mixed paella, seafood paella and paella Valenciana.
A place like Tower Hamlets frequently has a hall, a club or a pub garden nearby; live paella can work at any of them, given permission and outdoor space. We serve straight from the pan, so every plate is hot, and service is quick once it’s ready.
About the dishes
Paella Valenciana
The original paella from Valencia is a countryside dish of chicken and vegetables, not seafood. It is often the most popular pan at an event.
Black rice
Arroz negro is coloured and flavoured with squid ink, and is generally served with alioli. It’s a striking addition to a seafood menu.
Dietary needs and planning tips
Few dishes handle mixed diets as well as paella, because every paella has its own pan. Here are a few tips for planning:
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
- Ensure most guests can sit to eat
- Count adults and children separately
- Tell us what else is being served
Paella is at its best straight from the pan, so we serve when guests are ready.
Crockery, cutlery and waiting staff are available if your venue doesn’t provide them.
Catering an event in Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets is about 1 mile south of Dover, in Kent. Events in Tower Hamlets are planned around your venue and timings: a clear quote, agreed timings and paella cooked live on the day. We cover all 922 towns and villages across Kent. Our events stretch from Tower Hamlets to Canterbury (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. If you’re organising a summer fair for a school like Priory Fields School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. Tower Hamlets is within about a mile of the sea, and seafood paella always feels right near the sea. Sea breezes can be strong, so we plan a sheltered cooking spot.
Here we cover the CT17, CT16 and CT15 postcode area, so your event can be anywhere in it. Streets in the area include Cow Lane, Odo Road and Eric Road, and we can cook for an event on any of them. Being close to the A256, Tower Hamlets is simple for us to get to with everything for your event. For events just outside Tower Hamlets, we cover Charlton-in-Dover (1 mile north-east), Guston (2 miles north-east), Church Whitfield (2 miles north), East Langdon (3 miles north-east) and West Cliffe (3 miles north-east). We also cook in nearby towns such as Canterbury (14 miles north-west), Folkestone (7 miles south-west), Ramsgate (15 miles north), Deal (7 miles north-east), Hythe (10 miles south-west) and Walmer (7 miles north-east).
Well-known places in the area include Dover Castle (1 mile east) and Royal Victoria Hospital (within half a mile east). Open spaces near Tower Hamlets include Dover Western Heights.
- Local schools include Dover Grammar School for Girls (under half a mile north-east) and St Edmund's Catholic School (0.6 miles north-east)
- Local pubs include The Eagle Inn (under half a mile north-east)
Your questions about paella catering in Tower Hamlets
We’re having a ceremony at Church of St Peter and St Paul: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Live cooking usually happens at the reception venue, not the church. Tell us where the reception will be.
Could we have live paella in High Meadow?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, normally the council. Ask them first, and we’ll send any information they need.
What equipment do you bring?
We bring the pans, burners and ingredients. You provide a suitable spot and access.
Can you cater for children?
Children are welcome. Tell us how many and roughly how old, and we will plan a pan with them in mind.
When should we book?
As soon as you have a date. Peak dates go quickly, so get in touch early.
Is halal food available?
Yes, we do. We use halal chicken and leave out pork and alcohol, in a separate pan.
Can you serve drinks?
Sangria can be added, and we can staff a bar with your drinks.
How much paella per person?
Pans are sized to your numbers and other courses. Let us know about any other food. See how much paella per person.
Perfect for your event in Tower Hamlets
Live paella is made for outdoor events: cooked outside, served hot and shared.
Here are some of the events we cook for:
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Community events and fairs
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
- Wedding breakfasts and evening food
Parks such as High Meadow usually need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there.
Questions to ask before booking
- Travel and parking costs
- Who provides the crockery
- What happens if it rains
- The deposit and payment dates
The process
When we arrive, we set up the burners and pans and start cooking the sofrito and stock. The rice goes in about 20 minutes before serving, so the timing is planned around your event. Evenings in Tower Hamlets stay light until about 9:15pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:00pm; once it is dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- We start with a few details about your event.
- You get a menu and an itemised quote.
- We agree timings, access and the cooking spot.
- On the day, we set up and cook in front of your guests.
- We serve from the pan, then pack down.
How to prepare
- Keep the cooking spot clear of fences, hedges and branches
- Give us a contact for the day
- Let us know the timings for the day
Get a quote
We need only a few details to quote: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. To send them, send us your details through our quote form.
Read more
Towns and villages near Tower Hamlets
Other catering in Tower Hamlets
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
Doing it yourself saves money, but the host ends up stuck at the stove. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
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.
What we need at the venue
Most gardens and venues can host live paella, but a few things matter:
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
- Open air or a well-ventilated covered spot
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise.
On the menu in Tower Hamlets
- Paella Valenciana
- Mixed paella
- Vegan paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Seafood paella
- Vegetable paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
Is live paella right for your event?
Barbecues cook in batches, so food comes off in waves. Paella is ready all at once, so everyone eats together. If you have a budget in mind, tell us, and we’ll put together a menu that fits. Even a simple menu can be a feast.
Why us?
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- Real theatre, not just catering
- Served hot, straight from the pan
- Catering across Kent, including Tower Hamlets
Take a look at How we price And Our guide to catering costs.
- 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