Kent · England
Live paella catering in Tudeley, Kent
Love Paella cooks live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Tudeley and nearby, with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options.
- Milestone birthday parties
- Staff parties and work lunches
- Christenings and family gatherings
Live paella catering in Tudeley
Paella catering in Tudeley, cooked live
Almost any venue with a level, ventilated spot will do: gardens, marquees, barns, courtyards and festival fields in and around Tudeley. On the menu are chicken and chorizo paella, vegetable paella and mixed paella, and we’re regularly asked to cater weddings, from canapés to evening food and office lunches and staff parties.
For a rural spot like Tudeley, the countryside is part of the appeal: a huge pan in a garden or field fits perfectly. Let us know about access and ground conditions. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, with each paella cooked in its own pan.
What happens on the day
Service is quick: we serve straight from the pan, so large groups are fed quickly. Afterwards we clear our cooking area away. Around midsummer it stays light in Tudeley until about 9:20pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:00pm, so summer evening events are typically served in daylight. In December it is dark by about 3:55pm, so winter events need lighting where we cook.
- First, tell us about your event.
- You get a menu and an itemised quote.
- Timings, access and the cooking area are agreed in advance.
- We cook live on the day while guests watch.
- It’s served straight from the pan, and we clear our area afterwards.
How to prepare
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
- Plan cover in case of rain
- Leave space around the cooking area
Get a quote
The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote: the venue, the timings, the courses you’d like and any extras. To send your details, send us your details through our quote form.
Related guides
Perfect for your event in Tudeley
Paella is one of the few dishes that handles mixed diets easily, thanks to separate pans for each version. Nobody gets a token ‘special meal’.
If you are planning any of these, we can help:
- Naming days and family parties
- Engagement and anniversary parties
- Milestone birthday parties
- Fairs, fêtes and festivals
For guests coming by train, Tonbridge station is about 2 miles away.
Questions to ask before you book
- How each diet is kept separate
- What the price includes, item by item
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
- What the caterer needs from your venue
Why live cooking beats a buffet
Vans serve one order at a time. A paella pan serves many portions quickly, so everyone can eat at the same time. Access and travel can make a difference to the cost, so it helps to tell us about your venue. Everything is confirmed in writing.
What you get with us
- Separate pans for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
Take a look at Our pricing Or Our guide to catering costs.
Working with your venue
If you run the same event each year, tell us your dates early, so we can plan ahead.
For larger events, we plan the number of pans and serving points around your timings, so guests are fed quickly. Tell us how long you have for food.
Dietary needs and planning tips
Dietary needs are easy to plan for with a little notice. Our advice:
- Tell us about coeliac guests specifically
- Give us separate numbers for children
- Plan a meat, a seafood and a vegetable or vegan pan
- Request clear labels at the serving table
The rice takes about 20 minutes once it goes in, so we start it at the right moment for your event. If timings shift, we adapt.
Add canapé tapas with the drinks or table tapas as a starter while the paella cooks.
Towns and villages near Tudeley
What else we do in Tudeley
Space, weather and the venue
We’ll be honest if a space will not work, and suggest an alternative. What matters most:
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
- Level ground for the pans and burners
Not sure about your space? Send us a picture and we will tell you honestly before booking.
Menu ideas
- Vegan paella
- Vegetable paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Mixed paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
Tudeley: your questions answered
Is Tudeley close to London?
About 28 miles from central London, and well within our area.
We are having a ceremony at Church of All Saints: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is typically elsewhere. Tell us where the reception will be.
Can you cater for vegetarians and vegans?
Of course. Vegetarian and vegan paellas are cooked in separate pans, alongside the meat and seafood pans.
Where do you cater?
We cover London and the South East, including Kent. See all areas.
How does live paella catering work?
We set up a cooking area at your venue, cook the paella from scratch in large pans while your guests watch, and serve it straight from the pan.
Can you bring crockery?
We can. Tell us what your venue provides and we will include the rest in the quote.
Do you do desserts?
We do. Spanish desserts such as churros or crema catalana.
How much space do you need?
A level space for the pans, burners and a serving table, in the open air or a ventilated covered area, plus the venue’s agreement to cooking.
What affects the price in Tudeley
These are the factors that matter most:
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
- The length of service
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- How many courses
Premium seafood costs more than chicken or vegetables, so your choice of paellas affects the total. Tell us your budget and we’ll suggest a menu.
Details that help
You do not need everything decided to ask for a quote, but these help:
- Anything your venue supplies
- Diets and allergies you know about
- Your date and when you want to eat
- A photo of the space, if you can
Getting a quote is simple: share your date, venue, numbers and diets. We’ll come back with a clear quote and a suggested menu.
DIY paella versus live catering
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. A big pan needs a burner that heats it evenly, and getting the rice right at scale is tricky. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
Not sure whether to cook yourself or book a caterer? Consider your numbers, your guests’ diets and your own time. Ask us for a quote and compare.
Paella catering around Tudeley
Tudeley is about 2 miles south-east of Tonbridge, in Kent. Wherever your event is in the TN11 area, we can cook for your guests. We cover 922 places across Kent. Our nearest city page is London, about 28 miles away.
If you’re organising a summer fair for a school like The Schools at Somerhill, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. If you are celebrating after a service at a church like Church of All Saints, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well.
Anywhere in TN11, we can bring paella catering to you. Nearby, we also cater events in Tudeley Hale (1 mile north-east), Crockhurst Street (1 mile south-east), Capel (1 mile south-east), Five Oak Green (2 miles east) and Colt's Hill (2 miles south-east). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (11 miles north-east), Sevenoaks (9 miles north-west), Royal Tunbridge Wells (4 miles south-west), Kings Hill (7 miles north-east), Foley Park (11 miles north-east) and Paddock Wood (3 miles east).
Nearby you will also find Tonbridge Castle (1.9 miles west) and The Milne Museum (2 miles north-west). Open spaces near Tudeley include Barden Lake and Tudeley Woods RSPB reserve.
- Local schools include Bishop Chavasse Primary School (1.1 miles west) and Hillview School for Girls (1.4 miles west)
- Nearby, you will find The Poacher & Partridge pub (within half a mile north-east)
- 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