Kent · England
Live paella catering in Willesborough, Kent
Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Willesborough: paella made from scratch in big, shallow pans, in full view of your guests.
- Garden get-togethers
- Retirement and leaving parties
- Anniversaries and engagement parties
Live paella catering in Willesborough
How we price paella catering
Every event is priced individually, and the price depends on a few things:
- Your choice of paellas
- How many courses
- The number of people
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
Comparing caterers? Look at what each quote includes: staff, crockery, bread and salads, travel and VAT. We itemise ours.
What we need to know
Here’s what makes a quick, accurate quote possible:
- The courses you’d like
- What the venue already provides
- Your date and when you want to eat
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
Every event is quoted individually, so you only pay for what you need. To ask for one, fill in our quote form.
Paella catering for your event in Willesborough
Almost any venue with a level, ventilated spot will do: a garden, marquee, barn, courtyard or field in and around Willesborough. On the menu are vegan paella, seafood paella and mixed paella, and typical bookings are for garden get-togethers and staff parties and work lunches.
Around Willesborough, events are often in gardens, local halls or nearby venues. If access is tight, we’ll plan around it. We bring everything we need to cook, and pack down our cooking area when service is finished.
Willesborough: venues, travel and local tips
Willesborough is about 1 mile east of Ashford, in Kent. Events in Willesborough are planned around your venue and timings: a quote, a plan and live cooking on the day. Willesborough is one of 922 towns and villages in Kent we cover. You can also see our page for Canterbury, about 13 miles away.
If you are organising a summer fair for a school like Willesborough Junior School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. If you’re celebrating after a service at a church like Church of St Mary the Virgin, live paella at a garden or venue nearby works well. Willesborough is within about 4 miles of the Kent Downs National Landscape, a lovely setting for an outdoor event. Check your venue’s rules on vehicles and cooking.
We cater events across the TN24 postcode area and the streets around it. Streets in the area include Mead Road, Mill Lane and Milne Road, and we can cook for an event on any of them. Being close to the A2070, Willesborough is easy for us to reach with everything for your event. If your venue is just outside Willesborough, we also cover South Willesborough (1 mile south-west), Newtown (1 mile south-west), Ashford (1 mile west), Finberry (1 mile south) and Park Farm (2 miles south-west). Further out, we also cater in Canterbury (13 miles north-east), Folkestone (12 miles east), Faversham (12 miles north), Hythe (9 miles south-east), Davington (12 miles north) and Preston (12 miles north).
Nearby you’ll also find William Harvey Hospital (0.8 miles east) and Ashford Designer Outlet (0.8 miles west). Open spaces near Willesborough include Hatch Park.
- Local schools include The North School (0.5 miles north-west)
- Pubs nearby include The William Harvey Public House (under half a mile south-east)
Paella compared with other options
Vans serve one order at a time. A big pan serves many guests fast, so everyone can eat at the same time. Got a budget? Let us know, and we’ll put together a menu that fits. A simple menu can still feel generous.
Why Willesborough hosts choose us
- Starters and desserts to complete the menu
- Options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in its own pan
- Cooking your guests will gather round to watch
- No hidden extras in your quote
Take a look at Our prices page Or Our guide to catering costs.
How the day works
Your timings come first. If things run behind, we hold the paella at the right stage so it’s still served fresh. Around midsummer it stays light in Willesborough until about 9:15pm; by late September sunset is nearer 7:00pm, so summer evening events are generally served in daylight. For winter events, when it is dark by about 3:50pm, we need lighting at the cooking spot.
- Start with the date, the place and the numbers.
- Expect a menu idea and a clear, itemised price.
- A week or so before, we confirm the plan.
- On the day we cook live, timed around your event.
- We serve, then leave our area tidy.
Before we arrive
- Have a gazebo or cover ready if rain is likely
- Give us a contact for the day
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
Getting a price
Not sure what you need yet? That’s fine: give us the basics about your event, and we’ll make suggestions. Start when you are ready: send us your details through our quote form.
Planning help
Dietary needs and planning tips
Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included. To make it work smoothly:
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Make sure each pan is labelled
- Have seats for most of your guests
- Put allergy details in writing
If you’ve booked staff, they’ll serve, clear and help keep things moving, so you can enjoy your guests.
We can add sangria and bar staff to serve drinks you provide.
Willesborough questions
Can you cook in Ashford Green Corridors?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, typically the council. Check with them, and we’ll provide our paperwork.
Can you cook at venues in the Kent Downs National Landscape?
Yes, though some venues in protected landscapes have extra rules; ask your venue. We will work to whatever the site needs.
Do you cater in Willesborough?
Yes, we do. We cook at events in Willesborough and across Kent. Send us your date to check availability.
What happens if it rains?
We cook under cover, such as a gazebo, marquee or open-sided barn with good ventilation. We will agree a wet-weather plan with you.
What does paella catering cost?
We quote for each event, so you only pay for what you need. Tell us your date and numbers and we will reply with a price.
How many different paellas?
Two or three covers most guests. Tell us about your guests’ diets and we will suggest the mix.
Can you cook indoors?
Mostly outside or under an open cover, because we use gas burners. We will check whether your venue has a suitable space.
How much paella per person?
We size the pans for your numbers and the rest of the menu. Let us know about any other food. Our guide to portions explains more.
DIY paella versus live catering
If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, have hot stock ready, and do not stir once the rice goes in. And keep children and pets well away from the burner.
DIY catering keeps costs down, but the host spends the party cooking. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
What’s in the pans
Paella Valenciana
The original paella from Valencia is a countryside dish of chicken and vegetables, not seafood. It’s frequently the most popular pan at an event.
Vegetable and vegan paella
The vegetable pan is a dish in its own right: peppers, artichokes and beans with saffron.
For event organisers in Willesborough
Many venues have rules for outside caterers: where cooking is allowed, access times and the paperwork they need. Tell us what your venue needs and we will work to it.
For big numbers, we plan pans and serving points to keep queues short, so everyone eats promptly. Tell us how long you have for food.
Space, weather and the venue
Before the day, we will agree where we cook. It needs to meet a few simple requirements:
- Level ground for the pans and burners
- 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.
Popular choices
- Vegan paella
- Vegetable paella
- Seafood paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Mixed paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
Towns and villages near Willesborough
More for events in Willesborough
- 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