Kent · England
Tapas Catering for Southernden events
Love Paella cooks Spanish tapas and canapé catering, on its own or alongside a paella in Southernden and nearby, catering for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests.
- Launches and office parties
- Welcome-drink canapés
- Sharing tapas starters
Planning an event in Southernden?
Tapas catering in Southernden, cooked live
We’ll recommend a tapas selection for your event, whether tapas are a starter or the whole meal. Typical bookings include work receptions and tapas before paella, serving tortilla española, gambas al ajillo and Manchego with membrillo.
Near Southernden, tapas suit gardens, barns and marquees. Timings are planned around your event, whether that is speeches, a lunch break or a festival schedule.
For event organisers in Southernden
Throwing a party at home? Send us a photo of the garden and tell us about access, and we’ll tell you honestly whether live paella will work.
If you are planning an event on someone’s behalf, whether you are a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we’ll work directly with you and the venue. It keeps things simple.
Drinks receptions around Southernden
Southernden is about 8 miles south-east of Maidstone, in Kent. For tapas catering in Southernden, we plan around your venue and timings: a quote, a plan and live cooking on the day. We cover 922 places in Kent. We cook right across the region, from Southernden to Canterbury (about 19 miles away).
Historic buildings near Southernden often have strict catering rules, so ask early if that’s your venue. Guests travelling by rail: the nearest station is Headcorn station, about 2.1 miles south-west. Southernden is within about 6 miles of the Kent Downs National Landscape, a lovely setting for a drinks reception outdoors.
We cook at events all over the TN27 postcode area. Neighbouring places where we cater events include Swift's Green (1 mile south), Smarden Bell (2 miles south), Headcorn (2 miles south-west), Hearnden Green (2 miles west) and Biddenden Green (2 miles south-east). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (8 miles north-west), Ashford (9 miles east), Sittingbourne (11 miles north), Faversham (13 miles north-east), Kings Hill (13 miles north-west) and Davington (13 miles north-east).
A little further out are Coldbridge Castle (1.7 miles north-east) and Kent Firefighting Museum (3.8 miles south-west).
A closer look at the menu
Manchego & membrillo
Easy and classic.
Tortilla española
A vegetarian favourite.
Nearby places to Southernden
What else we do in Southernden
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
DIY catering keeps costs down, but the host spends the party cooking. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
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.
Why choose tapas catering in Southernden?
One spread covers many tastes and diets.
Live paella works for big and small events alike. Typical bookings include:
- Drinks parties and receptions
- Launches and office parties
- Anniversary parties
- Sharing boards for evening guests
Historic houses near Southernden include Leeds Castle (4.8 miles north). For a drinks reception at a historic venue, canapé tapas can work where live cooking isn’t allowed.
What your quote should include
- A clear list of what’s included
- Who provides the crockery
- The deadline for final numbers
- How many staff are coming, and for how long
What tapas catering costs
Live paella pricing is straightforward once we know the basics:
- Parking and unloading
- Timings and hours
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
Extras such as tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are priced separately, so you can choose exactly what you need.
What we need to know
The more we know about your event, the better we can plan. Please include:
- A picture of the space, if you can
- Which courses you have in mind
- Diets and allergies you know about
- The address or venue name
Each quote is tailored to your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we will check availability at the same time.
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. Evening receptions in Southernden stay light until about 8:50pm in late May and 9:15pm in late June, so canapés can go round outdoors on a summer evening.
- Send us the date, venue and numbers.
- You get a selection and a price.
- We set up and finish hot tapas on site.
- Canapés go round or tapas go to the tables.
- We clear our equipment afterwards.
Before we arrive
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Pick a flat, firm spot for us to cook
- Make sure the spot is clear of anything flammable
How to get a price
Still deciding on the menu? That is fine: give us the basics about your event, and we’ll make suggestions. To start, send us your details through our quote form.
Read more
Planning for every diet
Dietary needs are easy to plan for with a little notice. Our advice:
- Tell us what role tapas play
- Label seafood clearly
- Allow more variety if tapas are the whole meal
- Collect dietary needs
Hot tapas are finished on site and served straight away.
Staff to serve canapés.
Where we can cook in Southernden
Live paella is cooked over gas burners in large pans, so the cooking area needs a little planning. These are the things we check:
- A suitable spot to finish hot tapas
- Room for a tapas table
- The venue’s agreement to outside caterers
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise.
What we offer
- Olives & bread
- Manchego & membrillo
- Gambas al ajillo
- Padrón peppers
- Albóndigas
- Patatas bravas
- Tortilla española
- Chorizo in red wine
- Serrano ham
- Croquetas
Questions from Southernden
Do you cater in the Kent Downs National Landscape?
Yes, though some venues in protected landscapes have extra rules; ask your venue. We will follow the site rules.
Do you come out to small places like Southernden?
No, we cook in small places too. Let us know about access and parking.
What space do you need to cook?
Level ground for the burners, pans and a table, in the open air or a ventilated covered area, and the venue’s permission for live cooking.
Are the tapas fresh?
We finish hot dishes on site; cold ones go out as guests arrive.
Do you have a kids’ option?
Children are welcome. Let us know numbers and ages, and we’ll plan for them.
Can you cook halal paella?
We can. Tell us how many guests need halal food, and we will cook a separate pan.
What areas do you cover?
London and the South East: Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Bucks, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight, including Southernden.
How much paella per person?
We plan quantities from your guest numbers, timings and other courses, with a little extra built in. Give us accurate numbers for the best result.
- 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