Kent · England
Wedding paella catering in Ashley, Kent
Paella for every guest: meat, seafood, vegetarian and vegan pans side by side. Paella catering for weddings, from canapés to the wedding breakfast and evening food in Ashley.
- Weddings in a marquee or garden
- Evening food for extra guests
- Parties after a register office wedding
Book wedding paella catering in Ashley
Wedding paella catering in Ashley, cooked live
Saffron and garlic in the air has everyone looking forward to dinner. Typical bookings include weddings in a marquee or garden and sharing-style wedding meals, serving table tapas, a paella wedding breakfast and evening paella.
There is something special about a country wedding near Ashley, and paella cooking in the open air adds to it. Plan access and cover in case of rain. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in a separate pan and clearly labelled.
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For larger numbers, mixed diets or a wedding, a caterer takes the pressure off, and keeps vegetarian and allergy-safe pans separate.
DIY catering keeps costs down, but the host spends the party cooking. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
What affects the price in Ashley
There is nothing hidden: the price is based on:
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- How many staff you need
- Parking and unloading
- Your choice of paellas
Premium seafood costs more than chicken or vegetables, so your choice of paellas affects the total. We’ll suggest options to suit your budget.
What we need to know
A few details help us give you an accurate quote. Here’s what’s useful:
- A picture of the cooking space, if it’s a garden or field
- The date and rough timings
- Roughly how many adults and children
- The courses you’d like
Still deciding on the menu? That is fine: tell us about the occasion and the guests, and we will suggest a menu. Start when you’re ready: fill in our quote form.
Before you choose a spot
The right spot keeps things safe and helps the paella cook evenly. We need:
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
- Somewhere close to park and unload
- A separate open-sided gazebo if the meal is in a marquee
If you are unsure, send a picture of the space and we’ll say what we think before booking.
Menu ideas
- Evening paella
- Sangria & bar staff
- Dessert
- Table tapas
- Canapé tapas
- Paella wedding breakfast
What happens on the day
On the day, we set up our cooking area, light the burners and start the sofrito. Once the rice goes in, it takes about 20 minutes, so the timing is planned around your event. Golden-hour photos in Ashley at midsummer come around 9:15pm, which helps us time evening food around your photos. In late May, sunset is about 8:45pm, and in late September about 7:00pm.
- Share your date, venue, numbers and plans for the day.
- We plan a menu with you, course by course, and confirm a quote.
- Timings are agreed with you and the venue, around speeches and photos.
- On the day we set up, cook live and serve each course as planned.
- Afterwards we clear our area; any staff you’ve booked stay as planned.
How to prepare
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
- Choose a level spot for the cooking area
- Check the venue allows live cooking
Ask for a quote
Every event is quoted individually, so the price fits what you actually want. For a quote, send us your details through our quote form.
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Wedding venues and ceremonies near Ashley
Ashley is about 4 miles north of Dover, in Kent. Weddings in Ashley are planned around your venue and timings: a clear quote, agreed timings and paella cooked live on the day. We cook in 922 places in Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. You can also see our page for Canterbury, about 11 miles away.
If you’re marrying at a church near Ashley, such as East Studdal Church Hall, a reception in a garden, marquee or hired venue nearby keeps the day flowing: the paella can be cooking while you have photos taken, so it is ready as guests arrive. Put the station on your invitation: Martin Mill station is about 2.4 miles away. With the coast within about 5 miles, a seafood paella suits a seaside-style wedding. Coastal wind needs a sheltered cooking spot.
Wedding paella catering in CT15 is planned around your venue and your guests. We can cater a wedding on streets such as Chapel Lane, Northdowns Close and Waldershare Road or the roads around them. Other places close to Ashley for wedding paella catering include Studdal (1 mile north-east), East Studdal (1 mile north-east), West Langdon (1 mile south-east), Sutton (2 miles east) and Church Whitfield (2 miles south). We also cook in nearby towns such as Canterbury (11 miles north-west), Margate (14 miles north), Dover (4 miles south), Folkestone (10 miles south-west), Ramsgate (11 miles north-east) and Broadstairs (13 miles north-east).
A little further out are Walmer Castle (4.3 miles east) and Buckland Hospital (4.1 miles south).
Organising for someone else?
Many venues have rules for outside caterers: where cooking is allowed, access times and the paperwork they need. Send us your venue’s requirements and we’ll follow them.
If you are organising for someone else, whether you’re a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we’ll work directly with you and the venue. It saves passing messages back and forth.
A closer look at the menu
Table tapas
Bowls and boards set down in the middle of each table, such as patatas bravas, croquetas and Manchego.
Desserts
To finish: Spanish desserts or your own cake.
Planning for every diet
Paella is one of the easiest dishes for mixed diets, because each paella is cooked in its own pan. A few tips:
- Ask about diets and allergies with your RSVPs
- Check the venue’s rules for outside caterers
- Put us in touch with your venue
- Tell us about suppliers who need feeding
We clear our cooking area away afterwards; any staff stay as long as agreed.
Crockery, cutlery and waiting staff are available.
Paella compared with other options
Live paella is less formal than a plated meal, but with canapés, table tapas and good crockery, it still feels special. Live paella pricing depends on the event. A simple paella lunch costs less than a wedding with canapés, three paellas and waiting staff. Your quote spells it all out.
Why us?
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- Cooking your guests will gather round to watch
- No hidden extras in your quote
- Every diet catered for, pan by pan
Read Our prices page And Our guide to catering costs.
Ashley questions
How far is Ashley from London?
Roughly 64 miles from the centre of London.
We are having a ceremony at East Studdal Church Hall: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Live cooking generally happens at the reception venue, not the church. Tell us where the reception will be.
What areas do you cover?
London and the South East: Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight.
Is paella too casual for a wedding?
It can be as relaxed or as polished as you like, depending on how it is served.
How many different paellas?
Generally two or three, so every guest has a choice. Tell us about your guests’ diets and we will suggest the mix.
Do you have a kids’ option?
Yes, children are easy to cater for. Tell us how many and roughly how old, and we’ll plan a pan with them in mind.
Do you cook it at the event?
It is. We arrive with everything we need and cook it there and then, then serve straight from the pan.
Do you offer halal options?
Yes, on request. Let us know your halal numbers, and it’s cooked separately.
Places near Ashley
What else we do in Ashley
- 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