Medway · England
Wedding Paella Catering in Hempstead
From the first sizzle in the pan to the last crispy spoonful, paella catering for weddings, from canapés to the wedding breakfast and evening food turns food into part of your wedding in Hempstead.
- Garden and marquee weddings
- Barn and farm weddings
- Weddings with a Spanish theme
Wedding paella catering in Hempstead
What happens on the day
Expect a friendly, organised team. Arrival and serving times are agreed beforehand, set up our cooking area, and cook and serve without fuss. For a summer wedding in Hempstead, the sun sets at about 9:15pm in late June and about 7:00pm in late September, so an evening paella for evening guests is normally served in daylight in high summer. For autumn and winter weddings, when it is dark by about 3:50pm in December, plan lighting for the cooking area.
- First, we check your date.
- You pick the courses and dishes.
- We confirm everything with your venue.
- The pans cook while guests enjoy the drinks.
- We serve and clear our cooking area.
How to prepare
- Pick a flat, firm spot for us to cook
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
- Leave space around the cooking area
How to get a price
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, plus any dietary needs, and we’ll reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. To get started, use our quote form.
Related guides
How our wedding paella catering works in Hempstead
Timing is everything with paella: the rice needs about 20 minutes and is best served immediately. We plan it around your speeches and photos. Typical bookings include garden and marquee weddings and blessings and vow renewals, serving Spanish desserts, evening paella and canapé tapas.
A farm or garden wedding near Hempstead suits live paella. We’ll need a level spot and a way to reach it. Every pan is cooked in front of your guests, so it arrives hot and becomes part of the event.
About the dishes
Desserts
To finish: churros, crema catalana or your wedding cake.
Canapé tapas
Small bites carried round on boards while guests mingle, perfect during the photos.
Hempstead weddings: local tips
Hempstead is about 2 miles south of Gillingham, in Medway. Whether your wedding is in the middle of Hempstead or on the outskirts, wedding paella catering works the same way: paella cooked live, every diet catered for and a clear quote. Hempstead is one of 68 places in Medway where we cook. Our events stretch from Hempstead to Canterbury (23 miles away).
Boxley Hills nearby makes a lovely backdrop for photos. If you’re hoping for photos in South Wood, check whether the park needs permission for photography or gatherings. The Kent Downs National Landscape is within about 7 miles of Hempstead, with plenty of rural wedding settings. Ask your venue about access and cooking rules.
Wedding paella catering in ME7 and ME8 is planned around your venue and your guests. Whether your wedding is on Harrow Road, Spekes Road and Capstone Road or anywhere nearby, we can cook there. Hempstead sits on or near the A278, which makes travel to your wedding easy. We also cook at weddings in Capstone (1 mile north-west), Darland (1 mile north-west), Wigmore (1 mile east), Hale (1 mile north-west) and Park Wood (1 mile east). Further out, we also cater in Rochester (4 miles north-west), Strood (5 miles north-west), Hoo St Werburgh (5 miles north), Chatham Waterfront (3 miles north-west), Rochester Riverside (4 miles north-west) and Peters Village (5 miles west).
A little further out are Pentagon Shopping Centre (3 miles north-west) and Medway megaliths (3.8 miles south-west). Open spaces near Hempstead include Burham Down and Boxley Hills.
- Nearby schools include Rainham School for Girls (1.3 miles north-east) and Howard School (1.3 miles north-east)
Planning for every diet
Dietary needs are easy to plan for with a little notice. Our advice:
- Put us in touch with your venue
- Choose pan-side or table service
- Check the venue’s rules for outside caterers
- Send us the running order and speech times
On the day, we liaise with your coordinator or toastmaster, so you can enjoy yourselves.
Crockery, cutlery and waiting staff are available.
FAQs for Hempstead
Is Hempstead close to London?
About 30 miles from central London, and well within our area.
Can you cook at venues in the Kent Downs National Landscape?
Yes. Some venues there have rules about vehicles, ground and cooking, so check with yours. We will follow the site rules.
Do you cover Hempstead?
Yes. We cater across London and the South East, including Hempstead and the rest of Medway. For a quote, use our quote form.
What areas do you cover?
London and South East England: Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Bucks, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight, including Hempstead.
How long do you need on site?
It depends on the menu and numbers. We agree the timings in advance.
Is the paella gluten-free?
A gluten-free pan is no problem. Let us know about coeliac guests in advance so we can plan it carefully.
Do you do starters?
Yes, it is the classic pairing. Tapas go out first, then the paella.
Can you bring crockery?
We can. Tell us what your venue provides and we’ll include the rest in the quote.
Why live cooking beats a buffet
Plated wedding meals need a kitchen and more staff. Live paella needs a level, ventilated spot and the venue’s permission, and suits a relaxed style. When you compare quotes, check what each one includes: staff, crockery, bread and salads, travel and VAT. Our quotes spell it all out.
Why book with us
- Starters and desserts to complete the menu
- Crockery and waiting staff if you need them
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
Read Our prices page Or The cost guide.
Also in Hempstead
Working with your venue
If you’re planning an event on someone’s behalf, whether you are a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we will work directly with you and the venue. It saves passing messages back and forth.
Events in public spaces, like parks, generally need permission. We will provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
Should I cook it myself?
Hiring a pan and burner is one option, but there’s shopping, prep and hours of cooking. A caterer handles all of that.
Plenty of people try cooking paella for their own party. The usual problems are a pan too big for the burner, too much rice and stirring once the rice is in. If you’d rather enjoy the party, let us cook.
How we price wedding paella catering
There are no hidden charges: the quote reflects:
- Starters, canapés and desserts
- Parking and unloading
- Waiting and bar staff
- Your choice of paellas
Live paella frequently compares well with a sit-down meal, because it needs no kitchen and fewer staff. Ask us for a quote.
Details that help
You don’t need every detail fixed to get a quote, but it helps to know:
- The courses you’d like
- The address or venue name
- The date and rough timings
- A picture of the space, if you can
To get a price, send us your details through our quote form. Give us the details of your wedding, and we will put together a menu and price.
Occasions we cook for in Hempstead
It’s a natural fit for barns, marquees and gardens, where plated meals are harder.
Whatever the occasion, live paella can be the centrepiece. We regularly cater:
- Parties after a register office wedding
- Evening food for extra guests
- Weddings with a Spanish theme
- Relaxed sharing-style wedding breakfasts
Put the station on your invitation: Rainham (Kent) station is about 2.1 miles away.
What to look for in a quote
- The wet-weather plan
- Who provides the crockery
- Whether VAT is included
- How late numbers can change
- 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