Kent · England
Wedding Paella Catering in Lashenden
Paella catering for weddings, from canapés to the wedding breakfast and evening food in Lashenden: paella cooked from scratch in huge pans, in full view of your guests, with tapas, desserts and drinks if you want them.
- Receptions after an intimate ceremony
- Big weddings with every diet
- Rustic barn weddings
Wedding paella catering for Lashenden events
Planning the cooking area
We cook in large pans over gas burners, so the cooking area needs a little planning. These are the things we check:
- Space well away from trees, fences and gazebo walls
- Outdoor space or a ventilated gazebo
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise before booking.
Menu ideas
- Sangria & bar staff
- Table tapas
- Dessert
- Canapé tapas
- Paella wedding breakfast
- Evening paella
Wedding paella catering for your wedding in Lashenden
Sharing from big pans suits relaxed weddings, especially with long tables and outdoor venues. It feels generous and celebratory. We’re often asked to cater marquee and garden weddings and wedding receptions after a small ceremony, serving a paella wedding breakfast, evening paella and Spanish desserts.
Rural weddings around Lashenden have a magic of their own, and paella cooking in the open air adds to it. Plan access and cover in case of rain. You will know exactly what’s included before you book: the menu, the staff and any extras, with no surprises on the day.
Also near Lashenden
What else we do in Lashenden
Should I cook it myself?
You can hire equipment and do it yourself, but there is shopping, prep and hours of cooking. A caterer handles all of that.
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
For event organisers in Lashenden
Events in public spaces, like parks, generally need permission. We will provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
If you’re organising for someone else, whether you’re a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we are happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It saves passing messages back and forth.
What’s in the pans
Paella wedding breakfast
Two or three paellas, served from the pans or brought to the tables, with bread and salad.
Canapé tapas
One- and two-bite tapas on boards, perfect during the photos.
Occasions we cook for in Lashenden
Paella can work for the wedding breakfast, the evening, or both, so it fits any plan.
We can help if you are planning any of the following:
- Wedding receptions after a small ceremony
- Marquee and garden weddings
- Blessings and vow renewals
- Destination-style celebrations at home
For guests travelling by train, Headcorn station is about 1.8 miles away.
What to look for in a quote
- A clear list of what’s included
- The deadline for final numbers
- Plates, cutlery and napkins, or disposables
- How bad weather is handled
Step by step
A typical event goes like this: we set up the pans and start the sofrito, the rice cooks in front of your guests, and we serve straight from the pan at the agreed time. For a summer wedding in Lashenden, the sun sets at about 9:15pm in late June and about 7:00pm in late September, which means evening paella is usually served in daylight in June and July. Later in the year, plan lighting: in December it’s dark by about 3:50pm.
- We check availability for your date.
- You pick the courses and dishes.
- We confirm the plan with your coordinator.
- Guests watch the paella cook during the reception.
- We serve, then pack down.
Before we arrive
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Let us know who to talk to on the day
- Share the running order, including any speeches
Get a quote
It is easy to get a price: share your date, venue, numbers and diets. We’ll send a clear, itemised quote and a suggested menu.
Read more
Prices and what affects them
Live paella pricing is straightforward once we know the basics:
- How many staff you need
- How many courses
- Distance and access to the venue
- Plates, cutlery and glassware
If you have a budget in mind, tell us, and we’ll put together a menu that fits. A simple menu can still feel generous.
Details that help
Here’s what makes a quick, accurate quote possible:
- A photo of the cooking space, if it is a garden or field
- Anything your venue supplies
- The date and time of the event
- Roughly how many adults and children
Every event is quoted individually, so you only pay for what you need. To ask for one, use our quote form.
Live paella or other catering?
A buffet can leave food sitting out. Paella is served hot from the pan. Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are optional extras, so you only pay for what you want.
Why us?
- Cooking your guests will gather round to watch
- Starters and desserts to complete the menu
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- Crockery and waiting staff if you need them
Read Our pricing And The cost guide.
Lashenden: your questions answered
Is Lashenden close to London?
Roughly 40 miles from the centre of London, and well within our area.
Can you cook at venues in the High Weald National Landscape?
Yes. Some venues there have rules about vehicles, ground and cooking, so check with yours. We’ll work to whatever the site needs.
Do you take everything away?
Our cooking area is packed away and left clean. Table clearing is available with waiting staff.
Can you cater the whole day?
We can. Canapé tapas, table tapas, a paella wedding breakfast, evening food and desserts, or any part of that.
What space do you need to cook?
A level space for the pans, burners and a serving table, outdoors or in a marquee or well-ventilated area, plus the venue’s agreement to cooking.
Can you serve tapas as well?
Of course. Canapés with drinks or tapas for the tables, while the rice is cooking.
How do you work out quantities?
Pans are sized to your numbers and other courses. Tell us what else is being served. Our guide to portions explains more.
Can you cook indoors?
Indoors only where ventilation and the venue allow it. Most events have us cooking outside or in a doorway or courtyard.
Wedding venues and ceremonies near Lashenden
Lashenden is about 10 miles west of Ashford, in Kent. For wedding paella catering in Lashenden, we cater in back gardens, halls with outdoor space, barns, marquees and offices in and around Lashenden. We cook in all 922 towns and villages in Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. Our nearest city page is Canterbury, about 21 miles away.
The High Weald National Landscape is within about 6 miles of Lashenden, with plenty of rural wedding settings. Check vehicle access and cooking rules with the venue.
For wedding paella catering in TN27, we plan around your venue. Local streets include Bell Lane and Frittenden Road; a wedding at home on any of them works well with live paella. If your venue is just outside Lashenden, we also cover Standen (1 mile south-east), Curteis' Corner (1 mile south), Monk's Hill (1 mile east), Hareplain (2 miles south-west) and Smarden Bell (2 miles north-east). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (10 miles north-west), Ashford (10 miles east), Sittingbourne (15 miles north), Kings Hill (14 miles north-west), Foley Park (11 miles north-west) and Paddock Wood (11 miles west).
Nearby you’ll also find Kent Firefighting Museum (1.2 miles west) and Romden Castle (2.9 miles 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