Kent · England
Wedding paella catering in Sholden, Kent
Paella catering for weddings, from canapés to the wedding breakfast and evening food in Sholden: paella cooked from scratch in giant pans, in full view of your guests, with tapas, desserts and drinks if you want them.
- Barn and farm weddings
- Wedding receptions after a small ceremony
- Destination-style celebrations at home
Wedding paella catering near Sholden
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
You can hire equipment and do it yourself, but you’ll still need to source ingredients, prep and cook for hours. 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 be with your guests, we will do the cooking.
About our wedding paella catering in Sholden
A wedding paella is food and entertainment at once. Guests drift over to watch the pans while the photos are being taken, and the food arrives hot and plentiful. Popular choices include Spanish desserts, table tapas and canapé tapas, and typical bookings are for parties after a register office wedding and food for evening guests.
There’s something special about a country wedding near Sholden, and paella cooking in the open air adds to it. Plan for access and a wet-weather cover. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, with each paella cooked in its own pan and clearly labelled.
What wedding paella catering costs
These are the factors that matter most:
- Timings and hours
- Starters, canapés and desserts
- Guest numbers
- How many staff you need
Seafood and premium ingredients cost more than chicken or vegetable paellas, so the menu you choose affects the price. Tell us your budget and we’ll suggest a menu.
Getting an accurate quote
Good planning starts with a few facts. Try to include:
- The venue or postcode
- Whether you want canapés, tapas or desserts
- Diets and allergies you know about
- A picture of where we’d cook
The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote: venue, timings, courses and extras. When you are ready, send us your details through our quote form.
What we need at the venue
We will agree the cooking spot with you before the day. It needs to meet a few simple requirements:
- A cooking spot outside the marquee, not inside it
- Agreement from the venue or landowner to cook on site
- Space well away from trees, fences and gazebo walls
Not sure about your space? Send us a picture and we’ll tell you honestly.
Menu ideas
- Sangria & bar staff
- Canapé tapas
- Evening paella
- Dessert
- Table tapas
- Paella wedding breakfast
Organising for someone else?
Booking for a company? Tell us what your finance team needs, and we’ll explain how it works. We’re happy to liaise with facilities on access and timings.
Many venues have rules for outside caterers: cooking areas, access times and documents. Send us your venue’s requirements and we’ll follow them.
Diets, allergies and planning
Dietary needs are easy to plan for with a little notice. Our advice:
- Enquire early for peak dates
- Confirm the venue’s catering rules early
- Introduce us to your venue coordinator
- Share your running order, including speeches
The pans are often set up where guests can see them, and it makes a great photo.
We can provide crockery and waiting staff.
Towns and villages near Sholden
What else we do in Sholden
Getting married in Sholden?
Sholden is about 1 mile north-west of Deal, in Kent. Across the CT14 area, we will come to your venue or garden. Sholden is one of 922 towns and villages in Kent where we cook. You can also see our page for Canterbury, about 13 miles away.
Couples marrying at local churches such as Church of St Nicholas often hold the reception nearby: the paella can be cooking while you have photos taken, so the meal is ready when you arrive. If you are hoping for photos in Betteshanger Park, check whether the park needs permission for photography or gatherings. The sea is within about 2 miles, perfect for a seafood paella wedding. We’ll plan shelter from sea breezes.
For wedding paella catering in CT14, we plan around your venue and your guests. Your wedding could be at a home on The Street, London Road and Colmanton Grove or the roads around them. For weddings just outside Sholden, we cover Sholden Meadows (1 mile west), Mill Hill (1 mile south), Great Mongeham (1 mile south-west), Deal (1 mile south-east) and Finglesham (1 mile north-west). Further out, we also cater in Canterbury (13 miles west), Margate (11 miles north), Dover (7 miles south-west), Folkestone (13 miles south-west), Ramsgate (8 miles north) and Broadstairs (10 miles north).
Well-known places in the area include Deal Castle (1.4 miles east) and Kent Museum of the Moving Image (1.2 miles east). Not far away are Monk's Wall nature reserve.
- Local schools include Castle Community College (1 mile south-east)
- Pubs nearby include The Magnet pub (0.6 miles south-east)
Paella compared with other options
A hog roast is popular at weddings, but harder for vegetarian, vegan and halal guests. Paella covers them with separate pans. Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are optional extras, so you only pay for what you want.
Why choose Love Paella in Sholden
- Paella cooked from scratch on site
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
See Our pricing And Our guide to catering costs.
What’s in the pans
Desserts
Churros with chocolate, crema catalana or tarta de Santiago.
Canapé tapas
Canapé tapas fill the gap before the meal, without spoiling appetites.
How it works
We work to your timings. If things run behind, we adjust the cooking so it’s served at its best. At midsummer, sunset in Sholden is about 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.
- Tell us your date, venue and numbers.
- We plan your menu course by course.
- Timings are agreed with your venue.
- On the day, we cook and serve each course.
- We clear our area; staff stay as booked.
Preparing for the day
- Let us know the timings for the day
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
- Make sure we can park close by to unload
Get a quote
Most quotes start with a few simple details: date, location, guest numbers and diets. You can fill in our quote form.
Read more
Sholden questions
Could we have live paella in Betteshanger Park?
Only if the landowner, normally the council, allows it. Ask them first, and we’ll send any information they need.
Can you cook near the sea around Sholden?
Yes, with a sheltered cooking spot. Wind is the main issue on the coast, so we plan shelter.
Who clears up?
Our cooking area is packed away and left clean. Table clearing is available with waiting staff.
Is it really cooked live?
Yes. We cook from scratch in large pans at your venue, where your guests can watch.
How much space do you need?
A level space for the pans, burners and a serving table, outdoors or in a marquee or well-ventilated area, and the venue’s permission for live cooking.
Where do you cater?
We cater across London and the South East, Kent included. Find your area.
Do you do starters?
Yes, it’s the classic pairing. Tapas first, paella to follow.
Is paella too casual for a wedding?
It can be as relaxed or as polished as you like, depending on how it is served.
- 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