Medway · England
Wedding paella catering in Strood, Medway
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 Strood.
- Spanish-themed and destination-style weddings
- Informal wedding breakfasts
- Rustic barn weddings
Live wedding paella catering in Strood
Wedding paella catering in Strood, made fresh on the day
Saffron and garlic in the air has everyone looking forward to dinner long before it is served. We cook a paella wedding breakfast, Spanish desserts and canapé tapas, and we’re regularly asked to cater food for evening guests and farm and barn venues.
Couples in Strood often keep it personal, with a marquee or a hall nearby. Live paella suits that kind of day. We plan the timings around your day, whether that’s speeches, a lunch break or a festival schedule.
FAQs for Strood
What’s the nearest station to Strood for guests?
Strood station, about 1 mile east of the centre.
Could we have live paella in Rede Common?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, generally the council. Check with them, and we will provide our paperwork.
What happens if it rains?
A covered, ventilated spot keeps us cooking in the rain. We’ll talk it through before the day.
Which areas do you serve?
We cover London and the South East, including Medway. See all areas.
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.
Can you liaise with the venue coordinator?
Yes, and it saves you passing messages. Introduce us and we will sort the details.
Can you cater the whole day?
We can cater as much or as little of the day as you like, from the drinks reception to the evening.
How long does the paella take?
It depends on the menu and numbers. We’ll agree arrival, cooking and serving times with you.
Dietary needs and planning tips
A little planning makes sure everyone can eat. Here’s how:
- Ask about your date as soon as you have one
- Add a dietary question to your RSVP cards
- Give us separate day and evening numbers
- Put us in touch with your venue
Evening guests can be served from fresh pans later on, usually timed after the first dance.
Sangria and bar staff can be added.
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
Hiring a pan and burner is one option, but you’ll still need to source ingredients, prep and cook for hours. A caterer handles all of that.
For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For larger numbers, mixed diets or a wedding, a caterer takes the pressure off, and handles separate pans for each diet.
Working with your venue
If you’re planning an event on someone’s behalf, whether you’re a planner, an office manager or an event organiser, we’re happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It keeps things simple.
Organising a club, school or community event in Strood? Paella is quick to serve to a crowd and suits most diets. Tell us about the event and we will suggest a menu.
Wedding venues and ceremonies near Strood
Strood is about 3 miles north-west of Chatham, in Medway. For a wedding in Strood, we cater in back gardens, halls with outdoor space, barns, marquees and offices. Strood is one of 68 places in Medway where we cook. We cook right across the region, from Strood to London (26 miles away).
For guests travelling by train, Strood station is about 1 mile away. Historic houses near Strood include Temple Manor (0.5 miles south-east) and Restoration House (1.2 miles east). Historic houses and estates often have their own rules on caterers and cooking, so check early if that is your venue.
Anywhere in ME2, ME1 and ME3, we can bring wedding paella catering to you. Local streets include Ash Road, Gun Lane and Pine Road; a wedding at home on any of them works well with live paella. Main roads around Strood include the A2 and A226, so getting the burners and pans to your wedding is simple. If your venue is just outside Strood, we also cover Rochester (1 mile east), Borstal (1 mile south), Cuxton (2 miles south-west), Lower Bush (2 miles south-west) and Upper Bush (2 miles south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Gillingham (4 miles east), Chatham (3 miles south-east), Rainham (6 miles east), Luton (3 miles south-east), Park Wood (6 miles south-east) and Lordswood (5 miles south-east). As one of the bigger places in Medway, Strood has plenty of venues and gardens for weddings.
A little further out are Six Poor Travellers House (1.2 miles east) and French Hospital (1.2 miles east). The countryside around Strood includes Rede Common and Gad's Hill.
- Local schools include Strood Academy (0.6 miles north-west) and Temple School (1.2 miles north-east)
- Local pubs include Crispin And Crispianus Public House (0.6 miles east)
- Other local spots include City of Rochester-upon-Medway (0.9 miles east)
Occasions we cook for in Strood
Sharing food gets tables chatting, which suits a relaxed wedding.
In Strood and nearby, we cater all sorts of events. Some of the most common are:
- Farm and barn venues
- Parties after a register office wedding
- Marquee and garden weddings
- Sharing-style wedding meals
If you are marrying at a church near Strood, such as St Francis' Church, a reception in a garden, marquee or hired venue nearby keeps the day flowing: we can be cooking during the photos, so the meal is ready when you arrive.
Comparing caterers
- Exactly what’s included in the price
- How bad weather is handled
- If the price includes VAT
- Whether crockery, cutlery and napkins are included
About the dishes
Canapé tapas
One- and two-bite tapas on boards, ideal for the drinks reception.
Paella wedding breakfast
Two or three paellas, served from the pans or brought to the tables.
Places near Strood
Other catering in Strood
How it works
When the rice goes in, it is left alone. That’s how the grains cook evenly and the toasted base, the socarrat, forms. Your guests will smell it before they see it. For a summer wedding in Strood, the sun sets at about 9:20pm 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. Later in the year, plan lighting: in December it’s dark by about 3:50pm.
- You tell us your date, venue, guest numbers and how you picture the day.
- We build the menu course by course and send a quote.
- Timings are agreed with you and the venue, around speeches and photos.
- On the day, we set up, cook in front of your guests and serve each course.
- We clear our cooking area, and staff stay as agreed.
Getting ready for the day
- Make sure the spot is clear of anything flammable
- Have a level space ready for the pans
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
Getting a price
The quickest way to a quote is to send us your details through our quote form. Give us the details of your wedding, and we will put together a menu and price.
Planning help
Is live paella right for your wedding?
Food trucks serve one order at a time, which can mean long queues at a wedding. Paella pans serve many guests quickly. Seafood and premium ingredients cost more than chicken or vegetable paellas, so your choice of paellas affects the total. We will suggest options to suit your budget.
What you get with us
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
- Catering across Medway, including Strood
- Live cooking, not reheated food
- A clear, itemised quote
Take a look at How we price Or The cost guide.
Space, weather and the venue
Before the day, we’ll agree where we cook. It needs to meet a few simple requirements:
- The venue’s permission for live cooking
- A level, firm spot for the burners and pans
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise.
What we offer
- Paella wedding breakfast
- Evening paella
- Table tapas
- Canapé tapas
- Dessert
- Sangria & bar staff
- 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