Booking a private chef allows you to enjoy an appetizing menu that’s tailored to your specific needs for any number of occasions. Whether it’s for a dinner party, birthday, wedding, graduation, or any other special celebration, there are a few things to consider during the hiring process.
The following guide outlines what you should factor in before booking a private chef in London and beyond.
Reviews
Reading a private chef’s reviews is the easiest and best way to determine if they’re the right choice for your special occasion. Reviews can come through via Google or third-party sites such as Hometainment, Poptop and Dineindulge as well as Trustpilot. It’s also important to make sure you look at the actual private chefs personal reviews as opposed to the 3rd parties company reviews!
By the time your personal chef for the evening arrives to work their magic at the dinner party, they should already have a good relationship with you as the client. As such, a bad review often means something worth writing about occurred, which is a red flag to note.
When reading private chef reviews you should look out for things such as ‘quality ingredients’, ‘professional service’, and ‘great service’. These are all the building blocks of a great private dining experience at home.
Experience
Your private chef should make their experience in fine dining at home and professional kitchens clear. Look out for Michelin trained chefs as they’re a league above the others when it comes to quality, service & professionalism. The best private chefs usually have experience in top London Michelin star restaurants and 5-star hotels. As a result, you can almost always guarantee a flawless service from these providers.
Produce
It’s common practice for some private chefs in London (or anywhere else for that matter) to source the cheapest ingredients possible to boost their margins. They might source their produce from cheap supermarkets but if you’re paying over £50 per person, low quality produce isn’t an option. Always ask your chef for a list of suppliers before making your booking to ensure you’re getting quality ingredients that match the price you’re paying.
Waiting Staff
Having more than 6 people over for a dinner party can put a lot of pressure on your personal chef for the evening without waiting staff. Cooking, plating, and serving guests at the table as a one-man band will reduce the overall quality of your fine dining experience. To ensure your private chef hire lives up to the occasion, ask for waiting staff in these instances. Each waiter or waitress will add £100 to your final bill but it’ll be worth it!
Health & Safety
When visiting restaurants, you always have the peace of mind that the restaurant is registered with an appropriate health and safety body in the area. With private chefs however, it can be a little more unclear. Before making your booking, always ensure your private chef service is registered with the local food standard agency to ensure yourself and your guests’ safety.
Insurance
Cooking, in and of itself, can be a big risk as any range of things can go wrong. Just make sure your private chef is covered with public liability insurance for extra peace of mind during your fine dining at home.
Pricing
Private chef services range from £30 per person to £200 per person. As the saying goes, ‘you get what you pay for’, so it’s important to decide what kind of dining experience you’re looking for before you start your search. Do you want a basic menu where guests are required to get up and help themselves and you take of cleaning everything away? Or are you looking for Michelin star food made by professional chefs with waiting staff, sommeliers, and a full set up and clean down service?
In addition to the cost of the food and your chef, there are other costs to consider. As previously mentioned, waiting staff will usually cost around £100 each. You’ll also have to consider whether you have enough crockery, cutlery, glassware, table settings, napkins for the number of guests you’re inviting. If you need all of this provided as part of the chef hire service in an area like London, it can cost upwards of £300 for a medium sized dinner party.
Take all of this into account when deciding on which private chef in London or further afield to go with for your special occasion.
How Does Zest X LDN Measure Up?
Here’s how Zest X LDN measures up to each key element outlined above.
Reviews
All our reviews are 5/5. You can view them below:
Our Google business page reviews
Our Bark profile reviews
Experience
All our chefs have experience in Michelin star restaurants and 5-star hotels such as The Savoy Hotel, Pollen Street Social, and Sketch. For over a decade, we’ve been working to the highest culinary standards in both London and Copenhagen.
Produce
We are proud to support local independent British producers throughout all our menus. So much so that we highlight where our produce is sourced in our menus on the map, which you can view here –
Some of our top producers are Ginger Pig Butchers (who also happen to make the best sausage rolls in London), Loch Duart Salmon (by far the best quality salmon available in the UK if not the world), and Panzers (too many amazing products to even begin to list).
Waiting Staff
We provide waiting staff free of charge on all bookings. Whether it’s a dinner for 6 or a dinner for 30, we will provide adequate staffing for your group size — and this is all included in the price per person.
Health & Safety
We are registered with Brent Council Food Standards Agency, so you can rest assured that a booking with us meets the appropriate Health & Safety guidelines.
Insurance
ZEST X LDN LTD has public liability insurance coverage for £5 million. So, you can book with confidence, safe in the knowledge that you’re completely covered in the unlikely event of any issues during our service in your home.
Pricing
Our pricing is typically in the £100 to £125 per person range. But keep in mind that we provide so much within the pricing. All our bookings come with all the following including for free:
Waiting staff
Plates
Cutlery
Glassware
Table settings
Printed menus
Full set up and clean down service.
In addition to the cost of the food and your chef, there are other costs to consider. As previously mentioned, waiting staff will usually cost around £100 each. You’ll also have to consider whether you have enough crockery, cutlery, glassware, table settings, napkins for the number of guests you’re inviting. If you need all of this provided as part of the chef hire service in an area like London, it can cost upwards of £300 for a medium sized dinner party.
Take all of this into account when deciding on which private chef in London or further afield to go with for your special occasion.
The Best Private Chefs In London
If you’re looking for a private chef in London, our service is second to none. From glowing reviews to unrivalled experience, quality ingredients, and the highest level of service, chef hire in London doesn’t get any better than Zest X LDN. Get in touch today to get the ball rolling on an unforgettable fine dining experience for any occasion.
