Come Dine with a Private Chef in London
Come Dine with a Private Chef in London
When take out isn’t good enough, and being in the kitchen all day is too much, try a private chef in London
Did you know that over the last few years, restaurants in London have struggled to put bums on seats? Some say it’s the great rise of the take away, aided by Uber Eats and Deliveroo. Others point to stagnating wages and increased costs of eating out. Whatever it is, it seems that Londoners are spending more time eating at home.
I personally love hosting people at home. Sometimes we cook, sometimes we eat take out, and on very special occasions, we hire a private chef.
If you do choose a private chef from La Belle Assiette, they will put together a menu for you, shop for ingredients, bring everything to your house, cook, serve, and then clean up. Pretty good right?
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A Candlelit Dinner at Ham Yard Hotel, Soho
Our private chef from La Belle Assiette
There are lots chefs to choose from, and each one specialises in a different cuisine. Our chef, Will Fielding Smith, comes from a farming background and his menus use a lot of game.
Before the dinner party the chef and I arrange a time to chat about the menu. This involves talking through everyone’s food preferences and intolerances (a fair few), and then deciding on the best things to serve. I love that the menu is fully tailored to us.
We also decide on when dinner will be served (5:30pm), and then all that’s left for me to do is wait for the night.
On the night
Will arrives at 4pm, with arms full of gorgeous ingredients, and things he’s already started to prepare. I’ve also asked him to bring serving dishes so that everything looks perfect.
In the lead up I haven’t had to worry about a single thing, and on the night it’s no different. Whilst Will is busy preparing things in the kitchen, guests start to arrive, and the evening kicks off.
Canapes
We’re a raucous bunch, but Will catches our attention with some beautiful canapes. There are crispy chickpea fritters with a lively green harissa sauce – when we clean the bowl and beg for more, Will willingly obliges 😊
Next up we have flamed mussels with shallot and apple dressing. How beautiful is this presentation…
First course – smoked duck carpaccio
Will then beckons us to the dining room, and serves the first of his four course dinner.
We love the highly addictive strips of Applewood smoked duck carpaccio, with a tumble of apple frissee and a walnut powder parmesan.
Second course – heritage tomatoes
Conversation flows, and I still haven’t had to worry about a thing. In fact by the time our second courses arrive, I haven’t even registered that the first course dishes were taken away. Will runs a slick operation 😊
I’m not an enormous fan of tomatoes, but I quite take to Will’s heritage tomato salad with black olive crumb, basil oil and burrata. That basil oil is absolutely impeccable, and is the perfect foil to fresh, dewy tomatoes and creamy burrata.
Third course – lemon and garlic partridge
By now we’re ready for our mains. Will comes in and asks how everything is going (amazingly well, thanks!) and then brings in our third course. We love the lemon and garlic partridge, served with the most scrumptious pave potatoes. Look how golden they are…
The partridge is also paired with a pea puree and a clever slick of aioli.
Fourth course – orange soufflé
I’ll be honest, when Will offered to make a soufflé for dessert I was thrilled. Soufflé, dessert of the gods, at my little dinner party? Yes please!
But I was also a little nervous for him. How would he be able to whip up half a dozen soufflés in my tiny kitchen? I needn’t have worried, his soufflé turned out beautifully.
Final thoughts on hiring a private chef in London
Can I just say that having a private chef makes it so easy to have a dinner party. Captain obvious I know, but going from doing all the shopping, cooking and cleaning myself to doing nothing except having a great time with guests is a revelation.
That’s not to say that I’d have a private chef all the time, or even that often, but for special occasions I would.
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Dinner at Toms Kitchen, Chelsea
The Details
You can book Will on through La Belle Assiette here.
The stunning photos were taken by Nara Parana.
Our private chef experience with La Belle Assiette was complimentary. This does not affect our review in any way. All views are our own and as ever we aim to provide useful and honest feedback.
