When you hire a private chef to come to your home, we at Mike Fishpen, know how important this is to you. You have chosen a private chef to come and cater a very special occasion, such as a birthday, anniversary, wedding or a way to make a Cotswold holiday even more special. So, what you pay for this should reflect the importance of the occasion.
Mike has compiled a comprehensive selection of menus across the website including three and six courses, barbecue, canape and a vegan menu. You can also choose from his previous menus in his menu archive. As it is such a wide choice of menus, it is impossible to give clear pricing on what this would cost. It is really important that when you hire a private chef, you get the menu that is perfect for your occasion, so you should consider in advance how much you want to spend to reflect this occasion. Mike can also advise you on what is local and seasonal as this will have an impact on your pricing.
When you consider that to eat in a Michelin starred restaurant you would be paying between £150 and £350 a head plus drink, how much should you be paying per head for a private chef? A private chef will come to your home and do all of the prep and tidying away at the end of the night. All your guests will be able to talk to the chef and understand the provenance of your meal. A private chef will also advise you on the best wine choices to accompany your meal. Plus think of the savings in corkage fees. So, when we are asked to prepare a breath-taking meal in your home for £35 a head the costs just don’t add up. Don’t forget, you are not just paying for the food, you are paying the wages of a highly experienced chef too.
There are private chef hire companies out there advertising that they have starting prices of £33 a head, but in our opinion, these prices just don’t stack up. It has also come to our attention that quite often after making a booking and paying a deposit these chefs cancel at the last minute, leaving their clients high and dry. We are starting to see an increase in people contacting us after this happens. We will always see if we can help where possible, as we appreciate the importance of any occasion where a private chef has been hired. We hate to see people let down on important occasions.
When you look at food costs and how much they have increased. Inflation is around 10%, but food inflation is topping 18%, it is getting harder to keep our prices down. Restaurants have been handling this by cutting portion sizes, but when you have hired a private chef, you don’t want to send people home hungry.
So, when you get in touch with us to find out about our services, think about what you would be willing to pay in a restaurant for a comparable service. Hiring a chef to come to your home is an incomparable experience and one that friends and family will talk about for years to come. And if you don’t believe us, take a look at our reviews to see what our clients have had to say. Contact Mike today to find out the true value of booking a private chef.