Are you tired of spending hours in the kitchen or ordering takeout every night? Have you been dreaming of having delicious, gourmet meals prepared for you and your family right in the comfort of your own home? If so, it may be time to consider hiring a private chef. Hiring a chef to cook for you at home can be a game changer when it comes to convenience, health, and overall enjoyment of mealtime. But how do you go about finding the perfect chef for your needs? What are the secrets to ensuring that you hire someone who will not only meet but exceed your culinary expectations?

Catering to Dietary Restrictions and Preferences

If you or your family have dietary restrictions and preferences then this can make meal time more tricky. A chef can take the pressure off and whip up a variety of meals to cope with all preferences. They can create dishes you would only ever get when you eat out. The chances are that if you are considering a chef then you probably like to entertain too. You can elevate your dinner parties with a chef who has plenty of experience, passion and flair. Think of the time you can save too, no shopping, no meal preparation… more time to enjoy and relax.

Define Your Needs and Preferences

Before you start your search for a private chef, take some time to think about what you are looking for. Are you interested in a chef who specializes in a certain cuisine? Do you have dietary restrictions or preferences that need to be taken into account? By clearly defining your needs and preferences, you will be better equipped to find a chef who is the perfect fit for your home. Consider being able to provide answers to the following:

• Defining Roles and Responsibilities (Don’t forget to include cleanliness of all kitchen areas)

• Communicating meal preferences and dietary needs

• Weekly or monthly budgets

• Culinary expertise and experience requirements

• Creativity and menu planning skills

• Adaptability and flexibility(do your plans change at the last minute? Do you want them to travel with you?)

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills (the kitchen may be open plan and this may require chefs to converse with guests or converse with other staff members)

Ask for Recommendations

One of the best ways to find a great private chef is through word of mouth. Ask friends, family, and colleagues if they have any recommendations for chefs they have worked with in the past. Personal recommendations can be invaluable when it comes to finding a chef who is reliable, talented, and easy to work with. However, be mindful of your needs vs the people recommending them. Many find they then don’t always follow protocols such as formal interviews and reference checks, this is where agencies come into their own.

Conduct Interviews

Once you have a list of potential chefs, it’s time to conduct interviews. Ask about their experience, training, and cooking style. Inquire about their availability, salary, and whether they are comfortable working in a home kitchen. It’s important to find a chef who not only has the right skills but can be adaptable to your needs. 

Ensuring Long-Term Success and Satisfaction is Another Secret to Hiring the Perfect Chef

Regular Performance Reviews and Goal Setting

Regular performance reviews and goal setting are essential for employee development. By providing consistent feedback and setting clear objectives, employees can track their progress and identify areas for improvement. This process also helps people understand their strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to provide targeted support and training. Overall, regular performance reviews and goal setting foster a culture of continuous improvement and accountability even in a private household and this is often overlooked.

Offering Training and Skill Development Opportunities

Providing training and skill development opportunities is crucial for employee growth. It boosts job satisfaction and retention rates. Employees feel valued and are more likely to stay long-term. This investment in their development can lead to improved performance and productivity. There are always new opportunities to learn as a chef and lots of courses on offer to help with this.

Handling Disputes and Terminations Professionally

Open and honest communication is key when resolving disputes or terminating contracts. It helps avoid misunderstandings and build trust. Take time to process the reasons behind this and aim to avoid this in the future, make adjustments and improvements where possible. 

• Professionalism: Maintaining a professional demeanour during disputes or terminations is crucial. It shows respect for all parties involved and helps keep emotions in check.
• Legal Understanding: Understanding the legal aspects of disputes and terminations is essential. It ensures that all actions taken are compliant with relevant laws and regulations.

We have placed countless chefs in a variety of roles. We understand how placing a chef within a private household is personal and needs to be taken into consideration. Get in touch with us to find out how we can help you. 

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We suggest you should hire a private chef for Christmas Day and having a stress-free dinner.

Stress-Free Christmas Day Dinner

Invite your loved ones, friends and family to celebrate and indulge in delicious festive dishes made by a private chef. Hiring a private chef for Christmas Day may seem like a luxury, but we consider it a necessity this year. A private chef will take your Christmas Day to a whole new level. The chef will get in touch with you or your staff in advance to discuss menu options, this is a good time to mention any dietary restrictions for your guests so the chef can adjust the menu accordingly. The private chef will do the food shopping, all the cooking and all the cleaning in the kitchen after the event. This will totally give you a stress-free Christmas Day dinner party.

What is a Private Chef?

Private chefs are professionally trained at a culinary school and have extensive experience in fine-dining restaurants or five-star hotels. They have at least five years of experience in high-end kitchens before becoming a private chef. A private chef will always be aware of food safety and hygiene regulations. They will work to a very high standard of cleanliness and will ensure all ingredients are of the highest quality. Their tasks are to provide you with the right menu and dishes to your requirements. They will work with you on every aspect of the menu and will look after each and every guest.

Types of Private Chefs

Traditional Private Chef

Who doesn’t love a traditional roast dinner? A traditional private chef can create traditional dishes that look and taste out of this world. We are talking about a full roast turkey with all the trimmings, gravy and fresh Yorkshire pudding. If you are not worried about calories and just want to enjoy delicious dishes then a traditional private chef is the way to go.

Health Conscious Private Chef

Christmas is typically the time when everyone would overindulge. Maintaining a healthy diet is one of the biggest struggles during the holiday times, this is where a private chef can help develop dishes and menus to cater for all your needs. Hiring a health-conscious private chef for Christmas dinner is a great way to take control of your diet and pick healthier choices.

Vegan or Vegetarian Private Chef

Is your family vegan or vegetarian? You would benefit from hiring a vegan and vegetarian specialist private chef. They are able to create meat-free dishes that will look and taste amazing. They often are vegan or vegetarian themselves and will have extensive experience in this lifestyle.

Special Diet Private Chef

Following a special diet requires a lot of time and effort in order to avoid any unnecessary surprises. Some dietary requirements and allergies are more severe than others. It’s important to hire a special diet private chef if your family and guests have any allergies or dietary restrictions. They are specially trained in all matters of cooking to be able to follow correct instructions and create incredible dishes.

Make the Right Choices

Only you will know your family and guests better than anyone else. It is always recommended to pick the right private chef for your Christmas Day dinner party. There are a lot of choices and we are here to help.

This Christmas, why not focus on the more important things that truly matter? Get in touch with us here, and we can discuss your options. Private chefs come in a wide array of types and levels of experience. We have a wide range of private chefs with different levels of experience and specialisation. Contact us today to hire a private chef for your Christmas dinner party and have a truly stress free Christmas day.

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They talk about how Andy developed a love for and interest in wines. How he combines it with his love for travel. And his full-time job in the financial services industry.

Get comfortable and tune in for this inspirational chat about wine, what wine pairing actually is and the time Andy ended up taking part in a ‘wine’ marathon!

Would you like to learn more about wine, and high-end service? You should consider doing a Silver Service training course.

Polo & Tweed offer group, private, and even online courses for Silver Service. Why not give us a call to find out more!

To find out more about what training options work best for you, do contact us here now and we look forward to speaking to you!

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So, what is a Private Chef?

Difference between a Private Chef and a Cook

Firstly, let’s establish exactly what the difference is between a private chef and a cook. We are looking at private household chefs and cooks, not restaurant or hotel staff.

So in a private household, especially large ones, it is quite common to have a housekeeper help with food prep, shopping and even some cooking. They might be there in the morning to prep breakfast, clear up, and prep simple lunches.

Tasks

However a chef is a very different level from this. A private chef has had official training and qualifications and has likely worked in (high end) restaurants or hotels before their private chef days. A chef can plan your meals into the finest details and provide very high-end cuisine in the comfort of your own home. If they work for a household full time, they will fully be in charge of all the meals. As well as most of the time shopping and food prep. They will plan meals ahead taking into account flavour preferences, dietary requirements and health, and completely tailor-make a fully private dining experience.

Why People Choose to Hire

When people are hiring a private chef, it is normally for specific reasons.

Love of Great Food

It, for one, could be because of a love of high-end food. Then a private chef is an amazing investment! As they will be able to cook a restaurant, or sometimes even Michelin Star level meal, in the comfort of your own home. So if you enjoy high-quality food every day, this is a great way to get it.

Dietary Requirements

Another very popular and valid reason for hiring a Private Chef would be if there are specific dietary requirements that need to be followed. This could be anything from having certain allergies, or preferences for, for example, a vegetarian or vegan diet. Especially if you find out you are allergic or should avoid specific food groups, it can be a big challenge. Especially if you want to keep eating a very tasty and varied selection of foods and meals. This is where having a professional in your house can make an amazing difference. They will know exactly how to combine flavours and ingredients to make sure that you are still getting an amazing flavour experience. But all the while keeping you safe knowing that you are absolutely not eating anything you shouldn’t or don’t want to.

Health/Fitness

A final great reason for getting a professional chef in your household is if you have specific health reasons that makes you have to follow a (strict) diet. Many professional athletes, for example, really need to work with a chef in their home daily. The chef here also takes on the role of nutritionist, planning and executing an exact dietary plan. Making sure that you get all the nutrients and protein and giving you enough energy to perform. Food and nutrition will be one of the key factors!

For some people it might purely be health reasons. If your private chef is briefed on your calorific intake you want to achieve per day, for example, then this is a great way to make sure you hit those targets. Same goes for any type of diet you might be following – your chef can make sure all the food you are eating is staying exactly within the limitations of the diet you are following. But making sure everything is still delicious!

One-off Hire for Parties or Events

Another great way of having a Private Chef, but not having to fork out a full-time salary, is party or event hire. There are many chefs to be found who are available to hire for a day or evening. This could be a big set up, such as a large garden party or housewarming. Your chef can sort all the catering, from food shopping to prep and cooking. It can be an amazing way to elevate your party or event! But it can also be for a smaller setting. Maybe you have a special birthday that you want to celebrate just with your partner or close family. The chef can come and create an amazing meal for a small group of people – or even just you – so you can have an amazing high-end restaurant experience in the comfort of your own home.

Salary

If you are looking for a chef for a party or event, prices will differ from the ones below. However, if you are looking for hire someone full-time, the rates below give a good rough indication for the UK.

Entry level/Less experienced – 2-4 years experience. 

• Expect a salary of £580-740 gross a week live in and £660-824 gross a week live out.
• Yearly salary range from £28,000 gross to £42,000 gross.

Mid level/More experienced – 4-8 years experience.  

• Expect a salary of £740-900 gross a week live in and £820-980 gross a week live out.
• Yearly salary from £37,000 gross to £50,000 gross per year.

High level/Very experienced – 8+ years experience.  

• Expect a salary of £820+ gross a week live in and £980+ gross a week live out.
• Yearly salary from £51,000 gross upwards.

How Polo & Tweed can help

Whatever type of Chef you are looking to find for your home, hotel, chalet – we can help! Polo & Tweed have a very extensive database full of amazing professionals who will fit exactly what you are looking for. No matter how specific the request or set up! If you would like to get the search started, or just want to have a chat with us about the best way to find a personal chef, you are welcome to drop us a line anytime. We look forward to helping you!

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A casual lunch or dinner table setting can still be elegant and inviting!
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Do you know how to set a casual dinner table? Looking for the right setting for a dinner party? This could be the table setting you are looking for.

Here we will cover the basics and give you some top tips on how to create the perfect casual table setting.

A casual table setting often referred to as an informal table setting, can be considered the most widely used setting. As the table setting you are most regularly going to meet or use, understanding how to approach it is key.

A casual table setting can have many variations and as the name suggests is less formal in structure. As the structure is more fluid, the principal of the home or manager of a high street restaurant may have their own preferred variation and this should always be followed.

The informal or casual setting uses fewer pieces of tableware and cutlery than a formal setting. Serving dishes will typically appear on the table. As with all table settings the food being eaten, the menu, will dictate to some extent the cutlery set on the table.

The cutlery should be arranged so that the set needed for the first course is on the outside. The cutlery required for the second course sits with the first and closer to the plate. The guest works from the outside in as the meal progresses.

How to set a casual dinner table

1. If using a table mat place the table mat on the table. A charger can be used instead but choose a casual feeling charger, a wooden plate or other design which is less formal.
2. Place the largest fork used for the main course on the left hand side, closest to the plate.
3. The small fork may be placed next to the large fork but furthest from the plate. This is used for the first course or salad course if being served.
4. On the right closest to the plate, place the largest knife, this is used for the main course.
5. Next to the knife and furthest from the plate is placed the soup spoon when soup is being served.
6. Directly above the knife place the water glass.
7. To the right of the water glass and a little lower place the wine glass approximately above the soup spoon.

Top tips

Where you choose to place the napkin can change the look and feel of the table considerably, as can the colour and material of the napkin. Where the napkin is placed will vary the feel and look too. You might consider folding the napkin and placing to the left of the plate with the forks laid on top. Placed in the centre of the plate folded or using a napkin ring. Another alternative is to put the napkin in the wine glass.

Speak to your principal or manager to find out what their preferences are. You can then adapt and ensure the setting looks how they want.

Find out the menu before you start setting the table. If you are working in a restaurant your manager might have a preferred basic setting. Which you then switch out the cutlery to match the guest’s order later.

A dessert spoon and fork can be placed at the top of the setting above the plate. With the fork handle pointing to the left and the spoon handle to the right. Alternatively, the spoon and fork can be brought to the table once the main course has been finished. And should be omitted completely if a desert is not to be served, such as at lunch.

If there is no bread to be eaten with the meal then the bread plate and knife should be omitted.

To find out more about the differences between a casual table setting or informal setting and a formal table setting see here.

Want to learn more and perfect your skills?

If you are looking to understand table settings and table management in more depth, perfecting your skills then why not consider joining Polo & Tweed’s Silver Service training course. You will learn how to read a menu and put together the correct table setting.

Practice laying the table for all the myriad of service styles along side casual or informal service. A great chance to hone those skills whether you are in food & beverage, boutique hotels, private homes, private jets or yachts, service is an important skill to learn.

Polo & Tweed can provide tailor-made training internationally, for a consultation call +44(0)203 858 0233 or contact us here.

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A productive day begins with a great night sleep! Don't let insomnia stand in your way.
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Lack of sleep can have devastating consequences on work, life and can sometimes even be life threatening (there are countless accidents and deaths from falling asleep when driving for example).  Sleep disorders are being diagnosed more and more every day.  So how can you sleep better?  And how could a personal assistant make a difference to your sleeping patterns and improve the quality of your day?

We lift the lid on how a personal assistant can help you sleep better.

1. Creating a Natural Sleep Pattern

The more regulated our sleep pattern, the easier sleep will stabilise.  Going to sleep at different hours each day, and waking up at different hours causes havoc to our natural body clock, and in turn will affect our sleep.

Tip 1: Keep in sync with your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle:  Your PA can deal with calls/emails/admin which need to be answered and sorted after you switch off the light, or before you come back to life.

Tip 2: Avoid sleeping in, even on weekends: A late Friday night working might tempt you to sleep too late Saturday morning. Instead, use your PA to help with your evening workload to ensure that you don’t have to burn the midnight oil, causing you to sleep in longer on weekends.

Tip 3: If you are having a power nap: Use your PA to wake you up after a refreshing 15/20 minutes.  A power nap can keep you going strong, but a deep sleep in the middle of the day will screw with your body clock and leave you feeling groggy and lethargic.

2. Limit Screen Time

We are obsessed with connectivity.  Most people use their smart phone as an alarm clock, and thus they go to bed looking at a screen and wake up to one.  This can have a real impact on sleep quality.  It is now proven that screen time before bed (by use of a phone, tablet or by watching TV) can stimulate the brain and cause the sleep patterns to deteriorate.

Tip 1: Stop using screens 1-2 hours before bed: Utilise your PA to ensure that they are covering that “one last detail” so no important business gets missed.

Tip 2: Encourage more exposure to daylight: Ask your PA to bring you your morning coffee outside, or research SAD lights.  This will help increase your vitamin D exposure and help you sleep better.

3. Fitness and Exercise

It can be tough with limited time during the day, and busy work-loads to find time to exercise.  But the endorphins released during exercise have been proven to help with sleep.  You don’t need to run a marathon each day, 20-30 minutes of exercise a few times a week will make a huge difference to your sleeping patterns.

Tip 1: Take a new sport up: Your PA can look into local clubs and exercise groups – motivating you to exercise and turn up at swimming or yoga sessions.

Tip 2: Find that time to do the sport: Your PA can ensure that your workload is covered during the time you’ve focused on your exercise schedule, allowing you to really switch off and pay attention to your body.

4. Eat and Drink Well

When we are running on empty, the tendency is to eat sugary foods and drinks – giving us that much needed boost.  Or indeed reach for the coffee cup!  But these high octane sugar, caffeine or alcohol diets will help fuel a restless night.  Perhaps your regular client schedule revolves around calorie rich meals and entertaining. It can be difficult to say no to a second cocktail, which over time will surely add up and affect your quality of sleep.

Tip 1: Start a food diary – you might not even realise the type of dietary habits you have and how they might be affecting your sleep: Your PA can help you record your intake and manage your meals for you.

Tip 2: Consider working with a nutritionist or a specific Chef to help design new, quick and easy menus: Your PA might even be a trained chef – why not utilise their skills and ask them to cook, or pick up healthy food for you.

5. Change Your Habits

When most people suffer from a sleep problem, they tend to repeat the same habit.  You might lie in bed worrying about problems and pick up your phone or turn on the TV.  These habits can create longer habits that become more difficult to break.  So consider how you deal with your sleeping patterns. And how you might need to change your methods.

Tip 1: Assess how you deal with stress in daily life and how this affects your sleeping. Use your PA as a kind of confidant. If you cannot sleep because too many stressful thoughts are keeping you awake, send a quick email detailing your thoughts and ask them to help you sort through what’s bothering you in the morning. This will allow you to get back to sleep.

Tip 2: Start new patterns: Ask your PA to look into new relaxation and meditation techniques you could use when struggling to sleep, and find new habits and patterns to try in your sleeping routine.

A personally assistant can have a huge impact on your life and help you sleep better.  If you are looking to recruit a wonderful part time or full time PA we’d love to help you – you can get in touch with us here – we look forward to helping you change your sleeping patterns!

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The first qualification of the chef-at-sea is mental aptitude.
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Commitment

The first qualification of the chef-at-sea is not the physical qualification but rather a mental aptitude.  This is the ability to commit to long hours, little sleep and working in close proximity to other staff.

On land-based chef roles, downtime can be easily filled with walks around the home, driving to the local village, or visiting friends and family.  These options are not available at sea. A yacht chef’s downtime will be spent in (often shared) crew accommodation.

The metal strength to live on a yacht full time is key to a long and successful career.  Yacht staff are also expected to work long hours, operate on little sleep, all whilst being able to provide the very highest standard of cooking and presentation.

Chef Skills

A head chef will be expected to have advanced skills in all forms of cuisines including specialist diets and desserts. Plus the ability to be creative and adaptive when faced with a depleted store, or limited ingredients. After all, when you’re on a yacht one cannot just pop to the Harrods food hall to pick up the fresh ingredients for a dish which might be requested by a guest.

This adaptive ability will only be something that the very experienced chefs will have.  Being able to re-stock the inventory from different locations, and still provide the guests with the cuisine they require is an advanced skill!

Silver Service

Onboard Yachts, there are a variety of services performed for the guests.  From French service, Russian service through to traditional Silver and Buffet service.  The Head Chef or chef crew will be expected to perform all of these services to the highest level.

A yacht chef must be prepared for any request and have the ability to demonstrate the service effortlessly.  It is therefore vital to have a Silver Service qualification to ensure that you can demonstrate these skills.  The yacht service is much more intimate (even onboard the large superyachts) which makes presentation essential.

Yacht Experience

Alongside chef experience, a yacht chef should have qualifications as appropriate to the yacht, superyacht or cruise they are working on.  These can include STCW basic training and RYC yacht master training.

A yacht chef should have the health and safety and understanding of yacht environments in order to work well on the yachts.

Looking for a yacht chef?

Whether you are looking to place yacht chef or be placed as a yacht chef. You’ve come to the right place. As professional recruiters we can save you time and headache with our expertise.  You can start your search for a yacht chef or, for candidates, register to find a placement. If you have any other questions feel free to reach out to us.

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You love food and appreciate a healthy lifestyle but you are also extremely busy. Life without your private chef would be… tough. 

Like many things, the first few months of a personal chef are amazing; New dishes, wonderful food, great service. But like anything, routines set in and the novelty starts to wear off as you slide into a routine.

Your chef is still there, preparing  meals, planning dinners, stocking the larder, but it just doesn’t feel the same anymore. Although the quality of food might still be the same as when the chef first started, it probably doesn’t taste quite as good as it did the first time.

Instead of firing and hiring to revamp your dining experience, consider a weekend training course for your chef to freshen things up. You’ll save time and money while building a stronger and more enjoyable relationship with your personal chef. Not only will your chef come home with new skills and cuisine ideas, they will also be grateful for your investment in them which will be reflected in your food and quality of service.

Here are a few benefits your can expect from a personal chef training course:

Service Skills

There are wonderful, short Silver Service Training courses available which can enhance your home dining experience.

Silver service training will take your personal chef’s presentation to the next level. Alongside preparing the most outstanding meals, your personal chef will properly set the table and serve each dish with outstanding grace.

Proper silver service presentation will make even the most simple weekday meal feel like a special celebration. Don’t forget about dinner parties, birthdays and events. Your guests will be wowed by the outstanding table settings and impressive service that complement the professional dishes your chef prepares.

Presentation

Taste and health are most important, but presentation is in close second. This is a common area where chefs can get a bit lazy once they are settled into their positions. 

Your chef’s meals might be outstanding. They might be the best meals you have ever had in a home setting, and cooked exactly to your taste, needs, and dietary requirements. If you want to know how it can get any better… the answer is presentation. The same dish might take on a whole new meaning to you and your guests with a new twist or little flare in presentation. 

Presentation may be a small touch for most personal chefs, but it can go a long way with you and your guests.

Wine pairing

A very interesting part of some Silver Service Training courses is wine and food pairing. Your chef might be a lovely cook, understanding your flavours and cooking towards your needs and requirements – but it can be so much more. With knowledge of wine and food pairing your chef will not only to serve you the most lovely meals, but also source and advise you on the best wines to drink with the meals.

Newfound Inspiration

As in any profession, it can be difficult to keep finding new ideas and get inspiration when in a busy, full time job. This is where a personal chef weekend training course would fit in perfectly: to give your chef an afternoon, day or weekend to get new experiences, see different chefs at work, and renew their inspiration.

Sometimes all it takes is an afternoon with a few experienced chefs to give your personal chef a few month’s worth of ideas that will liven up your home dining.

New diets/products

A main reason for anyone to undertake training is to stay up to date with the changes and new areas within your area of expertise or profession. Food, diets, and lifestyles are constantly changes and heavily influenced by trends, fashions and fads.

A weekend training course can give your chef new insights and knowledge about the latest trends and new dietary styles. Another valuable asset for you chef is knowing facts from fiction in new diets so they really know what types of diets and cooking styles will work for you and your family.

About Polo & Tweed

Polo & Tweed is a luxury staff recruitment agency based in London who recruits and trains luxury domestic staff around the world. If you’re considering training for your chef but aren’t sure where to start, you can get in touch with one of our professionals for unsolicited advice. You can also learn more about our open courses or our private courses, for more information about our training programs. 

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If you’re throwing a dinner party (or any type of party), one of the best ways to enhance your event is to hire a private chef or butler. You can of course hire both and even have more than one butler depending on the size and extravagance of your party.

Hiring a butler and/or private chef for your party will give it that next level of elegance and can give it that quintessentially British feel. If you want to have a formal or British feel and your party is large enough you can hire a whole team of butlers. Butlers will greet your guests, serve them champagne and canapes, and provide you with the the best white glove service.  

If you’re interested in hiring a butler or a chef for your next party we can help. Send us a note or give us a call and we can help you find the perfect chef and/or butler for you next event.

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Coming home after a busy, stressful day to find your larder fully stocked, your kitchen bright and clean and a delicious, nutritious and michelin star-worthy meal ready for you to tuck into. Does that sound like a great, but unrealistic dream to you?

Keep reading – as this scenario is a lot closer to reality than you might think. All you need is a Part Time, Private chef for you and your family. By keeping the hours of work part time, it can be much more affordable than you probably assume, and it will open up a whole new world of taste, flavours and relaxation in your own home.

Here are our top tips to find the right Part time chef for your family.

Lifestyle

First and foremost, have a think about your weekly schedule and when you normally tend to be away. Does this vary a lot? Not to worry! A part time chef will fit in brilliantly with your busy, high pressured lifestyle. The right part time chef will improve your quality of life by taking away the daily stress of planning and organising dinner, as well as providing you and your family with high quality meals.

Part time chefs are generally very flexible and will work around your schedule. Your chef will get to know you and your family’s routine, allowing them to plan and schedule meals and food shopping so you don’t have to. The better you can define your schedule and expectations, the easier finding the right part time chef will be.

A part time chef is… well, part time. This means they won’t be around for every meal of every day and you will be doing some of your own cooking. But, a good personal chef will help you plan for those times making your life much easier. If you’re always on the go, look for a chef that can help you with pre-prepared meals and a weekly to-go meal plan so you can completely remove the stress of meal planning from your life even when your chef isn’t there to cook for you.

Diet/ health requirements

Although delicious meals might be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about a private chef, having a healthy diet is one of the most practical. If, like most, you’re interested in following a healthier lifestyle, a personal chef might just be exactly what you need.

Your busy and stressful lifestyle does not leave much time for healthy meal planning. A private chef can help you plan the right food, drinks, and nutritious snacks you need to keep you on the right track. Simply removing the stress of what to eat and where to get it will make eating healthy much easier.

Don’t be discouraged if you require vegan, gluten free, or other specialty meals. Personal chefs come with many specialties and most are very flexible. Before you start your hiring process make sure you write down any special dietary needs of your family so you can be sure to advertise this in your job description. 

It’s a good idea to explore the different types of chefs that exist before you start your search. You might just find one you didn’t know you needed!

Hosting/events

Parties and events is where your part time chef will really shine, and it is at these moments that you will be extra thankful for having their expertise. Stressing and worrying about the organization of dinner parties will be a thing of the past! 

You can make sure to book your part time chef especially for those days in the run up to the event or dinner party, so the chef can come up with proposals for themes, select food, and match beverages. When a professional you trust is in charge, you can enjoy the process instead of stressing over it. Take your time scheduling the event, sampling appetisers, main courses and desserts, and get advice from your chef on what types of food and drinks will work best for your event.

A great personal chef will go above and beyond the planning and execution, but you have to know what to look for when you’re hiring. For example, a more social personal chef with all his knowledge of fine food and dining can serve as an educator for your guests. He/she can introduce the food before it is served, accompanying the food and beverages with interesting stories about how it was created and why it was chosen.

If you host events regularly, add this attribute to the top of your list so you make sure to hire a personal chef with experience in this area. Hiring a chef for just one event is also a great way to see how well you two work together before bringing them on as a long term part time chef.

We do understand that finding the right personal, part time chef for your family can be a  lengthy process but it does pay off to take your time in the selection procedures. The perfect match can change your, and your family’s life, completely – for the better!

If you still have questions or would like any advice, then please do drop us a line, we are always happy to help or give impartial advice. We have a wide range of excellent Private Chefs on our books too, so if all this information has made you hungry for your own part time personal chef, let us know and we would be delighted to find the perfect chef who will fit in seamlessly with your lifestyle and family.

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