Premium private chef | In-Home Dining | Dinner Parties | Weddings | Celebrations and Events | Corpor
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It's always nice to get the ooni out for a pizza session for clients when the sun is out and the weather is dry - not so much fun in the wet!
We have our own recipe for our pizza dough using our sour dough fermentation along with a sprinkling of fennel seeds which gets fantastic feedback!
As a young commis and being taught to make pasta it ignited a passion in me and I have always had various types of pasta on my menus. I particularly like raviolis and tortellinis; they are a labour of love and also you must be a little daring! It's all about getting the mousse as wet as possible without splitting it or so wet you cannot mould the pasta around it!
It's been a canapé run here recent days....
I'm not a fan of generic canapé menus. I get inspired by the ingredients I see in season whilst working and produce little bite sized flavour explosions which receive fantastic feedback.
The perfect way to start your celebration whether its a garden party, barbecue or dinner party
This weekend was all about barbecue and seafood. But as always, only the best seafood! King prawns, well as the image shows, the size of your hand and hand dived scallops the same!
As I keep saying, we only use the best produce from the best suppliers! Using larger prawns and scallops means I have more control over the cooking so can get great caramelisation on the outside without overcooking the produce!
A couple of small plates from a recent event. Heritage tomato, burette and English strawberry salad and gin marinaded Scottish salmon, peas and creme fraiche.
Championing British produce whilst the sun is shining and letting the ingredients sing for themselves!
Let's roll back around 4 years and how proud I was developing my tomato macaroon recipe as our vegetarian canapé. Little did I know it would be so well received I would be making them for what seems like will be the rest of my days!
I have to say I am really liking this dessert! It was on the menu a few years ago and somehow, I think by a creme brûlée request, found its way back. However the new version I think is much more fun!
Ginger Creme Brûlée, Carrot Cake, Walnuts, Rum & Raisin
It's all got a very slight nod to the Caribbean but a really good fun and delicious dessert.
Back to the gluten free bread development this week in my quest for the perfect loaf. I've added butter to the recipe which has given a much "softer" mouth feel.
The positives are that unlike shop bought sliced gluten free bread, this one doesn't loose structure and as you can see the slices can be held without falling apart. (this was still slightly warm from the oven too!) It doesn't have a "sponge like" mouth feel and isn't sweet.
Left to work on is the finish to the crust and get that smoother look to it like traditionally baked tin loaves!
Some pictures from this weeks dinner party. A bespoke menu for a client which was a lot of fun cooking.
We are ever so proud of our reviews and grateful to our clients taking the time to leave them. It's really nice to read how much the efforts we go to and the attention to detail put into our events mean to our clients. In honesty however, review or not, we wouldn't have it any other way! We strive to male our clients proud of us and feel in safe hands and relaxed on the day.
We only source the best ingredients! recently asked to cook a scallop dish for a special occasion I know exactly who to go to and a quick call to our friends in the Scottish highlands saw these beauties flown down 12 hours after the divers picked them out the waters.
Source the best and let the ingredients do the talking for you!
We had the most beautiful weather for a celebration lunch in the garden for clients this week. A menu tailored around the special birthday guest of honour's favourites we had hand dived scallops, 40 day dry aged beef fillet and creme brûlée with shortbread, lemon and cassis
I say this time and time again, its not my occasion its yours and I am always happy to tailor our menus to make the day memorable for you and not my ego!
Loving this small plate creation this week as a special request from a corporate client to tie in with a strawberry vodka cocktail.
Isle of Wight tomato salad, semi dried English strawberries, burrata & basil
This time of year our island grown ingredients simply sing for themselves and an easy day in the kitchen for me, well....
There's something a little fishy been going on around the CSM kitchen this week!
Fantastic produce from our two fish suppliers. Beautiful fresh Cornish sardines, Gigantic prawns for this weekends barbecue as well as fantastic hand dived scallops from the highlands flown down overnight and into the kitchen less than 24 hours out of the Scottish waters!
I say this so often, we only use the finest of produce this way we just have to treat it with respect and love and the rewards are fantastic praise and feedback from you, our clients and guests!
This week I’m working on delicious small plates and cocktail pairings that minimise kitchen and bar waste. The perfect choice for climate positive spirits is Arbikie Highland Estate on the east coast of Scotland – a world-leading sustainable farm-to-bottle distillery that is also the first green-hydrogen powered distillery. Looking forward to sharing soon! Thanks for connecting to ”.
its funny to think as a young chef I used to avoid desserts and the pastry section with passion.
Fast forward and I love pastry now! Here's some pictures of desserts from various events over the past few weeks, some bespoke, others just what we do!
After lots of planning and organising last weekend we delivered another themed bowl food event for a client.
This brief was "Disco". We loosely based the drink and menu around Studio 54. Choosing a popular disco track and linking the food to the title.
Again, lots of fun and a chance to get our creative thinking caps on and well worth the effort as the client and their guests loved the creativity, food and experience and a very successful event.
little homemade "dog" rolls for one of our themed courses at this evenings event.
The event is themed to disco and each course is linked to a classic disco song! This course is "Grease Lightening", full fuelled & loaded chicken dog, onion & truffle
A very busy week at as usual last week. Some images of the timed bowl food event we ran over Wednesday and Thursday for our clients.
We do love the challenge of theming a menu, if you have an idea for your event or a theme drop us a line and see how we can get creative for you!
I do love it when everything is uniform!
These passionfruit mousse cakes on jam sandwich were a big hit with guests earlier in the week. Very refreshing and zingy, a perfect way to finish a garden party lunch whilst watching the rowing, plus they are gluten free!
Our desserts from our BBQ's and garden parties are always head turners including our show stopper Pavlova - not as refined as the others but it des go down a treat!
Some new canapés appeared on some of our events last week including a tomato & mozzarella skewer which was specially requested as a favourite of the younger diners!
We will always try and accommodate special request, after all, it is YOUR event!
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Last week it was BBQ's galore here last week with 4 back to back!
One of our regular clients opted for our new dish, native lobster tails poached in thyme butter then finished off on the coals and the report from the guests was that they were spectacular!
I love our approach to bbq's and using the grill as a finishing platform whilst keeping all the meats etc cooking sous vide to keep ensure they are cooked to perfection!
We don't do a lot of weddings each year and I actively do tell clients we are not a wedding caterer however the weddings we are asked to do are undertaken with the same passion and attention to detail as all of our events.
This was a recent "grazing" style wedding with hot served main courses of dry aged fillet of beef and soya and ginger glazed chicken breast.
if you are planning your big day and food and service list high on your list of priorities drop me a line and I will be happy to discuss and tailor your big day to your imagination.
During a conversation a while ago with a couple whose wedding we were recently running it was discussed that during the day there was going to be a festival theme with games etc. The perfect opportunity for us to theme the snacks ahead of the. wedding breakfast!
We came up with tenderstem broccolis, Mizo mayonnaise, gruyere and toasted seeds, popcorn chicken, kimchi & lime, Mac & Cheese bites, truffle & parmesan and of course chilli con carne, guacamole, yogurt & home made nachos!
If you have something bespoke or a themed party coming up drop us a line and let us get creative with the menu and drinks for you!
All guests are important to us and guests who have allergies and dietary requirements deserve to feel as welcome and special as all other guests.
I have been playing with a new gluten free bread recipe for a while and finally have it perfected! it isn't spongy like usual gluten free bread and when buttered with our signature herb & yuzu butter I think it is hard to tell it is gluten free!
Some pictures of a recent wedding tasting, who said wedding food has to be standard! We use the same techniques, great quality produce and attention to details in a wedding for a large number as we do for a smaller dinner party!
If you are planning a wedding do get in touch and we can discuss options together.
When the sun starts shining we do love a garden party here, and if it starts to drizzle, we simply move indoors! Some pictures of last weekends garden party, handmade quiches, glazed hams, poached salmon and delicious salads. There's still a little space in the diary for the summer if you are planning on entertaining, drop me a line.
A few years ago a chef I worked for claimed that I cannot make meringue. I think this show stopper pavlova from this weekends garden party would prove him very much wrong!
The diary has been filling up quickly this week with barbecues - as you would expect from us, these are not your usual British barbies! We have a delicious menu with dishes such as honey & ginger glazed duck, rumps of lamb, lobster tails and lots more of choice, the great British banger is of course featured too!
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This coming Tuesday is Shrove Tuesday – aka Pancake Day – so I'm sharing my tried and trusted pancake recipe with you! To make a batter for 4-6 pancakes, whisk together 100g of plain flour, one large egg, 50g sugar and a pinch of salt with 250ml of milk (add the milk gradually to stop the mix going lumpy). Leave to stand for half an hour. Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and pour in enough of the mix to thinly cover the bottom of the pan. Once the base of the pancake has browned then shake the pan to loosen it, give it a flip then cook the other side. Serve hot with a dusting of icing sugar and a squeeze of lemon or orange. Enjoy! #pancakeday #pancakes #recipe
Great bbq yesterday for a regular client and a privilege to cook on such a great setup #bbq #barbeque #entertaining #birthdays #celerbration #monolith #gozney #events #planning #privatechef
A little birthday cake to celebrate 3 family birthdays over 2 generations for our client……
Poached scottish salmon, picked cucumber & beetroot, dill & horseradish #starter #foodporn #finedining #inhomedining #privatechef #caterer #events #salmon #scottishsalmon
English strawberries, jelly and custard, caramelised puff pastry and pistachio dessert from last nights dinner party. #foodporn #desserts #finedining #events #inhomedining #caterers #dinnerparty #entertaining #privatechef
Another weekend and 2 more bbqs delivered to very happy clients. Today, grilled loin of venison cooked pink, chicken marinaded in yogurt & ginger, lamb sheesh kebabs, aubergine fondant with harrisa dressing and charred squash with crumbled goats cheeses. Hot buttered new potatoes and then our lovely salads. Desserts and canapés and our amazing service team pouring bubbles, serving food and looking after our guests every needs… #bbq #parties #entertaining #finedining #gardenparty #privatechef #events
Little canapé party heading out this afternoon….. not very often we do these due to time restraints. #canapes #privatechef #caterer #events #finedining #passion
Yesterdays bbq for a special occasion for a regular client. Always a pleasure to visit this house and deliver events for the lovely family. #bbq #entertaining #celerbrating #events #privatechef
Well that’s a wrap @henleyroyalregatta 7 events over 6 days and a little treat of bubbles for all the hard work this week. Many thanks to all the clients who booked us this week, it was a privilege to look after you all, and our apologies to the clients we were unable to fit in this week. Now to next weeks weddings, birthdays and canapé parties! #privatechef #events #caterer #henleyregatta #bbq #bowlfood #gardenparty #buffets #canapes
Our 4th event this week was another one of our garden parties in a beautiful private residence over looking the start/finish line @henleyroyalregatta this is such a lovely informal way to entertain with our professional team on hand to talk you through the dishes, top up bubbles and ensure you and your guests are well looked after #entertaining #gardenparty #buffet #henleyregatta #privatechef #events #caterer
Yesterdays bowl food event for a corporate client over looking Henley regatta…. #bowlfood #corperate #entertaining #caterer #henley #privatechef
What a privilege to work on the start/finish line today. Looking forward to being back there tomorrow for a corporate client hiring the private residence for the day then we are back on Friday for another event for the owners! #henleyregatta #henleyroyalregatta #catering #buffets #events #privatechef #privatedining #entertaining #henley
Another garden party last night for a house warming in South Kensington. Really good fun event to deliver working alongside a magician and a dj, we surpassed our clients expectations. #entertaining #gardenparty #buffet #caterer #privatechef #events #london #attentiontodetail
I love making raviolis, they are a labour of love. This was a smoked salmon ravioli for a wedding tasting yesterday which got 10/10’s all round! #pasta #italiancooking #ravioli #cooking #skills #passion #privatechef #events #wedding #caterer
Bbq loin of venison, chicken marinaded in soya and ginger, courgette and halloumi skewers and aubergine charred with harissa and cumin! 3rd event this weekend and again great feedback from guests for both service and food. We live what we do and our so proud of our reputation. #bbq #barbeque #events #privatechef #gardenparty #entertaining
Another garden party delivered to another very happy client yesterday! We love our garden parties, they are such a lively, informal way to entertain and celebrate occasions especially when the weather is on our side. #gardenparty #buffet #events #privatechef #caterer #finedining #entertaining #birthdays
Vine tomato & burrata salad, black olive, basil & tomato essence, iced tomato essence #tomato #salad #summer #fresh #starters #finedining #events #privatechef
Always looking for new toys and gadgets to improve on what I do. Love this, so simple yet effective and after a little transformation with the help of black & decker I can’t wait to use it this weekend at an event #innovation #movingforward #foodart #privatechef #events #caterer #henley #finedining
#macaroons one of my favourite things to make. Technical and such a sense of pride when they come out well. These have a dark chocolate and passionfruit ganache inside, raspberries and crystallised pistachio to garnish #cakes #confectionary #pastry #baking #afternoontea
Want your business to be the top-listed Event Planning Service?
I've been a chef working in professional kitchens for over 30 years, and now I'd like to share that depth of experience with you. Join me at one of my pop-up dinners to see how dishes are created, or book a bespoke in-home dinner party for a unique culinary experience that will wow your guests.
I’m also available for professional consultancy: from taking the pressure off with producing easy to follow HACCP & record keeping to satisfy Environmental Health Officers to a full consultancy service either as a one off or an ongoing service to produce or present dishes with SOP’s, costings, supplier advice to maximise profits, contact me and let me know how I can help you.
