FAQ | The Cumbrian Chef is availble to hire

FAQ's

How much does this service cost? 

My prices for a private chef experience are between £55 to £85 per person until end of August 2024 prices will increase from September 2024 as shown on my menus and include all the ingredients’ costs and service. Please contact us to discuss bespoke events. 

What is the minimum number of 

guests you cater for? 

My prices are for a minimum of 8 guests on Fridays, Saturdays and Bank holidays with a minimum of 6 guests for all other days.   

If you are unsure of numbers or menu choices but would like to secure the Cumbrian Chef for your date, then you can do so with a simple £10 per person deposit. I will send you a deposit invoice. You’ve then got until 21 days prior to the event to confirm your booking details so that we can raise an invoice for the balance of the booking amount. 

How do I make a Payment? 

I will send you a deposit invoice with my bank details to secure the date. Until the deposit payment is made, the enquiry booking will not be considered confirmed. I will confirm your booking once I have received the payment. 

The balance will need to be paid two weeks before the event, if payment is not received on the required date, then the date will be released to a waiting list and the deposit will be non-refundable. 

Cancellation of booking?  

All deposits are non-refundable, however if you wish to move the date, we will do our best to accommodate any new dates if available and suitable to both parties. The deposit will then be transferred to the new date. 

For cancellations less than 14 days before your event but more than 72

 hours prior to the chef’s arrival time then you may still move your event to a different date and/or location and incur no additional penalty or charges with the exception of any extra travel time. If we are unable to accommodate this new date and it needs to be cancelled, then we will still honour the full value of anything paid to The Cumbrian Chef against a future event as a credit.  

Bookings cancelled less than 72  hours prior to arrival time shall

result in the loss of any and all payment excepted by the

Cumbrian Chef and no refund or credit options will be available. 

Wine and Spirits 

I understand that wine selection plays a huge part in the

experience of your event. 

The alcoholic side of the event is catered for by yourselves which allows me to focus on providing an exceptional food tasting experience. 

Prices are subject to change 

As I am a private chef my two largest costs are food and fuel, at the moment we are in a very volatile time and so both of these are subject to change.

I have provisionally planned my menus for you the guests until the

end of November 2024. 

 I will be reviewing the increases in my supplies throughout the year. 

My prices could be subject to change if these costs continue to

increase to my business.   

Once a booking is made and confirmed your quoted price will not change. 

Could there be any changes to the menu?

Sometimes we could have problems with supply issues. If there would be any changes required to my menu then I would inform you of the changes ahead of the event.

Do you have Public Liability Insurance? 

Yes, I am insured with Giles insurance company for

Public Liability and Employment. 

What about an allergen, dietary requirements? 

Please make sure you provide during booking all known dietary and allergen information of your guests. 

Julian and his team have vast experience with allergens and dietary requirements. We can cater to all different dietary requirements such as vegan and gluten-free and have a professional understanding of all allergens. Julian holds food level 3 in food safety, allergen awareness and has City and Guilds Covid awareness training. 

What area do you cover? 

I am based in the lakes just outside Kendal at Lakelands food business park. Unit 2 with the postcode of LA88QJ 

I will travel across most of Cumbria but if your location is over

45 minutes one way away I will look to charge for any extra

travel / staffing costs this will involve.

I am happy to travel throughout the Northwest. 

 If the travelling time is over my 45 minutes, then I would charge an extra charge based on the extra distance travelled as above. 

Location

Living within the lakes, the postcodes for many of the locations

are often quite vague. 

I have been using the what3words app to find locations if you can download the free app and send me your location on the day of the event this would be helpful.   

https://what3words.com/products/what3words-app 

.  Do we use our crockery and cutlery? 

 I supply my own crockery for the meals that I present but we do use the cutlery on site if applicable. 

What about adding children’s meals to my event?

Hiring a Private Chef to come and cater for you can be a great idea for families who don’t want to pay for a babysitter or taxis to go out to a restaurant. Often our clients arrange their eat time for after they have put their children to bed however, many of our clients still want to include their children in their event and why not? 

Children often have different palates and appetites, so you do not have to pay full price for them if you want them to eat from the same menu. Children (aged 12 or under) can be added to your event at 50% of the per head cost of the menu you have chosen, and Julian to make smaller, sometimes simplified, portions for the children. Every child is different, so if you think they would like the food as described on the menu, we will leave it and simply present a smaller serving. If you think they would prefer something simpler we can easily make small adjustments so that the menu suits them whilst still basing their meal on the original dish.

If you would like something specific for the children of the group if you let me know what sort of thing they like and I will price this accordingly 

Who cleans up? 

  Before we leave the venue Julian, and his team will do a full clean down of the kitchen and any equipment they have used. Please note, we politely ask that you empty the dishwasher and leave the kitchen in a clean state for the team’s arrival. 

What supplies do you use? 

All our ingredients are of the highest quality and locally sourced supporting wonderful suppliers such as Cartmel Game, Hayton’s butcher in Staveley, Hargan’s fruit and vegetables Flookburgh, Winter Tarn dairy and Stonehouse Smokery Carlisle to name a few with more coming on board each month. Check out my social media where I often showcase our amazing suppliers.

What supplies do you use?