What Actually Happens When You Have a Chef Team at Your House

We arrive earlier than you expect

For a seated dinner, the team is generally on site four to six hours before guests. Most of that is quiet setup: equipment in, service points built, tables set, the kitchen organised. If you would rather not have that happening around you, tell us and we will work to a schedule that keeps it out of your way.

Your kitchen is a staging area, not the kitchen

Food is prepared in our commercial kitchen and finished on site. What we need from your house is bench space, a sink and power, not a working restaurant. That is why an estate dinner does not require you to own a professional range.

And the standard is that the room goes back exactly as it was. Not tidy. As it was.

Decide how visible you want us

Some hosts want the chef to come out and introduce each course. Others want the food to appear and the team to be invisible. Both are completely normal and they lead to different staffing and different setup, so decide before the day rather than during it.

Give us the guest list, not just the number

Dietary requirements handled by name is not a flourish. It is the difference between a guest being quietly looked after and being handed a visibly lesser plate in front of the table. Send names, restrictions and anything else that matters.

Agree the discretion terms up front

If your event needs to not appear publicly, say so at the quoting stage. We sign confidentiality agreements on request, we do not photograph client properties, and staff are briefed. It is easier to set that expectation at the start than to claw it back afterwards.

Considering a dinner at home? Let's talk it through.

More on catering in Mummy Mountain, or see the full journal.