Christmas Day · Essex
A private chef for Christmas Day in Essex
The whole table sits down together — including whoever usually does the cooking. Christmas Day and the festive dinners around it, cooked in your own home from a menu written for the day.
How the day works
Christmas with a chef in the house
Tell me the date, the headcount, and what Christmas looks like in your house — turkey, beef, both, the vegan roast, the courses you would never skip.
I write the menu for the day. The Christmas Day menu below is the starting point; we refine it together until it is yours, and every dietary at the table is handled within the same courses.
On the day I arrive early, cook, serve every course, and leave the kitchen spotless. You sit down with everyone and do not touch a pan.
The practical bits
Christmas Day is priced on request
Ingredients, the menu, the chef on the day, equipment and a full clean-down included
Travel is quoted with the menu, based on the distance from Rayleigh.
Every dietary catered — nobody gets a visibly different plate
Planning the office party instead? Corporate Christmas packages from £39 a guest →
In their words
Tables from last December, and one with three diets at it
“I could not recommend Mike more. Before, during and after the dinner he was nothing but professional; the food was spectacular.”
“Amazing Chef, food & service. We will definitely book Mike again — food was amazing, he's a really talented chef, left clean with excellent service. Would 100% recommend him.”
“Chef Mike was fantastic. We were a group of 12 with 3 different dietary needs and the menu we agreed on was suitable for everyone and amazing — who knew gluten free pasta could be so delicious!?”
Questions
Before you book Christmas Day
Do you cook on Christmas Day itself?
Yes — Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and the December weekends around them. There is one Christmas Day and one of me, so ask early.
How much does a private chef for Christmas Day cost?
Christmas Day is priced on request, not at my standard rate: there is one Christmas Day and I take one booking for it. Tell me the headcount and what you would like, and you will have a written quote the same day covering ingredients, the menu written for the day, me cooking and serving every course, the equipment I bring and a full clean-down. Travel is shown as one line on the quote before you commit — nothing is added later. Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and the December weekends follow my standard pricing.
Can you feed the vegetarians and vegans at the same table?
Yes. The Christmas menu carries a pumpkin seed and butternut squash vegan roast alongside the turkey, beef, gammon and goose, and every menu is built to handle vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free within the same courses — nobody gets a visibly different plate.
Does my kitchen need anything special?
No. I arrive early, bring what your kitchen does not have, cook and serve every course, then clean down before I leave. If your hob has two working rings, that is workable — it has been before.
How far ahead should I book Christmas?
Earlier than a summer Saturday, which is usually six to eight weeks: there is one Christmas Day. Tell me the date, the headcount and what Christmas looks like in your house and you will have a menu and a price the same day.
Where do you cook at Christmas?
Across Essex, London, the South East and East Anglia, from a kitchen in Rayleigh — Chelmsford, Brentwood, Billericay, Colchester, Southend, Leigh-on-Sea and the towns between. Send the postcode with your enquiry.