Cooked in your kitchen
Private chef in Leigh-on-Sea
Your table in Leigh-on-Sea, my kitchen for the night: a bespoke menu written for your table, cooked in your home — prep, service, and a spotless kitchen before I leave.
This year I cooked a birthday dinner party in Leigh for a table of fourteen friends. The weekday lunch boxes come here every Sunday and Wednesday evening.
Leigh-on-Sea is 5 miles by road from the kitchen in Rayleigh.
Who is cooking
A private chef in Leigh-on-Sea, from a kitchen in Rayleigh
I’m Mike Sutton: 20 years in professional kitchens, nearly a decade running my own restaurant, trained under Gennaro Contaldo and Jamie Oliver. Tipsy Squirrel Events is what I did after I sold the restaurant — the same cooking, brought to your home instead.
The kitchen is in Rayleigh, 5 miles by road from Leigh-on-Sea, and I cook across Essex, London, the South East and East Anglia. Every menu is written from scratch for your table, with 43 sample menus from six regions of the world to start from, and every dietary in the room handled within the same courses — nobody gets a visibly different plate.
How it works
Tell me the date, the headcount, and the occasion — four fields or a WhatsApp message.
I write the menu around your table and every dietary in the room, and we refine it together.
On the night I arrive early, cook, serve, and leave your kitchen spotless.
The practical bits
From £75 per head, £449 minimum spend
Travel to Leigh-on-Sea is quoted with the menu, based on the distance from Rayleigh.
Ingredients, menu design, chef and service, equipment and a full clean-down included
Every dietary catered — nobody gets a visibly different plate
From recent tables
In their words
What guests said
“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!?”
“Incredible experience and made the night very memorable. The food was great and Mike was great at engaging with the group. Left everything immaculate. Would definitely book again.”
Questions from Leigh-on-Sea
Before you book a private chef in Leigh-on-Sea
How much is a private chef in Leigh-on-Sea?
From £75 per head with a £449 minimum spend — ingredients, menu design, the chef on the night, the equipment I bring and a full clean-down are all in that figure. Tell me the date, the headcount and the occasion and you will have the exact price the same day.
Do you charge travel to Leigh-on-Sea?
Travel to Leigh-on-Sea is quoted with the menu, based on the distance from Rayleigh, and shown as one line on your quote before you commit — nothing is added later.
How far in advance should I book?
Six to eight weeks for a Saturday in summer. Shorter notice is often possible, particularly midweek. Ask, because cancellations happen.
Can you cook in a holiday rental near Leigh-on-Sea?
Yes. Most hen do bookings are in rentals. Send a photo of the kitchen when you enquire and I will build the menu around what is actually there — I bring whatever is missing.
Do you deliver the weekday lunch boxes to Leigh-on-Sea?
Not at the moment: the OuiChef Meal Prep lunch boxes are paused for now. Leigh-on-Sea is in the delivery area (SS postcodes around Southend), so leave your name on the Meal Prep page and I will let you know first when they restart.
Planning a wedding? See wedding catering in Essex or all my wedding menus and prices.
Christmas? I cook Christmas Day at home and office Christmas parties from £39 a guest.