Top Anniversary Experiences in London

We had a great event thanks to Charles. He really made it a special occasion. He was efficient, polite, excellent at his job. The food was amazing - so beautiful and professional. Presentation was gorgeous. Exactly what we asked for. A lovely occasion made by Charles. He even made fishfingers and a bacon sandwich for the kids! Nothing was too much trouble. The wine that was recommended was unusual and absolutely gorgeous.

So you want to host a chef-catered dinner party in London. I did, for my 50th birthday, and it came off absolutely brilliantly thanks to Chef Charlotte. Here's some advice: 1. Obviously, rent the AirBNB/event space with the largest dining area. This will likely not be big enough, however, and you probably won't have enough place settings, silverware, wineglasses, etc. We only realized this in a call with Chef Charlotte, who recommended an event hire company from whom we rented an extra table, linens, wine glasses, etc. 2. Tell the AirBNB owner what you're doing before you reserve: I didn't really, and for the week leading up to the event was pretty stressed out that the owner would object or worse, send over the police! 3. Use HOMETAINMENT. Antoine Melon, the founder, is dedicated to making your event a success and will likely reach out to you personally--exactly the touch that will make the difference. Thanks Antoine! 4. You will probably end up working with the first chef who responds to your inquiry--in our case, fortuitously, Chef Charlotte. And you'll probably be fine with any of the HOMETAINMENT Chefs they're all professionals, after all. However, I would recommend that you at least wait to hear from Chef Charlotte, who I would wholeheartedly recommend. 5. Keep things (relatively) simple. While I'm sure she can cook anything, Chef Charlotte recommends a menu that she has likely cooked a hundred times and can probably do in her sleep. She adapted it to accommodate our dietary needs (some vegans, garlic intolerance) and added a personal favorite of mine, a cold spring veggie soup which was amazing. 6. An assistant chef/server is important, and I'd make sure that your chef will have one (Charlotte will). 7. And ultimately, relax and have a great time! Chef Charlotte is a total professional, great to work with, and most of all, cooked us an unforgettable meal: Passed canapés: Roasted aubergine with tomato and black olive tapenade Salmon gravlax, toasted rye, mustard and dill sauce Dorset crab tartlets First course: Spring vegetable soup, gremolata Second course: Ravioli of new season English green and white asparagus Main course: Herb crusted rack of Cotswold lamb, spring vegetables, potato gratin, lamb jus, served with risotto of spring vegetables, basil pesto, pine nut crumb Dessert: Apple tart tatin, home made vanilla ice cream Bon appetit! John Affleck Quincy, MA

Jacob cooked for us and a group of friends for my husband’s birthday. It was excellent! Not only was the good delicious (and the kitchen left spotless) but Jacob was very friendly too. He was happy to have our 3 young children watch him prepare the food and answered their endless questions. It was a wonderful evening thanks to Jacob!

Delicious! Amazing service and incredible quality of food. The prawns, mussels and lamb were absolutely delicious. Thank you so much! Highly recommend!

Splendid Food Charismatic Chef Fergus was professional, polite, confident and tidy. He made everyone feel at ease and his cooking was truly outstanding. He went above and beyond what was expected and left no mess or washing up! A really lovely evening. We’d definitely do it again, and have Fergus if he isn’t too rich and famous by then!

I chose Sarah Nagli to cook for us for my sister’s 60th birthday we chose canapés and a late lunch for 8 people. Sarah was really delightful to deal with during the run up to the date and on the day. The food was absolutely delicious and well presented - the attention to detail was excellent. Everything was also nice and tidy in the kitchen when she left, which was a real bonus, when you are entertaining. This was a special celebration and all my family were thrilled with the experience. I would definitely recommend Sarah, and would book her again. Jill Crafer

Having tried every diet invented and ignored gut-health problems for over a decade, approaching Georgie was a game changer. Georgie's insights and guidance helped my insides significantly as well as my sleep quality and mental health. Georgie gave me the ability and confidence to switch up my diet to food I love, which is actually good for me and super tasty. As a bonus, I am also losing weight through nutrition rather than fad diets. I now have the toolkit to put myself and my health first. Georgie made the entire process enjoyable and pain free - literally!

I can thank Antoine and especially Chef Lara for making the Halloween event we held so amazing. Lara got 100% what i wanted and understood exactly the look and feel of the meal we wanted. Unlike other chefs who wanted to dissuade me from my ideas, Lara took them on with enthusiasm and energy. Without her amazing food and excellent team, the night would not have been as much of a success. I will 100% use Hometainment and Chef Lara again. It was a pleasure to work with them and took a huge amount of stress out of the whole event knowing that they were there looking after things. Thank you Antoine and Lara.

I hired Jacob to put together an 8 person menu including canapés. He arrived a couple of hours ahead of the dinner and got to work. He put everything together with the minimum of fuss. Food was fantastic, presentation top-notch. He was a major part of a great night.

Jacob served up cananpes for 30 for a drinks party. The canapes were truly delicious and he was professional friendly and fun (he is dog friendly too). He arrived 1.5hr before the guests having already prepared the food. He finished it off, plated up and cleared up before leaving. Everyone thought the food was amazing. Jacob was quick to respond to questions, incredibly helpful and was a delight to work with and have in the house. Would highly recommend and would definitely book him again.