HOW TO HIRE · PERSONAL & LIFESTYLE

How to hire a private chef in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

A private chef must be registered as a food business with the council and handle allergens to food law. Here is what to check, ask and agree.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a private chef in five steps

  1. Ask which council they are registered withEvery private chef cooking as a business must be registered as a food business.
  2. Send allergies in writingEvery guest, every allergy and intolerance, before the menu is set.
  3. Agree the menu and per-head priceCourses, numbers, and whether ingredients and service are included.
  4. Settle the drinksBuy the wine yourself, or check who holds the licence if they sell it.
  5. Agree kitchen and clean-upWhat equipment they need from you, and what state they leave the kitchen in.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to private chefs as cooks in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland — there is no chef's licence. The legal checks are about the food business behind them. No register sets insurance for private chefs. Ask whether they carry public liability cover — it is what pays if a guest is hurt or your kitchen is damaged.

Use the food registration and allergen checks below, and ring a recent client. Ask for the insurer's name.

Food business registration

Anyone who cooks, prepares or handles food as a business must register as a food business with their local authority — in England, Wales and Northern Ireland at least 28 days before trading. Registration applies wherever the cooking happens, so a private chef who cooks in clients' homes still needs it.

Ask the private chef which council they are registered with, then check with that council. gov.uk →

Allergen information (food law)

Food businesses registered with the council must tell customers if a dish contains any of the 14 allergens named in food law — celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soya, sulphites and tree nuts — and must manage them in the kitchen. A private chef serving your guests is covered. The FSA's guidance applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Food Standards Scotland covers Scotland.

Send every guest's allergies in writing and ask for the allergen information for each dish. gov.uk →

Alcohol: Temporary Event Notice or occasional licence

If the private chef sells you alcohol at a place without a licence, in England and Wales that needs a Temporary Event Notice under the Licensing Act 2003 (under 500 people, at least 10 clear working days' notice). In Scotland the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 needs an occasional licence from the Licensing Board; in Northern Ireland liquor licences come from the County Court. Wine you buy yourself and they serve is a different matter.

If they supply the drink, ask who is giving the notice or holds the licence. gov.uk →

VAT

A private chef cooking a meal in your home is supplying catering, standard-rated at 20%. A chef or catering business over the £90,000 threshold must register and show VAT apart from the menu price.

Ask for the private chef's VAT number and check the invoice shows VAT apart from the price per head. gov.uk →

“Which council are you registered with as a food business?”

A good answer: A council name you can check. Any private chef trading should have this.

“How does a private chef handle guests' allergies?”

A good answer: Allergens listed for each dish, separate preparation where needed, and a question back to you about every guest.

“What is included in the private chef's per-head price?”

A good answer: Ingredients, cooking, serving, clean-up — or what is extra.

“What does the chef need from my kitchen?”

A good answer: A list of equipment, oven space and fridge space, checked before the day.

“Will you bring or sell the wine?”

A good answer: If they sell it, who holds the licence or gives the notice; if not, a pairing suggestion for you to buy.

“How do you transport and store the food before cooking?”

A good answer: Chilled boxes, prepared items labelled and dated.

“Do you carry public liability insurance as a private chef?”

A good answer: Yes, with the insurer named.

Getting the quote right

  • Price per head and the minimum number of guests
  • Ingredients included or charged at cost, with receipts
  • Serving staff, hired crockery and travel as separate lines
  • The menu, with allergen information for each dish
  • Who supplies drinks, and any licence or notice
  • Who actually attends: the private chef who planned the menu, or a sous chef and waiting staff, and whether each is employed or subcontracted
  • The chef's VAT number, with VAT apart from the per-head price, the ingredients and the staff

Walk away if

  • Not registered as a food business with any council
  • Vague answers about allergens
  • Selling alcohol at your home with no notice or licence
  • No menu agreed in writing
  • Ingredients charged with no receipts
  • No insurance
LOW
£59
TYPICAL
£88
HIGH
£165

What a private chef costs: £59–£165 per head

Private chefs price per head, with group size, the menu and whether ingredients, staff and drinks are included moving the price. Private Chef price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Private chefs near you, with the badges that matter shown

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  1. ConsultationGuests, allergies, menu and budget agreed in writing.
  2. Shopping and prepIngredients bought, prepared and stored chilled.
  3. Arrival and set-upKitchen checked, equipment laid out, allergens kept apart.
  4. Cooking and serviceCourses timed to the evening, each guest's needs met.
  5. Clean-upKitchen cleaned, leftovers labelled, bill settled.

Per head
The price for each guest.
Food business registration
The council registration every food business needs.
14 allergens
The allergens food law requires businesses to declare.
Cross-contamination
An allergen getting into a dish it should not be in.
TEN
Temporary Event Notice, for selling alcohol at an unlicensed place in England and Wales.
Mise en place
Ingredients prepared and laid out before cooking.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check the kitchenClean, equipment returned, leftovers stored and labelled.
Keep the menu and allergen listIf a guest reacts later, it is the record.
Check the billPer-head, ingredients and extras against the quote.
Rate the bookingRate the meal and the service once you have checked it. A score under four stars lets you ask the private chef to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Start with a written complaintMessage the private chef about the meal with photos or dates. The 2015 Consumer Rights Act lets you ask a trader to redo work that lacked reasonable care and skill, or to reduce the price when redoing it will not help.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the private chef under four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3Food safety or illness — environmental healthFood safety problems, or illness after a meal, go to the environmental health team of the council where the chef is registered. For other disputes, Trading Standards is reached through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeA claim against a private chef for a refund or the cost of putting things right can go to small claims: up to £10,000 on the county court small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a private chef: questions people ask

There is no chef's licence, but a private chef must be registered as a food business with their local authority.

Yes. Food law requires food businesses to declare the 14 allergens in what they serve and to manage them.

Only with a licence or, in England and Wales, a Temporary Event Notice. You can buy the wine yourself instead.

£59 to £165 a head, typically around £88. Group size, menu and ingredients make the difference. Per-head prices by group size and menu are in the private chef price guide; put your town in above for chefs nearby.

Usually not. Regulation 28(1)(h) of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 takes catering booked for a specific date out of the 14-day cancellation right, so the chef's written cancellation terms decide what you owe — read them before paying a deposit.

Raise it in writing. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires reasonable care and skill; food safety problems go to environmental health.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in personal & lifestyle

How to hire: Personal ChefHow to hire: Dinner Party ChefHow to hire: Meal Prep ServiceHow to hire: SommelierHow to hire: Concierge ServiceHow to hire: House ManagerHow to hire: Personal AssistantHow to hire: Travel PlannerAll 701 hiring guides →

Private chefs near you

Private chefs in LondonPrivate chefs in ManchesterPrivate chefs in BirminghamPrivate chefs in GlasgowPrivate chefs in BelfastAll private chefs on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — food business registration
  2. gov.uk — allergen guidance for food businesses (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
  3. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  4. gov.scot — Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 guidance: occasional licences
  5. nidirect — selling alcohol in licensed premises and registered clubs
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  8. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  9. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — exceptions to the right to cancel
  10. Catering, takeaway food (VAT Notice 709/1) — 1.3 Supplies in the course of catering are standard-rated; 2.1 Ordinary meaning of catering
  11. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  12. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register