HAPPY PLATE
faqs
FAQs
We offer a unique private chef experience brought direct to you. Combining a personal chef hire service with restaurant quality cuisine, Happy Plate is affordable, accessible and simple to book for anyone across London. Happy Plate also offers a meal preparation or meal delivery service for people who run out of time to cook, but who still enjoy wholesome, healthy, fresh and organic meals.
So whether you’re looking for a private chef in London or looking for a personal chef to come into your home, or deliver home cooked meals which are easy to store or freeze for later and reheat when needed, we have you covered. Get started by getting in touch to discuss any catering needs.
Happy plate offers all catering, event catering, Private and personal chef services in London. If a client wishes to book with Happy Plate for any service outside of London, this is possible, but there will be an additional travel charge which will be discussed at the time of booking.
Happy Plate is perfect for parties, private events, and special occasions, as well as for day to day meals. So whether it’s a hen night or birthday party, business gathering or just an evening in with friends, Happy Plate is the essential ingredient. Happy Plate also offers customers the option of working with Kirsty and creating menus for meals which can be prepared and then stored for later, using only seasonal and organic ingredients.
Yes! Kirsty will come to your location and cook you up a delicious meal whilst you sit back and relax with your family and friends. That can be your home, rented accommodation or any private venue.
Before the end of the service Kirsty will do a full clean down of the kitchen and any equipment she has used. This will include stacking the dishwasher and washing up any dirty plates you have finished with. Please note, we politely ask that you empty the dishwasher and leave the kitchen in a clean state for her arrival as well as providing washing up liquid and tea towels venue.
Menus will be designed with Kirsty and can be tailored to suit each event, using local, organic and seasonal ingredients. If there are any guests who have dietary requirements, this needs to be discussed in advance so menus can be tailored to accommodate these. Once a menu has been decided on, any changes to the menu needs to be discussed at least 7 days prior to the event.
Menus, where possible, will always be based using organic and seasonal ingredients. This is something Happy Plate takes pride in. However in the case of an event or menu calling for ingredients that are not in season, this will be discussed at the time of booking.
As menus are designed with the client the best way to get a quote is to reach out to Happy Plate directly. We will then discuss the event, budget and food requirements with you. Once we have all the information we need, a quote with proposed menus and options will be sent over.
To book we just require a 50% deposit regardless of the size of your booking and this secures our availability for that date. The remaining balance is then not due until 14 days prior to the event.
If you process a booking request for an event that is less than 14 days away then you will be required to pay in full to secure the booking.
If you’re looking for something a little extra special as a present for a loved one or as a wedding gift for friends then Happy Plate has you covered. With our Gift Voucher you can simply let us know the amount you’d like to offer towards a Happy Plate experience as a gift.
Yes, Kirsty will serve each course to you at the table explaining what each dish is as they go for groups up to 6 people. Groups of more than 6 people will require waiters for the event at an additional cost of £25 per hour per waiter.
Yes, Kirsty will use your plates and cutlery so please make sure there are sufficient plates and cutlery for all your guests.
Kirsty will bring small pieces of her own equipment such as knives/whisks etc but she will rely upon the equipment on site.
However all our menus are designed to be able to be reproduced using basic kitchen equipment so Kirsty will pre-prepare anything tricky offsite.
If there is a lack of basic equipment then please contact Kirsty at the earliest convenience and she can bring missing equipment with her or do extra preparation off site.
As Kirsty is preparing and cooking some of your menu fresh on location, she may need access to the premises up to 4 hours before your eat time.
However, each menu will differ in preparation time depending on its complexity and the number of guests eating. Therefore, her arrival time may vary between 1 and 2 hours prior to the eat time you have requested.
We’ll notify you via email of her arrival time at 4pm, the day before your event. If you do have any access or time restrictions, please let Kirsty know before this point.
Menus are all tailored to each event making them bespoke to each client. Therefore we suggest contacting Happy Plate and discussing your event and budget with Kirsty, as well as any special requests or dietary requirements. Menus will then be proposed based on the information given. Happy Plate takes pride in using seasonal and organic ingredients, and where possible we use local suppliers. time.
However, each menu will differ in preparation time depending on its complexity and the number of guests eating. Therefore, her arrival time may vary between 1 and 2 hours prior to the eat time you have requested.
We’ll notify you via email of her arrival time at 4pm, the day before your event. If you do have any access or time restrictions, please let Kirsty know before this point.
We cater for almost all dietary requirements and we check what dietary requirements your party has prior to your event allowing Kirsty to accommodate these.
If your event is more than 7 days away then please do get in touch with us and we can discuss wine pairing options with you.
We will always endeavour to provide our service to all enquiries made but please be aware that availability is never guaranteed. However, we have over a 99% delivery rate on bookings made more than 14 days prior to the event.
We have 3 standard premium dates in our calendar – Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve (note. we’re closed on Christmas Day). On these dates the customer demand for our service is at its highest but our chef’s availability is at its lowest, often due to family commitments. There will be an additional charge of £50 per guest above the cost of the menu.