My cooking adventures have taken me to a wide variety of places here and abroad creating beautiful food for my guests. I have cooked on a charter yacht in Scotland, a luxury catamaran in Croatia; a family holiday on the French Riviera; a huge castle; traditional shoot lunches on an estate; and many private homes and estates.
A family had booked a large house close to the glorious River Helford in Cornwall for a special birthday dinner. They wanted to be able to relax and celebrate without the worry of cooking. We started the evening with canapes on the terrace with its breathtaking view down to the river. The house had a stunning panelled dining room and huge fireplace, so when the sun went down we lit a log fire for the dinner. The menu was double-baked cheese souffle, roast beef, Yorkshire puddings and vanilla panna cotta with raspberries and shortbread.
A client booked me to cook for the family at their house in the South of France. They were planning a fun summer with lots of guests – relatives, friends and local residents – and there was a lot of shopping and cooking, so we agreed on a weekly rate. Summer on the Riviera is all about stunning fruit, vegetables, fish, meat and Provencal rose wine drunk on the terrace with its view down to the coast. Menus were a mixture of traditional French dishes such as Provencal bouillabaisse (my signature dish) with homemade aioli, blanquette de veau and Salade Nicoise as well as English favourites like quiche, roast chicken and various Ottolenghi salads. On a couple of occasions, we had sashimi. The client requested the bouillabaisse every week and said it was better than anything she had eaten on the Riviera!
A chef friend and I cooked for two boat owners/racers during the annual Cowes Regatta on the Isle of Wight. We are both keen sailors so it was a fun booking with sailors around the table all week and non-stop sailing talk. There were a lot of people and a strapping food-hungry crew. We agreed on a daily rate, plus extra for a large party that we organised. Breakfast was full English buffet style with toast, yoghurt, fruit and fresh coffee. We made up 17 packed lunches every day – slabs of frittata or wraps, fruit and cake. Dinner was relaxed and informal – fish pie, duck ragu, chicken pie etc.
A large family group booked me to cook at their holiday home for a couple of nights during their week's stay. They were having a wonderful holiday with children, boats, dogs and beaches and did not want the bother of cooking on certain nights. I made various quiches for lunches, they had harissa roast chicken one night, and fish pies on another. On their last night, I made the Provencal bouillabaisse, for the adults alone: a fine dinner party with a group of invited friends.
