Chef Services
Good food.
Your table.
Private dinners, family stays, celebrations and conference cooking. Fresh, seasonal food, shaped around the people at your table.
Discuss your occasion ↗
Flavour comes first.
I’m Melvin. I bring more than thirty years in professional kitchens to private meals: the care of a good restaurant, with the ease of being at home.
Everything is cooked by me, from fresh. I start with good produce and the season, then build the menu around what you enjoy. My plates look good, but everything on them earns its place by tasting good.
My cooking draws on Indian, East Asian, African, Scandinavian, Alpine and wider European traditions. Each dish is cooked with respect for where it comes from. That might mean a curry one evening and a carbonade with red cabbage the next. I bake, and when the season allows, I forage.
A meal, a weekend, or a little longer.
Private dinners
A special evening at home, a gathering of friends, or a celebration around a shared table. We discuss the occasion, your tastes and the kitchen, then agree a menu that fits.
Families & longer stays
Good food becomes more personal over time. As I learn what you and your guests love, the menus develop with you — from everyday family meals to something special at the end of the week.
Celebrations & small gatherings
Seasonal menus for birthdays, family occasions and residential groups, from a generous shared meal to a more elaborate dinner. The format follows the occasion.
Conferences & residential groups
Seasonal meals for conferences, retreats and residential groups, including programmes over several days. I plan the food around the group, dietary requirements and the rhythm of the event, drawing on my work as conference and events chef at Hofgut LEO.
Personal attention, from the first conversation.
Working in someone’s home calls for good listening, flexibility and a calm presence. I’m comfortable cooking for children and adults, and adapting to the rhythms of a household or a group staying together.
Vegan and gluten-free menus are part of my regular work. Please tell me about allergies and other dietary requirements at the outset, so they can be considered carefully when we plan the menu.
Experience you can rely on.
My background spans kitchens in the UK, Germany, Hong Kong and East Africa. For three and a half years at Hofgut LEO in the southern Black Forest, I’ve cooked for weddings, family celebrations, themed dinners and residential groups.
I founded an award-winning organic café in Sheffield and spent five years training cooks with Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food. Across those different settings, the approach has stayed the same: good ingredients, care in the cooking, and attention to the people eating it.
More about my background ↗Planning your occasion
I cook for small private groups through to around 15–20 guests, depending on the menu and style of service. For more elaborate dining, I work with groups of up to 15. Larger occasions need additional help and are discussed individually.
Tell me your preferred dates, where you’ll be, how many people are coming and the kind of meal you have in mind. We can talk through the possibilities and agree the details. References are available on request.
melvin@melvinjarman.co.uk ↗