Having a private chef round to cook dinner for you and friends sounds pretty extravagant, right? Something only the ultra-wealthy would consider doing for a casual birthday dinner.
Apparently not!
A couple of weeks ago my friend Jo hosted us for her birthday at her house. And we had a chef from Yhangry cook us a three course Mexican feast. No food shopping or meal prep, and crucially, no washing up for Jo. And for only £35 per person – which you’d be hard pushed to find better value going out for a three course dinner in London (especially when you add on drinks, service charges, transport, babysitters etc). We were gifted this experience in exchange for sharing our thoughts…
Yhangry was set up in 2019 by two female entrepreneurs and has been featured on Dragons Den. In fact, it is apparently the fastest-growing network of chefs for private events in the UK (not yet in NI).
You can try it and save £25 on your first YHangry booking using this link (affiliate link)
Yhangry Review
Jonny arrived at Jo’s house about an hour before starters were served, with many of the dishes prepped in advance. The menu we had chosen was a vegetarian Mexican meal. Although they have a range of cuisine options on the website. Mexican and Italian are reported to be the most popular! Ahead of the evening we were sent some options for the menu, including four starters, five mains and four puddings.
Our Menu:
Starters: Black Beans and Avocado on Toast, Spinach and Feta Quesadillas with Tomato Salsa
Main: Butternut Squash Chili with coriander rice
Pudding: Mexican Chocolate Cake
I was running very late to dinner due to traffic but Jonny was so accommodating and flexible about serving time, so I was handed a Margarita as I arrived by my friends and told to relax before we tucked into the starters.
As well as providing your own drinks, you’re sent a list of items that the chef will need and advised to have an empty dishwasher. They also send out menu cards ahead of time for you to lay the table with.
I would describe our Mexican feast as home-style cooking (I totally would have believed Jo if she said she’d cooked for us!) which was perfect for a casual style gathering with friends. Although I’d probably be more likely to use Yhangry again for special occasions like a birthday, rather than just a random dinner catch up, and opt to try a new cuisine or fine dining experience, or I think a catered BBQ could be really fun for after Bertie’s christening this summer.
There are a range of different cuisines to choose from on the website and you pick from Pan Asian, Fine Dining, BBQ, Middle Eastern, Brunch, Indian, French, Caribbean, Canapes, or even have them cook your Christmas lunch, or do your weekly meal prep for you! Check out their website.
How much does a Private Chef cost?
Obviously it depends on the cuisine, food style and number of guests. But prices on YHangry seem to start from £26pp and extends up to £200pp+ for a fine dining tasting menu. We gave a tip to our chef (although being VERY British about it, we didn’t know whether we were supposed to or not. And had an awkward discussion about it before thrusting the money at him as we said goodbye!)
How to Book a Private Chef on YHangry
You can browse through menus or chefs on the website, or request a bespoke quote from a range of chefs depending on your needs. We entered the postcode, cuisine type and number of guests. And were recommended Jonny, who as I’ve already mentioned, was fab. He was personable, friendly and really added to our dinner party without us feeling like we needed to entertain him!
Want to try your own private chef? Use this link to save £25 on your first booking (affiliate link)
