Private Cooks and Chefs...a few reminders from Sugarella Cooks...

Imagine booking an expensive hotel with no pictures of the rooms, recommendations or trip advisor scores....

Imagine visiting a restaurant where you are expected to spend a lot of money which has no reviews, no menus in advance for you to see, and no one has ever heard of it...

Imagine buying an item of clothing off the peg online without knowing what it looks or feels like....

So - you want to cook in a private home. That is great, and we look forward to working with you. There are just a few things we would like to remind you:- 

• We have numerous cooks on our books. And they all think they are as good as you. We are a young company and, for now, have less clients than cooks, so it helps to be nice to us, to stay in touch with us, and to let us know your whereabouts. That way it is likely you will be our first call when the next amazing job comes in.
• You should be able to provide us with at least two recent references from your most recent employers. These should be private client employers, regardless of how famous/busy they might be, we work with numerous chefs and clients and can always get references from someone, whether that be the clients PA, or the client themselves, it is possible. Unfortunately without references, we cannot use you. How will we know who you are and how you work in a private home?
• We advise all our chefs to have a DBS certificate. You are working in a private home, around young children, and invading someones private space. We want to know you are who you say you are, as much as the client does. Apply for one here.
• Photographs of your food. This is really important. If you are a chef in this day and age, we advise you have your own website with lots of photographs of your food. Or at the very least, an instagram page which shows pictures of your food ONLY. We don't want to see what you get up to on your days off - create a private personal page for this. You may even find you get jobs from clients direct through your own instagram page or website.
• Up to date CVs and references. When you finish a job, ask your client if they are happy to write a reference for you and if they are happy for you to pass their details to future employers. Update your CV, send it to us and let us know the amazing things you have been doing.
• Reply to our e mails and phone calls. As much as you like to get a response from us, we like to get a response from you. If we contact you in regards to something, even if it is not for you, please just acknowledge us and let us know where you are in the world. If you are no longer needing work, we then no longer need to bother you.
• Once a job is confirmed, contact the client at your earliest convenience to arrange menus, logistics and travel arrangements.
• Flexibility. Being a private cook is not easy. We never said it was, and we know how hard it is ourselves, having been there and done it, and still doing it! Please expect the long hours and days, and understand that some jobs will be harder than others....
• If you can do all of the above, get your chef whites ironed, your knives sharpened and....enjoy the experience.

To work for Sugarella Cooks or to book a cook, please contact us.

Time for Tea! Banana & Blueberry Cake - the recipe

Use up those old bananas in a delicious cake. I added blueberries to mine, but you could add any other old soft fruit, such as plums, peaches or raspberries rather than throwing them out! If you make this for your guests when on a job, they will be thrilled because you will be using old fruit instead of throwing it out and they have something yummy to tuck into!

Blueberry & Banana All in One Cake

• 3 over ripe bananas
• 150g caster sugar
• 225g self raising flour (or plain flour and add an extra 2 tsp of baking powder)
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 110ml olive oil
• 50g blueberies, plus a few extra (about 6 to dot on the top before baking)
• Optional: 50g dark chocolate chunks

1. Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees celcius
2. Line an 8 inch round cake tin with baking parchment
3. Peel then mash the bananas in a bowl
4. Place ALL ingredients into your food processor (I use a Kenwood K Mix for this)
5. Whizz on a high speed until all ingredients are combined
6. If using chocolate chunks, add these in now and mix in with a spatula
7. Add the mixture to your cake tin and dot with extra blueberries on top (if using)
8. Bake for approx 30-40 mins until nicely golden on top and a skewer comes out clean
9. Decorate with melted white chocolate or sprinkled icing sugar (entirely optional)
10. Enjoy with a cup of tea!

10 reasons to book a cook through Sugarella Cooks...

1. We meet all our cooks before using them, have a good chat and really try to get to know them
2. We fully reference check our cooks and do not use anyone that cannot provide two references from their most recent employers
3. We offer a very personal and bespoke service, we listen to your needs and help match the right person to your job. Ella has done private cooking jobs herself for many years so has a clear understanding of what is required and what the jobs entail.
4. It is important that the cooks are as happy as the clients. Therefore, we do not suggest jobs to cooks that we do not feel are the right fit for them
5. We can offer advice to clients on salaries and expectations, based on their individual needs and requirements
6. We offer honesty. If we do not feel we have the right person for the job, we will tell you, rather than sending someone forward that is going to be a disaster.
7. We have a huge selection of people from newly qualified cooks to very experienced, all looking for a range of work from part time, full time, permanent or freelance
8. We offer competitive recruitment fees in comparison with similar agencies
9. We have a very good relationship with all our cooks and chefs, so it is likely they will want to do a good job to ensure we keep them in high regard!
10. You can safely relax and enjoy your party/holiday/every day life and leave the hard work in the hands of someone you trust - us!

Book a cook today - contact us now.

Thank you and Happy Christmas!

I have just received the most delightful e mail from a client which has made my Christmas. I have to share it with you:

“Rather belatedly (well it is Christmas!), I just wanted to say a big thank you to you for organising Charlton to come and work his magic at our early Christmas lunch. It was absolutely delicious - everyone was most complimentary. Charlton was a joy to work with and really good fun - it was all so easy and everything was cleared up. So thank you to you and to him! ”

I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all my wonderful chefs & cooks that have really helped me make this first year of business such a success. Looking forward to great things in 2017. Huge luck to all those chefs cooking for my clients over Christmas and New Year, I will be thinking of you all.

Thank you, also, to all my loyal clients that have been brilliant. I am thrilled with the way things are going and don't forget it is not too late if you need a chef for any occasion!

Next year we will be introducing other services that we can help you with, so please do not hesitate to contact me with any staff need whether it is in or out of a kitchen.

With best wishes to all for a happy and healthy new year.

Fabulous new jobs for fabulous people

We have a huge array of jobs for cooks, chefs, extra pairs of hands, chalet managers and more.

Please take a look at our jobs page for more information and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

A Day in the Life of a Private Household Chef

Earlier on this year, I placed a chef in a household in London, where he is employed to cook for a family of varying ages, consisting of 5 people (plus guests). The diets this amazing chef is cooking for range dramatically. Some members of the family eat everything, some only fish and chicken and others follow a dairy, gluten and sugar free diet, and one member is strictly Vegan! There is never a dull moment for this chef and we are so thrilled to have placed him in this position. He is really happy in the role, and the clients adore him and his food.

I asked the chef to give me an overview of a standard day for him, so you can read about some of the things involved in a job like this....and here is what he says:

06.00 - my alarm goes off. This doesn't mean just going to work for me. This is a new day for new opportunities to be creative. I get up early enough to start my day with morning exercise. I find this very beneficial as it gives me more energy to get through a busy day. 

07.00/08.00 - Arrive at work. First thing to do is set the table and then cook breakfast. Once Breakfast is done, I pack up some snacks and lunch for the little girl to take to school. I then pack up snacks and lunch for Mr G to take to work. If it is a weekend, things are different as they all eat at home.

Before I start preparing lunch for Mrs G and other family members (if they are around), I have a 1.5 hour break which I usually spend creating a new recipe, or I pop out to the shops to get any ingredients I need for that day.

12.00-13.00 - Lunch is served, but it varies from day to day.

When lunch is over, I have about 2 to 3 hours of free time. I sometimes spend this going for a walk to get some fresh air, or I stay in and start planning preparations for dinner.

17.00-19.30 - Dinner is prepared and served. After this, I tidy up, leave the kitchen immaculate and ready for the next day, and then I make my way home.

My relationship with the other household staff

I am not required to cook for the staff, but I personally believe it is nice to keep them in mind when I am cooking. I always make sure there is some extra food for them to enjoy. I think it is important to maintain a good relationship between the other members of staff and myself. We spend many hours in the household together! Once they have enjoyed eating my food, they are very happy to give me a hand with the washing up. I see this as a mutual favour!

Daily Challenges

Every day I will be faced with a new challenge. The most common will be friends of the family appearing unexpected. I am required to cook for them. In these circumstances, I have to be quick and innovative to be able to serve delicious meals to them in no time. The ability to multitask is of paramount importance at these times.

How to avoid pressure and stress

To avoid too much pressure and stress on myself, I always need to be ready for last minute cooking. I have ingredients in stock prepared and always plan some quick but delicious recipes to use on these occasions.

What do I love about my job?

The beauty of being a personal chef is that I have full freedom to create new, exciting recipes and it is never boring. There is also a huge amount of appreciation for my cooking, which makes the whole job even more fulfilling.

What is the key to success as a private chef?

Flexibility, creativity, reliability, competence and patience are a prerequisite for the success of a private chef. A good sense of humour is always an advantage too!

If you are a chef interested in a job like this, send your CV to us today. cv@sugarellacooks.co.uk 

If you are a client looking to employ a private chef like this, please contact us with your requirements.

Visit to The Avenue Cookery School

The Avenue Cookery School has a range of courses suitable for beginner cooks looking to get into the world of cooking work.

This week I went to meet the lovely Sophie Horsford, from The Avenue Cookery School. This family run business has recently moved to Wandsworth, their fabulous kitchens are just a 7 minute walk from Wandsworth Town Station.

The Avenue runs two week cookery courses suited to beginner cooks who are looking to learn the basics before potentially starting a career in the food industry, or doing their first family cooking job. I highly recommend their Basic to Brilliant Course for anyone wanting to get into the world of cooking work. Attending this course will teach you all the basic skills you need to know to get you on the path to becoming a brilliant cook. I would recommend any cooks who have attended this course to start off as an assistant cook to gain as much experience in the real working world as possible, before embarking on a job on your own.

If it is a ski season you are looking to do, check out their Chalet Course - a two week course covering cooking techniques as well as how to look after your chalet. You will cover all the cooking needed to work in a small chalet as well as being taught how to make a bed, how to clean a sink and all sorts of other brilliant skills which will stay with you for life! Anyone attending this course could be suitable for some of my host positions in upmarket chalets, so it is definitely worth contacting me to see if we can help. I am also happy to recommend ski companies that you could apply to for work if I cannot help you.

As well as these longer courses, The Avenue offers a range of day, evening, corporate and weekend courses so check out their website for further information.

For any cooks wondering which courses I would recommend to them depending on what they are wanting to do with their life, I would be very happy to speak to anyone to offer my advice. Please contact me and I will hope to be of some help!

The Avenue Cookery School is a family run business based in Wandsworth, London with a range of cookery courses from evening, day, corporate to longer two week courses.