Notes from the kitchen.
Guides to Japanese home cooking, meal prep and what it is actually like to have a chef cook a week of food in your kitchen.
What to expect when a private chef cooks in your home
The chef arrives at the start time you picked, cooks two or three dishes in three or four hours, portions and labels everything, and leaves your kitchen clean. You need to let them in, leave out some containers and be around when they go.
Read the postWhat is dashi? The stock behind Japanese home cooking
Dashi is the light, savoury stock at the base of Japanese cooking. It is usually made from kombu seaweed and dried bonito flakes. Kombu or shiitake alone make a vegetarian version.
Read the postThe best Japanese dishes for meal prep, and the ones to skip
Simmered dishes like Japanese curry and gyudon are the best Japanese food for meal prep, because they reheat well and freeze well. Sushi, tempura and ramen are the ones to skip.
Read the postPrivate chefs and allergies: what to ask before you book
Tell the chef about every allergy and dietary need when you book, not on the day. Ask which dishes contain your allergens, and expect honesty about traces, because food cooked in a home kitchen can never be guaranteed allergen-free.
Read the postPrivate chef vs personal chef: what is the difference?
A private chef usually works for one household full time. A personal chef visits regularly, cooks a batch of meals and leaves them in your fridge. Many people searching for a "private chef" in London actually want the second.
Read the postMeal prep for new parents in London: a week of food, no cooking
Book a visit before the birth to stock the freezer, then a pack of visits you book as you need them once the baby arrives. Choose dishes that reheat in the microwave and can be eaten with one hand free, like curry, gyudon and teriyaki.
Read the postMeal prep delivery vs a chef in your kitchen
Delivery boxes are convenient but cooked days earlier in a central kitchen. Meal kits still leave you cooking. A personal chef cooks in your kitchen on the day, to your choice of dishes, and costs less per portion than many people expect.
Read the postKatsu curry vs chicken katsu: what is the difference?
Katsu is the breaded, fried cutlet. Katsu curry is that cutlet served with Japanese curry sauce and rice. In the UK "katsu" is often used to mean the curry sauce itself, which is not how it is used in Japan.
Read the postJapanese home cooking vs restaurant food: what families really eat
Japanese families rarely make sushi or ramen at home. Everyday home cooking is curry, teriyaki, katsu, gyudon, grilled fish and simmered dishes, served with rice, and it is almost impossible to find in London restaurants.
Read the postJapanese food for kids: mild dishes fussy eaters actually like
Japanese home cooking is naturally child-friendly. Japanese curry is mild enough for children, and teriyaki, katsu and gyudon are savoury, gently sweet and easy to like.
Read the postJapanese curry vs Indian curry: how they differ
Japanese curry is built on a roux, so it is thick, mild and a little sweet, closer to a stew than to an Indian curry. It reached Japan through the British in the Meiji era, which is why it tastes so different.
Read the postIs a personal chef worth it? An honest look at the maths
For many busy households, yes. A meal prep visit costs £9.58 to £18.13 a portion and gives you back the shopping, cooking and washing up for the week. It is not worth it if you love cooking or rarely eat at home.
Read the postIs Japanese food vegetarian? The hidden fish to watch for
Often not, even when it looks it. Many Japanese broths and sauces are made with dashi, which is usually flavoured with dried bonito fish. A kombu dashi, made with seaweed, is the vegetarian alternative.
Read the postIs Japanese food healthy? What home cooking actually looks like
Japanese home cooking tends to be balanced, built on rice, a protein and vegetables, with a lot of simmering and grilling. It is not automatically light: some classics are fried, and soy sauce brings salt. Knowing the dish matters more than the cuisine.
Read the postHow to store, freeze and reheat meal prep safely
Cool food quickly, keep your fridge at 5°C or below, eat leftovers within two days and freeze the rest. Rice needs extra care. Eat it within a day, and reheat it only once, until steaming hot.
Read the postHow to reheat tonkatsu and chicken katsu so they stay crispy
Use an air fryer, a hot dry pan or a hot oven, and heat until steaming hot all the way through. Avoid the microwave, which steams the panko and leaves the crust soft.
Read the postHow to hire a private chef in London: a checklist
Check that the chef holds a food hygiene certificate, has been vetted in person and can tell you exactly what a visit includes: ingredients, travel, containers, clean-up and cancellation terms.
Read the postHow often to book meal prep, and when a pack makes sense
Weekly suits people who want most dinners covered, fortnightly suits lighter eaters or a well-used freezer, and monthly works as a reset. If you'll book more than once, a pack of 4 visits saves 5% and a pack of 8 saves 10%, and you book each visit whenever suits you.
Read the postHow much does a private chef cost in London?
It depends on the kind of chef. A weekly meal prep visit is the most affordable way to have one: ours costs £100 to £170 a visit for 8 to 12 portions, with travel included anywhere we cook in London.
Read the postHigh-protein Japanese meal prep: what each dish gives you
Chicken teriyaki gives the most protein per calorie on our menu, at 50g a portion. Tonkatsu, chicken katsu and gyudon all give 40g or more. The two tofu dishes are the lightest option.
Read the postRather someone else did the cooking?
A Japanese chef cooks a week of home food in your London kitchen, from £100 a visit.