If you want a fridge full of proper food without cooking it yourself, London gives you plenty of options. They are not the same thing, though, and the differences matter more once you have eaten from them for a few weeks.
The options at a glance
| Option | Who cooks | Your effort | What you give up |
|---|---|---|---|
| A chef in your kitchen | A chef, in your kitchen, that day | None beyond letting them in | Having someone in your kitchen for a few hours |
| Meal prep delivery boxes | A central kitchen, days earlier | None, but usually a subscription | Choice, and food cooked the same day |
| Meal kits | You, from a recipe card | Half an hour or so per meal | The point of meal prep, which is not cooking |
| Takeaway | A restaurant kitchen | Ordering and waiting | Portion control, and the cost adds up fast |
| Supermarket ready meals | A factory, weeks earlier | Reheating | Almost everything |
Freshness
This is the biggest difference. Delivery meals are cooked in a production kitchen, chilled, packed and shipped, and they may sit in your fridge for several more days before you eat them. A personal chef cooks in your kitchen on the day of the visit, so the clock starts when the food goes into your fridge rather than days before.
Choice
Delivery services offer a rotating menu, but you are choosing from what they batch cook for everyone. With a personal chef you pick the dishes, and a good one will adjust for your household: milder, spicier, chicken thigh or breast. Our eight core dishes are a starting point rather than a limit.
Effort
Delivery boxes win on effort by a nose: you do nothing at all. A chef in your kitchen asks for slightly more, as you need to let them in, leave out containers and be around when they leave. If even that is too much, our delivered option cooks at our kitchen and brings everything to you the same day, in containers we provide.
Meal kits are the odd one out. They save the shopping and the planning, but you still cook every meal and wash up after every one.
Packaging
Delivery services generate a lot of single-use packaging every week. A chef cooking in your kitchen uses your own containers, so there is nothing to throw away.
Cost
Per portion, a personal chef often comes out closer to delivery boxes than people expect, especially if you buy the ingredients yourself. Ours range from £9.58 to £18.13 a portion depending on the option. Our guide to whether a personal chef is worth it goes through the maths.
Which one should you choose?
- Choose delivery boxes if you want zero involvement and do not mind food cooked days earlier.
- Choose meal kits if you enjoy cooking but hate planning and shopping.
- Choose a personal chef if you want food cooked fresh in your kitchen, to your choice of dishes, with the washing up done.
FAQ
Is a personal chef fresher than meal prep delivery?
Yes. The food is cooked in your kitchen on the day of the visit, rather than in a central kitchen days before it reaches you.
Can oishee deliver instead of cooking in my kitchen?
Yes. On the delivered option we cook at ours and deliver the same day, in containers we provide. It costs £5 more than fully hands-off, which covers the containers.
Do I have to subscribe?
No. There are no subscriptions. You can book a single visit, or buy a pack of 4 or 8 visits at a discount and book each one when it suits you.