Bespoke Cooking

personal, memorable, delicious

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Bespoke Cooking

personal, memorable, delicious

Dinner Parties, Events, celebrations

We would love to be able to help you enjoy the pleasure of dining with friends in your home without any of the trouble it takes to plan and prepare a meal. We design menus around your tastes and create beautiful dishes so that you can relax and enjoy your evening. From delicious canapés to set off your drinks reception to supper parties and celebration dinners, we take care of every detail.

Seasonal Ingredients

Seasonal, Sustainable, Local

We are passionate about using ingredients that are at their best in that moment. Our menus are designed to celebrate the abundance of incredible produce that is available to us and to maximise the flavours that the seasons offer us. From home-grown and locally sourced vegetables to eggs from our own chickens, we are also committed to sourcing from as close to our home in St. Albans as possible. Where we need to use ingredients from further afield we do our best to support smaller, high quality producers and farmers. We only source sustainable seafood for use in our dishes.

Supper Club

We are delighted that we have been able to begin holding Supper Clubs at the brilliant Charlie's Coffee and Company. In her quirky little shop on London Road in St Albans we rustle up a five course tasting menu and a welcome cocktail. You are invited to BYO for the Supper Clubs, but we always offer wine pairing suggestions and the chance to pre-order wine through Flagship Wines.

Please click on the link below to see details of our upcoming events.

View Upcoming Events

Who's in the kitchen?

ALI young

CHEF

No, not Chappell or Caldwell. But I am a bit of both really.

My paternal Grandmother, Isobel, and maternal Granny, Maggie, have each posthumously lent me their maiden names for this venture. Both had a marvellous way with food, whether eating or sharing it, and I love the idea that they are both rather present in what I do.

After spending 10 years at the chalk face teaching in secondary schools, I embarked on a journey in food. Having gained a distinction in the Professional Diploma at Leiths School of Food and Wine, I went on to work at Spring Restaurant London. I am now working privately, sharing my food with others through Supper Clubs, teaching bespoke cookery lessons and working as a private chef, cooking in people's homes for dinners, celebrations and parties.

I have a fantastic team of chefs and waiting staff who I work with on a regular basis and we are looking forward to helping with any dining event you have in mind.

Instagram

A cake for the beautiful #mctomsettwedding at my old stomping ground @haileyburyuk - so lovely to see such a gorgeous couple so overjoyed to be marrying each other 💜💜 @clarelouisemcternan . . . . . . . . #weddingcake#chappellandcaldwell#bake#bakersofinstagram#cake#cakestagram#fourtier#fourtiercake#lemoncake#almondcake#chef#privatechef#baking#bakestagram#feedfeed#food52#feeder#baking#baker#f52#food52grams#f52grams

#10years #petcopark #firstdate #readerimarriedhim

#RIBS about to go under the grill after 4hrs slow cooking with a dry rub. Recipe based on one by @nerdswithknives - I use powdered ginger in the dry rub and ginger beer when slow roasting the ribs... there’s plenty of it in the sauce too - but that doesn’t mean I skip the whisky in their original recipe. Thanks for posting it! #saturdaynightgoals

1st Japanese restaurant with @_trickynixon • #roka

Beaut of an afternoon spent in the gardens at Audley End. The smell of peaches in the glasshouse was unbelievable. The grapevines were pretty impressive too. Also, I now feel every house should have a mushroom chamber, or shroom-room, if you will. 🍑 🍇 🍄

Snoozy Tuesdays

Lazing on a sunny afternoon

Thank goodness that raspberries seem to thrive on neglect. The berries on this golden variety are so sweet and bursting with flavour.

Here’s what’s been cooking over the past 9 (actually 10) months. He arrived last Sunday, 17 days late, but already loved beyond measure at 10lb9oz. We’re on a steep learning curve and taking time to appreciate every moment.

Sooo pregnant (overcooked in fact) but loving pregnancy yoga at lovely #yogawithjosie in #fleetville #stalbans. Totally recommend her wonderful classes if you are local. Also, delighted to still be wearing my favourite leggings, made by @tatieloudesigns - thank you, lovely lady 😘

A version of #balikekmek - the Turkish griddled fish (I think most often mackerel) sandwich cooked in front of you and served off the rocking boats on the Bosphorus in Istanbul - a food memory that I so often return to. I served it with a salted onion, mint, parsley and sumac salad with some blackened peppers and a few tomatoes. Best eaten in the open air.

Not a bad place to sit with morning coffee. Still bare earth where the lawn will be and borders waiting to be planted, but lovely seeing and hearing the chooks scrabble around in their newly fenced area and listening to the wind in the trees. #egloo#omlet#backyardchickens#backyardchooks#stalbans#hertfordshire#maternityleave#hurryupbaby

On Saturday we felt so lucky to get together with so many of our favourite people at the lovely @whitelionsta in the gorgeous sunshine for a little ‘send off to parenthood’ - such an occasion naturally calls for cake, so I made my favourite lemon cake with a lemon and mint syrup and lemon buttercream. Thank you so much to everyone who came and made it such a lovely day. P.S. I’ve just served myself the very last slice for breakfast 🍰 🤰🏻 #pregnantlife

Absolutely beautiful @sammie.wells in beautiful, sunny Brighton today - wandering, pottering, sampling local treats and ending the day with a stunning meal @silobrighton - what a delight. If you’ve eaten at one of my supper clubs/pop ups or we’ve cooked for you in your home Sammie might well have been a big part of making your evening lovely. She’s a legend, and I’m not just saying that because she’s my sister. Lovely to eat out together and not to be cooking for others on this occasion 👩🏻‍🍳🍴

Nibbles and Black Forest gateaux for my wonderful Grandad’s 90th birthday today

Another of last night’s dishes at our #supperclub at @charliescoffeeandcompany - manchego croqueta, slow roasted ham hock, butternut squash veloute, toasted pumpkin seeds and membrillo.

One of the dishes from last night’s #supperclub at @charliescoffeeandcompany - chilled beetroot purée, set leek cream, horseradish, steamed leeks, parsley oil, pickled candy beetroot and sourdough crisp breads.

A little preview of one the elements to be found on tomorrow night’s #supperclub menu at @charliescoffeeandcompany - I love the citrusy, floral, numbing heat of Sichuan pepper - it’s doing something wonderful to this simple fudge recipe.

Great little treat earlier in the week in hues of yellow and pink at @charliescoffeeandcompany - hiding in my #keepcup - the perfect flat white. . . . . @sustainablesta @plasticfreestalbans #sustainable#plasticfree#ditchsingleuseplastic#stalbans#hertfordshire#coffee#flatwhite @hasbean

Carciofi alla Giudia for lunch at home today. I love artichokes every way they come and this way, from Jewish-Roman cuisine, feels like such an indulgent way to eat a vegetable. Also, deep-fried anything is good, right?