When you need a personal chef but think you can't afford one
You've probably had the thought: "I wish I had a personal chef". Someone to cook your meals, take the thinking out of dinner. And if you went as far as to look into it, you'll have seen the prices. £200 a day. £500 for a weekend. Agencies quoting thousands a month. Clearly only an option for the very wealthy, or for big dinner parties.
So you closed the tab, or let the idea go.
You just hadn't found Cheffo yet.
Why personal chefs don't have to cost hundreds
The prices you saw were based on an old model: chefs cooking elaborate meals or spending full days at the client's home. Of course that costs hundreds.
Cheffo works differently. Your cook is someone looking to help with exactly the kind of cooking you're looking for. They makes regular home-style cooking. They're usually spending no more than a few hours cooking, since that's all you need, and they're often making enough food to last you a few days, or the whole week. They set their own hourly rates, starting from £15 an hour.
That's why it doesn't need to cost hundreds on Cheffo. Not because the food is any less good. Because the model is completely different.
What it actually costs
Here's what that looks like on average in practice for your cooking:
| What you need | Hours a week | Typical weekly cost |
|---|---|---|
Meals for one person, a few days | 1-2 hours | £15–25 |
Family dinners for the week | 2-3 hours | £30-75 |
Full meal prep including special diets | 3-5 hours | £45-125 |
Compared to what you spend now
See how Cheffo stacks up against your current routines. Better quality, significant savings, and your time back.
How Cheffo makes professional cooking affordable for customers
Case study
How Lily cut her weekly takeaway spending in half
Challenge
After a long workday, the last thing Emma wanted to do was cook. But relying on daily takeaways was becoming too expensive and unhealthy. She needed a way to get affordable, wholesome meals without the hassle.
Solution
Through Cheffo, Emma hired Sarah, a local cook, to batch-cook her meals for the week. By booking a 2-hour session on Sunday at £18/hr, Lily secured days of nutritious, home-cooked food at a fraction of the cost of dining out.
Results
- Total spend: £36 per week
- Half the cost of her usual takeaways
- Healthier, higher-quality meals
- Free evenings to relax after work
Frequently asked questions
On Cheffo, cooks set their own hourly rates and there is no subscription. Most charge between £15 and £25 an hour. You book the hours you need - for example a 2-3 hours can cover a full week of family dinners.
For most households, yes. A household can easily spend £50-100 a week on takeaways. On Cheffo, cook's rates start at £15 a week for one hour - that's how we make having fresh, home-cooked meals affordable. Over a month, that's a significant saving, and the food is healthier.
On Cheffo, your personal cook does your meal prep for you: rates start at £15 a week, excluding ingredients. Your cook batch-cooks your meals, portions them, and either delivers them or has them ready for collection. A typical week of meal prep for one person costs £15-£50 depending on who you book, or for a family £30-75, plus the cost of ingredients.
Yes the cost of ingredients is separate to the cost of cooking. That said, if you're having the cooking done in your home you can opt to buy ingredients yourself rather than pay your cook to buy them. Or you can ask your cook to cook with ingredients you already have in your home, provided you have everything they need for the meals you want.
Are you a cook? Set your own rates and cook for local families
Learn moreFind a personal cook near you
Tell us what you need and we will match you with a local cook.
