The chef's coming home

London life leaves little time to eat, let alone cook. And dinner parties? Forget it: far too stressful. No wonder, then, that hiring a personal chef is becoming increasingly fashionable among the way-too-busy brigade. Booking a cook is the perfect way to salvage a sinking social life and return dinner-party favours without lifting a finger. And considering London restaurant prices are among the scariest in the world, a private chef isn't as expensive as you'd think.

'People are starting to delegate ordeals like cooking for a dinner party to a professional,' says Natasha Cubitt from Liberate, a lifestyle company which provides personal chefs who'll put together a menu, source the ingredients, slave over the stove and even do the washing-up. Natasha believes the trend is growing because the less time we have, the more we want to get out of it. 'Most of us don't get to see our friends very often, so when we do, we don't want to spend the night stuck in the kitchen while our guests are knocking back the wine and chatting among themselves.'

Indeed. That's what broadcaster Ruth Wrigley thought when she was planning her fortieth birthday party and wanted something special. 'A colleague suggested I speak to her friend, Jo Wilkinson, a chef at The River Caf?. We had a pre-party meeting so she could check out my kitchen - I've got an old cooker that's not too precise on temperatures - as well as where we'd be eating, any special dietary requirements and how formal I wanted it.

'On the day of the party she arrived with all these weird and wonderful ingredients. While I was getting dressed and waiting for my guests, she was in the kitchen creating amazing dishes. We had vegetables stuffed with mint, garlic and olive oil, buffalo mozzarella with cr?me fra?che and marjoram, potatoes with black olives and tomato and red chilli sauce, and Tuscan meats with mustard fruits. For dessert there was chocolate truffle and almond cake and poached pears in Valpolicella. It was the most memorable meal I've ever had. It cost £350 for ten people, including some fantastic wines that Jo had picked to complement the food.'

If you use the same chef regularly, your relationship can get, well, personal. After a couple of meals, they'll know exactly what you like and will start tailoring their menus to your taste. What is served then becomes a surprise, and you become more like one of the guests.

But if you're going to spend hundreds of pounds on one night, why not simply take your friends out to dinner? Personal chef Maria Radcliffe believes that, since many Londoners eat out three or four times a week anyway, it's not that much of a treat. 'Going to someone's house is more special. The environment is relaxed so it's a good way of introducing people - and you don't have to worry about getting kicked out at a certain time.'

Food faddism is another motivation. Maria has found that an increasing number of people booking her services want total control over what they are eating. 'A lot of my clients are very "nutrition-aware". They often want a choice of dishes that are wheat-free, meat-free, dairy-free or carbohydrate-free. They all want organic food, and sometimes want me to use their own suppliers so they know the exact source and quality of the ingredients. They won't eat in restaurants where they have no idea where the food has come from.'

And anyway, the publication of books such as Kitchen Confidential, which documents the unhygienic horrors of a restaurant kitchen, is enough to put anybody off eating in a restaurant full-stop. Worried about how long that hollandaise sauce has been hanging around? Sure you are. If nothing else, a personal chef couldbanish food poisoning forever.

Liberate (020 7820 8211; www.liberate365.com)
As well as chefs, Liberate has a 'deliver a dinner party' service that includes clearing up the next day. Prices start at £20 per head, excluding wine.

Jane Sherrard-Smith (020 7792 0482)
Jane does formal or informal dinner parties. Prices start at £25 per head, excluding wine.