Dinner party chef for hire ...and he'll even do the washing up!

PRIVATE dinner parties are usually considered the preserve of the wealthy.

- By LYNETTE PINCHESS [e-mail] @LynettePinchess

Hiring a personal chef to bring the restaurant experience to your home is likely to cost at least £80 to £90 a head.

But a Nottingham chef is making it an affordable treat for what he describes as "normal working people". As a result, Dave Marshall has been inundated with requests, with weekends fully booked until August.

For £40 per person, the chef provides all the ingredients and cooks a three-course menu for groups of five up to 18 people.

The chef, who has worked in cafes and restaurants since he was 16, said: "I make enough profit for me. I want it to be available to everybody.

"My customers are just normal working people. It's just people with normal jobs - builders, people who work at supermarkets or teachers. They're my clients.

"Other chefs, their client bases are mega rich whereas that's not mine. I'd say I make more money because I do it cheaper and I do so many. A lot more people can have it."

The menu, which has a choice of starters, mains and desserts, changes every couple of months. Just like a restaurant, diners can choose a different dish. Currently starters include ham croquettes with pea and mint puree and wild mushrooms in a creamy Champagne sauce with toasted sourdough and Parmesan. Mains of duck breast with a rich port jus, chicken stuffed with tarragon mousse and 12-hour slow-cooked blade of beef are served.