La Belle Assiette , London

We've thrown a few dinner parties in our day and know the stress they can incur. Why not let someone else do the heavy lifting? La Belle Assiette is an online private chef booking service which brings restaurant-standard cooking to your home, making entertaining guests easier and more enjoyable. It employs 180 UK-based professional chefs who will purchase ingredients, cook in your kitchen, serve each dish to you and clean up before leaving.

Launched in February 2012 by Stephen Leguillon and Giorgio Riccò, La Belle Assiette has created a new market in the food industry. The website is an online service where chefs can create their profiles; creating menus and updating them seasonally, setting their own availability and prices. On the chef profile you can also read about the chef, reviews from previous La Belle Assiette customers and browse photographs of their food.

With a community of over 600 private chefs across six countries (France, UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Germany) customers can book a chef through La Belle Assiette in advance, or up to 24-hours before the event for those last minute get-togethers. Menu prices start from just £35 per person. If you'd like to see some of the meals on offer, please follow this link.