The problem
A present that comes with a job attached
Most presents that are “an experience” hand the person something to keep safe and something to sort out. The evening is the easy part.
Prep sheet 008 — gifts · Plymouth
A gift they
get to eat.
Any of our sessions can be given to somebody else: a cooking lesson at their own hob, or a private chef for a night they don’t have to cook. You pay, we send you a card to hand over, and they choose their own dates with us afterwards. It is a booking held in their name, so there is nothing to lose. They need to be in Plymouth, PL1–PL21.
Their allergies and their kitchen are our problem, not yours.
What you are giving is an evening, not an errand
You pay for the session. All they have to do is say when.
The fix
A session held in their name
You pay for the session and we confirm it in writing. It is a booking held in their name rather than a voucher, so there is no code to lose and nothing to redeem. They tell us when, and we sort out their kitchen, their allergies and their menu with them.
The limit
They need to live in Plymouth
PL1 to PL21, because that is where our chefs are. If you don’t know their postcode we’ll check it with them, and tell you before you pay if it puts them outside the area.
How it works
Four steps, and they only have to do one of them. What the evening itself looks like is here.
You pay, they say when
You
Pick a session and pay for it
The same six questions, reworded for a present: their postcode if you know it, and any date it should be used by. If you know of an allergy, say so. If you are not sure, say no: we ask them properly when they book their date, so you do not have to know.
Us
We send you a card to hand over
And we confirm the booking to you in writing. The session is held in their name, not on the card, so losing the card does not lose the session.
Them
They choose their own dates
They arrange it with us afterwards. We check their postcode, ask about their kitchen and their allergies, and their details go to the chef and nowhere else.
The night
A chef in their kitchen
Whichever session you chose. Ingredients are bought at cost and settled when they book their date, and we say beforehand which of you is paying for them.
What it costs
The same flat fee as booking it for yourself. Prices are placeholders until commercial sign-off.
You pay the session. The shopping is settled later
The Weeknight is £120 for two, The Full Service is £220 for three or four, and The Takeover is from £380 for five to eight. That is what you pay when you buy it. Ingredients are on top at what they cost, and are settled when they book their date, along with the £20 travel charge if they live in PL8 and PL10–PL21 and £25 if they choose a morning. We say which of you is paying for those before the session, so nobody finds out on the night. If we have not got their postcode yet, we confirm the travel charge with you before taking payment. We are not registered for VAT, so there is none to add.
You can cancel a gift and get all of it back at any time before the person you named has agreed a date with us. Once a date is agreed, the ordinary cancellation terms apply to that date, and it is the person who agreed it who can move or cancel it.
Questions
Anything else, email hello@forkingchefing.com and a person answers.
The ones people ask before giving one
- Is this a gift voucher?
- No, and that is deliberate. It is a booking held in their name rather than a voucher, so there is no code to lose and nothing to redeem. We send you a card to hand over because a present ought to be something you can hand over, but the session is not on the card. Losing the card does not lose the session.
- Which session should I give?
- If they want to learn, a cooking lesson: The Weeknight for two, or The Full Service for three or four. If they would rather be cooked for, The Takeover, where the chef cooks, serves and clears for five to eight.
- How long do they have to use it?
- The period is shown when you book, before you pay, and it is in the terms. We do not print it here, or on the card, because a number on a page outlives the decision that changes it.
- What if they live outside Plymouth?
- Then we can’t cook for them yet. They need to be in PL1–PL21. If you don’t know their postcode we check it with them, and we tell you before you pay if it puts them outside the area.
- What about their allergies?
- You don’t need to know. We ask them properly when they book their date, and their details go to the chef and nowhere else. If you do know of one, the booking has a place to say so.
- Who pays for the ingredients?
- They are bought at cost and settled with whoever books the date, along with any travel or morning supplement, and we say which of you that is before the session. The session fee is yours, and you have already paid it.
- Do you bring the drinks?
- No, and we can’t. We hold no licence, so we neither sell alcohol nor buy it on anybody’s behalf. The bottles have to be theirs.
Next
Give the evening. They say when
The same six questions, reworded for a present, and the whole price before you commit to anything.