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We hired a chef for our 10th wedding anniversary, just the two of us and a five-course meal we're still talking about. The burrata with heritage tomatoes and basil oil was impossibly simple and perfect, and the black cod risotto was the best thing either of us has eaten this year. We felt like guests at the best restaurant in the city, except we were in our pyjamas by dessert.

Booked a chef for a client dinner ( eight investors visiting from London, and I needed to make an impression without it feeling try-hard. He suggested a seated five-course menu, and the main ) a slow-cooked suckling pig with roasted pear, had the table completely silent for a full minute. I'm booking him for every client meeting from now on.

Booked a chef for a dinner party at our place, ten friends, most of whom had never had proper Indian food beyond a generic curry house. She did a seven-dish spread that moved from Kerala to Rajasthan to Goa, and every single plate was a revelation. What impressed me most was the balance: rich dishes alternated with bright, acidic ones, so you never felt overwhelmed.

We were travelling for five days and didn't want to spend every night hunting for reservations. Booked a chef for our third evening at the holiday rental and it ended up being the best meal of the entire trip: a six-course tasting menu that made no sense on paper and total sense on the plate. The standout was a cured mackerel with green apple and dill that I've been trying to recreate ever since.

We booked a chef for my husband's 40th, twelve of us around our dining table, and she made it feel like a Michelin restaurant had materialised in our living room. The clams were the best I've ever had, and the lamb shoulder with roasted figs had people going quiet mid-conversation. She left the kitchen cleaner than she found it.

We asked a chef to cook for our wedding anniversary, just the two of us at home, nothing flashy, just really good food and wine. Every course was paired perfectly: the burrata with grilled peach was summer on a plate, and the octopus with smoked potato purée made you wonder why you ever eat anywhere else. We have booked him three more times since.