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4.0

Great rating - 4/5 (13330+ reviews)

Do you need help with meal preparation?

  • Home cooking
  • Cooking Lessons
  • Vegetarian meal preparation
  • Vegan meal preparation
  • Meal planning
  • … or anything else
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Best rated Cooks near me

Recent Cooking reviews

Its been a really good experience

Birthday cake delivery

£35

Highly recommended!

Sealing shower Tray

£80

Well done on your first job, some room for improvement but overall entertaining

Happy birthday

£60

A good and speedy service

Baby portable basket, bouncer

£20

Great job, thank you Jay!

Reseal shower tray

£50

Great cooking. Lovely personality

Home dinner party chef to hire

£200

What's the average cost of a cook

£47 - £82

low

£47

median

£65

high

£82

Low, median and high bar chart distribuiton

Average reviews for Cooking Services

based on 21 reviews

4.95

20
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Hire trusted Cooks with Airtasker

Cooking is one of those skills that takes a moment to learn but a lifetime to master. Those who choose to master it over a lifetime are generally highly sought after, and for good reason.

Whether you’re a catering company who needs a chef to help serve up food at a gala event, a restaurant who requires the short term assistance of a chef while they search for a long term staffer, or perhaps even a hopeless romantic who wants to engage the services of a private chef to make an anniversary particularly special, you can now gain access to a huge amount of talent, and all at the click of a button.

Simply tell us about the job that you’d like the chef to do and suggest what you’d be willing to pay, and you’ll soon begin to receive offers from available chefs. Each chef comes with ratings and detailed reviews of their previous work, so you can be confident that your chosen hire will be able to produce the sort of quality food that you require.

So what are you waiting for? Get a free, no obligation quote today!

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Top Cooking related questions

Professional cooks usually have previous kitchen experience or qualifications. They’re paid to prepare food, either in a commercial environment, in people’s homes as a personal cook, or they may work from their own kitchen at home..

Yes. Most cooks specialise in a particular type of cooking, like baking, seafood, gluten-free, vegan, steaming, frying, or even a particular cuisine..

A professional cook doesn’t necessarily need any set qualifications, but it’s common for professional chefs to hold a certificate or have some work experience in a professional kitchen..

Professional cooks can give you a restaurant quality meal but in the comfort (and convenience) of your own home. If you’re hosting a dinner party, it means you can spend more time with your guests and minimise the clean up afterwards..

This will depend on whether your cook is assembling the meal at your place or at theirs. Generally, private catering chefs will bring all the ingredients, along with any specific appliances they need. However, they may use your basic utensils and servingware.

The price for a professional or personal cook is usually between £54 - £100 when you hire through Airtasker. It could be more or less than this, depending on how many people they need to cater for, the cost of ingredients, and the time it’ll take them to prepare the meal.

Suggested reads about Cooking

What do cooking services include?

You can hire a cook to provide food for a range of meals and occasions, from home cooking and meal prep to specialty cooking and even dinner party catering. You can arrange cooking services to happen in your own kitchen or your cook can bring the food ready-prepared. Your chef will take care of everything from buying ingredients to cleaning up. Here’s what you can expect depending on your cooking service:

Home cooking

Want fresh meals in your home? Your home chef can either offer regular home cooking services where they cook multiple nights per week or provide a one-off meal if you just need occasional help. Your private chef will ask if you have any food preferences or intolerances, how many people they need to cook for, and what appliances and equipment they can use. They’ll usually plan the meals ahead of time, purchase the ingredients, and freshly cook the meals in your kitchen, and then clean up before they go.

Baking

Want to impress your best friend with an amazing cake for her birthday party? Or perhaps it’s your turn to bring some baking to work for morning tea? Hire a pastry chef or professional baker to create a cake, biscuits, muffins, or something else tasty. They’ll ask you how many people you’re baking for, any flavour preferences, and any special decorations you’d like. Your baker will bake at their place and deliver the finished product to your home or office once it’s ready.

Dinner party chef

If you’re planning a dinner party with friends, why not hire a dinner party chef to help take all the stress out of hosting? Your professional cook will contact you to confirm the number of guests, what courses/canapes you’d like, and whether the event is formal or informal. They’ll usually prepare most of the food where the event is being held (whether at your home or at a venue) and clean up the kitchen after they’re done.

Specialty cooking

Cooking paleo, vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free can be a challenge, whether it’s for yourself, a family member, or for an event, you’re catering. Fortunately, many cooks are experienced with a range of different food requirements, including food intolerances, special diets, and allergies. When you hire a cook, they’ll choose recipes and ingredients that are suitable, confirming any dietary requirements before they get started. They’ll be careful to avoid cross-contamination if they’re preparing alternative meals for certain members of your family or party.

Meal preparation & planning

If you struggle to come up with meal ideas and always find yourself short of time throughout the week, why not hire a cook to prep your meals for the week? Your personal cook will confirm how many meals you’d like, the number of people, and if you have any preferences. They’ll choose meals that keep well and are easy to store, and taste great fresh or reheated. They’ll either prepare the food in your kitchen (cleaning up afterwards) or drop your freshly prepared meals off when they’re done, packaged and ready for the fridge or freezer.

Recent Cooking tasks

Help with Meal Prep

£100

Marylebone, Greater London

26th Aug 2026

I need someone to come to my place and cook about 10 different recipes with 4 portions of each for meal prep, to fill 40 individual food containers. A fully furnished kitchen is available. I would expect this to take about 4/5h. We can agree upfront about the recipes, and I would take care of buying all the requested ingredients, so you would not have to bring anything. No specific types of cuisine are requested as long as food is very healthy.

Hi, am looking for north indian vegetarian cook near Barnet area

£30

Oakleigh Park, Greater London

25th Aug 2026

Looking for north indian cook in barnet area for 3 days a week.

Home cooking and meal preparation

£30

Seven Sisters, Greater London

23rd Aug 2026

I am looking for a cook who can prepare food for a week

Weekly cook to meal prep

£80

Canonbury, Greater London

19th Aug 2026

Looking to trial weekly chef’s that will come in Sundays to cook 4 meals for two that I can meal prep and store for the week. Hoping the job is 2-4hrs max, but can see how it goes. I will pay for any ingredients needed.

Healthy meal preparation.

£20

Parsons Green, Greater London, SW6

18th Aug 2026

Healthy meal prep / batch cooking on an occasional basis. (Eg protein bowls, egg muffins, chia seed puddings, salad jars, healthy snacks). £20-30/hour

Home cooking

£100

Burrswood, Kent

18th Aug 2026

Looking for someone to prepare meals on an ongoing regular basis for an elderly couple in Groombridge with specific food requirements (once or twice a week)

“Home Chef / Healthy Meal Prep – Regular Work”

£20

Bristol, Bristol, BS1

18th Aug 2026

Hello, I am a busy professional with limited mobility and I’m looking for a reliable home chef/cook who can come to my home for a few hours at a time to prepare healthy meals in batches. The price listed is p/h, but I am willing to negoitate The aim is to prepare enough food to last me up to two weeks, including meals that can be portioned and frozen where appropriate. I’d initially like to do this regularly over the next few months (starting from October), with the hope of turning it into an ongoing arrangement if we work well together. My food preferences: I occasionally eat poultry, but I strongly prefer vegetarian and vegan food. I particularly enjoy: * Mediterranean * North African * Southeast Asian * West African * Caribbean * Grilled food You definitely don't need to be great at all of these! If you can cook one or two of these cuisines particularly well, that would be great. I'm also very open to trying new cuisines and dishes. Diet / nutrition: I’m very health-conscious, so meals should generally be high-protein, low-carb and nutritionally balanced. I’d especially love someone who can make healthier versions of classic dishes—for example, replacing carb-heavy ingredients with healthier alternatives while still making the food genuinely enjoyable and filling. Ideally, you’ll be comfortable with: * Planning a varied batch-cooking menu * Vegetarian/vegan high-protein cooking * Portioning meals for storage * Preparing food that freezes and reheats well * Working independently in a home kitchen When replying, please let me know what cuisines you cook best, your experience with healthy/vegetarian meal prep, your availability and roughly how many hours you think you would need per session. If possible, it would be great to see a few examples/photos of food you’ve made. This could become regular ongoing work for the right person.

Batch cooking meal prep

£60

Hackney, Greater London, E8

12th Aug 2026

Weekly meal prep — Hackney / London Fields (E8) Looking for someone reliable to batch-cook for me once a week in my home kitchen. Standing weekly slot, around 3 hours, flexible on day and time. The work: – Cook 5–6 recipes I provide, in a single session – Portion into containers for the fridge/freezer, labelled – Clean the kitchen and do the washing up after Important: I follow a restricted diet and cook from recipes set by my nutritionist. The recipes must be followed exactly — no substitutions or improvising. I'll have everything written out clearly, and I supply all ingredients. What I need from you: – Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate – Comfortable batch cooking and portioning, not fine dining – Reliable and clean — this is a weekly arrangement if it works out Kitchen is fully equipped (oven, air fryer, hob, all utensils). I will shop for and pre buy the ingredients . Let me know your availability and a bit about your experience.

I need a local chef to help with meal prep twice per month

£100

Crystal Palace, Greater London, SE19

11th Aug 2026

Private chef for fortnightly meal prep — cooking in my home (Crystal Palace, SE London) I'm looking for an experienced cook/chef to come to my home once every two weeks to batch-cook and portion meals for my family. What's involved: Cooking in my kitchen (fully equipped), 4–5 hours per session, every fortnight Preparing 4–5 different meals per session, each serving 4 people. Some simple baking required — such as muffins, cookies, etc. — in place of one of the mains. Portioning for fridge/freezer; leaving the kitchen clean afterwards Cuisine & style: Mediterranean cuisine — Mediterranean experience is what matters. Latin American Cousin is also welcomed. Family-friendly, kid-friendly recipes — meals the whole family (including young children) will eat Happy to hear your ideas within that. Ingredients: I'll provide all the ingredients needed for the agreed recipes — we'll settle the menu ahead of each session so I can have everything ready Preferred day/time: Tuesday mornings preferred, but happy to have a chat about what works Ongoing, regular arrangement — looking for someone reliable I can rebook Budget: £25-30£ per hour (approx. £100–£130 per session)

Very happy with David! Very flexible and responsive! Everything that he cooked for us was amazing!

Weekly meal prep

£100

Swiss Cottage, Greater London

11th Aug 2026

Want some one to make meal preps on a weekly basis. Must have done something similar before

Weekly meal prep chef

£100

Fleet, Hampshire

6th Aug 2026

Weekly batch cooking / meal prep, ongoing, not a one-off > A bit about me: I'm French, I love food, and I've just started a demanding new job. I'm trying to buy some time back without eating badly. I'd love to find someone building up their cooking business, or who simply has a real talent for food. I'd much rather back a person than order from a chain. The basics > 🔁 One session a week (roughly half a day) > 🍽️ Meals for the week, 1 adult, sometimes 2 > 🥡 Portioned into containers, ready to reheat (no daily cooking) > 📍 At our home in Fleet, or cooked at yours and dropped off, happy either way The food 🥗 > Healthy, properly seasoned, generous with vegetables. Nothing bland or "diet". Think good home cooking rather than gym meal-prep tubs, food that still tastes lovely on day three. Very open on cuisines, I'd honestly love to discover yours. >The rest is open > Menus, shopping, hours, how you like to work: let's talk it through. I'd rather fit around how you already work than hand you a rigid brief. > 💷 Can be discussed > Tell me a bit about how you usually run things and what you'd charge for a regular weekly booking 😊

Meal Preparation Service for dietary needs

£150

Tongwynlais, South Glamorgan

6th Aug 2026

Need a personal meal preparation service. Twice weekly on going!

For meal prep

£250

Rush Green, Greater London, RM7

5th Aug 2026

Weekly meal prep for 2 people

Home cooking

£120

Wembley Park, Greater London

4th Aug 2026

Someone to be able to batch cook meals at home twice a week

Meal prep food

£15

Streatham Vale, Greater London

4th Aug 2026

Healthy gym meals prepped - 3 dishes for the week

Weekly meal prep for two persons

£100

Highbury, Greater London, N5

2nd Aug 2026

Family of two (soon to be three) looking for a chef, meal prep helper once a week to prepare weeknight meals that can be stored, frozen and then reheated for weeknight dinners.

Weekly Meal Prep Needed (7 Meals)

£15

Derby, Derbyshire

1st Aug 2026

I’m looking for someone to meal prep for me once a week at my flat in Derby. Each week, I’ll simply tell you the 7 meals I’d like (for example: spaghetti bolognese, chicken curry, chilli con carne, pasta bake, etc.), and I’d like you to prepare them however you think is best. I will provide and pay for all the ingredients, and I’ll also provide the meal prep containers. The role includes: * Cooking 7 individual meals. * Portioning them into meal prep containers. * Leaving the kitchen clean and tidy afterwards. I’m looking for someone reliable who enjoys cooking and is interested in an ongoing weekly arrangement. Please let me know about any cooking or meal prep experience you have, along with your availability.

Meal prep for weighloss

£60

Grahame Park, Greater London

31st Jul 2026

batch cook and meal prep health dishes. i will have the igredient delivered before you arrive

Weekly meal prep and cook some meals in my home

£100

Newcastle, County Down

28th Jul 2026

Someone to cook on Monday Tuesday Wednesday and some meal prep for rest of the week