Chef Alan Irwin

Alan was absolutely fantastic. Aside from the wonderful and delicious meal, he was very personable and we really enjoyed his company. We’ll definitely be working with Alan again!

What a great experience! Alan is not only an amazing chef (we were stunned how delicious and beautiful all dishes were), but also a great person to have around. There is nothing he could have done more and we have thoroughly enjoyed our dinner. The two of us had separate menus due to dietary requirements and not only that, Alan has designed a menu consisting of traditional South African dishes for my partner which made the whole experience unique and overall fantastic. Alan is also very quick to respond and puts you at ease in each step of the way. Thank you!!!

Chef Alan made a delicious, elegant meal for my group of 9. He was very organized, the dish presentation and taste were exceptional. He was also very discreet, making dishes in our open kitchen/dining during our party. His assistant was also wonderful and very attentive.

Alan was fantastic. Chatted with us when we wanted conversation and left to ourselves when we didn't. The food was truly great and Alan showed flexibility in his menu right up until the week before. Truly fantastic evening and a great way to enjoy brilliant food.

Alan was excellent from start to finish. We had a wonderful evening and would definitely recommend Alan!

Alan was amazing. He made our first anniversary very special. We enjoyed every dish he made and his presentation was outstanding. We would definitely have him back again. He is generally such a nice guy and very professional. Thank you Alan for our amazing meal.

Alan was fantastic from the start. We had a call before the evening to discuss the menu and he was more than happy to make amendments throughout. On arrival, he was wonderfully friendly spending time to talk through the dishes and his culinary experiences. This was at our request and he was suitably discreet during the meal itself and I have no doubt would work in line with a client’s preference. The food itself was excellent and the first high end restaurant quality food we have had in 3 months due to lockdown. As an unexpected bonus, Alan left a few spare food items to enjoy the next day such as some crab and scallops ravioli! The kitchen was left spotless. I would have no hesitation in recommending Alan to others and booking again.

It didn't take long to decide on using Alan based on the previous recommendations on here. It's safe to say he didn't disappoint. We had an amazing experience from start to finish and, said without hyperbole, this was one of the best meals either of us has eaten. I didn't think food of that quality could be cooked in my kitchen! If considering booking Alan, stop considering and get booking!

Alan cooked for mine and my wife’s first wedding anniversary and I truly can’t emphasise enough how great the evening was! The food was incredible, and Alan took onboard all of my requests to create and cook a fantastic menu! However it was not just the 5 star worthy food we were treated to, from ensuring our drinks were continuously topped up to leaving the kitchen spotless it really was the perfect night. Alan’s friendly and easy going nature really was the icing on the cake putting my wife and I at ease and making the night extra special. I would 100% recommend Alan!

This was a surprise for my husbands birthday. It was a great experience from when he opened the front door to the end of the meal. The food was amazing and the chef was great. The kitchen was left clean and tidy. Everything put away and you would not have known we had completed a four course meal plus two extra small dishes. I would recommend him highly

We booked Alan for my 40th Birthday and it couldn’t have been anymore perfect. The food was amazing especially the canapés, fish and chips with tartar sauce was a winner. The sea bass was the best I have ever tasted. Alan was happy to engage and chat to us when we wanted which made the evening even more personal. We will definitely use Alan again in the future. Hayley & Paul

Chef Alan prepared the perfect celebration dinner for us. He was super-flexiible, even adding in a Japanese Tuna dish at our request. The overall menu was seasonal and very well prepared & the chocolate delice was simply divine! ALan himself was very friendly and we enjoyed being able to communicate with him, even though socially-distancing. Highly recommended.

Chef Alan was AMAZING!..... He rescued our 21st Birthday dilemma! Communication from the point of placing the Ad with Takeachef was quick with no messing around - confirmation of his availability along with a top menu, which sold it to me. You had me at hand dived scallops, roasted celeriac and golden raisin!!. ; ) We requested a few different options for starters and a meat free alternative for one guest. None of this was any problem at all.....in fact the opposite is true. Chef Alan seemed to take pleasure in offering different options for our menu and the choices were so good it was hard to pick just one. We wanted them all!.. Alan was so easy to be around on the night and he pulled off a fantastic service. He's top class and his food tells you that if you were ever in any doubt!. He is 100% professional - down to earth with it and we all loved having him around . We can't wait to have Chef Alan back and have recommended Alan to everyone we know in the hope of getting an invite to any dinner parties where he's involved!. Don't waste time comparing other menus/chefs from other websites - if Chef Alan is available snap him up. You won't be disappointed!.... A quick note on the kitchen after we left - as with the other reviews - kitchen was spotless - Alan left this cleaner than he found it when he arrived!. Lovely to be able to get on enjoying the rest of your night without dealing with a messy kitchen. Thanks Alan

Alan was word class, as a self confessed foodie I have eaten around the world. Alan cooked classic amazing food, there had been thought, preparation and his execution was seamless. He left the kitchen cleaner than he found it. We will use take a chef again and most certainly would opt for alan! 5 stars!!!

A delightful experience, that made for a memorable event. Chef Alan was a delight, and we very much enjoyed his presence and his professionalism.

Alan was prompt with his responses beforehand as well as perfectly friendly and then surpassed our expectations while in our home. He left the kitchen cleaner than when he arrived, made the most delicious food and didn't mind that our children were running around. We'd definitely use Take A Chef (and Alan!) again - we had such an enjoyable afternoon celebrating my partner's birthday with high end food from the comfort of our own home.

Chef Alan was excellent. Everything was prepared and presented on time. Grateful for the company and food. It was a lovely experience.

Alan was amazing. Firstly his communication to us ahead of the event was fantastic. He replied promptly to all questions and went out of his way to be flexible to our requests. We very much felt that this was a personal experience, that he’d thought about our family and what I’d told him and tailored his menu accordingly. He encouraged my 11 year old to « help » him in the kitchen and she felt very special. He had the perfect balance of being focused whilst still talking to us and our guests. He smiled throughout and his food was beautifully presented and divine! The Knole Park venison was the most tender and tasty meat I’ve ever had... he made a carrot and walnut cake especially on request as I wanted something special for our parents’ 70th birthday. I really can’t praise him enough.

Alan was amazingly punctual, attentive and professional. Also we had some issues with our oven and he was not only super chill about it, but also super resourceful. He was also very understanding of last minute changes and allergies. It was a pleasure to share our evening with him and would recommend him 100%!! Thank you Alan!

Alan was absolutely outstanding. He was of course, professional, however also very kind and caring. The food was exceptional, the service equally fantastic.

Alan Irwin was excellent in every way. The food was visually stunning and incredibly tasty. Alan and his team were professional yet friendly and really helped make it very special. Nothing was too much trouble. The whole experience was completely amazing and we would not hesitate to recommend Alan to anyone.

Alan was fantastic and even managed to sort out the dishes when we realised last minute we had two extra people! Food and service amazing.

Excellent service, delicious food!

Amazing experience with Alan, from start to finish, easy going, relaxed and exactly what we wanted. Alan arrived, he got on with what he had to do no problems just showed him where a few things were, he laid the table prepared everything, the foods was delicious he tided away, all without any fuss. It was a lovely surprise for my partner. Thank you Alan, we would highly recommend you

Alan was amazing and I’d highly recommend him for anybody looking for a special evening of dining. The presentation and taste of the food was incredible - something you’d expect to find in a Michelin star restaurant, but in the comfort of our own home. The occasion was my fiancée’s birthday and he made us a cake of our favourite dessert of sticky toffee pudding! On top of the amazing food, Alan was great company and shared some fun stories of past experiences which made for a really special evening.

Could not recommend more highly. The level of attention was amazing and food absolutely gorgeous.

Alan is an amazing Chef!!! He is kind, thoughtful, experienced and has blessed hands! Together with him came Tom an experienced and super professional waiter/sommelier. We had an amazing Dinner!

Fabulous experience. Great chef and amazing food. The best part for me was how open Alan was to talk and answer any questions. He was so approachable and great to talk to. It just made the whole experience much better. Had a great night.

Alan provided and excellent service, the food was amazing and there was lots of it! Communication was brilliant and he was able to accommodate the different food requests. He left the kitchen better than he found it!! Would def recommend Alan and use again.

From the moment Alan arrived I was instantly put at ease by his professionalism and clear high level of knowledge. The food was served bang on time and was cooked perfectly. He was able to work round a few dietary requirements I had failed to warn him of and was more than happy to help with some last minute extras that were outside of what he had agreed to do. I’m certain the kitchen was cleaner and tidier when he left than when he arrived! Overall I could not be happier with the service received and would very much recommend Alan to anyone.

Chef Alan blew us away. Excellent service, presentation and conversation. The perfect birthday evening for my wife. Thank you

Firstly it was the menu that made us go for Alan and he really delivered. Lovely food, prepared and presented beautifully. All 5 courses were excellent. Alan also made the evening tick perfectly. It was a Valentine’s dinner but we chose to eat in the kitchen/diner so we could see him at work which was great and Alan was a lot of fun to chat to. Definitely recommend Alan.

We had the most amazing birthday meal at home. Alan is an exceptional chef and I am amazed that this quality of service is possible in your own home. We had a wonderful evening with some of the best food we have ever had - with our two small children just upstairs. I can’t recommend this service highly enough.

The overall experience was wonderful. The ingredients and the way the food was cooked was delicious. The service of the food and attentiveness of the waiter was perfect. I would have no hesitation in recommending to family and friends. Well done!

Great overall experience. Food was delicious. Perfect amount of conversation - enough to be interesting and enagagin without overdoing it or feeling intrusive. Alan also had to make do with a lack of cookware and improvised beautifully. Very professional and would 100% recommend to others.

Alan was fantastic and just what we wanted. His skills as a chef were of a high standard with a great sense of humour and approachable attitude. Best meal we have had in a long time!

We had an all round fantastic experience with chef Allen. He was punctual, friendly and very professional. He was great in communicating with us in advance, to ensure everything was perfect for us. The food was stunning - great flavours and beautiful presentation. Everyone was full of praise. I couldn't rate the overall experience high enough! We would definitely recommend chef Allen and work with him again in the future !

“Alan, came to us to cook our wedding anniversary dinner in May and it was fantastic. His menu and food were excellent but more than that he seamlessly managed to do everything around us whilst we bathed and put our young children to bed. A great chef and great company too. Would highly recommend.”

Wow - what an amazing meal! Alan was quick to respond via the website, professional throughout, flexible, friendly, interesting and an INCREDIBLE chef! We had one of the best meals we’ve ever had and it felt like we had he chef’s table! Everything has been thought about from start to finish, and Alan was brilliant company, but also knew when to be more discreet. The kitchen was tidier after he’d left too! Thank you!