About

Welcome to Quinntessential Catering, my private catering company which thrives in the small village of Newport in rural Essex. Step inside my website to browse the many catering services I offer, as well as my latest food inspirations, recipes, menu samples and any upcoming events.

I’m a passionate foodie & a self-taught cook with a background career in film and animation. Different?…yes… but my inherent creative talent is often used in making my dishes look as good as they taste, and I jump at the chance to design a themed event when I can. I’ve loved cooking all my life but stepped into Private Catering 25 years ago after endless requests for my dinner parties, as well as being Cook and manager for an Italian Delicatessen, and Chef on a private event barge in Bristol.

A move to rural Essex created an opportunity to manage and run ‘Just Cook Cookery School’ for 5 years where I delighted in passing on my extensive recipe repertoire and down-to-earth cooking techniques to clients of all ages and abilities. It was so rewarding to boost confidence in people & light sparks of inspiration away from everyday cooking routines, as well as the popular children’s cookery classes where I enjoyed pushing boundaries and successfully overturning fussy eating habits! Bringing food and people together is definitely a personal passion of mine.

After cookery classes during the day, I hosted themed Supper Clubs in the evenings,  which soon gained in popularity with an extensive clientele. So, in 2017, I rebranded myself & my business venture as ‘Quinntessential Catering’, an inspired take on my name, to cater dinner party catering at home, offering creative bespoke menus for events and special occasions. Using inspiration from my global travels and cooking from the heart, my ideas for dishes are always on their own endless journey as I continue to enjoy creating special menus for local clients and people in my surrounding 3 border counties of Hertfordshire, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, which also offer me a source of local produce to savour and experiment with.

Supporting local produce and small businesses is something I’m mindful of , so I am very fortunate to live where there is a wealth of great suppliers on my doorstep, including two excellent butchers, a fishmonger, a bakery, a wine merchant who pairs wines for my menus, and an award winning icecream factory all of which are family businesses who care.

So, whether you want me as your private chef, for a business lunch,

a cooking party or delicious food for any occasion at all,

I will look forward to cooking for you and making a meal to remember forever.