Private Chef In Charente-Maritime

Name: Emily In France
Address: 17b Avenue Edmond Grasset, Aytré, 17440, FR
Telephone: +33624104582
Price range: From €25 per person

Staying somewhere lovely in the 17 and want the food to match?

From estuary villas to Saintonge farmhouses, we cook the department's produce in your holiday kitchen

Charente-Maritime is a glorious larder: Marennes-Oléron oysters, bouchot mussels, Charentais melons, goat's cheeses from the Saintonge hills and the vineyards of pineau and cognac next door. A private chef in Charente-Maritime brings all of it to your table, wherever in the department you're staying.

Renovated farmhouse near Saintes, a 1950s villa in Royan, a gîte on the Seudre - I come to you, shop as locally as possible and cook everything on site.

Request your menu

Rosemary roast lamb resting on a carving board

Charente-Maritime

One department, ten terroirs

Between the Gironde estuary, the oyster basins and the rolling Saintonge countryside, every corner of the 17 eats differently. Around Royan it's sole and sea bass; near Marennes, oysters of course; towards Saintes, goat's cheese and lamb.

My menus change with your postcode - which is the best possible way to taste the region without leaving your dining room.

A good share of the meals I cook in Charente-Maritime happen in converted farmhouses and gîtes, often for three generations around one table.

How it works

Menus that travel well

Three formats that work from the coast to deep countryside.

The estuary table

Fish from the morning market, shellfish and a proper beurre blanc: the Charentais coast on a plate.

Beef main course cooked in a private kitchen

The occasion dinner

A full plated tasting menu for milestone birthdays and family celebrations.

Large spread of roast meats, fish and vegetables served outdoors

The country lunch

Long summer tables under the lime trees: generous cooking, unhurried service, optional siesta.

We come to you

Royan, Rochefort, Saintes, Saint-Jean-d'Angély, Jonzac and the Île d'Oléron - I cover the whole department, with travel included in your quote. Old country kitchens hold no fear - I've cooked banquets on farmhouse ranges.

For bigger tables I bring a second pair of hands: one of us cooking, one front of house.

In the 17, the sea and the countryside are never more than twenty minutes apart - and neither are our menus.

My pricing

from €25 per person

Every booking is bespoke. I write each menu around your tastes, your guest numbers and whatever is best at the market that week - tell me what you have in mind and I'll send you a price.

Frequently asked questions

Which towns do you cover in Charente-Maritime?

All of them - La Rochelle, Rochefort, Royan, Saintes, Marennes, the Île d'Oléron and every rural commune in between. Travel costs are included in your quote.

Do you cook in gîtes and holiday rentals?

Yes, that's most of my summer work. A standard gîte kitchen is fine - I bring specialist kit and adapt to the rest.

Can you build a menu entirely from local produce?

Gladly - it's my favourite brief. Marennes oysters, bouchot mussels, Charentais melon, Saintonge goat's cheese and galette charentaise: the department from starter to dessert.