Private chef · John Magee

Food worth staying at the table for.

Dinners, celebrations and trips away. Ballymaloe trained, based in Norfolk, cooking wherever the table is. From a kitchen in Norwich to a villa on the Côte d'Azur.

Plan a dinner → See the work
Wild mushrooms and grains being plated at a private dinner
Autumn dinnerNorwich
mardle

Norfolk dialect · verb  To chat, gossip and linger. What happens at a good table long after the plates are cleared.

/ˈmɑː.dəl/

Trained at Ballymaloe. Cooked at Petersham Nurseries. Ran private kitchens in London, LA, France and Ireland. Now I cook for you.

John Magee, private chef, smiling at a wooden table
John Magee

Recent
tables

A few places I've cooked lately. Homes, villas and celebrations, big and small.

Côte d'Azur · Summer 2026

A summer on the Riviera

Private chef to a family and their guests in a villa on the coast. Market every morning, lunch on the terrace, dinner for whoever turned up.

Norfolk · Dinners at home

Dinners at home

Birthdays, anniversaries or just a Saturday. Two guests or twenty, cooked and served in your own kitchen.

London · LA · Ireland

Years in private households

Running kitchens for families at home and on the move. Every meal, every day, exactly how they liked it.

Norfolk · Coming soon John at a barbecue in a garden, tongs in hand

Supper clubs, outdoors

Fire-cooked dinners in interesting corners of Norfolk. Follow on Instagram to hear about the first one.

What
I cook

Every menu starts with a conversation about you, your guests and what's good right now.

01

Dinners at home

Dinner parties from two guests upwards. I shop, cook, serve and leave the kitchen as I found it.

02

Celebrations

Big birthdays, anniversaries, long lunches and garden parties. Sharing feasts or plated courses, with a team for larger numbers.

03

Chef on holiday

Villas, chalets and holiday homes, in the UK or abroad. A long weekend or the whole season.

04

Supper clubs

Fire, good produce and a long table somewhere unexpected. Dates announced on Instagram.

Sample menu

Cooked from what's in season.

No two menus are the same. This is the kind of thing I'd cook for an autumn dinner, built on what local growers, farms and fishermen have that week.

Autumn · example

Dinner for eight

To start

Crab on toast, brown butter, pickled cucumber

Main

Slow-cooked beef, wild mushrooms, spelt, crispy shallots

Pudding

Roast plums, vanilla ice cream, almond biscuit

"He was a pleasure to deal with, both during the planning and on the evening. All the food was presented beautifully and enjoyed by all."

60th birthday dinner · Norwich

Enquire

Let's mardle.

Tell me about the table. The more you share now, the quicker I can come back with ideas.

Sent securely by email and only used to reply to you.

Thank you.

Your enquiry has been sent. I'll be in touch by email soon.

Sorry, that didn't send.

Please email me directly at john@eatwithmardle.com and I'll come straight back to you.

Good to
know.

Where do you cook?

I'm based in Norfolk and cook across the UK and abroad: homes, villas, chalets, boats and holiday lets. If there's a table, I'll come.

Can you travel with us on holiday?

Yes. From a long weekend to a full season. I've cooked for private households in London, LA, France and Ireland.

Can you cater for dietary requirements?

Always. Allergies, vegetarian, vegan and anything else are planned into the menu from the start.

Do you bring everything?

I bring the ingredients and my own kit. I'll check your kitchen beforehand and arrange hire if you need more plates or glasses.

How far ahead should I book?

As soon as you have a date. Weekends in December and summer go first. Trips abroad need a few weeks to plan sourcing.