AIBU to think that £25-30 for a housekeeper/cook is just taking the mickey?

[YankeeDad]

This is to solicit mumsnet wisdom regarding what is the realistic cost of domestic help in London, and how to find someone good at a reasonable rate.

I'm looking for a part-time cook / housekeeper to come in 1x / week in order to reduce the workload for DP and myself by cooking a meal or two and washing up in the kitchen.

Word-of-mouth has not yielded anyone promising, so I've tried the route of contacting some agencies advertising for cooks / housekeeping help.

They are coming back with rates of £25-30 / hour (mostly £30) (!) Granted, this is London and it's expensive, and the "going rate" of £10-12 for informal help that I've sometimes heard about may be a bit on the low side, but £30 seems like a LOT, especially as it does NOT include the agency fees: for that they add another ~15-20% on top.

Can anyone in London provide advice on whether this is really the going rate for someone who can cook in London (in which case we'll need to reconsider this plan), or if not, how to find someone at a more reasonable rate: go to other agencies? (if so, which ones? ) Negotiate down? (ie do agencies always start with an unrealistically high asking rate)?

Have you thought about using a meal service like ‘Gousto’? Ingredients all measured out, you just need to cook it from the recipe card provided. It actually makes the cooking part quite relaxing and easy. We use it every other week and have made stuff we wouldn’t have thought to cook otherwise.

Take a cooking course then. There are plenty of places in London that offer healthy meals you can prepare via packages or deliveries that offer this service.

'-Timing would most likely be Saturday morning, not too early, so not incompatible with having a restaurant job elsewhere or a full-time housekeeping job elsewhere, for a person who wants to add some extra income to that.'

People work long hours in the restaurant industry, particularly at weekends. All the chefs I know sleep in as much as possible on Saturday and Sunday mornings because they've been working on their feet until quite late the night before. So they will charge exactly what they do for such services.

I've sent you a private message.

Hmmm - think that’s about right for a cook/HK / we’re in the Cotswolds - close to Oxford and similar hourly rate. How about advertising for a cleaner who can cook - that should be around £15ph
Have you tried popping an ad in The Lady? Or as pp suggested Pru Leith Coolery School? Is it CB cooking you’re looking for? If not - I’d advertise privately for a cleaner/ good home cook.,,

"Surely there is a reason only wealthy people have private chefs"

This seems like the obvious reason. £30ph is not a lot if you're minted. And if you're not minted, you don't tend to have staff cooking your meals.

Buy a dishwasher, then at least you don’t have the cleaning up

Surely you will be also paying a premium for it being a weekend .

If you want someone in on a Saturday, you're probably paying extra for that from the start.

Frankly, if you want a qualified chef/cook I think the price is reasonable (and I live 'Up North')

On instagram lots of people sell home made food and snacks for very reasonable price and some even work out cheaper than take away. This may work out better for you rather than having someone come home.

I think 30 quid an hr is reasonable considering the service your after. It's horrible cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen.

I suggest looking at local caterers. We have a great local caterer. As well as doing the usual parties etc, she does a weekly delivery.

She will do homemade pies, quiches, pastas' etc. All ready to be heated up and eaten or put in the freezer.

It was great for putting meals in for teenagers who would eat at all times, plus for our favourites when I got home from work and did not feel like cooking.

Or try a local caring college, they may have students who wanted to learn some extra cash and fill up your fridge/freezer for you.

I meant CATERING college.

I second the likes of gousto and hello fresh. I've done a free trial on both and they were fantastic really take the hard work out of cooking (deciding what to have then buying/measuring ingredients.) and they use decent quality products and are cheaper than a takeaway too.

Is this a thing? People hire someone to come and cook their tea once a week instead of just going out for a meal or ordering a takeaway? It's just something I would never in a million years I'd have thought of having....yes have a cleaner, yes have a cook but for once a week it's not worth the hassle just order a takeaway I'm guessing you're in a city in which case there are healthy takeaway options too.

Would the cook have to bring the ingredients and then you reimburse them? Or would you have certain ingredients at home and they'd have to lob them together to form a meal like Can't Cook Won't Cook? Would they have to check with you in advance whether you're happy with that nights menu?

I don't get it

I think the lady magazine has folded

What sort of meals do you expect
More details from that already expressed

Do you have Nextdoor.com in your area? It's a bit like MN local meets Facebook meets local pub gossip

I'm a member of our local one and there are occasional ads from people offering their services as chefs for dinner parties so it might be worth putting an ad on there

It's possibly the sort of job which would suit an au pair with a passion for cooking, or someone who has done a stint as a chalet girl - ie knows a bit about food but isn't going to charge you chef prices

Sign up for the meal prep services like hello fresh instead.

Hello Fresh is utterly rubbish

The ingredients are cheap and the portions are tiny
OP said she wants quality meat and new ideas
Some mildly-spiced battery farmed chicken with vegetables from a Hello Fresh box is probably not going to cut it

In my part of London £12-15 is normal for a cleaner & ime housekeepers are closer to £20-25 as they are considered higher up. Maybe look for a Mothers help?

Abel and Cole are better than hello fresh , the produce is seasonal and organic

Domino20

I've sent you a private message.

Is it a pizza menu?

No it hasn’t folded Monty? I have a copy downstairs - get it weekly

Zibbi just lol’d

Buy a dishwasher? Or just wash up as you go?

And get into batch cooking!

For one day a week, it’s probably not worth it.

Tesco £10 meal deal
M&S dine in for 2
Sorted