Sardegna · Private chefs · London
Sardinian private chef in London
A chef from Sardegna cooking the island's food in your kitchen: shepherds' bread and cheese, saffron pasta, bottarga and honey.
The cooking
An island that looked inland
For centuries Sardinia's coasts were raided, so much of island life moved inland and its food was shaped by shepherds: sheep's-milk cheeses, meat roasted over wood, and flatbreads made to last for weeks in a shepherd's bag. Pasta is shaped by hand and often coloured with saffron from San Gavino.
The coasts have their own kitchens. Alghero cooks lobster with a Catalan accent, Cabras cures the roe of grey mullet into bottarga, and Carloforte, settled from Liguria, is a town of tuna. Myrtle flavours roasts and the mirto liqueur that closes a meal, and Cannonau is the wine of the island.
Signature dishes
What a Sardinian chef cooks
Malloreddus alla campidanese
Small ridged saffron gnocchetti with sausage and tomato ragù and pecorino.
Culurgiones
Ogliastra dumplings of potato, pecorino and mint, closed with a pleat like an ear of wheat.
Pane frattau
Paper-thin pane carasau layered with tomato, pecorino and a poached egg.
Fregola con arselle
Toasted semolina pearls cooked with clams.
Spaghetti alla bottarga
Cured grey mullet roe grated over pasta with olive oil and garlic.
Porceddu
Suckling pig roasted slowly over myrtle and juniper until the skin crackles.
Seadas
Fried pastry filled with fresh sheep's cheese and lemon, covered in bitter honey.
Sample menu
A Sardinian dinner party in four courses
An example only. Your chef writes the real menu with you, around your guests, allergies and the season.
Through the year
Seasonal notes
In winter Sardinia eats its spiny artichokes, citrus and bottarga, and makes papassinos for Christmas: biscuits with raisins, nuts and sapa, a syrup of cooked grape must. Spring brings lamb and fresh cheeses, summer fish, tomatoes and fregola with seafood.
Your chef cooks with what is in season in London and imports what can't be replaced, such as bottarga, pecorino sardo and pane carasau.
How Venti works
A dinner party with nothing to do
Tell us the occasion
Date, number of guests, allergies, budget. By message, any time of day.
Meet your chef
We match you with a chef born in Sardegna and send you their menu to shape together.
They cook, you host
The chef shops, cooks, serves and leaves your kitchen clean.
Venti is opening in London this winter. We are matching our first chefs for this winter, so join the waitlist to be first in line for a Sardinian dinner.
Questions
Frequently asked
What does a Sardinian dinner party at home include?
You agree a menu with a chef from Sardegna, usually four courses: antipasto, primo, secondo and dolce. The chef shops for the ingredients, cooks in your kitchen, serves your guests and leaves the kitchen clean. Wine and drinks are your choice.
Can a chef cook porceddu in a London home?
A whole suckling pig on a spit needs an outdoor fire, which most London homes don't have. Chefs usually adapt it: pork roasted in the oven with myrtle and crackling skin. If you have the space for a spit, tell us.
Can the chef cook around allergies and dietary needs?
Yes. The 14 major allergens are confirmed with you before the menu is final, and dishes are adapted or swapped where needed. Tell us early about any allergy, intolerance or dietary rule.
How does booking work, and how many guests can we have?
Venti is not open yet: we are matching our first chefs for this winter. Join the waitlist and tell us the date, number of guests, allergies and budget. From a dinner for two to a larger party, we confirm what works for your kitchen and the chef before anything is agreed.
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