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Chef-made meals. No chef needed.
Hotels, pubs, clubs and staff canteens order our chef-made dishes, keep them in the freezer and serve them in minutes. £3 to £6.50 a portion.
- £3–£6.50a portion
- 80+chef-made dishes
- 1 or 12single portions or multi-portion trays
- 0chefs on shift
A chef-led menu. None of the chef.Your team serves it. Your guests love it.
Lost your chef? Keep the menu.
Any member of your team can serve it. No recipes to learn, no chef rota to cover.
Stop paying a chef for two covers.
Food waits in the freezer until a guest orders it. On quiet nights you only pay for what you serve.
No more "is that it?"
Restaurant-quality mains, not paninis and jacket potatoes. The same dish, the same way, whoever is on shift.
The menu, priced per portion.Finished in the oven, fryer or microwave you have.
A selection from more than 80 dishes. Prices are per portion, ex VAT.
From the combi oven
Slow-cooked mains
Crispy from the air fryer
Burgers, chicken and bites
Quick from the microwave
Pasta, dumplings, soups and meals in one tray
Multi-portion packs.For canteens, buffets and busy services.
The same chef-made recipes in 1.5 kg trays, two to a case. Each tray serves about six 250 g portions, so a case feeds around twelve. Heat a tray in the combi oven and serve from the hot counter.
- Mains, soups, sides and sauces
- Lasagnes in 2.7 kg trays
- Mix single portions and trays in one order
| Dish | Case | Per case | Per portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken tikka masala | 2 × 1.5 kg | £40.45 | about £3.37 |
| Beef stew | 2 × 1.5 kg | £43.00 | about £3.58 |
| Chicken korma | 2 × 1.5 kg | £40.45 | about £3.37 |
| Ragu alla Bolognese | 2 × 1.5 kg | £36.00 | about £3.00 |
| Matar paneer | 2 × 1.5 kg | £31.20 | about £2.60 |
| Chickpea and vegetable stew | 2 × 1.5 kg | £22.98 | about £1.92 |
| Beef lasagne | 2 × 2.7 kg | £54.00 | about £3.00 |
| Tomato basil soup | 2 × 1.5 kg | £16.00 | about £1.33 |
Per portion at 250 g (lasagne at 300 g).
Want it foolproof?Add the Scan-to-Cook Station.
You don't need it: our food works in the combi oven, air fryer or microwave you already have. But with the station, staff scan the pack and the station programs the combi oven, air fryer or microwave and runs the right setting. Anyone on shift serves the full menu from day one.
- Hire from £208 a month, or buy from £1,365 ex VAT
- Runs up to eight appliances
- Every cook logged on your dashboard
Hear it from venues like yours.Golf clubs, padel, hotels and workplaces.
Hotels
Order. Store. Serve.
- 1Choose your menuPick dishes from 80+ options, in single portions or multi-portion trays.
- 2We deliverFrozen, anywhere in mainland UK, usually within 3 to 5 working days. Orders from £500 per delivery.
- 3Keep it in the freezerLabelled, sealed and ready. 12 months frozen shelf life, and nothing needs defrosting.
- 4Heat, plate, serveCombi oven, air fryer or microwave. Minutes, not hours.
How it compares.
| Nova Chef | Hire a chef | Contract caterer | Wholesaler | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who cooks | Our chefs, centrally | Your chef, every shift | Their staff, on your site | You still need a chef |
| Food cost | About £3.10 to £4.50 a meal | Ingredients plus wages | Meal price plus fees | Ingredients only |
| Staff needed | About 2 per 100 covers | Chef, plus sick-day cover | Their team, at your cost | Chef and kitchen team |
| Labour cost | 25% to 50% lower than a contract caterer | Full chef salary | Built into their price | Full chef salary |
| Management fee | None | None | Usually | None |
| Consistency | Same dish, every shift | Depends who is in | Depends on the site team | Depends on your chef |
See it run in your kitchen. We bring the food, you bring the shift.
Book a free tasting at your venue. Your team heats and serves the dishes, and you judge for yourself.
- No commitment to taste
- Orders from £500 per delivery
- All prices ex VAT
Questions buyers ask Nova Chef
What does Nova Chef supply?
Nova Chef supplies chef-made frozen meals to hotels, pubs, sports clubs, workplaces and other venues that want good food without employing a chef. There are more than 80 dishes, in single portions and multi-portion trays, made in our own kitchen in north-west London. Any member of staff can serve them in minutes using a combi oven, air fryer or microwave.
How much do Nova Chef meals cost?
Most dishes cost £3 to £6.50 a portion, ex VAT. For example, chicken gyoza is £3.00, chicken tikka masala £3.20, sous-vide featherblade beef £4.95 and lamb shank £6.50. Multi-portion trays work out from about £1.33 a portion for soup to about £3.58 for beef stew. There is no management fee or service charge.
Is there a minimum order or a contract?
Orders start at £500 per delivery, and in most areas that qualifies for free delivery. Some locations need a higher minimum for free delivery, and we confirm yours when you enquire. There is no monthly minimum and no long-term contract: you order when you need stock, on a one-month rolling arrangement.
Where do you deliver, and how quickly?
We deliver to businesses anywhere in mainland UK. The food travels frozen, in our own freezer vans or with specialist frozen-food couriers. Orders usually arrive within 3 to 5 working days.
How long does the food keep, and how do I store it?
Every dish has a frozen shelf life of 12 months. Keep it in a standard freezer at -18°C and take out only what you need. Nothing needs defrosting: every dish goes straight from the freezer into the appliance.
Do we need a chef or trained kitchen staff?
No. Our chefs cook every dish, so on site the job is to heat it and plate it. Each pack has the appliance and timing for finishing it, and anyone on shift can follow it. Venues typically run food service with about two staff per 100 covers.
What equipment do we need?
A freezer and one or more of a combi oven, air fryer or microwave. Most venues already have these. Mains such as curries and stews suit the microwave or combi oven, and crispy dishes such as burgers, arancini and chicken strips suit the air fryer.
How does Nova Chef compare with a contract caterer?
You keep control of the menu and the staff, and there is no management fee. A typical meal costs about £3.10 to £4.50 in food, and labour usually comes out 25 to 50 per cent lower than with a contract caterer, because you need no chef on site.
Can we try the food before we order?
Yes. We offer a free taste test for businesses. Fill in the form on this page with your venue and the dishes you are interested in, and we will arrange samples.
Can I mix single portions and multi-portion trays?
Yes, in the same order. Multi-portion dishes come in 1.5 kg trays, two to a case, and each tray serves about six 250 g portions. Lasagne comes in 2.7 kg trays. Many venues use single portions for the restaurant or room service and trays for the staff canteen, buffets and functions.
What about allergens, halal and dietary needs?
Every label carries allergen information, and we supply a full allergen sheet for every dish. The menu includes vegetarian and vegan dishes. Our chicken, beef and lamb come from a certified halal supplier, and dishes marked halal follow a halal recipe. A few dishes contain pork and are clearly labelled.
Do I need the Scan-to-Cook Station?
No. The food works in the appliances you already have. The Scan-to-Cook Station is an optional add-on that makes staff more efficient and keeps quality consistent, with foolproof reheating: staff scan the pack, and it programs the combi oven, air fryer or microwave and runs the right setting. Kits cost from £1,365 to buy or from £208 a month to hire, ex VAT.