What do you do when you’ve got a wealth of experience, love cooking and not currently working due to the current pandemic? Set up a new business, adapt, change, do whatever you can, which is what two young chefs are doing.

Jamie MacDonald and Karl Jaques aren’t hanging up their whites anytime soon and have set about setting up JKays Catering a bespoke takeaway service delivered to your door. Jamie and Karl said that they set up JKays as they thought they could do fun takeaways to brighten up people’s Saturday nights which can otherwise be fairly boring in January especially in lockdown.

Jamie said, “we have been working together for over 5 years and it has been a difficult year of the whole of the hospitality industry. With constant stop starting in restaurants I have noticed it put a real strain on staff’s mental health. Also with no customers means no service charge and this can put a financial strain on staff as well. So Karl and I thought we would like to try and do this takeaway venture to keep ourselves busy and we thought it might be something for people to look forward to at the weekend in a difficult month.”

Images: Some of Jamie & Karl’s food

The pair met when Jamie was an apprentice in London working at Jason Atherton’s City Social and Karl joined as a sous chef. He worked there whilst studying with the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts at Westminster Kingsway College. This was followed by working as a private chef overseas and then together in a well known restaurant in Maidenhead. Between them the two chefs have 10 years Michelin kitchen experience under their belts.

To try out some of their food, find out what the weekly menu is by following their Instagram account @jkayscatering and where you can then call them or message them direct with your order.

This weeks (Sat 9th Jan) family feast is build your own pork taco, rice ‘n’ beans, cherry tomato salsa, pickled red onions and sour cream with loaded nachos and a pina colada inspired Eton Mess. YUM!

£20 per head (Vegetarian & gluten free options available).

Delivery to Henley is free of charge.