Tom Aikens

While most cooks (like me) relish the opportunity to rise to the big occasion, no event is too small to do really well. Book A Cook will do everything from filling your freezer to catering for dinner parties. They match the right cook to your needs - they interview applicants from all the top cookery schools and look for flair, individuality and, above all, personalities that will fit in with any household or business (www.bookacook.com).

Opened at the end of last year just off Goodge Street, Blackfoot Butchers is owned by Simon Mullins and Sanja Morris (who also own Salt Yard and Dehesa restaurants). It is a specialist one-stop shop for gourmet meals, offering quality fresh meat, Italian and Spanish charcuterie and cheeses, as well as seasonal vegetables, condiments and regional delicacies. Pop in for fresh Italian meatballs, homemade fennel and caramelised onion sausages, or rosemary marinated filet steaks - all quick and easy to cook at home (www.theblackfootbutchers.co.uk).

With the recent opening of the new Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, there's never been a better time to visit the weekly food market on Duke of York Square. Every Saturday, SW3 comes alive with the buzz of artisan and speciality food producers selling a huge variety of tasty treats. You can do pretty much all your grocery shopping for the week and it's a really fun way to shop.