'If you were throwing a dinner party, and could invite anyone, who would your dream guests be?' I ask private chef Saima Khan.

Having cooked for the Royal Family, Bill and Melinda Gates, Barack and Michelle Obama, Angelina Jolie and Pierce Brosnan and many other famous names, the founder of The Hampstead Kitchen is spoiled for choice.

'I think at my dinner party, there would be a few people I've already cooked for. Angelina Jolie, because she's really interesting - she does a lot of philanthropy work and she's very well read. And I think probably Pierce Brosnan because I think he's a really lovely man. I would have locals from the community and mix them with celebs,' she says.

Delicious food prepared by The Hampstead Kitchen. Its founder and head chef, Saima Khan is moving to Norfolk. Photo: contributed by The Hampstead Kitchen For the last decade, Saima has cooked for well-heeled clients all over the world - and for 25 years before that she had a high-flying career in banking.

Now, she is putting down roots in Norfolk.

She has regularly cooked for clients in the county - including for members of the Royal Family at Sandringham - and loves the slower pace of life here.

And, as she explains, in 2023 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. While she was going through treatment, she took stock of her work/life balance and decided that the time had come to move out of London.

'It was an opportunity to evaluate what the business is about. It's incredibly hard to work when you're sick and going to all the treatment - and that's what keeps you going.

The Hampstead Kitchen specialises in feast-style dining. Photo: contributed by The Hampstead Kitchen 'It made me redefine how I'm running the business and how I'm living my life,' she says. 'I always feel better when I'm in nature and Norfolk is so beautiful.'

She has been spending an increasing amount of time in the county and this spring will make the move full-time, re-launching the business as The Hampstead Kitchen in Norfolk.

'It's like a travelling pantry,' she says.

Saima's culinary roots run deep. She grew up in a household where the dining table was the heart of the home.

'I grew up with parents who always had dinner parties or Sunday lunch, where we used to cook many different dishes and put them in the middle of the table - before sharing and communal dining was a fashionable thing - and we'd sit and eat and talk at the........

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