A single plume of white smoke rising against pitch black

Tatenda Lovemore’s Experimental Kitchen · Surrey, UK

Fire, meet flavour.

Private dining and experimental BBQ by Tatenda Lovemore. Low, slow, and unbothered — because the best things in life are worth waiting for, especially when they’re smoked.

Coals resting · Back Summer 2027

See the past flames
The steaks

No set price.

Let’s reach a common ground. Every fire is different, every table is different — we agree the number together, in conversation, once we know the room.

Reach

Surrey based. UK & beyond. Good taste travels.

The film

Forty-seven seconds. Full flame.

Our kitchen, plated in motion. Recipes, private tables and the diary — all smoke, no mirrors. Watch it, then follow the fire.

Live firePrivate diningUK-widePriced per brief
Recipe hub

From the ember archive.

No stock photos, no stock answers — just fire-forged recipes with a little extra seasoning and a lot of cheek.

Cook something new →
Peri-peri chicken wings crackling over open coals
001Poultry · Sticky · Piri-flamed

Chicken Wings

Wing it. These little drummers march straight from marinade to fire, come out crackling like a Cape Town summer, and disappear faster than you can say ‘just one more’.

Seasoning: Peri-peri, smoked paprika, garlic, brown sugar, lemon, and a whisper of Mrs Ball’s chutney glaze. Sticky, smoky, and unapologetically South African.

South AfricanPeri-peri
Pork belly sizzling over open coals with crisp, rendered edges
002Pork · Slow · Crackled

Pork Belly

Low, slow, and belly of the ball. Rendered over gentle coals until the fat melts like a compliment and the crackling shatters like applause.

Seasoning: Rock salt cure, fennel seed, coriander, brown sugar, garlic, and a rub of chakalaka spice. Finished with an apple-cider-and-honey lacquer that begs for another slice.

PorkBraai low & slow
Braised oxtail glistening in a rich, spiced gravy
003Beef · Slow-braised · Bone-deep

Oxtail

The tail that wagged the pot. Collagen-rich, fork-tender, and cooked low until the meat forgets where the bone begins and the gravy starts.

Seasoning: Allspice, bay leaves, thyme, ginger, garlic, tomato, and a slow-building Cape Malay warmth. Finished with a splash of red wine and a lot of patience.

South AfricanBraised
Chuck steak sizzling over hot coals with a caramelised crust
004Beef · Chuck · Flame-seared

Chuck Steak

The cut that punches above its price. Marbled, mischievous, and built for the braai — seared hard over coals until the outside crackles and the middle stays blushing.

Seasoning: Coffee-and-brown-sugar rub, then a blanket of braai spice, smoked paprika, garlic, and black pepper. Basted with brandy butter and rested like it just ran a marathon.

BeefBraai spice

The amber archive · Still smouldering

Ten frames. Not a tame flame.

From first sizzle to final slice. The coals wrote the story; the camera kept the receipts.

Close-up of a browned bone-in steak resting above a wire rack
03 OCT 2026 · 1/4

A cut above. A crust beyond.

A deep mahogany crust, glistening fat and a curved bone: this close-up raises the steaks without raising its voice.

A browned long-bone chop held close to the camera
03 OCT 2026 · 1/3

Chop stars. No understudies.

One long-bone chop takes the spotlight: browned edges, a textured reddish crust and a glossy surface against a softly blurred kitchen. Small cut. Standing ovation.

Chicken wings with browned skin and green flecks on the grill
03 OCT 2026 · 1/2

Wing it? Never. Singe it? Certainly.

Wings crowd the grate in shades of gold and deep brown, with green flecks scattered over the skin and smoke softening the view. A flock with serious char-acter.

Whole chickens with golden-orange skin arranged on a barbecue
03 OCT 2026 · 1/1

Whole birds. Full-blown drama.

Whole chickens sit shoulder to shoulder on the grate, their rounded legs and wings wearing a golden-orange coating. The lid is open, the cast is assembled: no half-hearted poultry performances here.

The fire log · 03–17 October 2026

Moving pictures. Lasting cravings.

Five cuts from the coals. Wings, steaks, whole birds, chops — and now Kingston meets Cape Town over the same fire. No dress rehearsal, just the grill getting on with the show.

Fire cut 01 · 31 sec

Wings with a burning ambition.

Chicken wings · Two grill levels · Rising smoke

Golden chicken wings crowd the lower grate, their glossy skins catching the light between dark, flame-kissed patches. Another wing rests on the warming rack above while smoke drifts through the open barbecue. Little wings, big main-character energy — this flock has clearly found its fire.

Fire cut 02 · 12 sec

High steaks. No small talk.

Bone-in beef · Glowing coals · Smoke rising

Thick bone-in steaks stretch across the grill, with broad browned faces, pale fat along the edges and long bones reaching over the grate. Smoke rolls across the meat as the camera moves over the barbecue, revealing the glow beneath. A close-up with plenty at steak: bold cuts, hot bars and absolutely no supporting roles.

Fire cut 03 · 5 sec

A whole lot of cluck and char.

Whole chickens · Bronzed skin · Open flame

Whole chickens sit close together over the grill, their rounded legs and wings framed by rich reddish-gold skin and darker charred edges. Flames flicker beneath the bars while a ribbon of smoke climbs into the open lid. The birds are dressed for dinner; the fire is handling the entrance music. Short film. Full-flavoured drama.

Fire cut 04 · 16 sec

Chops with a flare for drama.

Long-bone chops · Herb-flecked crust · Dancing flames

Long-bone chops fan across the grate, their curved bones pointing out from thick, browned centres. Green herb flecks cling to the surface; golden edges catch the light as bright flames flare underneath and smoke softens the open grill behind them. A little rack-and-roll, a lot of live-fire theatre — these chops know how to make an entrance.

Fire cut 05 · 13 sec

Kingston char. Cape Town coil.

Jerk chicken · Glowing coals · Smoke on the mic

The jerk chicken takes the fire and the fire takes the compliment — scotch bonnet heat, allspice depth and a char that whispers before it shouts. Glowing coals do the backing track while smoke rolls through the frame like a slow saxophone. Two islands, one grill, and not a customs charge in sight. This is the moving-picture cut of recipe 005 — Jerk Chicken × Beef Boerewors.

Plate Expectations — the film's title card sitting over a plated dish
New · Plate Expectations · 40 sec

Six ingredients. One plate. Zero small talk.

Jasmine rice, beetroot pickles, jerk chicken, spring onions, lime and coconut-jerk miso. Six parts. One scene-stealing plate. The next plate is coming soon — good things come to those who plate.

Watch the breakdown→
Bookings · Past flames

The book is resting. The stories aren’t.

The calendar’s gone dark while the coals bank themselves until Summer 2027. Until then this corner belongs to the fires we’ve already fed — referrals only, old friends first.

No deposits online, no auto-confirmations. Pricing is quoted against the brief, agreed between us before a single coal is lit.

Private chef & BBQ catering in Surrey →

How to bookReferrals only · Summer 2027

Minimum flame-crew8 guests

PricingQuoted per brief

Past flames

Served · 17 October 2026

Embers banked

A joint turning of the decade — 120 guests, one hired fire.

Two birthdays became one big flame. The kitchen called dibs on fried chicken & fish, curry mutton, rice, jollof rice, mac & cheese, coleslaw and potato salad. The fire brought smoky chicken, burgers and a few unannounced friends. Doors opened around 6 / 6:30pm — the smoke greeted guests before they did — and the grill clocked off by 8 / 8:30pm so the music could run the rest of the night.

About

Tatenda Lovemore.

Tatenda Lovemore seasoning a prep bowl by hand in his kitchenSeasoned by hand

Self-taught. Fire-led. 12+ years turning up the taste. I’m Tatenda Lovemore — proof that a burning curiosity can become a very good dinner.

Backyard soul. A passport for the palate. From private tables to smoky celebrations, I bring the fire — and leave the small talk to the side dishes.

No off-the-shelf menus. Just off-the-coals imagination. Surrey based. UK & international bookings. Good taste travels.

12+

Years over flame

UK & beyond

UK & international bookings

∞

Menus repeated, never

“Lovemore. Settle for less? Never.”
© 2026 Tatenda Lovemore’s Experimental Kitchen
Low, slow, and unbothered. No burnt offerings here.
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