Cooking for birthday surprise was delightful

I think the woman's friends had told her they'd be taking her to dinner somewhere, so that she could celebrate.

She was looking forward to going out and had thought no more of it.

I worked out a menu with her family and friends, featuring all of her favourite things, and then when the hour of her celebration drew closer I arrived at her home to prepare.

At the last minute, the woman's friends told her that there'd been a change of plan and they'd booked a private chef.

I came out to say hello and the woman was absolutely thrilled. I cooked a sumptuous dinner for the party and they all loved it. It was a wonderful day's work.

As chefs, we spend long hours in the kitchen and often have very little contact with the people we're cooking for.

When I worked at the New Inn, at Baschurch, for the best part of 10 years, I'd frequently spend whole evenings in the kitchen and be too busy to come into the restaurant.

It's a great buzz cooking at that speed, of course. But all chefs like to know that people like their food; it's a source of reassurance. We all like a compliment every now and then, don't we?

The most joyous part of the occasion was seeing the woman's smile. Her face lit up when I appeared to wish her a happy birthday. And she was also thrilled with my food.

There's something a little bit special when you know the chef is cooking your favourite things especially for you. Enjoying that sort of dinner in the presence of family and friends is a real thrill.

Food tastes better when you know that the person who is cooking for you cares about what they are doing.

There's something special about knowing the chef has gone out of his way to source the best local ingredients and cook things as you would like them.

All of us enjoy that sort of attention: whether we're at home and our dinner is being cooked for us by our partner, whether we're at our favourite restaurant or whether a private chef has arrived to cook a very special dinner.

My work as a private chef has become part of my ever-expanding portfolio. As well as appearing on TV and being booked to star on the Ready Steady Cook Live! tour, I've also been demonstrating across the UK this summer.

Many of you will have seen me at local events like the food festival in Shrewsbury. Some of you will also have called in at Brompton, to enjoy a cookery course.

I've been cooking for the masses at other events too. I appeared again at the BBC Good Food Show, at the NEC in Birmingham, which is a particular favourite. And I also worked at the British Summer Time Event, at Hyde Park, a couple of weeks ago.

British Summer Time was a new event featuring a selection of the world's best bands and Britain's best chefs. The line-up was pretty diverse, with everyone from Elton John and the Rolling Stones to Jennifer Lopez and JLS. There were chef demonstrations and it great fun to cook for people in Hyde Park, they were appreciative.

I'll be back at Brompton in Shrewsbury, for a little while now. I've got a series of courses to run for people who want to learn how to cook better. I can't wait.

Marcus Bean is a regular on ITV This Morning. He owns the Brompton Cookery School, at Atcham, near Shrewsbury, on a National Trust Estate.