About us
A little bit about us
Stephanie was taught to cook by her mother, Liz, who was Cordon Bleu-trained.
Liz started her wedding and event catering business in the early 1970s, looking for a venture she could run from home while her children were young. From the age of three, Stephanie loved nothing more than sitting on a kitchen stool watching her mother cook, and that is where her passion began.
Liz believed in starting Stephanie at the bottom and letting her work her way up, so Stephanie joined Liz’s dedicated team of waiting staff to learn all about front of house.
After learning the hard work of front of house, Stephanie took her place in the kitchen alongside Liz, learning not just the practical side of cooking but the theory as well. Everything Stephanie cooked had to be perfect and meet Liz’s high expectations; if it didn’t, she made it again until it did. Stephanie also sat in on all of Liz’s client meetings, learning how to talk to clients and bring an event together.
In 2007, Stephanie became Liz’s partner in the company, and together they carried on building its success by taking on new contracts at wedding and event venues throughout Kent.
Liz passed away in December 2009, and it was then up to Stephanie to carry on the company in her name, which she continues to do with huge success.
Our ethos
Honest food, done properly
Leave It To Us has always been about good, honest home cooking. Here’s what that means to us today.
Seasonal, always
Our menus follow the seasons, from asparagus and Kentish strawberries in early summer to slow roasts and root vegetables as the evenings draw in. Food tastes best at its peak, and that’s how Liz taught Stephanie to cook.
Sourced locally
Our ingredients come from local suppliers we know and trust. Buying close to home means fresher food on your plate, fewer miles travelled, and supporting the small businesses that make this corner of Kent special.
Homemade and made for you
We cook from scratch, from the sausage rolls to the honeycomb ice cream. Our menus are a starting point rather than a rulebook: if there’s a dish you love that isn’t on them, we’ll happily cook it for you.
Every guest looked after
Allergies, intolerances and dietary needs are planned for from the very first conversation, never added as an afterthought, so every one of your guests can relax and enjoy their meal.
Our people
A small team, like family
Stephanie is never on her own. Behind every wedding and party is a friendly team in grey Leave It To Us aprons, cooking, plating, pouring and looking after your guests as if they were our own.
Our story
Over fifty years in the kitchen
How a home catering business started by two young mothers in Westerham became the family company we run today.
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1960s
From Neath to Westerham
Jane Elizabeth Lloyd Davies grew up in Neath in South Wales, the eldest daughter of a former Mayor of Neath. Known as Elizabeth to some friends and Jane to others, she trained in Domestic Science in Cardiff and went on to demonstrate Cordon Bleu cookery.
Food was her working life from the start. She worked for the Gas Board in Swansea, then joined Stork’s travelling demonstration kitchen, driving the famous Stork Challenge van. It was there she met her future friend and business partner.
In 1963 she married Roger Cox, and after spells in London and Edinburgh the family settled in Westerham, Kent.
Liz and the Stork Demonstration Kitchen van. View full size -
Early 1970s
Leave It To Us is born
With young children at home and no way to take on a full-time job, Liz and her friend, both Cordon Bleu cooks with young families of their own, decided to go into business together from their own well-equipped kitchens.
They called it Leave It To Us. To begin with it was small dinner parties around Westerham and Keston, with the two of them writing cards and delivering them door to door to spread the word.
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Mid 1970s
Cordon Bleu cooks go into business
Word of mouth did the rest. Before long the pair were cooking for fork lunches, buffets, wedding receptions and company dinners across the South East, from London to Bognor Regis, and the local paper came to tell their story.
“People seem to get to know about us by word of mouth,” Liz told the paper. “I think some people prefer to have a small catering business rather than a large and formal one.” It is still how we work today.
Liz’s business partner later stepped back, and Liz carried the business on.
Liz (right) and her business partner in a local paper, mid 1970s. View full size -
Childhood
A seat on the kitchen stool
Liz’s daughter Stephanie grew up in that kitchen. From the age of three she loved nothing more than sitting on a stool watching her mother cook, and before long she was helping, mixing, tasting and learning.
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1981
A catering success
By 1981 the business had been featured in Woman magazine as an example of what could be achieved working from home, and Liz’s home town paper, the Neath Guardian, followed with a story of its own.
Neath Guardian, 19 March 1981. View full size -
Growing up in the business
Front of house first
Liz believed in starting at the bottom. Stephanie joined the waiting staff to learn front of house, then moved into the kitchen alongside her mother, learning the theory as well as the practice, and sitting in on every client meeting.
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2007
Mother and daughter
Stephanie became Liz’s partner in the company, and together they took on new contracts at wedding and event venues throughout Kent.
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2009 to today
Carrying on in Liz’s name
Liz passed away in December 2009. Stephanie has carried the business on ever since, with the same home-cooked food, the same attention to detail, and many of the same venues and families coming back year after year.
Let’s talk about your day
Get in touch for a no-obligation chat and a clear quote with no hidden costs.