"The contract went live in May and created a new division for the business – Cresset and Special Occasions," said director Nathan Higgins.

"For wedding parties and special events I believe The Cresset is one of the largest venues in the city."

As a result of the tie-up, corporate manager at the Huntingdon branch of Chef de la Maison Alison Wood has been promoted to run the new division.

Chef de la Maison is working with The Cresset to offer up to five different menu packages for clients. It can also provide a bespoke service where clients tell them what they want and they will supply it.

"We also offer a wide range of catering options, from sandwiches and baguettes to a full hog roast or the finest French cuisine," said Nathan.

"We can cater for up to 500 people at special events, and include the services of a unique, bespoke outside bar created by local firm Astore Harrison.

"Our food, our service and our ability to cater for individual needs set us apart. I like to think we provide 'the total catering solution'."

The Cresset deal may be the newest thing for Chef de la Maison, but it isn't stopping the firm from extending its catering arm to new ventures.

It's all a long way from the early days, about a decade ago, when Nathan set out on his catering business path "from the garage of my mum's home."

A former Jack Hunt schoolboy, Nathan trained as a chef at Peterborough Regional College's Parcs restaurant where he also studied business.

His flair for French cookery shone through, and in 1998 he was approached to cater for a wedding party. He approached current fellow director Charis Wedgwood, who was working for an estate agency at the time, to help out in hosting the event.

The business started to take off. In their first year of trading, the pair catered for 30 weddings before branching out into corporate events and outside bars.

"For three years, we ran Chef de la Maison on a freelance basis," said Nathan.

In 2001, they moved to their current unit at 11 Winslow Road, Netherton, Peterborough. They bought out the butchery and catering business Country Larder and incorporated Chef de la Maison.

It is a local business as a coffee bar, but it also serves as a centre for food preparation and delivery via the firm's refrigerated vans.

For the next four years, Nathan and Charis "battled along" until, in May 2005, they invested further in the business by converting the front of the shop into a coffee bar.

"We needed somewhere to discuss arrangements with our wedding clients, for them to sample the food and meet the team," said Nathan.

In December of the same year, the pair bought out the Lunch Aid business in Fenstanton. It became their second branch, known as Chef de la Maison Huntingdon, and included Alison Wood as corporate manager.

What followed was "two fantastic years", according to Nathan.

"We had got the catering concept so right," he said.