Retired copper Steve Dennis felt the collars of some of the county's most notorious villains but has now hung up his cuffs to don a chef's hat.

He'll be regaling some of his famous cases as he cooks gourmet dishes in private homes around the county.

Mr Dennis, who retired as a detective chief inspector late last year, next month launches At Your Invitation to provide the finest cuisine prepared personally by him.

Mr Dennis qualified as a cordon bleu chef in Switzerland before joining Sussex Police 30 years ago, where he spent much of his career based in Brighton.

Cooking was his first professional love and although he took great satisfaction in putting offenders behind bars and helping victims, he's equally happy creating masterpieces with pots and pans.

His lawyer-wife Sandy long ago abandoned the kitchen to her husband at their home and over the years he has gained a reputation for hosting delectable dinner parties.

Mr Dennis, 54, born in Eastbourne, has always had a taste for the finer things in life. Pavarotti was playing in his Jaguar XJ6 as he pulled up at the scene where Brighton teacher Jane Longhurst's body was found in 2003.

Mr Dennis, who sports a dapper moustache and wears crisp chef's outfits, is an avid fan of Inspector Morse, the TV detective who also loved classical music and drove an old-style Jag.

He also shares Morse's love of fine food and drink - and the skill of getting your man.

Mr Dennis' team successfully brought Miss Longhurst's killer Graham Coutts to justice and solved just about every major crime while he headed the Sussex Police Major Crime Branch.

His chef's career began in the Sixties with an apprenticeship at Chez Maurice restaurant where he was "sworn at and kicked up the backside" by the head chef Alfonso.

Two years at a Swiss university turned him into a qualified cordon bleu chef and made him fluent in French, his favourite country for food.

He worked in restaurants on the Continent including the Hotel du Lac on Lake Geneva where he personally cooked dishes for the late Hollywood actor David Niven.

Mr Dennis said: "He liked coming into the kitchen to order his dinners - we would end up chatting about how he liked food cooked. His favourite was perch with lemon butter and capers - he couldn't get enough of it."

Because of his career catching killers it was suggested Mr Dennis should organise dinner and murder-mystery nights but he rejected the idea, preferring instead to conjure up succulent feasts.

He prepares meals at his home - his kitchen has been approved by Eastbourne environment health - and he finishes them off at clients' homes.

Charging a minimum £30 a head, plus a negotiable fee for his services, Mr Dennis will serve dishes for up to 12 people at addresses anywhere in the triangle of Rye, East Grinstead and Brighton.

He prefers French cuisine because of the sauces and "delicate" foods but he is equally at home with Spanish and Italian and he is learning about Oriental.

He said: "I can provide all the crockery, flambe at your table, let you enjoy your meals and then take away the dirty dishes so you don't have to do a thing."

Mr Dennis, with three daughters and five grandchildren, believes the market is ripe for his services following the success of TV chefs including his favourites Antony Worrall Thompson and Jamie Oliver.

He's about to launch a web site and meanwhile is receiving inquiries via his email Steve@dennis88.wanadoo.co.uk but he does not expect many orders from his ex colleagues in the police.

He said: "If I remember rightly, most of them preferred a pint and a kebab after work."