Yes — a small holiday cottage kitchen is almost always enough for a private chef. What I need is an oven that holds its temperature, a couple of rings, a sink and a work surface. I bring knives, pans and equipment with me. I am Giuseppe Manzoli, an Italian-trained private chef cooking in self-catering kitchens across Scotland.
At a Glance
- Short answer: yes. Small kitchens are normal, not a problem.
- Minimum I need: a working oven, two rings, a sink, and roughly a kitchen-table-sized work surface.
- I bring: knives, pans and small equipment. No need for a second oven or a range cooker.
- What actually matters more: the number of guests and the menu — both agreed beforehand.
- Chef: Giuseppe Manzoli — 35+ years cooking professionally, trained in Italy, 220+ five-star Google reviews, cooked for the First Minister of Scotland in 2024.
The question I am asked more than any other: “our holiday cottage kitchen is tiny — can you really cook a proper dinner in it?” Yes — almost always. I’m Giuseppe Manzoli, a private chef cooking across Scotland for 35+ years, and I have plated multi-course dinners in everything from compact holiday cottage kitchens to castle and estate kitchens — self-catering houses, lodges and country houses from Dumfries & Galloway to the Cairngorms.
This article explains what I actually need from a kitchen, what I bring with me, how to check a property before you book it, and what happens in the rare case there is no real kitchen at all.
- Works fine: the standard self-catering kitchen — a working cooker, a stretch of worktop, a sink, a fridge shelf.
- Aga or range cooker: yes, happily.
- Dishwasher: not needed.
- No kitchen at all: still possible — my larger van carries a proper work table and a hot cupboard.
- Plates and cutlery: yours if the cupboard stretches, mine if it doesn’t.
- Private dinners: £75 to £180 per person, VAT included.
What does a private chef actually need in a self-catering kitchen?
The honest list is shorter than people fear. A working cooker — gas, electric, induction, or the Aga so many Scottish country houses keep, which I cook on happily. A stretch of clear worktop. A sink with hot water. A shelf in the fridge. That is a description of nearly every self-catering kitchen in Scotland, which is why my answer to “will our kitchen cope?” is nearly always yes.
What you will not find on the list: a dishwasher (I don’t need one — the kitchen is washed down as I go and handed back clean), matching pans (mine travel with me), or a big kitchen. Small just means the menu is designed with fewer moving parts — never that it is a lesser menu.
The smallest kitchen I have ever cooked in
A dinner for eight, in a cottage where the kitchen was so tiny that about all I could genuinely do in it was cut the bread. The equipment stayed in the van, each course was plated along the corridor, and dinner went to the table hot, course after course. The guests were delighted — and I was lucky it wasn’t raining. That evening is half the reason my bigger van is fitted the way it is today.
What if the property has almost no kitchen at all?
Barns, steadings, marquees, converted byres — some of the loveliest venues in Scotland were never built to cook in, and I cater them anyway. I run two vans, and the larger one is a working kitchen in its own right: a proper work table and a hot cupboard that holds every course at service temperature. I have produced a complete wedding at a converted byre with no kitchen equipment at all, plates and cutlery included. Two vans also means an event is never lost to a breakdown — if one fails, the other delivers.
So if you have booked somewhere remote and the kitchen is worse than the listing suggested — a kitchenette, two rings, no oven — tell me what is actually there. The menu is designed around what can be finished on site, and the shopping arrives with me, which matters when the nearest supermarket is an hour away.
How do I check a cottage kitchen before I book the property?
Sixty seconds on the listing answers most of it. Do the photos show a full cooker, not just a microwave and kettle? Does “kitchenette” appear in the description — possible for me, but worth telling me before the menu is designed. If the house sleeps ten and the photos show a galley kitchen, ask the owner what the dining table seats. And if you are unsure, the simplest route: send me the listing link with your enquiry and I will read the kitchen for you — it takes me a minute to know exactly what fits, and it costs you nothing.
What do we need to do before you arrive?
Very little: a clear stretch of worktop, an empty dishwasher if there is one, a shelf in the fridge and the welcome hamper shifted to one side. The full list — along with what a typical evening looks like — is in my guide to private chef dinners in self-catering houses across Scotland, and the houses I cook in most often are on the Scottish venues page.
Frequently asked questions
Will a small holiday cottage kitchen work for a private chef dinner?
Yes, almost always. A working cooker, a stretch of worktop, a sink with hot water and a fridge shelf are enough — the menu is designed around the kitchen, and everything beyond that arrives with me.
Does the property need a dishwasher?
No. I wash down as I go and hand the kitchen back clean, dishwasher or not.
Can you cook on an Aga or range cooker?
Yes — Agas and ranges are everywhere in Scottish country houses, and I cook on them as comfortably as on gas or induction.
What if there is no proper kitchen at all?
Still possible. My larger van carries a proper work table and a hot cupboard, so full dinners — including a complete wedding at a converted byre with no kitchen — can be produced where there is nothing to cook on. Tell me what the space has and the menu is built around it.
Do we need to hire plates and cutlery?
No. I plate on the property’s crockery where it stretches to your group, and bring plates and cutlery myself where it doesn’t.
About Private Chef Giuseppe Manzoli
Giuseppe Manzoli is a private chef cooking across Scotland — self-catering houses, lodges, holiday cottages, country houses and multi-day stays. Born in Modena and cooking for 35+ years, trained at Istituto Etoile under Rossano Boscolo and Luca Montersino. Private dinners from £75 to £180 per person, VAT included, with a tailored quote within 24 hours of every enquiry. Rated five stars across 220+ Google reviews. Check availability here. Last updated 12 August 2026.