The evening before a wedding deserves to feel special, but it does not always need to be formal.
For this celebration, I travelled to Craggiemhor Lodge, part of Lodges on Loch Ness near Inverness, to cook a relaxed private dinner for the couple and their guests before the wedding the following day.
They had gathered in one of Scotland’s most beautiful settings, with Loch Ness below the lodge and the Highland landscape surrounding them. My job was to let everyone settle in, enjoy the house and share a memorable meal without needing to travel to a restaurant.
The evening before the wedding
This was not the wedding reception itself.
It was the pre-wedding evening: a chance for the couple and their guests to spend time together before the excitement of the following day.
These dinners often become one of the most enjoyable parts of a wedding weekend. The atmosphere is relaxed, people have time to talk, and the meal helps everyone feel at home in the venue.
The table at Craggiemhor Lodge was dressed with white flowers and candles. I served freshly baked bread, and everything was prepared and cooked from scratch in the lodge kitchen that evening.
No reheating and no prepared trays — just fresh cooking in the house.
Tagliata di Manzo to begin
We started with one of my traditional Italian dishes: Tagliata di Manzo.
The beef was cooked pink, sliced and served with Parmesan and a fresh herb dressing. It is a simple dish, but simplicity only works when the ingredients and cooking are right.
Tagliata comes from the Italian word tagliare, meaning “to cut.” It is a lovely way to serve beef because it remains tender and the flavour is allowed to speak for itself.
It brought a little of my Modena background to this Scottish Highland setting.
Beef Wellington for the main course
The meal also included Beef Wellington.
For me, this is a dish that suits a wedding weekend beautifully. It has a sense of occasion when it is brought into the room and sliced, but it is still generous, comforting food for people sharing an evening together.
The beef was cooked inside its pastry until beautifully pink, then rested and served immediately.
Like every dish I prepare for private dining, it was cooked fresh at the venue. I do not arrive with reheated food or trays prepared elsewhere.
Private dining in a Loch Ness lodge
Hiring a private chef works particularly well for wedding weekends in Scottish lodges and self-catering houses.
Once everyone has arrived, there is no need to organise taxis, choose designated drivers or ask the whole group to leave the property for dinner.
I bring the ingredients and the equipment I need, cook in the house, serve the meal and clean the kitchen before I leave.
The lodge becomes your own private restaurant for the evening, while the experience remains completely personal to your group. It is one part of what I cook across a Scottish wedding weekend — you can see more of how I plan wedding catering on my wedding catering in Scotland page.
A final photograph together
At the end of the meal, we took a photograph with the couple and their guests.
I always enjoy this moment. After preparing the food and spending the evening with everyone, I no longer feel like a stranger working in the kitchen. For a few hours, I become part of the celebration.
The couple were married the following day, and I was very happy to have contributed to the beginning of their wedding experience in Scotland.
Leaving Loch Ness at the end of the night
Before leaving Craggiemhor Lodge, I stopped to look across the water.
The light was fading behind the hills, the lodge lamps were glowing, and Loch Ness was visible below. It was a beautiful, quiet end to the evening.
That contrast is part of what makes private dining in the Highlands so memorable: a warm table and freshly cooked food inside, with the loch, hills and changing Scottish sky just outside the door.
Planning a pre-wedding dinner in Scotland?
I cook pre-wedding dinners, wedding-weekend meals and private celebrations in lodges, castles, country houses and holiday homes across Scotland.
I am based in Fife and travel throughout Scotland, including Loch Ness, Inverness and the Highlands.
Every menu is planned around your guests, your venue and the way you want the evening to feel. Everything is cooked from scratch on the day.
I’ve been cooking professionally for 35+ years, trained in Italy, with 220+ five-star Google reviews from private dining across Scotland.
My private dining normally accommodates 2–30 guests, with menus from £75–£180 per person.
To discuss your celebration, check your date or send me your date, location, number of guests and any dietary requirements.
Giuseppe Manzoli
Private Chef in Scotland
07414 235378
[email protected]