Last Friday, I drove three hours to Scotland’s west coast, to Ormidale House, for a two-day booking that turned into one of the more memorable reunions I’ve cooked for this year.
I met the owner, John, as soon as I arrived — a genuinely lovely man who came out and introduced himself to every guest in the house before I’d even finished unloading the van.
This wasn’t a new client. I first cooked for this family years ago, for the hen party of the lady of the house, surrounded by her friends. Since then I’ve been back twice more for family reunions. She now has three children of her own, and this time the gathering was for her friends and their kids too — the house full of three generations, effectively, all under one roof.
Over the two days I cooked a full spread built around what this family actually enjoys eating, rather than a single set menu: a sous vide beef fillet, salt-baked sea bass, a homemade aubergine parmigiana, a full lasagne for the six children in the group, and a chicken cacciatore that went down particularly well with everyone.
Cooking for a returning client is a different job to a one-off booking. I already knew what this family likes, what the children will actually eat, and how the room likes to be run, which let me spend more time on the food itself and less on working things out from scratch.
If you’re staying somewhere similarly self-catered, I’ve written more generally about how these bookings work in private chef dining in Scotland’s self-catering houses, lodges and holiday cottages.
It’s a genuine pleasure watching a family grow across the bookings — a hen party one year, three children and their friends the next. If you’re planning a family gathering, reunion or private event on Scotland’s west coast or anywhere else in the country, I’d be delighted to help, whether it’s your first booking with me or your fourth. I’ve been cooking professionally for 35+ years, trained in Italy, with 220+ five-star Google reviews from private dining across Scotland. Check your date.