HOW TO BOOK A PRIVATE CHEF IN SCOTLAND
Booking a private chef is simpler than most people expect: you tell me the date, the place and how many of you there are; we build the menu together; then I arrive with everything, cook from scratch in your kitchen, serve, and leave the kitchen spotless. I am Giuseppe Manzoli, an Italian-trained private chef, and most of the people who contact me have never booked a private chef before — this page walks you through exactly what happens.
From £75 per person, VAT and travel included.
35+ YEARS
Cooking professionally since my first kitchen in Modena — trained at Istituto Etoile, and cooking in Scotland for over 15 years.
220+ FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
Verified reviews on Google from clients across Scotland — weddings, private dinners and celebrations.
FROM £75 PER PERSON
VAT and travel included, so the price I quote is the price you pay. For 2 to 30 guests.
WHAT HAPPENS, STEP BY STEP
1. You get in touch. The date, the place and how many of you there are — that is all a first message needs. I reply personally.
2. We build the menu together. There are no fixed menus and no tick-box packages. You can design your menu dish by dish, start from five menus my clients have loved, or simply tell me what you like and I will do the building. Allergies and dietary needs go into the very first draft — vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free guests get dishes designed for them, never an afterthought.
3. You confirm the date. A deposit secures the booking — usually £300–£500, up to £1,000 for larger events — and you have one clear price per person with VAT and travel already included. More detail on my pricing page.
4. I do all the shopping. Fresh produce bought for your booking — fish from the fishmonger, meat from the butcher, whatever your menu calls for.
5. On the day, I cook in your kitchen. I arrive with everything I need and cook from scratch on site — in your home, your holiday house or your venue — then serve every course at your table.
6. The kitchen is left spotless. The full clean-down is part of the service, every time. You go back to your evening; the kitchen looks like I was never there.
WHAT FIRST-TIMERS ASK ME
IS MY KITCHEN BIG ENOUGH?
Almost always, yes — a holiday cottage kitchen is usually all I need. I plan the menu around the kitchen you actually have.
DO YOU REALLY CLEAN UP?
Completely. The full kitchen clean-down is part of the service — I leave it spotless before I go, every single time.
WHAT ABOUT ALLERGIES & DIETS?
They shape the menu from the first draft. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy adaptations on every course — tell me early and nobody eats a compromise.
HOW FAR DO YOU TRAVEL?
Across Scotland and into Northumberland — and travel is already included in the price, so the quote you get is the price you pay.
MORE QUESTIONS? GOOD — ASK THEM
Everything else people ask before a first booking — whether children count in the per-person price, whether you can watch me cook, how far ahead to mention allergies, whose plates and glasses we use — is answered plainly on my FAQ page. And if your question is not there, ask me directly. There is no such thing as a silly question about something you have never done before.
WHERE I COOK
Fife · Edinburgh · Perthshire · The Scottish Highlands · Loch Lomond & Argyll · The Scottish Borders · Glasgow · Aberdeen · Northumberland & north England
Travel is included in the price, wherever you are.
START WITH YOUR DATE
Tell me the date, the place and how many of you there are — that is everything a first message needs. I will come back with menu ideas and one clear price per person, VAT and travel included.