Yes — I make the ice cream in your kitchen on the day of the dinner, and serve it with a dessert made there too. I am Giuseppe Manzoli, an Italian-trained private chef, and I bring my own ice cream machine, so dessert is churned that afternoon and never comes out of a tub.
At a 60th birthday dinner for 12 in Edinburgh the table had a choice: apple tarte tatin or sticky toffee pudding, six of each, both served with my homemade ice cream. The tarte tatin was baked in the house; the sticky toffee pudding was made there too. Both went out warm, with the ice cream just set.
Why the ice cream is made on site
Ice cream churned a few hours before it is eaten has a texture you cannot buy: soft, dense and clean-tasting, with no stabilisers and no freezer burn. The base is made in the afternoon while the mains are in prep, chilled, then churned so it is ready just before dessert goes out. At a multi-day stay at Kilmartin Castle I made it every day, including a garden-mint ice cream with cooked apples from the castle’s own trees — the flavour follows what is in season and what is in the house.
Dessert for a dinner party at home
For a table of twelve I usually offer two desserts and plate them so everyone is served at once. Warm puddings and tarts work best in a house because the oven is right there; the ice cream is the cold, clean contrast. If the birthday needs a cake, I can make that too, or plate a cake you have bought so it looks like part of the meal. Menus start from £75 per person, VAT and travel included.
If you are planning a dinner in your own house, my private chef at home in Scotland page explains how the evening works.
In short: dessert is made in your kitchen on the day — a tart or pudding from the oven and ice cream churned that afternoon in the machine I bring with me — and served to the whole table at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you really bring an ice cream machine?
Yes. It travels with the rest of my equipment, and the ice cream is churned in your kitchen a few hours before dessert.
Can guests choose between two desserts?
Yes. At the Edinburgh dinner the twelve guests split six and six between tarte tatin and sticky toffee pudding, and both were plated at the same time.
Can you make a birthday cake as well?
Yes, or I can plate and serve one you have already bought so it fits the rest of the meal. Tell me when you book.
I’ve been cooking professionally for 35+ years, with 220+ five-star Google reviews from clients across Scotland. November dates are open — if you’d like a dinner like this at home, get in touch and check a date.