I am Giuseppe Manzoli, an Italian-trained private chef who travels to Loch Ness and the Scottish Highlands to cook dinner in the house where you are staying or living. Everything is cooked from scratch in your own kitchen — shopping, cooking, service and the clean-down afterwards.
At a Glance
- What it is: a private chef cooking in your home or holiday property, not a restaurant and not a delivery.
- Where: Loch Ness and the Scottish Highlands. Inverness, Fort Augustus, Fort William and the remote houses in between.
- Suits: birthdays, anniversaries, dinner parties, hen parties, weddings and self-catering house stays.
- Included: menu planning, shopping, cooking, service and a full kitchen clean-down.
- Price: menus from £75 per person, VAT and travel included. Travel is included, so distance changes the drive, not the price.
- Chef: Giuseppe Manzoli — 35+ years cooking professionally, trained in Italy, 220+ five-star Google reviews, cooked for the First Minister of Scotland in 2024.
People book a house on Loch Ness for one reason, and it is right there through the glass — the water, the hills on the far side, the light that changes four times before dinner.
What they book slightly less deliberately is a week of cooking for eight people in an unfamiliar kitchen.
That is the gap I fill. An Italian chef who comes to the house you have already booked, cooks a proper dinner in it, serves it to your table, and leaves the kitchen clean.
What an Evening Actually Looks Like
At Fern View House, on the Loch Ness side, the terrace kitchen looks straight down the water to the hills. That evening’s food was made on site, start to finish:
- Gnocchi rolled by hand on the kitchen worktop that afternoon
- Focaccia baked in the house oven
- Herb-tied rolled roasts of beef and venison, cooked and rested in the kitchen
- Aubergine parmigiana — layered, baked, brought to the table in the dish
- Roast potatoes with rosemary, grilled courgettes, fresh tomato and basil
Nothing arrived in a tray. Nothing was reheated. One of the guests messaged afterwards: “I’ll remember your aubergine parmigiana for a long time.” That is the review that actually matters.
Why a Private Chef Works Better Than a Restaurant on a Highland Stay
Around Loch Ness and through the Highlands, the restaurant maths rarely works for a group. The good places are booked. The drive back is thirty minutes on a single-track road. Someone has to stay sober. And a table for ten at eight o’clock means everybody is dressed and out of the house by seven.
A private chef removes all of it. You stay where you are. The wine is already open. Nobody drives, nobody queues, and the host — for once — actually sits down.
Serving Loch Ness, Inverness and the Highlands
Fern View House is one property. The work covers the whole of the Highlands and well beyond — Loch Ness, Inverness, Loch Tay, Perthshire, Angus, Fife, and across Scotland.
Self-catering houses. Lodges. Estates. Family gatherings, milestone birthdays, group trips, retreats.
Italian technique on Scottish produce. One chef, your kitchen, everything taken care of.
Questions About Private Chef Hire Near Loch Ness
Do you travel to the Highlands?
Yes. Loch Ness, Inverness, Loch Tay, Fort William and the surrounding area are all covered. Travel is agreed as part of the quote, with no surprises.
Can you cook in a self-catering kitchen?
Yes — that is the normal setting for this work, not the exception. Domestic ovens, holiday-let hobs and outdoor kitchens are all workable. I bring my own knives and the equipment the menu needs.
Do you handle everything, or just the cooking?
Both are possible. Full service — canapés, courses, table service, kitchen reset — or just the cooking, agreed in advance.
How far ahead should we book?
For Highland stays in summer, as early as you can. Four to eight weeks ahead is typical; peak weeks go earlier.
Do you cater for dietary requirements?
Yes. Every menu is built around the group, so vegetarian, coeliac and allergy requirements are designed in from the start rather than worked around on the night.
This is the kind of evening I cook most often. My guide to private chef dining in Scottish self-catering houses, lodges and holiday cottages sets out how it works from first enquiry to the last plate cleared away.