How Much Does a Private Chef Cost in Scotland?

At a glance

Most private chefs in Scotland don’t publish their prices. You fill in a form, wait for a call, and only then find out whether the numbers work for you. I prefer to do it the other way round. The range is on this page, what moves a booking up or down within it is explained below, and if it looks right for your event I’ll send you an exact quote within 24 hours.

The short answer

A private chef dinner in Scotland with me costs from £75 to £180 per person. That covers everything: designing the menu with you, sourcing the ingredients (Scottish produce wherever possible), arriving ahead of the meal, cooking in your kitchen, plating and serving each course at the table, and leaving the kitchen exactly as I found it. VAT is included in the per-head figure, so the number we agree is the number you pay.

Wedding catering works differently. Every wedding menu is designed per event, so I price it per event: we talk through the day, I propose a menu, and you get a tailored quote within 24 hours of your enquiry.

What moves the price within the range

Four things decide where your dinner lands between £75 and £180 per person.

The number of courses. A relaxed three-course dinner sits toward the lower end. A five-course tasting menu, paced for an evening of speeches and celebration, sits toward the top.

The ingredients. Handmade pasta with local cream and seasonal vegetables costs less to put on a plate than Aberdeen Angus fillet finished with a Barolo reduction, or seafood brought in from the Solway and the west coast. The menu we design together sets the ingredient bill, and I’ll always tell you honestly where a dish sits.

The headcount. My time in your kitchen is broadly the same whether I cook for eight or eighteen, so smaller parties usually sit higher per person and larger ones lower. Most bookings start from around 6 guests.

Special requests. Sous-vide courses, elaborate desserts, canapé receptions before dinner, or a cheese course with sourced Scottish cheeses all add to the evening, and to the per-head price. Nothing is added without you agreeing it first.

Three typical bookings

A midweek dinner party for 8 in a private home. Three plated courses, seasonal menu, wine on your side. This is the kind of booking that sits near the lower end of the range.

A celebration weekend in a self-catering house. A larger group, a four- or five-course menu built around a milestone birthday or anniversary, often at venues like the exclusive-use houses listed on my Scottish venues page. Mid-range to upper, depending on the menu.

A small wedding for 12 to 30 guests. An intimate elopement or micro-wedding dinner is priced within the same £75 to £180 range as any other dinner. A fuller wedding day is priced per event after menu agreement: it brings menu tastings, timing built around speeches and photographs, dietary variations across the full guest list, and service through the evening, which is why it gets its own quote rather than a per-head figure off this page. More on wedding catering here.

Is a private chef more expensive than a restaurant?

For the same standard of food, usually not, once you count the whole evening. A tasting menu at a destination restaurant in Scotland can pass £100 per person before drinks, travel, and accommodation. With a private chef the restaurant comes to you: no taxis home, no babysitter deadline, your own wine at shop prices rather than restaurant markup, and the table is yours for the whole night rather than for a two-hour sitting. Guests who want to keep talking at midnight can keep talking at midnight.

What you’re paying for is a chef’s full day: menu design, sourcing, prep, service, and clean-down, dedicated to one table.

What the price always includes

Every booking, at every point in the range, includes menu design and as many menu revisions as we need, ingredient sourcing, all cooking in your kitchen or venue, restaurant-style plating and service at the table, dietary requirements built into the menu from the start (gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, allergies, religious requirements), and the full clean-down. If your kitchen lacks a piece of equipment, I bring it.

There are no service charges added afterwards and VAT is included.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a private chef cost per person in Scotland?

With me, from £75 to £180 per person for private dinners, VAT included. The number of courses, the ingredients, and the size of your party decide where in that range your booking lands. Weddings are quoted per event.

Why do you publish your prices when most private chefs don’t?

Because it saves us both time. If the range fits your plans, we can go straight to talking about the menu. I’d rather be upfront on the page than surprise you on a phone call.

Is there a minimum number of guests?

Usually 6. For two-person occasions like anniversaries, ask; midweek dates can sometimes work.

Do you charge for travel?

Travel within Fife and Dumfries & Galloway is included. For the rest of Scotland, from the Borders up to the Highlands and Cairngorms, travel and any overnight arrangements are agreed as part of your quote, so there are no surprises later.

Do you ask for a deposit?

For bookings made a month or more ahead, a deposit secures your date — typically £300 to £500, up to £1,000 for larger events such as weddings — with the balance due ten days before the event (30 days before for larger weddings). The deposit is non-refundable once paid: that is what holds the date. Bookings made within a month of the event are paid in full. The exact figure comes in writing with your quote, before you commit to anything.

Does the price include the ingredients?

Yes. The per-head price covers the ingredients, the cooking, the service, and the clean-down. You only add what you’d like on the table from your own side, usually the wine.

Get an exact quote

Tell me the date, the location, the number of guests, and the kind of occasion, and I’ll send you a menu proposal and an exact price within 24 hours.

Phone: 07414 235 378
Email: [email protected]
Or use the booking form on the Check Availability page.