At a glance
- Chef: Giuseppe Manzoli — Italian private chef from Modena, 35+ years’ experience, 220+ five-star Google reviews.
- Service: Hen party dinners cooked fresh in your hen house, cottage or lodge — canapés, cocktails, a full plated dinner, and pasta-making classes with the bride.
- Service area: The whole of Scotland — the Scottish Borders, Edinburgh, Fife, Perthshire, the Cairngorms and beyond.
- Group size: Typically 8 to 20 guests; anything from 2 to 30.
- Dietary needs: Vegan, gluten-free, allergies and preferences built into the menu from the start — including fully vegan and gluten-free hen menus.
- Pricing: From £75 to £180 per person, depending on courses and menu.
- Bookings: Tailored quote within 24 hours. Phone 07414 235 378 or email [email protected].
I’m Giuseppe Manzoli, an Italian private chef, and hen parties are some of my favourite bookings of the year. The group has taken a beautiful house somewhere in Scotland, everyone has travelled to be together, and one evening deserves to be the big one — a proper dinner, cooked fresh in your kitchen, with nobody from the party lifting a pan or booking a taxi.
Why hen parties book a private chef
Restaurants split the group across a long table and end with a scramble over the bill. A private chef turns the house you’ve already paid for into the venue: prosecco open in the kitchen, canapés circulating while everyone gets ready, dinner served when the group is ready — not when the kitchen closes. The bride stays at the centre of the evening, and the organiser actually gets to enjoy it.
How a hen party evening runs
- Cocktails and canapés — I arrive in the afternoon, prep quietly, and open the evening with handmade canapés and a welcome cocktail (a fresh strawberry vodka cocktail is a favourite).
- A pasta-making class with the bride — the most requested extra: the bride (and anyone brave enough) learns to roll fresh pasta with me before we sit down to eat it.
- The dinner — three to five courses, plated and served to the table, built around what the group loves.
- The clean-down — I leave the kitchen spotless. The party carries on; the washing-up doesn’t exist.
Real hen parties I’ve cooked
A few recent ones: a hen party at Biallid House in the Cairngorms with a fully vegan and gluten-free menu for the whole group; a hen do for 14 in a country house in the Scottish Borders; and a party of 13 at a country home where the bride got her pasta-making lesson before dinner. I also cook hen weekends across Fife and Aviemore and the Cairngorms.
A hen party at Beechwood House, Moffat (August 2026)
Twelve hens at a Victorian country house in Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway. Canapés on arrival (arancini with cheese and Parma ham, haggis bon bons, mini tarts with roasted vegetables, mushroom croquettes), then butternut squash velouté, risotto alla Milanese, a choice of beef or sea bass, and tiramisù or crème brûlée plated one by one in the house kitchen. Two of the guests left five-star reviews on Google the very next morning. More about my work in Moffat. You can also read the full story of cooking at Beechwood House, or see everywhere I cook across Scotland.
Read the fuller story of that evening on LinkedIn.
What the hens say
“Giuseppe cooked us dinner at a hen do this weekend and he was completely brilliant! Everything from the service to the food to Giuseppe himself was the best! The food itself was so delicious and he left the kitchen sparkling! If you are looking for a private chef book Giuseppe while you can!”
— Tamilla, Google review, August 2026 hen party at Beechwood House, Moffat
“He cooked a beautiful meal for 13 of us staying at a country home for a hen do. He went above and beyond for dietary requirements and added in little extras too! He even gave the bride a pasta making lesson. Beautiful food, and a wonderful experience all round.”
— Anna, Google review
“We used Giuseppe for a hen weekend and I could not recommend him and his service enough. Not only was the food exceptional but Giuseppe himself was wonderful.”
— Nikki, Google review
“Wonderful experience with Giuseppe. Food was excellent and Giuseppe was such fun! Thank you for providing the food for our hen do!”
— Victoria, hen party at Beechwood House, Moffat, Google review
The food
There’s no fixed menu. Every hen dinner is built around the group — Italian regional cooking with fresh Scottish produce, from delicate antipasti and handmade pasta to slow-cooked mains and desserts worth staying at the table for. Tell me what the bride loves and I’ll design the evening around her. You can browse sample menus for inspiration, or read more reviews from groups I’ve cooked for.
What it costs
Hen party dinners run from £75 to £180 per person, depending on the menu and number of courses. That covers menu design, ingredient sourcing, cooking, serving and the full kitchen clean-down. Tell me your date, location and numbers and I’ll send a tailored quote within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Do you travel to hen party houses anywhere in Scotland?
Yes — I cook in hen houses, self-catering cottages and lodges across the whole of Scotland, from the Scottish Borders to the Cairngorms. Share your location when you enquire and I’ll confirm.
Can you handle a mix of dietary requirements?
Yes — hen groups always have a mix, and it’s built in from the start. I’ve cooked fully vegan and gluten-free menus for entire hen parties.
Can you do a cocktail hour or pasta-making class?
Both are favourites. A welcome cocktail with canapés starts most of my hen evenings, and a pasta-making class with the bride before dinner is the most requested extra.
How many guests can you cook for?
Most hen parties are 8 to 20 guests, but I cook for anything from 2 to 30.
Who provides the alcohol — and can you serve wine we’ve bought?
You do, and gladly. Buy whatever the group loves at shop prices — no corkage, no restaurant markup — and I’ll chill, pour and serve it through the evening, prosecco on arrival included. Tell me the menu we’ve agreed and I’ll suggest exactly what to buy for each course. And because you own the wine and nothing is being sold on the night, no alcohol licence is needed.
Do we need to tip you?
No — tips are never expected. I cook with my heart, and the price we agree is the whole price; there is no service charge waiting at the end of the night. If the evening was everything you hoped and you’d like to leave something, it is warmly received — but honestly, two minutes on a Google review means just as much.
How far ahead should we book?
Summer Saturdays go first — 6 to 8 weeks ahead is comfortable, longer for peak dates. Shorter notice is sometimes possible; just ask.
Get in touch
Planning a hen weekend anywhere in Scotland? Tell me your date, house and guest numbers and I’ll come back with a tailored quote within 24 hours.
Phone: 07414 235 378
Email: [email protected]
Or use the booking form on the contact page.
Giuseppe Manzoli is an Italian private chef based in Fife, cooking hen party dinners, pasta-making sessions and celebration menus at self-catering houses, lodges and country houses across Perthshire, Fife, Edinburgh, the Highlands and the rest of Scotland. Menus from £75 per person, travel included. Call 07414 235378 or email [email protected] to book.
Planning the weekend around a particular area? See private chef in Perthshire, Fife, Aviemore & the Cairngorms or Loch Lomond & Argyll.
Most of this can happen in your own house. See what is involved in hiring a private chef at home in Scotland.