There’s something about removing wine from the pomp and flash of bars and restaurants and just drinking it out in nature, in the wild, with humble food and fantastic company. It’s kind of like stripping life back and seeing the barebones of it all. Wine is this beautiful, miraculous, natural product, which, when framed in this context, shines as a truly wonderful experience.
For many months (and even years) now, my friends Tommy Perkins, Will Carr and I, have been toying with the idea of putting together a wild cookout for friends. We wanted it to be an uncomplicated event that embraced all of the notions of a beautiful weekend spent outdoors, carefree and brimming with excitement of a special meal paired with special wines whilst sat at a long, banquet-style table. And so, a few weekends ago we drove out to an apple orchard in Kent. We had Tommy on the pans, Will behind the lens, and me on the (heavy) pours. We lit candles, we laughed, we served a four-course menu with wine pairings to a bunch of grateful, brilliant guests. And although we all woke up a little bleary eyed the following day, it was everything we had dreamed of. We just need to get to planning the next one now.
A few photos below by the very talented Will Carr and Calum Pryce-Tidd.
