FIRE + WILD X DARK HORSE
We recently teamed up with Mischief PR to deliver a private dining experience for Dark Horse, an award winning Californian wine producer founded by winemaker Beth Liston. The event was intended to showcase their new range of products, specifically the Dark Horse Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay which we paired with a bespoke FIRE + WILD tasting menu. The guests, a mixture of industry experts, press and food and drink influencers were invited to join us here in the Sussex countryside for a guided foraging walk and a wood-fired cookery workshop before sitting down to enjoy five courses of seasonal wild food cooked over fire.
We worked with the client to produce a unique menu with pairings designed to compliment the flavours of the wine. Some highlights of the tasting menu included salt-cured mackerel croustades with elderflower and pickled rhubarb, venison bresaola with green elderberry capers, smoked baby potatoes with onion ash and aioli, grilled wood pigeon with kale crisps, hazelnut purée, preserved cherries and a game jus and for the dessert grilled strawberries with brown butter crumble, wood sorrel and meadowsweet ice cream.
Our host Kieran talked guests through the menu, introducing them to many of the wild flavours, explaining the process involved in hunting and gathering for our ingredients before sharing some background on each of the wines and then guiding them through the pairings. Throughout the experience the guests were able to watch our kitchen team cooking and preparing each of the courses over an open fire in our off-grid kitchen.
We started the event with a guided foraging walk through the estate during which the guests, led by our wild food expert Steve were introduced to some of the wild plants, flowers and fungi we use in our kitchen before heading to the woods for a welcome drink while they prepared the first ‘DIY’ course - wood-fired flatbreads with caramelised onion butter, Sussex Charmer and foraged herbs.
“The unique dining event was a great success. I thought it was the perfect fit for Dark Horse and everyone seemed to enjoy the ambiance, food and wine”
To discuss a private event or future brand partnership with FIRE + WILD please get in touch. You can find out more here…
Photography by Joe Joseland