Everything that went down at Soho Farmhouse Food Festival this weekend
A veritable feast for the soft palate, the event in partnership with Porsche brought the very best of the gastronomic world to the Oxfordshire countryside
Tuesday 20 September 2022 By Teo van den Broeke
If there’s one thing we know here at Soho House, it’s food: a point ably proved by our annual Soho Farmhouse Food Festival, which was held at our bolthole in the Oxfordshire countryside this weekend.
Powered by Porsche, the event took place at a smattering of key venues across the site. The Harvest Table in the Barwell Barn played host to a series of landmark meals, including a lunch by Chantelle Nicholson (the herb fritters are our new faves) and a dinner from Michelin-starred chef Nancy Silverton. The Where The Wild Things Grow area in the Hay Barn field, just next door, featured a range of stalls and trucks, with highlights including meaty treats from Brad Carter and Tom Brown, earthy staples from Margot and Hector Henderson, and a special guest bar by Woodford Reserve Whiskey.
Elsewhere, the lakeside and pool area was transformed into a bacchanalian field of delights with tacos and tequila-laced cocktails served up at The Island with Patrón. Next door, oysters were shucked by seafood specialists Wright Brothers, while members lounging in the autumn sun drained rounds of Picantes. For those looking for a more hands-on experience, the Hexclad Lab at the Barwell Tent featured a range of demonstrations – our highlight being the gnocchi-making session with wild food expert Thomas Straker. Though the nose to tail butchery session with Lee Tiernan was also enlightening.
Another highlight came in the form of the Jungle at The Glasshouse. Like some super-cool version of Bear Grylls, head chef at east London’s Manteca, Chris Leach, invited members to forage for their supper in the Walled Garden, transforming their finds into the pillowy pizzas with which Leach has made his name. Members were greeted with drinks from Martini at the Martini trolley as they arrived.
For those who weren’t so full that they needed to be rolled home as the sun went down behind the Piglets, a Woodford Reserve-fuelled afterparty went on into the wee hours in the Hay Barn. But we’d be telling if we revealed what went on there…
