Being a food enthusiast, I’m pretty effusive about most dining experiences – but I think I may have just encountered the most magnificent feast yet.
Woodfire Camping kicked off their FEAST season in style, collaborating with ROVI from the Ottolenghi Restaurant family. The setting was like something out of a movie – you know the ones set in Tuscany with perfectly sunlit tables full of freshly picked flowers, beautiful food, idyllic surroundings, and people having the best time – well, folks this was my reality when my friend Jenny and I booked in for Woodfire Camping’s first Feast of the summer.
Did someone say Ottolenghi?
Oh yes – out of their natural habitat of London into the wilds of Westerlands, Chefs Neil Campbell and Andy Frantzeskos and the Rovi team brought along their super skills to create magic over fire. Rovi restaurant specialises in celebrating vegetables from root to tip, fabulous ferments and cooking over flame.
This collaboration was the brainchild of Stella and Griff, whose master plan is to lure city chefs into the country to create a full gourmet experience at their gastro campsite – it’s inspired.
Pleasure Seekers
There was definitely something in the air when we arrived at Westerlands. Beyond the fabulous aromas drifting from the firepit and outdoor kitchen, a sense of giddy excitement hung around us – and I’m fairly certain it wasn’t just me. We were greeted with a warm welcome from the Woodfire team and handed a cold, crisp glass of Ridgeview Bloomsbury as we mingled with fellow food lovers. Some guests set up camp, while others were just there for the evening – but all of us shared in the anticipation of pleasures to come.
Special Food Eaten in Nature
The beginning of the Rovi feast was heralded by Stella, clearly in her element seeing the vision they have for Woodfire Camping Feasts playing out perfectly in front of her. Huge sharing platters of incredible vegetables were delivered. Baby carrot escabeche (a form of pickling) – were a tangy delight, Cherrywood smoked labneh with a fabulous beetroot molasses scooped up with sorrel leaves. Heavenly peas, fire grilled in their pods with a charred lemon salsa and parmesan – the ultimate flavour bombs that popped out the pod as you pulled them through your teeth. While the diners got stuck in, Chefs Neil and Andy would share the story of the dishes we were devouring before heading back to the fires.
Trooping the Colours
The next wave of generous platters trooped out in style – a bombardment of seasonal colours that looked incredible in the fading golden light. Grilled Red Peppers arrived dressed with plump golden raisins, nasturtiums and smoked almonds. Grilled cucumber with – possibly my favourite taste sensation of the evening – a black sesame and peanut crunch. Woah, just phenomenal flavour and texture! Completing the trio was a vibrant dish of fresh tomatoes, dashi-pickled tomatoes, strawberries, and Korean mint.
This kind of mastery, elevating the humble vegetable into a riot of creative flavours and textures, is nothing short of miraculous.
Grill Seekers
Given what this dream team can deliver with vegetables, the Westerlands Lamb on the menu was an exciting prospect. When we arrived, we spied Griff in his happy place, basting huge joints of lamb over the fire pit with a big brush made of bay leaves – it was inevitable that the lamb was going to be an outstanding dish for me. Tearing and stuffing warmed, wildfarmed pita with this caramelised, tender lamb, filling with the green tahini and punchy deep fermented chilli tomato sauce, then a heap of pickled hibiscus red onions, was a flavour sensation. Serious pleasure. The Rovi celeriac Shawarma hit all the notes too, but as I predicted, the slow-cooked lamb won my heart.
Forging Friendships
Food aside for a moment, one of the things that made this night feel truly special was the communal dining experience. The banquet-style seating encouraged strangers to sit together and as each course was presented and devoured, conversation flowed, drinks from the charming little bar were poured, and new connections were made.
Jenny and I bonded almost immediately with our tablemates; they were an absolute joy to spend the evening with, just like old friends. Chloe and her husband had come down from London, drawn by their love of both camping and Ottolenghi. The others lived just down the road and were thrilled to have such an incredible dining experience right on their doorstep.
All the tables were ringing with chatter and laughter, even breaking into a birthday song for Head Chef Neil as he was presented with a cake. It should be noted that cultivating this kind of atmosphere is a real skill – full respect to Stella, Griff and their team for creating such a warm and friendly experience for everyone involved.
Cranachan by Moonlight
As the sun disappeared and the sky turned inky blue, pudding arrived – a generous helping of Cranachan to close the feast. Layers of pleasure: cardamom filo shards, burnt honey and whiskey, toasted oats, and macerated raspberries. It was the perfect, delicately balanced note to end on.
With a full moon rising overhead and fires still glowing, the night came to a close and it was time to say goodbye to our new found friends and fabulous hosts. At the time, I couldn’t quite believe what a beautiful experience it was. Jenny and I waxed lyrical all the way home to Brighton. In retrospect, it felt magnificently pagan.
This wasn’t just a meal – it was a full-bodied celebration of land, fire, and flavour. Every element rooted in place: lamb raised in the adjoining field, wheat for the pitas milled nearby, fruit and vegetables from surrounding farms, even the cherry wood for the fires grown from the nearby woodland.
The ROVI and Woodfire teams worked in harmony, sharing skills, stories and flame to create something genuinely special. It was elemental. Communal. Seasonal. Joyful
This coming season of Woodfire Feasts is one to watch…and pounce on when announced. The ROVI collab will be a tough act to follow, but I’ve got a feeling the next Feast will be just as unforgettable. Book fast, bring friends, and come hungry.
