Wild Table September 4.0: Stillness
Every time we host a Wild Table event at Tey Brook Orchard, the land dictates the experience. Edition 4.0 was a celebration of STILLNESS - the final rhythm of 2026, celebrating the transition where summer’s energy settles into the quiet depth of the autumn harvest. With my co-creator, Becky Browning, this was an experiential woodland dining moment; an invitation to enter the season's gentle unwinding and route to rest.
Set at Tey Brook Farm, a gorgeous 5th generation organic farm in Essex, and the true custodian of our Wild Table series. Becky and I co-create to bring our series to life, but we recognise the ultimate recognition is held within the farm.
I consider it rugged gourmet in its purest form, where I felt stillness itself becomes our most vital ingredient. In a world of constant noise, the Wild Table became a sanctuary of natural stillness. Stripping away the formality of the traditional dining room, with mindful intuition creates a space that is natural, calm, and heavy with flavor. We try to encourage the removal of our usual daily rules of time; ensuring an unhurried journey through the trees, returning to the pace of the land as we create a little theatre of culinary magic beneath their canopy.
Everytime we complete an edition of Wild Tables I'm in awe of the magic that is continually displayed, through our curiosity to nature, and dining in the wild - through to the support of our teams and the land in which we couldn’t do without. My mission is to encourage curiosity in the wild. Look, feel, and experience something new… and I’m so grateful to be this conduit for so many.
Fueled by Fire: OFYR my fire starter
September played its classic game of keep-away with the weather. We saw a touch of rain,(much needed) and just enough to wet the soil, refresh the foliage, and bring out a fresh woodland perfume, but definitely not enough to dampen our spirits!
A setup like this relies heavily on serious fire power to bring our culinary philosophy to life - with bold, uncomplicated integrity, every plate we design is a story in culinary presence. This menu was the culmination of weeks of preparation from slow-maturing roots to a primal commitment to the terroir on our doorstep, transformed through fire and into woodsmoke, time, and nature.
We owe a massive thank you to our headline open-fire cooking sponsors, OFYR and BSTRD. OFYR has been an essential part of The Wild Table since inception, providing the iconic circular cooking plancha that brings everyone together around the embers. This season, I was thrilled to expand our setup by adding BSTRD to our fire kit lineup. Together, their incredible equipment allowed us to handle everything from high-temp searing to delicate ember-roasting right out in the elements, with our Tomahawks taking centre cage!
From cherry wood, apples, and honey to fresh rosemary, thyme, mint, and plums, so much of our fuel and flavor came straight from Tey Brook Farm itself. To pair with the feast, the bar team (Nell, Gab, Keelie and Frank) poured a stellar lineup of Tey Brook Farms very own wines, including the Cabernet Noir 2025 with its notes of blackcurrant, eucalyptus, and light spice, the lively red and stone fruit Pét Nat 2025 with no added sulphites, and their round, smooth Sparkling Rosé 2024. We are also deeply grateful to our local sponsors - Maldon Salt, Jack Rabbit, Essex Spirits, Sylva, and Sipp'd - for their generosity and exceptional produce.
Take a peek at our September menu;
SHISO & BLACKBERRY COLLINS featuring Tey Brook Sparkling Rosé (Non-alc option: Sylva)
FLAMBÉED GARLIC PRAWN Essex cider, smoked miso butter, chives
FOCACCIA Tey Brook herbs, whipped oak butter
WILD FEASTING Roasted squash, smoked mānuka feta, Browning Bros honey pepita, charred peach Last of the summer heritage panzanella, sumac, holy basil Scorched lemon chicken, turmeric butter sauce, tarragon, ember-roasted peas
DEDHAM VALE TOMAHAWK 28-day dry aged, ember-roasted sweetcorn, charred bone marrow
SIDES Root vegetable dauphinoise French beans, confit garlic
BROWN BUTTER SKILLET BROWNIE Damson & blackberry compote, vanilla cream
PETIT FOUR Mini hokey pokey bombe alaska
Live Music & Tim's Big Birthday
The soundtrack to the weekend was provided by incredible live music, starting with a performance from Levinson on Thursday night, followed by Adam English setting the tone on Friday; camp fire songs post evening meal around the fires, certainly capturing the essence of the connection in which we are determined to create…
Beyond the feasting and tunes, this edition carried an extra touch of magic as we hosted a special big birthday celebration lunch for a very dear friend, Kiwi legend Tim Fogarty. Gathering around the fire with great wine, live embers, and close friends made the weekend feel even more intimate and celebratory. #grateful
My Dream Facilitators
An off-grid event exposed to autumn weather relies entirely on the grit, skill, and warmth of the people behind the flames. Curation was led by myself and Becky Browning, with Jade leading the kitchen as Head of Kitchen and Thomas taking charge as Head of Fire. Indie took on a triple role across glade chef, OFYR, and FOH duties, while Harry and Jess split their time between the glade and FOH. Front of house was held down expertly by Liv and Flo, with Zak x 2 keeping the kitchen running smoothly behind the scenes. Char kept everything running as Pass Manager and Logistics lead.
Alongside our core team, our volunteer crew held the whole show together - assisting with foraging, dressing the long wooden tables, helping with dishes, and keeping the energy sky-high from morning till night. An extra special shoutout goes to the incredible Ling, who also served as our spiritual guide, and my ma mum Edie, who traveled all the way from NZ to hold down the fort with us, and lead our breakfast and coffee set ups, daily!
Naturally, no Wild Table weekend is complete without a few unscripted moments - the absolute highlight being Harry being dunked into the Italian meringue during Sunday's final lunch service!
Capturing the beauty, atmosphere, and motion of the weekend were our photographer Ivana Miladinov and videographer William Page Brown, who were on site capturing both photos and video on Thursday to bring the magic of Edition 4.0 to life.
Dates: Thursday 17th until Sunday 20th September (sittings Thurs dinner, Fri dinner, Sat lunch & dinner, Sun lunch)
Link to playlist
