Supper club serves up a pre-festival feast

lotte Duncan and Tom Newitt

MORE than 80 hungry foodies dined on a veritable seasonal feast when the Sandy Lane Farm Supper Club opened its doors to a one-off evening on Friday, May 15.

The occasion was a special supper club held in support of this year’s Thame Food Festival, raising important funds to help stage the annual celebration of local and artisan food that takes over the centre of Thame every September.

Cate and George Bennett from Sandy Lane Farm laid on the supper club in the lovely surroundings of their rustic barn, with many other festival supporters and volunteers chipping in to create a wonderful showcase of seasonal food and drink that mirrors the food festival itself.

Host for the evening was Thame Food Festival Patron Lotte Duncan, who welcomed guests and along with local cookery writer, BBC Good Food Magazine columnist and baking author Jane Hornby prepared a mouth-watering selection of canapés to set the scene for the good things to follow.

Guests tucked into fantastic artisan English charcuterie including Dorset air-dried beef and dry-cured salamis from Capreolus Fine Foods and Curious Foods, balsamic dipping oils, Belazu accompaniments and artisan ciabatta from the Cornfield bakery, all piled high onto sharing boards.

Delicious smoked BBQ beef and pork from the Smoke Yard Kitchen and Sandy Lane Farm was teamed with a choice of seasonal salads using ingredients fresh from the fields of Sandy Lane Farm and from the kitchens of What’s Cooking in Thame, and to finish there was a delightfully refreshing gooseberry and elderflower ice cream with pink gooseberry sorbet from Ledbury’s Just Rachel Ice Cream with light shortbread biscuits made locally by Hannah Bakes.

Wines chosen to match each course were specially selected by Jerome Harlington from Trailblazing Wine and the meal ended with irresistible Rumsey’s chocolates and coffee served from the quirky pop-up Horsebox coffee shop.

“Our first ever supper club was a big success and much enjoyed by everyone around the table as well as all of us who helped to organise it,” says Lotte Duncan.

“We had a truly wonderful night and the atmosphere was lovely. As I looked across the barn with all its twinkly candles and gorgeous decorations, all I could hear was laughter and chatter and the sound of people having a great time. We ate and drank well, made new friends and talked excitedly about this year’s food festival, which I know is going to be more fantastic than ever.

“I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who made the evening possible. A lot of hard work went into it and we really appreciate that, alongside the presence of all our supporters, guests and sponsors – it couldn’t have happened without them.”

As part of its on-going sponsorship of the Thame Food Festival, Ronald Peet, Anne Battson, Stephen Woods and Robert Pinheiro from Withy King entertained clients and key referrers at the supper club. They reported fantastic feedback from their guests:

“Thank you for a delightful evening. We were very impressed with the food and of course the company! It was very kind of you to invite us.”

“What an amazing experience in magical surroundings.”

“What a perfect setting for such a wondrous evening of local food and wine”.

Whilst the supper club may have been a one off, there is plenty more in store at this year’s Thame Food Festival which takes place from 9am to 5pm on Saturday 26th September 2015 in the heart of Thame town centre. For more information please go to www.thamefoodfestival.co.uk.

SOURCE: Contributed