Four days of feasting with great acts and fine weather. The Wilderness Festival is Nick’s kind of festival and more.
He becomes the epicentre of a horde, dare we say a swarm, of phone-toting fans keen to get selfies with the grinning Raymond. As many of horde are young girls and women scantily dressed to allow for the day’s heat, his grin becomes even wider. My wife grabs her phone and disappears into the crush as fast as anyone else and eventually emerges triumphant with her own personal memento of what has been a very memorable occasion.
The people that come to this festival in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside are fond of their food and the festival makes sure they get a bellyful. Of course there are a few spots selling the kind of food that you rather regret eating almost immediately, but even they are of a higher standard than usual.
The Dining Room is a collection of restaurants, representing the hipper side of the London restaurant scene with Rawduck, Maze Sushi, Duck & Waffle, London House , The Quality Chop House and Patty & Bun all here this year.
Each day is hosted by a chef of the moment preparing a tasting menu for everyone at the Table. This year it was Nuno Mendes (Bacchus, Viajante). Scott Hallsworth (Kurobuta, Nobu) Neil Borthwick (The Connaught, Merchant’s Tavern) and James Knappett (Kitchen Table, ex-Noma).
Not convinced? Okay how about one of the long table feasts – Moro, Hix and Petersham Nurseries, all bookable in advance – a big advantage.
The long benches sit everyone in elbow jostling proximity so there’s no point in standing on ceremony, Sit down and talk to your neighbours and hear how their days and nights have gone. My neighbour and his girlfriend told me they had saved all year to attend and have enough money to indulge in everything and they didn’t regret a penny of it. This feast was to be their highlight before heading home.
Then came a selection of cold picknicky items. The celeriac rave, one of my favourite French things, was here even better. No clammy mayonnaise but bright mustardy flavours over crispy celeriac. It went oh so well with oh so coarse pate, tiny vinegary cornichons and fresh-baked rolls. Heads of roasted garlic, split in half, had succulent cloves to be squeezed like toothpaste onto the plate.
Mains was hay smoked lamb shoulder, served on giant platters and partnered with heritage carrot and barley risotto and sides of classic baby gem braised with peas, a dish so simple it hides how hard it is to get it right. Needless to say it was right, wonderfully so.
The main act for Sunday was Ben Howard, trying to top Bjork and George Clinton from the previous nights, and we were mellow enough to be ready to wander down to watch him. And probably to eat some more food, because full as we were we weren’t going to miss the chance to try even more of the incredible cornucopia of choice that only the Wilderness Festival provides.