Nomadic Dinners

An amazing concept which is executed well, but not perfectly. I attended the Andrew Clarke evening with my husband and we had an enjoyable evening. The main improvement would be the inclusion of live music, which was advertised on the website but not present on the day. The food was good (we especially enjoyed the canapes!), but it would have been nice if the waiters told us which dish they were bringing to the table, as we couldn't remember everything that was on the menu. Portion sizes were ample and everything was very well cooked. It was dark by the time the dessert arrived so we couldn't see what we were eating! The service was great, staff were friendly and helpful. I really enjoyed the herbal tea by the fire to end the evening. Overall, the evening was enjoyable and I'd love to return to try a different menu. As the tables are shared by multiple groups - prepare to share your food with strangers! This made things feel a little stiff and awkward at points for us - we would have preferred individual plates. The atmosphere was incredible - eating outdoors surrounded by the forest was very special.

We were kindly gifted this experience. Finding it was easy but the taxi driver drove straight past and we had to tell him to turn around. Its magical walking up into the area trees on each side. Its very natural ans rustic and charming. Small details all around add to the atmosphere. We had 3 complementary gin and tonics each! And got a bit merry. And the canapes were yummy..we stood in the right place as was offered loads and even had to resuse in the end as would have been full. Tables were beautifully decorated. And separated around the area. We had hoped to sit under the main tent but was directed to our allocated table with others. There are games dotted around to interact with if you want. We met a lovely couple and had a great evening. Some on our table did not interact as much but everyones experience is different I guess. The place became alive when it became darker with twinkly lights everywhere. Even the toilet was full of candles and lights. If you want to buy any more drinks they are expensive just be preparred. The food was good serves on wooden plates, and wooden cutlery, and more of a shared style of passing the food around the table. The evening was followed by marshmallow toasting and tea which we missed as was enjoying the prosecco too much. Think we were the last ones to leave...had so much fun with pictures on the giant deckchair at the end. Luckily we had fantastic weather but can imagine a very different experience if raining.

We recently visited Nomadic Dinners for the Italian night experience with Michelin star Chef Arturo Granato - "with" being the operative word. Whilst it is true, Chef Arturo Granato was present (he did a wholesome speech at the beginning of the night), the Michelin star element was not. We arrived at 16:50 after the email stated to not arrive earlier than 16:45 however there was already around 30 people there, who had taken the limited seats around the camp fire. We also read that we'd be getting a complimentary gin cocktail on arrival but instead we were offered a Bellini (which was flat). Next, some waiters took around some small arancini which looked lovely, although sadly my partner and I did not get any because the waiters circled the trays around the same individuals. After this, some focaccia with ham and pesto circled and again, but the same people got offered until we decided to interject ourselves. The focaccia was overly chewy, ham felt low quality but the pesto was nice and fresh. We noted that some individuals had none of the canapés whilst others had several. We then went to the "sort of" bar (manned table) to get drinks. Choices were quite limited, especially for non-alcohol drinkers. We found the best option was to buy a bottle of red wine to last the night and thought this would pair well with the "Italian" food. We were handed the bottle and two dirty glasses. It seemed then that it was up to us to find where we had been seated. We found our seats eventually which were next to each other and crammed on a long table with 18 others. My partner and I are far from big people and to be fair, neither was anyone else on the table, however we were all elbow to elbow. Next we were served the starter - burrata on a bed of crushed peppers and tomatoes with a balsamic glaze. Whilst this was very nice (and probably the best course), it felt like not much talent or technique went into the preparation and I wouldn't call this cooking. The main course was a platter of ribs, chicken and sausages which has been cooked on the barbecues by the staff, served with another platter of fried veg and fennel covered in a cheese sauce. These platters were seemingly shared between eight people but was probably only enough for five and it felt uncomfortable splitting food with strangers. Perhaps if you would have visited with a large group of your own friends/family then this idea would have gone down better. The young waiters did circle around with another platter of meat after this, however only offered to people at the ends of the table, therefore we once again missed out. The sausages tasted high quality, but probably nothing more special than what we get from our local butchers and there wasn't much meat on the ribs. I didn't manage to get a piece of chicken but my partner said that it was just "okay". We didn't get any of the fennel either but the peppers were just softened with no seasoning - again, nothing special. The dessert was supposedly tiramisu - a thin square of cake, swimming in very dilute coffee, with piped synthetic tasting cream on top. The food was okay, but the style and quality is that I'd expect from a nice wedding. The bathrooms were little huts - visually, they looked lovely. However the smell was awful, even with the candles, diffusers and air fresheners. This was obviously down to the lack of flush - a posh pee bucket. After they were heating through coffee on the fire. This is very pedantic of me (I know) but Chef Arturo Granato stated at the start of the night that there would be cannolis - these were no where to be seen but there was a tray of sfogliatella instead (yes, both Italian pastries, very similar, but not the same). These were dry and unfortunately there was no coffee left to help wash it down. They'd hired a opera singer as a "treat" - perhaps what most of our money was spent on along with paying for Arturo Granato to show his face (and not much more) to entice people in for an average night. Not worth £129 per person. Would write more but Google reviews has a word limit.

Fantasic event, from start to finish! Had a lovely, warm welcome with an interesting berry-based fizz on arrival, whilst we wandered the site, taking it all in. The layout of the tents and benches was very tasteful and fitted in perfectly with the beautiful, wooded surroundings. Our table was laid with huge attention to detail and we were very impressed with each of our dishes - not only were they super-tasty, but really well presented…the chefs did an amazing job. There was an opportunity to talk with the chefs and hear what they had to say about their experience there too, which was lovely and great photo opportunity too! We were even impressed with the loos - beautifully laid out, and eco-friendly but with fragranced scents creating a spa-like atmosphere. We came away with lots of photos of a truly memorable time - perfect for a family celebration with our two grown-up daughters, arranged specifically to co-incide with eldest daughter's 30th birthday. They both loved it too and were delighted with whole ethos behind the Nomadic idea of communing with nature (complete with a very hungry but friendly caterpillar at our table!) and particularly loved the open fire, perfect for toasting marshmallows at the end of the evening. Thank you so much - we look forward to visiting again.

A wonderful foodie experience on an incredibly hot Saturday afternoon. Food was beautifully presented and on point at every stage of the event. More importantly, the taste was very good too! Service was a bit haphazard at times and we did not get to try the Thai Green curry Arancini (when we requested/mentioned this, it was "all gone"!). Drinks are pricey, but once you are there, they've gotcha!

A wonderful evening at the masterchef anniversary feast! Although there were periods of heavy rain during the meal, it didn’t matter it was still incredibly cosy and dry under the tents and the tables were beautifully set. The food was fantastic (shout out to the canapés in particular - stunning mouthfuls!) It was truly a wonderful experience. We are excited to come back!

This is the 2nd time I have been to Nomadic Dinners, as the last visit (a couple of years ago) was amazing. This time round it simply wasn't as good, and maybe that is because I was comparing it to my previous experience. The food was good (not exceptional), however the thing that was different was the atmosphere and overall experience. Last time, the chefs visited each table personally and described in detail what they had prepared and the process behind each course. This time there was no interaction at all (other than a poorly managed Q&A at the end) with the chefs, so no explanation of what you were actually eating. Maybe its simply because the 'event' has grown significantly in size over the years and is now no longer 'personal'. Overall, good food... but not a great experience.

The experience was lovely and the setting was stunning. Staff friendly and attentive, and the foraging tour was interesting. Both myself and the others sat with me felt that the meal was underwhelming and not a representation of the foraging experience or being a "feast over fire". The three course meal was tasty but not really what I would expect of £125 and besides the aubergine of my vegetarian risotto (a really standard, uninspiring vegetarian option wherever you go!) nothing was cooked over a fire. The dessert of strawberry Eton mess and toasting marshmallows is such a cop-out for the price. There was nothing served that felt special, topical for the event or that I couldn't make myself for under £20. Parking was limited which I appreciate is due to the location but they should consider this when capping ticket numbers! That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the talk and dining experience in the forest. It would be the perfect wedding location and meal but overall the dishes fell short of my expectations and was a costly experience.