As a relative newbie to the Oxford area, I heard about Worton Kitchen Garden for the first time a few weeks ago. I immediately added it to my ‘must visit’ list, so it felt like fate when they sent through an invitation to their supper club. 

My friend and I arrived in a slight panic as we’d got lost in the many buildings of the Worton Estate and were running a bit behind schedule. However, as soon as stepped inside the Worton Garden Kitchen greenhouse we were immediately put at ease – the chef came to welcome us and led us to one of the two long communal tables, where several diners were already sat down. A bottle of wine swiftly followed, served by the incredibly friendly and attentive waiter. We waited underneath the colourful fairy lights, with a backdrop of spectacular potted plants. The tables were laid for a rustic feast, decorated with freshly cut garden flowers and shimmering candles.

The point of the evening was to raise awareness and funds for local, small-scale and high-welfare abattoirs who are at risk of closure due to new legislation. We were joined by local farmer, Will Spray, who had provided his locally reared Cotswold Lions sheep for the dinner. 

Will kindly gave a short talk about why it was so important to prevent the closure of these abattoirs, particularly for farmers like him who rear relatively rare sheep breeds in small herds. Firstly, they are better for the welfare of the sheep. Secondly, it makes the business much more economically viable for small-scale, ethical farmers, especially if their sheep breeds require more time and care to raise than those sold en masse in supermarkets. Otherwise, many rare breeds will be at risk.

Given that this was a ‘celebration’ of lamb, it made sense that the first course was lamb bonbons. These were crisp and flavourful mouthfuls, served with a deliciously fresh homemade wild garlic salsa verde. 

Following this was a dish that my French dinner companion recognised immediately from her grandma’s cooking. It turned out that chef Simon had indeed spent a lot of time in France, and this dish was as elegant as you’d expect; beautifully fresh and crunchy leeks lay on a bed of rice, accompanied by shaved egg, crushed hazelnut and an olive oil dressing. Delicious! 

Then came the pièce de resistance.

The tables were ceremoniously cleared and out came two spectacular trays of lamb – one leg, one shoulder. We were on the table with the leg, which looked as though it could feed ten times the amount of people there. Miraculously, this was all for us!! 

The meat was plump, juicy and cooked to perfection, spiked with garlic cloves and pink in the middle.

It didn’t have the slight ‘edge’ that lamb can often have; instead, the flavour was mellow and dangerously more-ish. Simon (Head Chef Extraordonaire) explained that this was due to the lamb being slightly older than the kind you’d buy in the supermarket, although I’m sure Will’s care also had a lot to do with it. 

Alongside the meat were a variety of homemade sauces, including a sweet, syrupy crabapple sauce that I could have eaten as a soup. Each piece of lamb lay on a bed of fresh green veg and came with a tray of creamy, buttery, garlicky dauphiniose potatoes which had the perfect combo of being crispy on top and indulgently rich in the middle. The table joined together as a human conveyor belt to serve out the food and we very quickly dived straight back in for more. All combined, this was delicious and hearty plate. 

By this point, the conversation along the table was well and truly flowing, and this was when the supper club really came into its own. We were sat with the chef’s family, and pretty soon my friend was WhatsApping recipes to his sister-in-law and swapping film recommendations as they were both going to the cinema the next day. On the other side of the table, I was getting tips from other diners about places to visit in Yorkshire and the Essex coast.

One thing that everyone at our table said (multiple times) was that we absolutely had to come back to the Kitchen Garden in the spring and summer. I can absolutely see why – even in the winter evening the place had a magical charm, and I can only imagine how it looks with flowers in full bloom! 

Lastly, it was time for dessert. Mammoth blocks of Duckets Caerphilly Cheese were presented at the same time as a Yorkshire custard tart. As the chef explained, his French training meant he couldn’t possibly allow the cheese course to come last. However, he recognised that British people have a weird dedication to saving the cheese until the end, so he offered us the desserts simultaneously so we could make our own decision. 

The cheese was creamy with a delicious subtle tang, and served with a perfectly baked crusty sourdough. We discovered that, in its infancy, Worton Kitchen Garden had started as a bakery, and it was clear that the passion for great bread hadn’t gone away. 

The tart was a great accompaniment to this – soft, crumbly and not too sweet. I personally enjoyed the layer of currants at the bottom although I appreciate that some (incorrect) people don’t like anything in the raisin family. 

We ended the meal feeling very full and very merry, with candles flickering gently down all around us.

This was a completely magical evening, fuelled by great company and even better food. It turns out that all I needed to brighten a cold evening in the never-ending winter was a wholesome, community-sprited, delicious feast, made with absolute care from locally-sourced products. Who knew?! 

Worton Kitchen Garden
Worton Farm, Worton, Near Cassington OX29 4SU

Bitten were invited as guests and all views are our own