Twinkly lights. Fabulous food. Great conversation. Prosecco on tap. All this in glorious picturesque surroundings just a short hop out of London - a new supper club with the option to glamp ticked all the boxes on my personal wish-list for a great night out.
It was quite a fluke discovering this fabulous event. I was networking on Twitter using #HertsHour which runs every Monday evening between 9-10pm and hooks users up with entrepreneurs and businesses in Hertfordshire.
I am co-hosting a Masterclass (Blog Your Business to Success) with the founder of @workingmumsclub and we had agreed to promote the fact that tickets had gone on sale.
Chatting with other Tweeps that evening I spotted someone tweeting about a new supper club. My ears pricked up and I quickly joined the thread of people chatting about Chef Jean-Luc Sainlo's new venture.
The chef, on Twitter as @SainloEvents provides bespoke catering for events of all shapes and sizes.
For the supper club he teamed up with Home Farm Glamping (@HFGlamping) which is based in beautiful Hertfordshire countryside just a short hop out of London. You can be at the site in less than an hour from the centre of London. The site is a short taxi ride from Stanmore station at the Northern end of the Jubilee Line or from Edgware or High Barnet on the Northern Line.
The inaugural supper club "Gourmet Garden Party" event was held in a large barn on the farm which offered plenty of shelter from what turned out to be horrific rain by the end of the evening.
Luckily the early part of the evening saw us bathed in evening sunshine which was perfect for sipping Prosecco whilst sampling some beautiful canapes including lobster cones with Kimchi mayo, mini fish pies and cheeseburgers and wonderful spicy lamb bites.
I had a wander round the glamping site and a peep into the Yurts and bell tents. Wow! The interiors look very inviting and cosy. The yurts were particularly luxurious.
I even had a look at the showers and toilets which were in spotless wooden lodge-style cabins.
Heading back to the barn I watched the chefs in action for a while - top marks for them for producing such amazing food in a barn! I admired the table layout and loved the little details like cute candles, a nice sofa area and of course strings of lights.
Music played gently in the background at first but the resident DJ played some livelier tunes later on for those who wanted to dance. I confess I just relaxed after all my food.
We enjoyed four courses!
Each dish was beautifully and artistically presented and tasty. The photos don't always do the food justice - apologies but I was in a barn lit by candles and fairy lights!
I had gone along to the event alone but soon met interesting chatty people including new food blogger Seetal from Savlafaire.com who will be writing her own review.
As well as being great fun for a sociable night out the supper club proved to be an unexpectedly good place for networking and I ended up giving out all of my business cards. I didn't feel at all awkward going alone as we all sat on one big long table with plenty of opportunity to chat to people around me who all shared a mutual love of good food. However it would have been lots of fun to go with food-loving friends.
The venue doesn't have a drinks licence which means guests were able to take their own wine and other drinks. I took fizzy water as sadly I was driving home, not staying in one of the amazing glamping tents - I would recommend booking one of these for the truly special night out!
The evening was a great success and more events are planned so follow Chef Sainlo and Home Farm Glamping on Twitter to be the first to learn about the next supper club and other events.
Disclaimer: I attended the Gourmet Garden Party event FOC for the purposes of this review. Views and opinions remain honest and my own.
I am co-hosting a Masterclass (Blog Your Business to Success) with the founder of @workingmumsclub and we had agreed to promote the fact that tickets had gone on sale.
Chatting with other Tweeps that evening I spotted someone tweeting about a new supper club. My ears pricked up and I quickly joined the thread of people chatting about Chef Jean-Luc Sainlo's new venture.
The chef, on Twitter as @SainloEvents provides bespoke catering for events of all shapes and sizes.
The inaugural supper club "Gourmet Garden Party" event was held in a large barn on the farm which offered plenty of shelter from what turned out to be horrific rain by the end of the evening.
Luckily the early part of the evening saw us bathed in evening sunshine which was perfect for sipping Prosecco whilst sampling some beautiful canapes including lobster cones with Kimchi mayo, mini fish pies and cheeseburgers and wonderful spicy lamb bites.
I even had a look at the showers and toilets which were in spotless wooden lodge-style cabins.
Heading back to the barn I watched the chefs in action for a while - top marks for them for producing such amazing food in a barn! I admired the table layout and loved the little details like cute candles, a nice sofa area and of course strings of lights.
Music played gently in the background at first but the resident DJ played some livelier tunes later on for those who wanted to dance. I confess I just relaxed after all my food.
We enjoyed four courses!
- Ballotine of goats cheese with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, oven dried tomatoes and black olives.
- Sea Bass with cod brandade, scallops and a civet sauce.
- Duo of beef with new potatoes and broad beans, courgettes, mushroom pithier, celeriac puree and a rich red wine jus.
- English rhubarb panacotta and strawberry ice cream.
Each dish was beautifully and artistically presented and tasty. The photos don't always do the food justice - apologies but I was in a barn lit by candles and fairy lights!
I had gone along to the event alone but soon met interesting chatty people including new food blogger Seetal from Savlafaire.com who will be writing her own review.
As well as being great fun for a sociable night out the supper club proved to be an unexpectedly good place for networking and I ended up giving out all of my business cards. I didn't feel at all awkward going alone as we all sat on one big long table with plenty of opportunity to chat to people around me who all shared a mutual love of good food. However it would have been lots of fun to go with food-loving friends.
The evening was a great success and more events are planned so follow Chef Sainlo and Home Farm Glamping on Twitter to be the first to learn about the next supper club and other events.
Disclaimer: I attended the Gourmet Garden Party event FOC for the purposes of this review. Views and opinions remain honest and my own.
