The Wild Table: Reflections from an evening at Teybrook Orchard
This May, something wonderful and whimsical happened beneath the trees at Teybrook Orchard. In collaboration with Chef Melanie Brown and the team at The Laundry Brixton, we brought a new kind of restaurant to life, one that swapped walls for woodland, and private tables for candlelit communal ones. The Wild Table was our shared vision of what it means to gather with care, to cook with intention, and to honour the land beneath our feet.
As the sun filtered through the canopy, the orchard became a place of slow magic. Long tables were laid with wildflowers foraged from our land. Every ingredient had a story and a source: lamb and brisket from Colchester, dairy from Wickford, salt from Maldon, and herbs, honey, and cherrywood gathered just metres from the kitchen fire. There was something quietly radical in how local it all was.
“The partnerships we formed with local producers really shone through, and we were proud to highlight the provenance of every ingredient and drink served”
During a beautiful weekend in mid-May, guests left London behind, many noting how easy it was to get here, and arrived, just an hour later, on our fifth-generation organic farm, not quite knowing what to expect. That was part of the magic. Strangers stepped into ancient woodland and left as friends.
As hosts of The Wild Table, held in what was once our childhood playground, we encourage guests to loosen their grip on the everyday, look up, notice, and connect. Because in this woodland, the unexpected often finds you. That spirit shaped the evening. As the sun dipped behind the trees, guests followed winding woodland paths to The Glade, past sculptures crafted by fellow Brownings, for cocktails and canapés. A Teybrook Collins made with local gin and honey was paired with a smoked mackerel pavé, touched with the gentle heat of wasabi. A welcome speech from Chef Mel Brown set the tone before the crowd drifted further into the woods to a clearing of beautifully laid tables, with light dappling through the trees. The woodland kitchen, anchored by Big Green Eggs and OFYRs, was already glowing. As the first plates were prepared, warm focaccia and whipped butter made their way around the tables, and English wines (from New Hall, Ark and Flint) began to flow.
“...*the evening* was a visceral testament to connection, an experience that was brought to life through nature, fire, people and the integrity of the land in which the Browning Bros family are custodians. They are our wild rockstars.”
The cleverly assembled menu featured vibrant and seasonal dishes bursting with flavour and Mel’s signature style - cherrywood smoked lamb rack that fell off the bone, slow-cooked beef brisket tortellino in a perfectly balanced lobster bisque, and venison chilli meatballs with a smoked manuka feta. For pudding, a rustic caramelised brioche - with rhubarb and vanilla custard, still warm from the fire - rounded off the meal in true seasonal style. Once the bowls were mopped and the glasses refilled, conversation continued around the campfire, where mini baked Alaska were toasted on the flames, and the chatter continued late into the evening.
For those who had chosen to stay the night, it was only a short wander and a tumble into soft sheets. Furnished with double beds and electric blankets, Browning Bros bell tents offer comfort and charm in spades. After a restful night’s sleep, campers returned to the campfire for copious cups of coffee, fresh orange juice and The Laundry’s signature breakfast.
Topics over breakfast included how comfortable the beds were and how nobody wanted to leave. For the Browning family and the team at The Laundry alike, the buzz, the feedback and the palpable magic of the evening was a dream come true.
A moment carved out of the ordinary, giving centre stage to the power of place, good food, and shared experience. It was unanimously agreed that The Wild Table had to happen again. Something so special deserves to be savoured and shared. Secure your spot today, or sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear about future events.
The Wild Table returns this September. Limited tickets available. Don’t miss out.
“I’d been dreaming of woodland dining experiences on our organic farm for some time…but nothing could have prepared me for just how wildly magical The Wild Table would be.”
The Browning Clan
Stories from the table
“When I say I want to go out for dinner… this is what I mean!”
“A really special evening all about cooking for community and embracing place”
“Dine by candlelight to the crackling sound of the embers. Sleep under the stars and awake by birdsong.”
