Women cooking over fire
Now summer is faintly dwindling away, we’ve been reminiscing about some of the fabulous events we’ve hosted this season.
One that will stick clearly in our mind was the Women Cooking over Fire supper. Cathy St Germans teamed up with Boconnoc to organise the event which centred around a group of individuals who came together and conversed, ate and delighted in the phenomenal power of sustainable and local produce combined with the theatre and magic of food.
Plans were set about to create a one-off food event at Boconnoc, making use of the fantastic suppliers and produce a few food miles away. Gioconda Scott along with Agustina Gagliardi were our cooks for the evening. Gioconda has vast experience working in high-end private dining clubs, hotels and restaurants as well as presenting on the BBC Food Channel, together with Cathy dreamt of this evening for some time; the stars aligned and this spectacular event came alive.
Gioconda, known for always using the freshest, local ingredients does not describe herself as a ‘chef’ or even ‘cook’, what she creates is much more than that, which manifested in this event. Using bespoke live fire cooking equipment, various wood-fired contraptions lined the terrace at Boconnoc; Phillip Warren’s beef cooked slowly hanging over a iron tripod, planchas kissed super fresh turbot, as well as earthy fresh veg plucked just hours before from the estate kitchen garden. We grazed over various courses through-out the evening including fresh ceviche with a pop of berries and a flurry of fennel, crudités with Spanish olive oil and sea salt, ever-so-tender wood fired beef and caramelised beets with meaty turbot. Guests chatted between themselves sharing knowledge and experiences relating to their own passions and professions. From chefs, to farmers, to fashion experts, gardeners and journalists, this was a space for enlightenment, education and consciousness. The common theme of the evening focused upon sustainability and provenance and how talking together and sharing knowledge opens our eyes to whole world of opportunity.
A huge thanks goes to a list of outstanding contributors to this unique event who can be found on Instagram:
Venue
@boconnocestate
Event Team
@cathystgermans
@samtreez
@squaddietony
@d.brown_esq
@billy_rowley
@sarahmower
Food & Drink
@giocondascott
@agustinagag
Cooking equipment – @countryfirekitchen
Pork – @trefrawl_farm
Beef – @philip_warren_butchers
Fish – @frederickalsopfish
Fruit – @ollofruit
Vegetables & herbs – all from Boconnoc Estate Kitchen Garden
Gin – @lanticgin
Photography – Debs Alexander