News

Wilderness Announce 2018 Chef and Restaurant Line-up

• 11th Apr 2018

Having already announced an impressive roster of music and arts talent for 2018, Wilderness turns its attention to its renowned food and dining programme, announcing in full the extraordinary range of dining experiences, from international chefs, homegrown favourites and rising stars from the food scene.

Wilderness has carved out a reputation for creating celebratory, quality dining experiences that uphold the tradition of raucous communal feasting, augmented by playing host to the best culinary talents of the day.

Where Wilderness leads, others follow, with each year bringing new concepts to include more and more revelers, with every pocket catered for. Wilderness pioneered the shift in festival dining from fuel to feast and plays host to a unique and utterly progressive line up featuring a dazzling roll call of talented chefs.

The ambitious Long-Table Banquets invite 400 revelers to dine together with at least four courses, and the finest libations, each day hosted by a different chef. This year, Wilderness welcomes back Yotam Ottolenghi, who had such a good time in 2017 that he’s returning to prepare Sunday’s Banquets. Ottolenghi says: “Food is the ultimate way of breaking down barriers and getting people talking, so the benefits of eating en-masse are clear. I’m thrilled to be joining Wilderness again for what will be an incredible year.”

Wilderness are thrilled to announce that presiding over Saturday’s Banquets are Stockholm’s Joel Åhlin and Filip Fastén, whose restaurant Agrikultur has just earned its first Michelin star. Their food focuses on flavour, sustainability and community and is prepared on an Aga in their tiny 24-seater restaurant. Joel and Filip say “As a small restaurant specialising in locally-sourced produce we’re so looking forward to cooking at Wilderness with the fine produce found around the area in August, the peak season for vegetables.” A rare chance to experience their acclaimed food in the UK.

And now for something completely different… On Friday Wilderness presents the All Star Banquet, a chance to join an exciting collaboration between five huge talents from the London scene. Each course has been devised and presented by the following host of talents, who’ll be cooking them for diners on the day, and no doubt breaking bread with them too. The first course comes from renegade chef Lee Tiernan from Black Axe Mangal adding an altogether different element to the mix, on hand to inspire with his authentic, high impact cuisine. Next is Michelin star chef, Merlin Labron-Johnson, executive chef of Clipstone and Portland restaurants and holder of the prestigious GQ Restaurant of the year in 2017. Joining the gang is Tomos Parry (Chef Of The Year in 2014), formerly of Kitty Fisher’s and having just opened his much lauded first restaurant Brat in Shoreditch. Wilderness favourite Robin Gill (2016 Good Food Guide Chef Of The Year) comes next, who has worked all over the world in restaurants like Noma and The Ledbury and has recently added the brilliant Sorella to his stable. Famed Australian pastry chef and founder of Happy Endings, Terri Mercieca joins in the fun to create mouth watering desserts. All of them committed to culinary excellence, expect to be amazed by this riotous lunch and dinner.

Meanwhile, embracing the wilder side of cooking and returning for it’s second year, Wilderness are thrilled to welcome back Ben Quinn of Woodfired Canteen, this time in partnership with Simon Stallard of the Hidden Hut – the hugely popular restaurant hidden in a little bay on the Cornish coast, and beloved of those in the know. They’ll be hosting the Opening Night Banquet, using the best Cornish produce, cooked over fire. Tucked down away on a remote sandy beach with no road access and completely off grid, the Hidden Hut cooks up huge atmospheric open-air feasts for their diners throughout the year. Feast tickets sell out in a matter of minutes after their release – in 2017, over 22,000 people applied for just 600 covers over their summer season, making the hut a perhaps surprising addition the hottest restaurant tickets in the UK.

In stark contrast to the Banquets, The Chef’s Table is the 24-seat open kitchen with a view of the lakes, where tasting menus from cutting edge chefs can be enjoyed, whilst watching and chatting to the chef preparing it. The programme goes from strength to strength for 2018, being hosted by Tim Spedding, head chef at the phenomenal Coombeshead Farm in Cornwall; Santiago Lastra, the nomadic Mexican chef; Sam Buckley of Where The Light Gets In, in Stockport – given 10/10 by Marina O’Loughlin in The Guardian – and old friend James Lowe of Lyle’s, who will all showcase their exquisitely curated menus beneath the magical, intimate canopied restaurant.

Wilderness continues to lead when it comes to food at festivals and this year has devised a fresh way to dine in the field – The Counter. At the centre, an open kitchen with a different team of chefs cooking each day. Thirty diners will sit around the kitchen, at the counter, sipping a welcome cocktail and enjoying lunch or dinner from a hand-picked collection of restaurants: Shoreditch’s Som Saa (Thurs and Fri), Shaun Searley of Quality Chop House (Sat) and the brilliant team from Salon Brixton (Sunday).

Returning also are the Feasting Restaurants, with Angela Hartnett bringing Cafe Murano back for a second year, for sumptuous Italian feasts and a wine bar collaboration with Passione Vino. Petersham Nurseries will be bringing their signature blooms and fabulous food back to the woods of Wilderness too with dishes to take away from brand new opening La Goccia in Covent Garden. For the first time, there’ll be a pizza restaurant, with Mark Wogan’s Homeslice joining the show, hosting their ‘Spritz and Slice’ sessions to refuel revelers. For those who want to turn the tempo up, East London favourite Berber & Q are inviting festival goers to get lost in the madness of the medina, a sensory cacophony of sights, sounds and smells around a huge fire pit, think grilled meats and desert beats. And Patty & Bun return for a fourth year, once again bringing burgers, BBQ and the unforgettable Patty soundsystem.

Favourite festival hang out The Dining Room returns playing home to six London restaurants and The Cellar (wine bar), allowing diners to try a dish from each one, and gather at communal tables to eat – brought together exclusively by Wilderness. This year the line-up boasts MAM, BAO, Breddos, The Good Egg, Smokestak and Happy Endings. All set to the soundtrack of Daniel Willis from Clove Club and Ed Wilson of Brawn on the decks.

Additionally, Wilderness also showcases street food royalty in the meticulously curated selection of food stalls and experiences on offer around the festival site.

Much imitated but never matched, Wilderness is set to welcome the biggest selection of the most exciting names from the restaurant world ever. They offer an unrivalled programme of the finest culinary talent from the UK and beyond. Make sure you do not miss out on what is surely shaping up to be an absolutely unforgettable event.

The Food line-up, just announced…

BANQUETS & FEASTING

~ Long Table Banquets ~

YOTAM OTTOLENGHI

JOEL ÅHLIN & FILIP FASTEN AGRIKULTUR, STOCKHOLM

FRIDAY ALL STAR BANQUET WITH

ROBIN GILL, MERLIN LABRON-JOHNSON,

LEE TIERNAN, TOMOS PARRY & TERRI MERCIECA

WOOD-FIRED BANQUET with WOODFIRED CANTEEN & HIDDEN HUT

~ Feasting Restaurants ~

ANGELA HARTNETT’S CAFE MURANO

PETERSHAM NURSERIES

BERBER & Q / PATTY & BUN / HOMESLICE

~ The Chef’s Table ~

TIM SPEDDING Coombeshead Farm

SANTIAGO LASTRA Mexico

SAM BUCKLEY Where The Light Gets In

JAMES LOWE Lyle’s

~ INTRODUCING The Counter ~

SOM SAA / THE QUALITY CHOP HOUSE / SALON

~ The Dining Room ~

MAM – BAO – BREDDOS – THE GOOD EGG – SMOKESTAK

– HAPPY ENDINGS

~ The Cellar ~

With our favourite restaurant DJs

DANIEL WILLIS Clove Club / ED WILSON Brawn

ED & SAM Leroy / MARK & NICHOLAS Salon

~ The Finest Street Food Stalls ~

ALREADY ANNOUNCED for WILDERNESS 2018

THE MAIN STAGE supported by BBC MUSIC

NILE RODGERS & CHIC / BASTILLE / JON HOPKINS

KAMASI WASHINGTON / BAXTER DURY

!!! (CHK CHK CHK) / IAMDDB / PALACE

JOY CROOKES / DAN OWEN / MY BABY

BILLY LOCKETT / MAHALIA / CONFIDENCE MAN / CARMODY / STEREO HONEY

And featuring an afternoon with BBC MUSIC INTRODUCING

THE VALLEY

~ Late Night Parties & Revelry ~

GROOVE ARMADA DJ SET

GEORGE FITZGERALD / PEGGY GOU

WAZE & ODYSSEY / SEVERINO

MIKE PICKERING HACIENDA

THE ATRIUM supported by TIME OUT

~ World Class Music, Dance & Performance ~

RONNIE SCOTT’S PRESENTS: ‘THE PEE WEE ELLIS FUNK ASSEMBLY celebrating

‘50 YEARS OF COLD SWEAT’ with support from ‘SCOTT MCKEON’S SUPERJAM’

AFRIQUOI / MY BABY / HENGE / KOKOROKO / THE SCRIBES

SADLER’S WELLS / TAVAZIVA ‘IZINDAVA’ / MASSIVE VIOLINS

~ Ceremonial Celebrations ~

THE WILDERNESS ORCHESTRA PRESENTS ‘GOD’S JUKEBOX’

HIP HOP KARAOKE / OH MY GOD! IT’S THE CHURCH

SIT DOWN, BE QUIET with MICHAEL WONG Founder of BOYS of YOGA

GROUND-BREAKING IDEAS & LITERARY ARTS

~ Welcoming Back ~

LETTERS LIVE

~ Inspiring Conversation ~

LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS

THE SCHOOL OF LIFE / SUNDAY PAPERS LIVE

REFINERY29 / TOGETHERNESS / THE RSA / 5X15

THEATRE & ARTS

~ Leading Lights ~

ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS

V&A PRESENTS FASHIONED FROM NATURE & FRIDA KAHLO’S WARDROBE

THE BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE

~ Cabaret, Comedy and Variety ~

INTRODUCING… THE BE ALL AND END HALL

KABARETT VERBOTEN WITH MISSY FATALE AND GUESTS

BOURGEOIS & MAURICE

HACKNEY SHOWROOM presents LUCY McCORMICK & TRAVIS ALABANZA

PECS DRAG KINGS / ELLE & THE POCKET BELLES

SOLE REBEL TAP / STUMBLE TRIP CLOWNS / SWING PATROL

THE WILDERNESS CHORUS LINE WITH THE BEE’S KNEES

~ Spectacular Shows, Parades & Happenings ~

‘A SERIES OF EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS’

~ Open Air Theatre, Happenings and Eccentricities ~

THE CLUB HOUSE PLAYING FIELD’S NIGHT GAMES

ROGUE THEATRE’S ‘WICKED AND WONDROUS TALES’

‘UNDERCOVER’ FIRE HAZARD GAMES

THE EMBERS COLLECTIVE WOODLAND STORYTELLING

Brand new music stages…

THE TRAVELLING BARN with Woodburner

The Great Brain Robbery Presents THE HEREAFTER

THE CAROUSEL with Shangri-La Superstar Chris Tofu & Continental Drifts

THE GREAT OUTDOORS / THE SANCTUARY WELLBEING

THE KIDS AREA / THE ART STUDIO

And much much more…