Last Wednesday I was invited to attend a collaboration between Gulliver's Farm and The Old Thatch called Farm to Fork. I jumped at the chance to attend, as the premise is something I fully support. The idea behind the evening was that Gulliver's Farm, a social enterprise for those with learning difficulties and disabilities, would supply all the produce, and also the hospitality in conjunction with The Old Thatch.
Gulliver's Farm itself consists of four main areas, the Farm, The Market Garden, A Deli Kitchen and the Farm Ship. All of the produce served was both organic and biodynamic. The meat used also had high animal welfare standards and they feed grass exclusively.
Emma arrived at my house, and we drove across to The Old Thatch, which is only in Wimborne (about 15 minutes away!) and met up with Rachael. We grabbed a glass of wine (small, of course!) and took in the atmosphere. It was buzzing! There were so many people, and live music! We were then shown to our table where we were sat with the parents of one of the lads who works on the farm, and also some of the guys and girls who work on the farm. It was fantastic to get to know them! They were so knowledgable about the produce which adorned the tables (squash, carrots, pumpkins etc) and I really felt as if I learnt something from them.
We were first served bread and butter whilst we awaited the kick off of the food- I'm always about the bread and butter. It was good bread and good butter.. what more can I say?!
For amuse bouche, we were served 'Simon's Welsh Rarebit' gougeres, which were essentially a savoury profiterole. Choux pastry mixed with cheese. DELISH. I love anything cheesy, and anything with pastry.. so right up my street!
Next up, we had starters. The starter was a pumpkin and sage ravioli with a chestnut emulsion and basil oil. I have a confession, I'd never eaten pumpkin before this evening! I'd carved them for Halloween of course, but never actually eaten pumpkin. I loved the pasta, it was cooked perfectly al dente, the chestnut emulsion and basil oil was a great combo and I actually enjoyed the pumpkin and sage filling- although I'm not sure it would be my first choice...
Then it was onto the main course. Sirloin of organic beef, leeks, onion and madeira jus. The beef was cooked fantastically, a medium rare which is what I'm all about. However, THE MASH. I am all about that mash. It was creamy, it was luscious and quite frankly I could've eaten a vat of it. I'm literally dribbling at my keyboard. I also enjoyed the jus, leeks and onion- an all round all rounder for me!
We had a brief interlude between mains and desserts where we have a good opportunity to chat and socialise!
Then it was time for dessert- my favourite course of this meal. I've always loved an apple crumble. My mum makes a superb apple crumble, I have to say. The apple crumple met my expectations- it was the perfect combination of sweet and sour with a crumbly oat topping and a delicious milk ice cream.
After dessert, we settled in for the key note speech which was given by Bethany Doran, a 2012 Paralympian. She explained her journey, beginning with the moment she found running, to the London 2012 Olympic Games, to her tough decision to leave the sport. She then explained how passionate she was in contributing to the farm and how important this social enterprise is to the local community. We also had a quick raffle, in which a hamper was won by an attendee!
Tickets for the evening were £45 per person which I think is fairly reasonable for a four course taster menu, entertainment and a key note speaker. They also catered for different dietary requirements which is super inclusive.
Thank you so much to both The Old Thatch and Gulliver's Farm for having me- I had a fantastic evening! Keep your eyes peeled.. because I'm sure due to the success of this evening there will definitely be another!
Have you ever been to a similar event? I'd love to know! Let me know in the comments.
XOXO Molly
PS. Please note, this evening was gifted to me very kindly, however, all views are my own.
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