Hunter Gather Cook

Back

Coming Soon

In The Wild

Hunter Gather Cook is the finest foraging, butchery and fire cookery school in the UK.

Born in Sussex in 2011, HGC was designed by founder Nick Weston, as a way to educate people about the wild, with a view to get more people to eat game, learn about the delicious wild food we have all around us and blend both together with the delicate goodness of smoke and fire.

There are three separate workshop options detailed below. These run simultaneously for 2 hours in different areas of the parkland. The three groups then come together for an hour-long cocktail and canapé reception in our woodland kitchen to enjoy the fruits of our labours. Alcohol-free options are available.

Age recommendation: 15+

Butchery: 

A hands on workshop where you will be able to partake in the skinning and butchering of a deer into primal cuts. The deer is from the herds right here at Cornbury Park. We will discuss deer management and the necessity for wild food and respecting what we eat. 

Crayfish: 

A fully immersive experience by a secluded lake where you will learn about the American signal crayfish living in the Cornbury Park lakes - we will catch and cook the crayfish and in true Deep South crayfish boil style. You can tuck in with your hands once all poured out onto the table. 

Foraging :

A foraging walk around the woods and fields of Cornbury Park learning about the food that's all around us and a connection with the wild. Have you ever thought about what’s hidden in the hedgerows around us? Foraging is an addictive pastime and comes with a guarantee of returning home with fresh ingredients. Hunter Gather Cook is the finest foraging, butchery and fire cookery school in the UK.

This will be some serious Robin Hood shit you won’t want to miss.

Meet no later than 1.45pm at the Wilderness Info Tent where you'll then be guided into the woods.
Minimum age of 15 years. Must accompanied by an adult.

Please note - you must have a weekend festival ticket to book an experience at Wilderness.

Refunds & Exchanges

  • Please note extra experience bookings are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
  • Experiences will only be held for 15 minutes, after that tickets are subject to resale and will be automatically cancelled without refund.

Feasting Experiences

  • All our menus are designed as nut-free, but please be aware all our food is prepared in kitchens where nuts, gluten, and other allergens may be present.
  • Feasting Experiences can only facilitate dietary requirements as outlined on the individual chef's booking page.
  • Unless specified otherwise on the individual chef page, there is a vegetarian alternative menu for the Long Table Banquets, Wilderness Kitchen and Ben Quinn’s Long Table Banquet in the Woods. These will be outlined on the website menu or coming soon if not currently showing. Vegan alternatives can be made available, subject to registering via the dietaries form.
  • If you need to register any dietary requirements for your booked feasting experiences for yourself, or others in your group, please do so HERE.
  • If you are booking for a group, please consider other people’s dietary requirements, we are in a field so don’t have readily available alternatives.
  • The Yoga Brunch & Supper Club menus are vegetarian/vegan as standard.
  • Due to the style of the offering, The Chef’s Table cannot accommodate any dietary requirements other than those displayed on the individual chef pages.
  • Babies and little ones can sit on parents' laps at all restaurants except for The Chef's Table. If they're in a pram please ask on arrival to be seated at the end of a table. Please note, we don't have a dedicated children's menu, so if you’re planning to have them eat with you they’ll need to be booked as an additional seat.
  • Ben Quinn’s Long Table Banquet in the Woods will take place come rain or shine as we have a beautiful canopy in the woodland to use in the event of rain so you don’t miss your meal!

Outdoor Experiences

  • Outdoor experiences will take place come rain or shine.
  • For any outdoor experiences taking place outside of the arena, unless specified otherwise on the individual booking page, please meet 15 minutes before the designated start time at the Wilderness Meeting Point where you will be met and guided to your experience.

The Spa

  • You must bring your own towel.

Wellbeing in the Wild Experiences

  • Meet 20 minutes before the designated start time at the Wellbeing in the Wild Meeting Point, located next to the Sanctuary Reception. Your teacher will then accompany you to the relevant location for your session.
  • In adverse weather conditions, please still head to the Wellbeing in the Wild Meeting Point, as most sessions will still go ahead come rain or shine. Any sessions that cannot go ahead will be automatically refunded within 2 weeks post-festival. We do not offer refunds if you decide not to join a session that still goes ahead.

Order Confirmations & More Info

  • If you don't receive an order confirmation email, please first check your junk/spam folder before emailing info@wildernessfestival.com.
  • You can see full information on how to book experiences, access your Wilderness account and experience Ts & Cs here.
  • You’ll need a copy of the lead booker’s I.D. and your confirmation email (printed or screenshotted on your phone) to check in. Group bookings must arrive together.