Blackwell & Wootton

Entertaining is an art. Like all art, anyone can dabble but the work of a true master is evident in stroke and every decision to include or omit. That's how we at Blackwell & Wootton see things and that's how we try to operate. When we help you to entertain your guests we expect you to expect the very best from us... when it comes to food and wine we take your good times very seriously indeed.

Serious

The concept of Blackwell and Wootton was born out of a few friends getting together after a day in the field. A venue was selected, produce was gathered and pooled, the days bag plundered and the reigns handed to qualified chef James Blackwell. As the gang drank, Blackwell cooked and at the end night everyones other halves were forced into the Land Rover in their slippers to come and collect well fed and watered spouses.

Over time, word spread, the group expanded, people began bringing friends, friends began telling others

and commissions for different types of party began to materialise. Cooking in bothies and lodges had taught Blackwell flexibility and adaptability- skills that would serve him well as he began to take on bigger and bigger challenges in private houses.

Now a substantial part of Blackwell and Wootton's business is catering for gatherings between 4 and 50 in private residences and business premises. If you have a commission you'd like to discuss, feel free to get in touch.

Home

Over the years we've entertained in any number of unusual places… from a marquee on a muddy Derbyshire hillside, a yacht in the Aegean to a chalet at Courcheval 1850. The cornerstone of this nomadic style of entertaining is adaptability. Our experience allows us to tailor our technique to the parameters of the cooking environment we find ourselves in - its all about knowing what you can get away with in a six foot galley kitchen under a rolling swell.

Ultimately, we're hired because we are proficient cooks who aren't phased by the unusual.

But where space and conditions allow we can deploy our fully-functioning modular kitchen, enabling us to meet the demands of almost any number of guests in the most taxing of environments. And because our trusted and experienced waiting staff is scaleable beyond the core team, we are able to tailor our service accordingly.

Away

In the days counting down your marriage the last thing you want is to be worrying about the nuances of your wedding meal and competency of your caterers. At Blackwell and Wootton we understand the need for solid forward planning, tastings, site walk-throughs and agreements on style of service. Nothing is left to chance and communication is a given from the day we are commissioned to the

moment the glass is struck for speeches and beyond.

Our hands-on approach is best suited to to gatherings between 10 and 100 people with the emphasis on quality and refinement. If you're beginning to think about your big day and need caterers to realise your vision, whether that's a chic barbecue or a silver service regency feast, we'd love to be involved.

Weddings

Between them, Blackwell and Wootton have racked up a huge amount of experience working in some of the world's most demanding culinary establishments. James is a classically trained chef with 18 years craft in kitchens as far afield as Australia, France, The Bahamas and Portugal finally ending up as executive chef for a portfolio of 14 hotel kitchens in The Alps.

Having met 'on the job' as it were Blackwell and Wootton went on to manage and run luxury chalets for an award-winning operator before setting up as a Chef and Chief Stewardess team aboard super yachts travelling between some of world's most glamorous destinations. In addition to an obvious love of travel and exploration (albeit under the very finest conditions) they share the same set of core values as well as a a love of great food and great company.

Our love of country pursuits informs our craft- with our understanding of seasonality and sustainability heightened by our active participation in shooting and fishing. We insist that our game and fish is reared and slaughtered humanely and with dignity to ensure a better product and a resource to be enjoyed for generations to come.

The Hunt

At the centre of our philosophy sits the idea that food isn't just something separate; to be bolted on at times of hunger or celebration. Rather, we see food as representative of the complex relationships in the world around us- each plate should be a thumbnail sketch of a harmonious ecosystem.

That the produce we use should be of the very highest quality is a given but we're also deeply interested by the nuts and bolts of that quality. It isn't a case of simply applying buzzwords like 'ethically-sourced' or 'organic' and thinking we've done enough- the perfectly executed act of cooking starts in the field and propagates a shamanistic, primeval understanding of its inputs.

We want to know everything about the ingredients we work with, from the quality of the soil to the aspect of the hillside plot. We get to know the men and women who tend the fields and rear the animals, who dig and cut the crops. It isn't about the paying lip service to the latest trends but trying to construct a meal that's true both morally and aesthetically, that isn't subject to crass interventions and shortcuts. Imagine finding out that the Rodin sculpture you'd always admired was a papier mache facade on a frame of scaffolding- its little different to looking at a great meal prepared with the best technique in the world but with no concern for its foundations. Everything we do is an attempt to exercise artifice from our work.

Sourcing

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Techniques

Up first

ROAST PORTLAND SCALLOPS

Sauce vierge & Israeli cous cous

For main

ROAST PAVe OF COD

Peas & lemon scented courgette, parmesan gnocchi

And to finish

CHOCOLATE & RASPBERRY TART

Raspberry jelly & passion fruit sorbet

I

Up first

PEPPERED GOAT’S CHEESE

Watermelon & toasted almonds (v)

For main

FILLET OF ABERDEEN ANGUS

Pea purée, morels, summer vegetables & mousse line potatoes

And to finish

BAKED BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE

Chocolate crumble and mascarpone sorbet

II

Up first

TERRINE OF FOIE GRAS

Blackcurrant jelly & summer berries

For main

BREAST OF CORN FED CHICKEN

Tomato & basil compote, celeriac mousseline & fondant potato

And to finish

WARM BLACKBERRY & ALMOND FINANCIER SPONGE

Peach compote & vanilla ice cream

III