Hunter Gather Cook x The Botanist

October 2019

If you’re into wild food and fire cookery then Nick Weston isn’t just your guy, he’s the guy…

At Hunter Gather Cook, his foraging and cookery school deep in the woods of Sussex, he teaches soft city types like us the lost art of living off the land. A born outdoorsman – he spent his childhood fly-fishing and deer stalking in the Ashdown Forest – Nick went off the grid in 2009, living self-sufficiently for six months in the woodland treehouse that he built himself from recycled materials. Hunting, fishing and foraging, along with a few basic staples and small vegetable patch, gave him everything he needed to survive, and provided endless inspiration for the next chapter of his life.

An ardent champion of wild game, venison in particular, Nick’s cooking uses wild plants, pickles and ferments to create standout dishes like the ‘Blowtorched Pheasant with Ibérico Pork and Thyme, Bruichladdich Bacon Jam and Ground Ivy’ and ‘Fallow Deer Tournados, Creamed Sea Beet, Chanterelles, Brown Butter Jus and Sussex Truffles’ on his Carousel menu.

Partnering with The Botanist, a handcrafted gin from the isle of Islay that delicately distils 22 local herbs and flowers with the nine classic gin botanicals, Nick is bringing his extensive knowledge of wild ingredients and his lifelong passion for fire, smoke and ash to Marylebone for five unforgettable nights. The set menu includes six deliciously wild courses, a Foraged G&T to start the evening off and a Nettle Gimlet digestif. There will also be a specially selected gin cocktail list to complement Nick’s menu, available to order on the night – think Sorrel & Damson, Truffle Martini, Fig Leaf & Verbena.

Check out Nick’s story in this beautiful film from The Botanist’s WILD STATE OF MIND series.