Tilt

Riverford Farms, our local veg box scheme, has this amazing traveling Yurt in the South East side of London. We had been getting boxes from Riverford, but we must have missed this opportunity to eat at their traveling restaurant that is only happening during the summer. We had heard about their restaurant in Devon and we couldn’t wait to get there, so this was a chance to have something a little closer by. Only on Thursday we were hanging out with our neighbor Steve (who works at Riverford) and he mentioned that the yurt was here just until Sunday. So, we rented our City Car Prius and drove 2 hours out of Surrey, past Chartwell and Leeds Castle to this little East Coast version of Riverford farm. We drove down a one way road, that was meant to be two way, and ended up in a pear and apple orchard to our dinner at the yurt.

We were greeted down by the end of the orchard by a guy in a big muddy truck and we were asked to park. I wanted to see more of the farm, so I opted for a stroll through the orchard to the yurt at the end of the road, where most took the guy up on the ride down the lane. At the end of the road to the left were a bunch of picnic style tables and three round buildings, a pop-up tent and a portable bathroom (not a port-a-potty, but a full on bathroom like you would see at a show or concert). The pop-up tent was for getting your drinks, so we went there first and checked in with the host. Then we went through the front doors of the smallest round building and then into the main dining room of the yurt. On either side of the entrance were the original veg wooden boxes lining the space, reminding us of why we were there. Toppled over with the freshest veg in the world, it was a warm reminder.

Since I have special dietary requirements I was given a cherry tomato (I actually almost ate it at first thinking it was a treat at my seat) and vegetarians were given a broad runner bean to mark their spot. Very clever way of marking my presence.

The price of the meal was perfect. It was inexpensive enough to get a good crowd (and crowd it was! Totally sold out, not a seat left in the space), but expensive enough to ensure that it was going to be quality meal and hopefully cover the rest of the evening. There were several other ways that money was made like alcohol and their cookbooks which helped to round out the number. And tip was not included, so that was also tacked onto the evening. In the end, it was a sizeable number, but the experience overruled any amount.

The branding for Riverford came through in every bit of the evening. While you sat before dinner started, you were able to socialize and what I would call “Communalize” (which means that you essentially start to form a community for the evening with your table). There was an amazing Riverford recipe book on the table and it was £7 off if you bought it during the evening. I think everyone at the table either owned one or bought multiples at the end of the meal. The drinks were poured and flowing but all organic.

The logo of Riverford was only found in a few places in the signage outside of the space and in the menu, but the essence really came through the Yurt space. It was lively, simple and fun. The comfortable lighting and warm hearth in the middle of the space added to the ambiance. The waiters were casual and friendly and dressed in aprons and comfortable Wellies or farm boots. Since they were essentially on ‘tour’ with the yurt, they were living their life in the field behind the yurt in personal sized tents.

The food came in big white dishware (mix n’ match) overflowing with delicious veg, meat and dairy from the farm. It was a sight to see. Everyone shared and passed and shared some more. Dessert was by far the most remarkable with the big white mess of fruit, meringue and clotted cream; an English pastime.

In recap of the evening, our communal table all agreed that this was way better than a restaurant because it was unique and different. It offered an “out-of-the-box” experience (ironic since it was from a “within-the-box” concept of the veg box scheme) for the beholder, void of typical and traditional obvious safety codes, kitchens and advice on things should run… and instead it was a place to provide delicious food to people who wanted to experience the whole event.

So if you see a yurt, STOP, don’t think and just go and eat. It is spectacular.