Al Fresco Magic at Duddon Mill Farm #Blog

Victoria Hayes
12th July 2019

We honestly had no idea what you expect as we pulled in Duddon Mill Farm. We had been invited to ‘An Alfresco Dining Experience”, which to me conjured up images of hog roasts and hay bales and potentially tractor rides . None of which I am generally adverse to, but the looming thunderstorm and lack of wellies made it a mildly grim prospect.

We were greeted by the sight of a beautiful vintage Red Massey Ferguson tractor but…

I was totally unprepared therefore for the magical evening that awaited us.

As we turned the corner of the farm, a stunning white open sided marquee faced us, shimmering with fairy lights draped from the roof and down the sides. Fabulous lighting around the marque lit up the willow trees surrounding the cobbled courtyard and jazzy music floated across to us.

I felt momentarily overwhelmed by this delightful surprise but thanks to the inevitable British weather I was jolted out of my stupor by a torrential downpour leading into a slightly inelegant dash across the cobbles and under the marquee.

We were greeted by our equally sparkling hostess who showed us the gorgeous table and indicated the places beautifully decorated and personalised for us. She ensured chilled fizz was immediately pressed into our hands and began to tell us a little about Duddon Mill Farm and the evening ahead of us.

Whilst enjoying the lively guitar and double bass duo were ironically singing, “I don’t care what the weatherman says…” , we learned that they are hoping to develop the farm into a wedding and events venue, a potential festival site and venue for pop up dining experiences, like the one we were attending tonight.

Delicious Canapes were circulated, wild boar sausage with salsa verde, tempura prawns and pots of halloumi with salad were relished by the guests.

The table was beautifully dressed with fresh greenery, vases and jars of all shapes and sizes containing candles, each place was garnished with a green wreath and a name label with lovely glass wear and soft linens adding to the feeling of simple luxury.

I think we knew then we were in for something special.

The business at Duddon Mill began with some gorgeously restored vintage Defenders used for wedding car hire.  Enter the idea of running weddings from the farm and our hostess being an expert wedding planner, it all seems to have come together perfectly for them. These two families are working side by side with a combined passion for the outdoors and for entertaining.

Dinner was served, bowls of artichokes and olives,  boards draped in gorgeous cheeses, cold cuts, vegetables and platters of delicious breads and bread sticks, bowls of oil and balsamic vinegar served as a delicious starter, and helped the flow of conversation with our neighbours as the boards were passed around.

Accompanied by a choice of Spanish Rose or Portuguese White  (or sparkling Elderflower for the drivers), it quickly became clear that attention to detail in this rural setting was absolutely top of the list. Light, soft blankets were placed on every chair, in case a guest felt a chill, and even the pouring rain surrounding us only added to the magic. We could have been in the Mediterranean (in a thunderstorm!)

Umbrellas were provided for guests wishing to move around, service was smooth and informative. Our caterer Samuel James Events, began every course by giving us a little description of what to expect and everything delivered.

The main course, Cheshire Short rib, Garlic and Truffle Hassleback potato and Cheshire greens was perfectly cooked and absolutely the perfect main course for this setting.  Accompanied by the rich Bacchus wine, it was easy to see why they had chosen this particularly excellent caterer.

Dessert followed in the most delightfully theatrical way, a dessert installation no less. With the farm benefiting from beautiful mature apple orchards, the theme for the dessert was apples. I will tell you what I can about the layers of flavours, textures and techniques but I am sure to leave something out!

White Chocolate domes with milk chocolate mousse and apple crumble in them; these were placed across the large mirrored surface, before adding Dark Chocolate domes with a white chocolate mousse and apple crumble. Apple Meringue tarts, with cinnamon and ginger came next,  to complement the apple, black currant Chantilly cream was swirled into towers around the desserts, Crumble was scattered across the surface, to add in texture.

The chefs were energetic and dynamic flinging the crumble around, the sound something like fire works. Taking us back to our childhood, they added popping candy, scattered everywhere, drizzle of apple calvados syrup (not so childlike) and home made honeycomb, snapped and scattered in front of us.

Apple Sherbet added flashes of bright green across the dessert, complemented by popcorn with vanilla and a little salt to offset all the sweetness. Caramel Crunchies were scattered and dehydrated apple crisps thoughtfully placed and just when you thought, there couldn’t possibly be any more….

Candy floss!

And last, but not least, apple sorbet. Don’t worry though, there wasn’t time for it to melt as the guests dived on the finished installation and hoovered up all the delicious treats.

I can honestly say, I have never seen anything quite like it.

Full and happy, I didn’t think the evening could get any better but then our hosts offered us a tour of the farm in one of their amazing Land Rovers. With mature apple orchards, pond, barns and a stream running right through the middle of the estate, despite the late hour, there was plenty to see, with all the guests excited by the opportunities the site could offer.

There are endless photo opportunities for lovers of the outdoors, Tipis and the promise of future glamping sites, outdoor wedding ceremonies in the lush mature orchards, beehives for local honey and a straightforward, well organised and wonderfully passionate team behind it all, I have no doubt it won’t be long before Duddon Mill Farm is the go to venue for uniquely beautiful weddings and events.

I absolutely recommend a pop up dining experience here and I completely encourage you to chat with the team and share your ideas, because no challenge seems to daunt them. With over fifteen years of wedding and event experience, the team at Duddon Mill Farm are ready to talk to you about your requirements to tailor your events and celebrations to your needs, giving you an experience to remember.

A beautiful setting and and a magical evening.

*Our Thanks to our hosts at Duddon Mill Farm for gifting us this experience – we stand by all the comments in our article, don’t believe us? Go give it a try yourself, you won’t regret it.*