This was a wonderful Spring day for a hog roast in Asthall. The daffodils adorned the route to Asthall a little village near Burford. It was just a half hour drive which made the whole event wonderfully pleasant. The party was for a 50th of very close friends to be held at Asthall Manor. The name itself sounded very grand. As always I ‘google’ the venue to minimise any surprises and make the day easier. I therefore knew that it was a very beautiful Manor house . It was formerly owned by David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale who was the father of the Mitford sisters. This immediately made me think of the Adolf Hitler connection and indeed whether he had visited. The house itself has magnificent gardens, that cover about 6 acres. They were created for the current owners of Asthall by Julian and Isobel Bannerman (best known for their work for Prince Charles at Highgrove House) The garden has magnificent sculptures since it is home to ‘On Form’. This is a Sculpture event held annually. The gardens are mainly composed of wild woodland and wildflowers which run down to water-meadows by the River Windrush. Suffice to say it is a stunning location. On this occasion it had been rented for the weekend.
On arrival I was shown the set up for the hog roast Asthall. It was a matter of cooking in the courtyard and serving onto platters in the drawing room (laid up with trestles). Freshly roasted Pork with Rosemary and garlic encrusted lamb together with our wonderful salads. All went to plan and fortunately it was for less than twenty guests. They had gathered in the kitchen for cocktails and champagne + a few nibbles. Then it was my turn to serve, with the help of a local bar person, thankfully. It was one of those occasions where my previous restaurant skills were needed. Although not part of our remit we cleared and washed up the crockery. All went well and the host – birthday boy even provided me with a bottle of Laurent Perrier Champagne. He was indeed very happy.
Hog Roast Buckinghamshire