I was recently invited to one Michelin-starred Alyn Williams at The Westbury hotel in the heart of Mayfair, which is part of The Luxury Collection, for a preview of their exclusive five-course supper club, which took place in of their two stunning private dining rooms. The dishes, which were made from the finest British seasonal ingredients, were paired with wines by renowned English winemakers, Nyetimber, and it was a truly spectacular evening.
We started off with a chilled glass of their Classic Cuvée as we mingled, which was the perfect start to the evening, and such a delightful drink for the summer, relatively smooth and easy to drink, and with a really premium feel.
Once we were seated on the grand table in the stylish dining room, there were some lovely slices of freshly baked bread alongside some bitings for us to enjoy before our first course arrived. I loved the pops of flavours in the morsels of delight laid out across the table, and it was a great sign of what was in store for us that evening.
Our first course was a Pea mousse with a mint and yogurt granita served with beer onions and radish. It was served in a large wide bowl and the chilled yogurt granita against the rest of the flavours was tantalising for the taste buds. This course was paired with a 2009 Nyetimber Classic Cuvée, which I preferred to the first one we tried, although they were both really lovely.
Our second course was a Poached halibut with courgette, lemon verbena, which gave it a really lovely zesty taste, and dulse, paired with a 2010 Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs, which was incredible, and possibly my favourite from the evening.
A roasted pork jowl with fennel, pickled rhurbarb and pollen was a real treat for our third course, and the flavour combinations married really well. Paired with a 1998 Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs we felt really spoilt!
On to desserts, and as a nod to the season, we had English strawberries with pannacotta and shiso, presented beautifully and paired with a very fitting MV Nyetimber.
The sweet treats didn’t end there and Alyn’s signature Walnut Whip was enjoyed by the table, served with a glass of Nyetimber Demi-Sec to accompany it. This was incredible and I can see exactly why the Walnut Whip is such a renowned dessert! It is moreish!
During the evening we had the pleasure of the company of Nyetimber’s brand ambassador, who told us about each wine and why it was picked for each dish, as well as more about Nyetimber’s history, their processes and journey to become one of the most well known of the English winemakers.
I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, especially trying Chef Alyn’s amazing dishes and having them expertly paired with the amazing selection of Nyetimber wines. The next supper club, which I highly recommend experiencing, is on 24th July at 6pm and is priced at £144pp for a five course meal paired with sparkling wine from Nyetimber.
Tickets can be purchased at: www.alynwilliams.com/events
For more information about Alyn Williams at The Westbury visit their website here.
The food and wine pairings just look and sound perfect. The pea mousse dish sounds interesting and I love the idea of the walnut whip! I’m sure it’s very different to the one I’ve tried in the confection store!
Mmm Binny this sounds amazing. I don’t even know what half the things are but they sound and look so tasty. I wish I liked wine a bit more so I could have the pairing menu; I do try. That pork just sounds so juicy
It sounds like a beautiful summer menu, the wine pairings sounds fantastic. I especially love the look of the Walnut Whip!
It looks like such a fab night!
This looks such a treat, Binny! I’d love to get to know more about English bubbly too..
Reading this made me feel part of the amazing experience. Also learnt about parings of wine with different dishes.
Look forward to reading more about you experience as you tick them off your bucket list.
Thank you so much 🙂