Fireside Feasts at Wild Thyme and Honey: A Steak Night with a Difference

On a dark and chilly night in November, as the wind whipped about our ears, we walked towards the inviting glow of Wild Thyme and Honey - a boutique hotel and Inn near Cirencester.  We were spending the evening as guests at ‘Fireside Feasts’ – a steak night and regular event by the team at Wild Thyme and Honey showcasing fine food and drink. With a talk and demonstration by Leamington Spa-based butcher Aubrey Allen preceding the feast, this was not your run-of-the-mill steak night.

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I was excited. With a never-ending deluge of fast and ultra-processed food, sourcing high-quality, healthy options, understanding its origins and how it arrived at our plates feels more important than ever. With the knowledge that Aubrey Allen had won the Chefs Choice Butcher award a notable five times, I had high hopes for the evening.

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Entering the calming light of Wild Thyme and Honey from a dark November evening felt like a warm and welcoming embrace. The mellow interior successfully combines the natural beauty of the rural Cotswold landscape and the comfort and ease of modern design. The colours are soft, relaxing and neutral with nods to nature everywhere. This is clever design; it pays homage to its location rather than arguing with it. And why would you? It’s the Cotswolds, after all.

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As we knocked back a delicious sherry cocktail in front of a roaring fire (sherry was made for cocktails), I wondered how much there was to say about steak; it turned out quite a lot. In a world that seeks a white-washed convenience around what we eat, Lewis Kelsey from Aubrey Allen helped remind me of the need for passion, openness and respect for food. Learning that their cattle have a comparatively long 18 months out to pasture in unpolluted places felt important. They also put sustainability at the heart of everything they do; nothing is wasted. Plus, producing meat in a clean, green way gives the best meat. A win-win, it’s easy to see why chefs rate them so highly.

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However, what I found particularly fascinating was the demonstration by master butcher Michael. I am ashamed to say I assumed you cut up meat willy-nilly, and a good knife and strong forearm were what mattered most. It transpires that without expert knowledge of the physiology of the meat, you can reduce a beautiful piece of beef to something tough and tasteless. That feels like a crime to me. Rump steak isn’t the poor man’s meat after all; we’ve just been eating rump steaks that have been badly butchered. The fact remains though, that the proof is in the pudding, so I reserved judgment until the feast arrived and, my, what a feast it was.

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With a selection of six cuts of steak side by side, expertly butchered and beautifully cooked, it was possible to see what magic could be made with good-quality cuts. This was complimented with a range of wholesome side dishes. I was in heaven.

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The evening made me realise that I had been eating badly butchered meat for a large portion of my life. This made my head spin. Why go to all that effort of raising the animal just to render it just a fraction of the product it could be? Presumably, because it’s cheaper. It’s quite frankly scandalous. Our evening with Aubrey Allen at Wild Thyme and Honey was a priceless reminder that we should source our food carefully and from those who are passionate and care about what they do. It matters. This Fireside Feast wasn’t just a pleasant way to spend an evening; it was a vital lesson in how to live better. If you get the chance to go, do it.

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