South Downs hosts World's First Luxury Drive-Through
Last weekend, the picturesque village of Firle, situated in the South Downs, East Sussex, played host to the world’s first drive-through to serve food prepared by a Michelin Starred chef, courtesy of Land Rover.
Open for one day only, award-winning chef, Simon Rogan, served up a three-course meal for guests using locally sourced, seasonal, ingredients. A celebration of all things wintertime, this new approach to dining is part of #Hibernot, an annual campaign by Land Rover to encourage Brits to avoid ‘hibernating’ through the winter months and explore the beauty of the British countryside - Hibernate? No chance. #Hibernot.
On the menu: LAND (meat), SEA (fish) and EARTH (vegetarian) dishes, especially designed to reflect the Great British landscape. Guests had a taste of the “future of fine-dining” and culinary innovation at its best; the earthy sounding dessert of Carrot, Sea Buckthorn, Parsley and Liquorice went down well with guests.
Arriving at the Firle estate in Range Rover vehicles, guests pulled-up to the drive-through placing their orders at the intercom. Continuing upwards, towards Firle Beacon, guests were then invited to make their way to a bespoke ‘pop-up’ dining area where they enjoyed their exquisite three-course meal.
Large enough to seat 60 diners, including outdoors enthusiast and TV presenter Julia Bradbury, the sleek architectural structure created a stunning juxtaposition of modernism against a quintessentially British country landscape and offered diners spectacular 360 degree views of the beautiful South Downs. An innovative backdrop to a truly unique culinary experience, the food was described as “a taste sensation” by one guest, while another commented, “this is such a great way to experience the beauty of Britain’s countryside”.
Continuing the #Hibernot theme, guests then took time to explore the Firle Beacon area in suitable style driving Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Evoque vehicles. Land Rover’s sophisticated off-road technology was deployed to take on the rural terrain, allowing them to explore the stunning vistas and learn more about local produce as they toured the area.
AA’s 2016’s Chef of The Year, Simon Rogan, commented, “Bringing this type of “experience-based” gourmet dining to a location like Firle gives people more of a reason to explore Britain’s outdoors and beautiful landscapes to engage with locally-sourced foods. We could definitely see more dining experiences like this popping up all over the country; people are spending more on eating-out and experiences and so they want something a bit different - a twist on the norm.”
About #Hibernot:
#Hibernot is Land Rover’s celebration of all things wintertime, encouraging exploration over hibernation – whatever the weather.
This #Hibernot season we opened winter’s kitchen to the masses, challenging people to explore the depths of winter. Land Rover and Simon Rogan have created a culinary journey, helping to uncover the vital ingredients that make winter extraordinary. Whether attending the world’s first luxury drive-through or following Simon’s ‘foraging’ ethos, Land Rover has been inspiring people to get outside and embrace winter. Read more here: http://www.landrover.co.uk/explore-land-rover/featured-articles/hibernot/winter-is-served.html
The #Hibernot drive through was open for one day on Saturday 21st January on top of East Sussex’s highest peak, Firle Beacon. The unique winter menu was served to a specially invited group of 60 guests.
To get involved in #Hibernot adventures in your area speak to your local Land Rover retailer: http://www.landrover.co.uk/national-dealer-locator.html