Wilton Shopping Village welcomes respected chef for courtyard kitchen pop-up

Talented chef Hannah Thomas is bringing her foraging food brand Herbs & Wild to Wilton Shopping Village this summer, in an exciting three month outdoor pop-up.

Hannah's taste for all things seasonal and sustainable means the pop-up is set to deliver a menu full of delicious dishes, each designed to spark a connection between people and the food on their plate. The kitchen will be located in the historic courtyard of the shopping village from July. Herbs & Wild will be hosted underneath a stretch tent, so visitors can enjoy an all-weathers, socially-distanced soirée.

Hannah commented on Herbs & Wild's new pop-up residency,

"I'm so excited to be bringing Herbs & Wild to the courtyard this summer. I usually develop recipes alone or throw workshops for smaller groups, so this will be a great way to share my food with new people. I can't wait to show off some of my favourite ingredients and to get people excited about them."

After training at the prestigious Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, Hannah worked at The Ethicurean near Bristol, a unique restaurant with its own walled garden from which many of its ingredients come from. Hannah is a talented chef and baker with a passion for wild herbs, foraged flavours, sustainability and traceability. Visitors can look forward to an array of spectacular seasonal dishes made with the freshest locally-grown produce.

Hannah's knowledge of food is hugely compelling and she loves to enthuse people about the wonderful ingredients all around us. Not only is she big on natural flavours and sustainability, Hannah's also fascinated by fermentation, wild yeasts and preserving – so expect to find these bringing a touch of magic to her menu. And if you didn't quite master your sourdough during lockdown, fear not, Hannah will be able to share some expert baking tips!

While the historic courtyard played host to a successful gin festival last summer, the pop-up kitchen is the first of its kind for the Shopping Village. Marketing Director, Phil Maclean, said this about the exciting new collaboration:

"We're so grateful to be able to use our wonderful outdoor space over the coming months, and we're over-the-moon to have Hannah joining us with Herbs & Wild. The Covid-19 outbreak is inevitably continuing to disrupt everyone's plans, but we hope our pop-up kitchen will bring a taste of something special for our visitors. Keeping everyone safe is our top priority and we've been working tirelessly to put social distancing measures in place ahead of opening."

Wilton’s Shopping Village is located on the A36, just a stone's-throw from Salisbury city centre and nearby Stonehenge world heritage site. The shopping village will soon be open 9.30-5.30 Monday to Saturdays, and 10.30-4.30 on Sundays, with the Herbs & Wild pop-up kitchen open from 4th July until 30th September 2020. Please visit wiltonshoppingvillage.co.uk or herbsandwild.co.uk for more details.