Sunday Best, a fringe event for Eat Cambridge, took place on 22 May, 2016 at Church of St Cyriac and St Julitta, a historic church no longer used for regular worship. When the creative minds of organisers Alex Ruczaj and Vicky Fenton of My Little Festival met with talented chef Jay Scrimshaw of Guerrilla Kitchen, the result was a superbly organised event featuring a sumptuous three-course Sunday Lunch in a stunning, communal setting. Plus, the energetic Taffeta Scrimshaw, a fantastic team of helpers and an impressive selection of drinks from revamped horsebox The Spirited Mare all contributed to making Sunday Best a real feasting extravaganza!

While lunch was being prepared for this family friendly event, people were seated on bales of hay or spread out on the lawn outside the church, reading the Sunday papers, playing board games or just chilling out with a drink. The Spirited Mare was on hand with a menu featuring Prosecco on tap (frizzante, to be precise), Gin & Tonic, Bloody Mary (including Kimchi Bloody Mary), Aperol Spritz, Ginger & Lemongrass, Brewdog beers, soft drinks and wine (white, red and rosé).

Soon it was time to find our seats in the magnificent church. The tables were beautifully laid out with gorgeous flowers as centrepieces. No detail was spared. With the light pouring in from the huge church windows, the ambience was warm and inviting.

The menu featured fish, meat, vegetables and fruit… all fresh, seasonal ingredients of the highest quality. The food for approximately 100 people was cooked in Guerrilla Kitchen’s food truck (affectionately known as Myrtle). Amazing!

More drink orders were taken and food started being served. It was shared among the tables and passed around, giving the event a very communal feel. Taffeta regularly stopped by our table to ensure that everyone was getting their share of food.

We started off with scrumptious smoked mackerel on rye with horseradish cream & pickled radish and grilled leeks with blue cheese and walnuts. Lovely flavours and textures.

The mains consisted of roast Suffolk chicken and slow cooked Dingley Dell pork belly, both so tender and full of flavour. The chicken in particular was a big hit and it disappeared in mere seconds before it could get to our side of the table (Taffeta dealt with this promptly and brought more). The pork belly just melted in my mouth. The vegetarian option was chermoula aubergine with bulgur meat, yoghurt and almonds.

There were many side dishes to satisfy all tastes: crunchy kohlrabi & apple salad, roast potatoes (so perfectly prepared!), a vibrant mix of peas, broad beans & mint and thin, tasty new season carrots.

Dessert was an exquisite English strawberry pavlova, simple yet so delicious!

Just before dessert, we were treated to an uplifting performance by The Dowsing Sound Collective, described as “somewhere half in between a choir and a band”. They are usually 100+ outfit, but a good number of performers attended Sunday Best for an acoustic set. They played cover songs by such bands as Alabama Shakes, Imagine Dragons and Mumford & Sons. Everyone clapped, enjoyed the music and demanded an encore. It was a brilliant match to the event, enhanced by the gorgeous church setting.

Here’s a snippet of The Dowsing Sound Collective’s performance (video by Churros Bar).

Fantastic @mylittlefestie event today. @GuerrillaKitch @thespiritedmare and this amazing choir. Take a look:-) pic.twitter.com/1EODv3tja4

— Churros Bar (@churros_bar) May 22, 2016

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Paulo and I enjoyed the event tremendously. It was a perfect day. The sun shone, the choir sang, drinks flowed and platefuls of food were shared. By the end of the day, families bonded and strangers became friends. Wouldn’t it be great if we could do this every Sunday?

Guerrilla Kitchen invited me and Paulo to attend the event, which included a three-course meal. We paid for our own drinks. Although the food was complimentary, all views are my own. I did not receive compensation for my review.

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