When: 4th June 2026, 7pm-10.30pm
Where: The Barn Kitchen, Peterley Manor Farm
Tickets: £75 per person. Every ticket includes a copy of “Rough Patch”
“How a year in the garden brought me back to life”
When a difficult chapter led Kathy Slack (cook, author, grower and keeper of a beloved organic vegetable patch) back to the soil, she found something she hadn’t expected: that a kitchen garden can restore you. Her book Rough Patch tells that story, and this evening is shaped by it. Join us for a seasonal feast cooked wholly outdoors, gathered at long sharing tables beside our fire pits, eating food grown just steps away in the Peterley kitchen garden with extra touches from some of our favourite local suppliers.
The menu will be shaped entirely by the season. The kind of cooking Kathy knows best: honest, vegetable-led, rooted in what the soil is actually giving right now. Expect dishes that feel both grounded and quietly surprising.
Kathy will be with you throughout the evening. Cooking, talking, answering questions, and will be signing copies of her second book, ‘Rough Patch‘, on the night.
About Kathy
Kathy writes about growing, cooking and eating vegetables from her organic patch: the gluts, the failures, the strange abundance of a kitchen garden in full swing. She’s an experienced food writer and photographer, and has spent years hosting supper clubs and cookery demonstrations, sharing the kind of food that starts with something you pulled from the ground that morning.
“Life-affirming, inspiring and most of all, full of hope, it proves beyond all doubt the miracle cure that is mud beneath your fingernails.”
The Story Behind ‘The Rough Patch’:
Kathy’s new book Rough Patch blends memoir with recipes, telling the story of how stepping away from a high-pressure career led her back to the soil.
What began as a difficult chapter became a year of growing, cooking, and quietly rebuilding through the rhythms of the kitchen garden. With honesty and warmth, she explores how food, nature, and simple daily rituals can help restore a sense of balance and connection; themes that will gently shape the spirit of the evening.
Important Info- Please Read Before Booking
Dietary Requirements
This is a set menu with sharing dishes. We can provide a vegetarian option for main course but otherwise are generally unable to accommodate other dietary requirements for this event. Please ensure you have selected the correct number of vegetarian options required when booking as we will not be able to add on extra on the night.
Any other dietary requirements must be pre-approved (by emailing cafe@peterleymanorfarm.co.uk in advance) and stated when booking your tickets.
Cancellation Policy
– If you need to cancel a ticket please contact us at least 7 days in advance by emailing cafe@peterleymanorfarm.co.uk.
– We cannot process refunds for any cancellations requested less than 7 days before the event start date, however you are welcome to re-sell your own ticket.
