Fire Pit Sessions
The fire pit gets lit on the first evening of nearly every stay, and it tends to become the centre of everything that follows. People cook on it, sit around it, and lose whole evenings to it. The fire pits we chose for the cabins are made to cook on, but plenty of guests arrive unsure how to approach it, and we wanted to change that.
So we invited three chefs we admire, Ana Ortiz, Nicholas Balfe and Ixta Belfrage, to one of our Exmoor cabins for the day. The result is six unfussy recipes designed for long evenings outside, the kind of food that is made to be eaten slowly with a drink in hand.
To mark the launch, and to share what we made, we have put together a giveaway with Nkuku, whose fire pits and tableware you will see throughout the photographs and film. One winner will receive:
A two-night stay at one of our cabins (Exmoor National Park, Shropshire Hills or Yorkshire Dales)
A £500 voucher to spend with Nkuku
The Fire Pit Sessions digital recipe book, sent to everyone who enters and doesn’t win, with all six dishes from the day
How to enter
Enter your email in the form above to join the Rest + Wild and Nkuku newsletters. That’s it. The draw closes at midnight on Tuesday 10 June and we’ll let the winner know shortly after.
By entering, you agree to join the Rest + Wild and Nkuku newsletters. We'll each use your email to send occasional updates, and you can unsubscribe from either at any time. See our privacy policy for how we handle your data and the terms + conditions for this competition.
Meet the chefs
Ixta belfrage
Ixta's style of cooking draws inspiration from three countries she grew up travelling to, eating in and obsessing over: Brazil (where her mum is from), Italy (where she lived as a child) and Mexico (where her granddad lived).
She worked at the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen for five years and is the co-author of FLAVOUR with Yotam Ottolenghi. In 2022 she published her first solo cookbook MEZCLA, nominated for 'best debut cookbook' at the Fortnum & Mason Awards and 'best international cookbook' at the James Beard Awards.
Ixta is a Contributing Editor at Elle Magazine and has also written for The Guardian.
Ana Ortiz
Ana Ortiz is the co-founder of Fire Made, a Somerset-based fire-cookery studio where she designs bespoke fire-cooking equipment, leads immersive culinary experiences, and delivers events centred on live-fire cooking alongside her husband Tom Bray.
Her cooking draws on her Ecuadorean heritage and the Argentinian asado traditions she grew up with, championing seasonal, locally sourced produce with bold South American flavours. She grew up in the Galápagos Islands, where fire was central to food, family and celebration, and that foundation remains at the heart of everything she makes.
Based at Westcombe Dairy in Somerset, Ana runs residencies, workshops and pop-ups, and has cooked at Carousel and Firebird in London, HOLM, and Babington House.
nicholas balfe
Nicholas Balfe is one of Britain's most respected chefs, with a career built around honest, ingredient-led cooking and a deep understanding of fire. He co-founded Salon in Brixton, one of London's most celebrated neighbourhood restaurants, before opening Levan, which quickly became a destination in its own right.
A Great British Menu competitor, Nicholas has long championed the kind of cooking that lets good produce do the talking, with fire as the natural companion to that philosophy.
He now runs Holm in South Petherton, Somerset, a restaurant with rooms that has become one of the most talked-about openings in the south west, rooted in the landscape and producers on its doorstep.
