Kitchen In The Wild is set to launch chef-led retreats in Kenya, blending gastronomy with safari, foraging, craft workshops and fireside feasts. Olivia Palamountain reports

A new culinary concept combining high gastronomy with wilderness adventure debuts in Kenya's Laikipia region.

Kitchen In The Wild, launching autumn 2025, offers five-night retreats where guests cook, forage and feast alongside world-renowned chefs in remote settings.

The programme, created by chef Valentine Warner and culinary event specialist Clare Isaacs, will host its first events at El Karama Lodge, a private wildlife conservancy in the foothills of Mount Kenya.

Limited to 18 guests, each retreat features either Santiago Lastra of London's KOL restaurant or restaurateur Jackson Boxer of Orasay and Brunswick House.   The experience extends beyond the kitchen. Guests join expert botanist Anne Powys for bush walks, while Wallace and Gromit animator Jim Parkyn leads craft workshops.

Evening activities include masterclass cocktails by mixologist Nick Strangeway and fireside dinners under the African sky.El Karama's sustainable ethos provides an exceptional culinary canvas, with on-site organic gardens, beef farm and dairy. The lodge, owned by wildlife sculptor Murray Grant and his wife Sophie, offers an intimate safari setting where cuisine meets conservation.

The concept evolved from Warner and Isaacs' successful Arctic Circle retreats in Norway's Lofoten Islands. Rick Stein has described their events as "the perfect house party," while Australian chef Lennox Hastie praised their blend of "food, travel and outdoor adventure."Kitchen In The Wild retreats cost £9,126 per person all-inclusive (excluding flights and transfers) and are bookable through Sophia Rose Travel, Kenya-based luxury adventure specialists.

Santiago Lastra's retreat runs 10-15 October 2025, bringing Mexican techniques to the savannah, while Jackson Boxer's session follows on 17-22 October, promising his adaptive cooking style in the wilderness setting.