Let’s admit it, we were sneaky. But honestly, what did our guests expect when they arrived at Dunskey for a pop-up dinner just after Halloween? There was no way some sort of quirky magic wouldn’t occur! But first, let’s talk about the food. 

Our head chef, Chris, wanted to prominently feature local ingredients and the arrival of autumn. Hence our starter of oysters and lobsters, directly from Tony our local fisherman, and emulsified in seaweed butter and miso broth. 

We are unreasonably proud and vocal about our partner Clash farm, who raise really happy pigs. The star of the show was pork from the farm, cooked snout to tail. Chris spent the entire week preparing the pigs’ head terrine. He even smoked the meat near the rave cave, but we won’t say much about that!

After dinner, we dramatically announced our latest darling: The Magic Parlour! Walkthrough the old wardrobe door and prepare to be utterly transformed. We almost cried when we witnessed the awesome way in which everyone released their inner child.

Our guest list was eclectic. We welcomed business leaders, electricians, plumbers, friends from across the Irish Sea, and it was heartening to see a diverse group hanging out together so joyfully. As always, our dedicated D-team (Agi, Rachel, and Alexa who we refuse to let wear name tags), provided exceptional heartfelt hospitality to ensure every little detail was catered for. All three ladies stayed late to ensure all enjoyed their tipples.

Many of us at the pop-up are immigrants and transplants to the area. It reminded us that home is always an inexhaustible and moving concept. With this in mind, we have donated £1k from the evening to Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, a Vietnamese NGO working on anti-human trafficking.

Close to 50% of trafficked children in Scotland come from Vietnam, and this recent unthinkable tragedy stresses all the work we must continue doing in this world. If you too would like to support their invaluable work, you can donate here.