It was a perfectly crafted bag that brought together Melissa Morris, the American founder of the London-based leather house Métier, and Silka Rittson-Thomas, an art and creative consultant. About four and a half years ago, Rittson-Thomas (who is also editor of T) bought a Métier Private Eye bag – a chic, spacious style made from lightweight leather, with ergonomic spaces for a laptop and other essentials. She immediately loved it and soon after went to meet Morris in person at the brand’s store in Mayfair. They have been friends ever since. So when Morris told Rittson-Thomas that the brand’s fifth anniversary was coming up and that she wanted to throw some sort of summer party to celebrate, Rittson-Thomas suggested holding the event in the gardens of Walcot House, her home. in the Cotswolds she shares with her husband, the photographer Hugo Rittson-Thomas.
Those gardens encase the stone manor of Rittson-Thomas – part of what was once a much larger property, built in the 16th century and at various times in the ancestral history of the present Earl of Liverpool and the present Duke of Marlborough. (It is believed that the then Duke of Marlborough demolished parts of it in the 18th century to provide building materials for the nearby Blenheim Palace.) Exploring the extensive grounds that Hugo – who bought the property about 20 years ago – and later, who Silka has transformed, feels like you are walking through a series of open air rooms, each with a slightly different personality. There are walkways lined with manicured yew hedges; a cutting garden currently filled with hollyhocks, nightshades, and historic roses; and a thriving vegetable garden, where everything from rosemary-shaped beds grows from sorrel to Tuscan kale to ornamental squash. The last two spaces provided produce for the intimate dinner (a prelude to a more formal affair taking place the following evening) that Morris and Rittson-Thomas, with the help of Cotswolds-based caterer Caroline Gibbs, finally had on a warm evening earlier this evening. month.
Planning the event wasn’t such a leap for Morris. In 2013, working for brands like Helmut Lang and Belstaff, feeling disillusioned with the fashion world and its relentless pace, she considered enrolling in culinary school and maybe eventually opening a cafe. She had first discovered a passion for cooking after moving to San Francisco in 2005 and, as a newcomer to the city, discovered that hosting dinner parties was a way to make meaningful connections. But before she followed this potential path, money came pouring in for a line of her own, one that would give time to perfect each product, and she jumped at the chance. Sure enough, Métier’s wares have a reputation for being as thoughtful and carefully crafted as they are beautiful. Made from carefully selected materials and designed to last a lifetime, they have compartments in all the right places and an innovative modular sensibility: the brand’s smaller bags and pouches snap neatly into the larger ones.
Diners – friends of the brand old and new, including interior designer Charlotte Rey, creative director Betty Bachz, artist Tej Adenuga and model Anna Roborough – first mingled on a section of lawn with stately espaliers also seen on the surface of a reflection pond. Here they drank a variation of a blackberry cocktail with Yola mezcal and a Rittson-Thomas homemade nettle syrup, and sampled fresh Parmesan cheese, jamón Ibérico and snow peas eaten straight from the pods. The group was then led around a corner to a walled orchard with an enchanting tapestry of poppies and a large dining table, made from a single Scottish elm trunk, which was set with white linen napkins, vintage hurricane lanterns and, to head it, a vase of alchemilla flowers.
The only dish Morris knew she wanted on the menu was branzino al sale, or sea bass baked in salt, which seemed like a good way to pay tribute to Italy, where Métier’s bags are made, and which she thought would it would give the guests the feeling of being on holiday with their loved ones. “When I think of the best of summer and being on vacation, it’s always that dish,” she said. “You break the crust and it’s very mean — and it’s just so fresh and simple.” However, that simplicity means it has to be cooked to perfection (you can’t hide anything “under a sauce,” Morris said), but under the supervision of Gibbs, who worked closely with executive chef Sean Enslin, it absolutely was. The fish was served with a traditional salad of tomato and basil, dressed with nothing but olive oil and salt, as well as fava beans with ricotta, lovage and clear nasturtiums and parsley-smeared new potatoes in butter. These dishes, too, showed the kind of restraint that requires confidence in the ingredients and execution. Morris takes a similar approach to Métier, paying attention to the smallest details – she’s bought zippers that move like butter, gave her bags soft rounded bottoms so they don’t dig into the side of the container, and tested her designs at a facility that simulates 20 years of wear – and lets them add up to something special.
As the sun set and the poppies began to close (“It’s like they’re dancing with us,” Morris said), a crostata topped with wild strawberries and dollops of cream emerged, a sweet end to a memorable evening. “Just made with love,” Morris said of the dinner. “With everything that’s happened in the past few years, we’ve all learned that you have to stop and celebrate the moment when you can.” Here she and Rittson-Thomas share their entertaining tips.
Personalize, customize
Instead of place cards, leather labels in the form of letters, loosely wrapped around dinner napkins, let guests know which place belonged to them. Inspired by a mid-century stencil font, the tags doubled as bag charms and gave everyone something to take home. Morris also had custom cushions made for the sofas. Their fabric, produced outside of Lake Como, Italy, featured geometric patterns in a dusky color scheme. “I thought that would be nice against all the red in the poppies,” Morris says.
Choose elegant accents
As Rittson-Thomas sees it, silver is an easy way to take any tablescape to the next level. During dessert, extra fresh cream, intended to be poured onto the crostata, was served in satisfyingly heavy antique silver pitchers, contrasting attractively with the natural grain of the wooden table and the wildness of the surroundings.
Less is more
It pays to heed that oft-repeated but often ignored advice: “Never cook while your guests are around,” Morris says. “If you’re afraid something is going to burn, your guests will feel it.” In addition to taking the time to carefully plan and prepare in advance, she recommends sticking to a streamlined menu. “Keep it simple,” she says. “Then you don’t have to do so much.”
Let the season be your guide
Morris lived in Berlin for a while, where she developed the quintessentially German and sometimes fanatical fondness for seasonal produce, one that Rittson-Thomas, who is originally from Germany, shares. Berliners, for example, talk breathlessly about the arrival of Spargelzeit (“asparagus season”) and Erdbeerzeit (“strawberry time”). For dinner, the women chose to make the fava bean dish because there was an abundance of green legumes in Walcot’s garden, where the berries for the crostata were also grown.
Less stress
Once you’ve prepared, arranged and organized as much as possible, there comes a point where you just have to relax and sit with the possibility of any eventuality, be it bad weather or fallen plates – and, most importantly, enjoy yourself. Remember that guests are there because they want to be there. And, adds Rittson-Thomas, if you’re hosting in your own space, try not to worry about how others might see your choices. “I just think you shouldn’t worry too much about how you’re having fun, because it’s your house, you know, and your house is you.”
