The weather Gods were on Al Brown’s side last weekend, sending a small patch of sunny, warm weather to shine down on a rural corner in West Auckland for the Kiwi chef’s inaugural food, drink and arts festival, Burning Lamb.

Billed as a festival like no other, Burning Lamb didn’t disappoint. In fact, the food and above-and-beyond service was just as high as it is when dining in one of Brown’s famous eateries. Guests arrived mostly via coach, and were personally greeted at the entrance to a sun-dappled orchard by Al Brown himself. There we experienced bubbles and canapes like ceviche and tua tua fritters, while wandering through a magical wood, dotted with art installations and roaming musicians.

A quick stop at one of the many Moa bars – where beer and cider was displayed in old bathtubs filled with ice – before stopping at a chill-out zone with pub garden games like mini golf and pétanque. Next, on to a large art wall that was started by Dick Frizzel and added to by festival-goers throughout the day while eating fish tacos and drinking cocktails.

Later on, guests were directed through a huge hedge to discover a corral of lambs on spits above smoking charcoals, in an area amongst trees and fairy lights dotted with hay bales strewn with blankets. A DJ pumped out great tunes as roaming circus artists performed, while we sipped on wine and Moa beer and awaited dinner – the invitation for which came via a mobile text notification that said “dinner is served”. After some friendly and chatty queuing we were served cumin roasted lamb in fresh-made roti breads, fire-roasted king salmon and Brown’s lip-smackingly good salads. Al Brown and Moa have collaborated on a special Burning Lamb IPA, with finishing notes of mint that perfectly complemented the lamb.

As darkness fell, Brown thanked everyone for coming before welcoming us to a wooded dell, lit with colourful lights and neon installations, to watch Dave Dobbyn and friends while tucked up in blankets, as waiters wearing retro-style usher trays served pots of Kohu Road ice cream made with chermoya fruit picked from the orchard.

The coach-ride home was a festive affair, with doggie-bags of food and soft drinks, and happy festival-goers singing their way back to the city.

STEAL BURNING LAMB’S BEST IDEAS

Hosting your own late-summer outdoor gathering? Steal these great ideas from Al Brown’s Burning Lamb festival…

• Peg old straw hats to a piece of string tied between trees with a sign that says “Forgot your hat? Help yourself”.
• Source an old bathtub from a scrap yard or skip and fill it with ice and drinks – you can still get hold of Moa Burning Lamb IPA at select Liquorland stores nationwide, (RRP $7.99, 500ml).
• Fill your garden with hay bales overlaid with blankets for cheap and easy outdoor seating (and somewhere to snuggle when the sun goes down).
• Be a responsible host by making the food the main focus of the day, and flavour-match the meal to your drinks, such as Al Brown’s Roasted Shoulder with chimichurri and beer match. 
• For an easy but super-cool dessert, buy small tubs of ice cream and serve them to your guests from a retro usher’s tray.