Kit Smith
Founder
Kit has spent a career in the fish and meat trade, in hospitality and in events, working alongside some of the best in the business. He brings the sourcing, the know-how and the eye for a proper gathering.
SmithsOnion Norfolk presents
Beef & Burgundy
Eight summer evenings of open-fire dining at The Copse, deep in the Raynham Estate. Raynham-reared beef, Burgundy poured by candlelight, and a table of your own under a wide county sky. The kind of evening you talk about long after the fire has gone down.
13 to 20 August 2026The Copse · Raynham Estate · Norfolk
Daytime is walk-up, no booking needed. Evenings are booked by email.
The event
An eight-day summer gathering
For eight days in August, a quiet corner of the Raynham Estate becomes somewhere to slow down and eat well. Easy afternoons of burgers and cold beer, then evenings of Raynham beef and Burgundy as the light goes. It is less an event than an invitation: come as you are, stay as long as you like, and let the day unwind around the fire.
The beef is Aberdeen Angus, reared on the estate and cooked over open fire, the way it should be. The Burgundy is chosen by Flint Wines, London, poured by candlelight as the tables fill and the evening settles in. There is Surf & Turf for those who want it, and no rush to be anywhere else.
By day it is easy and open, families, dogs, a cold drink in the sun, no booking and no fuss. By night it becomes something quieter and more considered, a proper sit-down under a wide Norfolk sky. Two halves of the same eight days, and everyone is welcome at both.
- When
- 13 to 20 August 2026
- Where
- The Copse, Raynham Estate
- Evenings
- £65 per person, booked by email
Daytime
12pm to 4.30pm
Evening
5.30pm to 9.30pm
Daytime, 12pm to 4.30pm
Just turn up
No booking, no fuss, no need to plan ahead. Wander in through the afternoon for proper burgers, a bowl of chilli and a cold beer in the sun. Bring the family, bring the dog, pull up a chair and let the afternoon go slow. This is the easy half of Beef & Burgundy, and everyone is welcome.
No booking neededEvening, 5.30pm to 9.30pm
Sit down to Beef & Burgundy
As the light drops and the fires settle, your table is laid for the evening. Aberdeen Angus beef reared here on the estate, a glass of Burgundy chosen by Flint Wines, London, and the unhurried pleasure of a good meal outdoors. £65 a head, Surf & Turf if you fancy it, and only eight evenings all summer. Tables are limited, so it is worth booking ahead.
£65 per personEight evenings
The people
Meet Kit and Alan
Kit Smith and Alan Bird have been putting on events together for fifteen years. Kit was Alan's supplier back in the day, before the two joined forces, and Beef & Burgundy at The Copse is the latest of them.
Alan Bird
Head Chef
Alan is a chef and butcher of more than forty years. He spent twenty-three years running the original Ivy, then set up his own hospitality consultancy and events business. At The Copse, the kitchen is his.
The place
The Copse
The Copse sits within the Raynham Estate, and it is the reason the evenings feel the way they do. Timber, open sky, and the light dropping through the trees as the fires get going. Some places you eat. Others you remember.
In collaboration
Raynham Estate and Flint Wines, London
Beef & Burgundy is hosted in collaboration with the Raynham Estate, whose Aberdeen Angus herd is at the heart of the menu. The Burgundy comes through Flint Wines, London, one of the country's leading Burgundy merchants. Both are genuine collaborations rather than sponsorships.
The estate has shaped how Britain farms since the eighteenth century, when Charles "Turnip" Townshend developed the Norfolk four-course rotation here. That instinct still runs through the place. A 225-acre solar farm now powers the equivalent of 14,000 homes, and six miles of the chalk-fed River Wensum are protected and restored. The Aberdeen Angus graze pasture that is farmed for the long term, and it is why the beef tastes the way it does.
Discover Raynham Estate (opens in a new tab)
A look ahead
Eight evenings in pictures
The fire, the food and the evenings at The Copse, evening by evening.
Booking
Two ways to join us
However you come to Beef & Burgundy, you are welcome. Drift in for the afternoon, or book a table for the evening. Here is how each works.
Daytime
Just turn up
Any day from 13 to 20 August 2026, 12pm to 4.30pm.
No booking neededEvening
Book by email
5.30pm to 9.30pm. Email info@smithsonionnorfolk.co.uk with your date and party size, and we will take it from there.
£65 per personEight evenings
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Questions
Do I need to book?
Not for daytime, 12pm to 4.30pm, just turn up. Evenings are booked by email.
How much are the evenings?
£65 per person, with Surf & Turf available.
Are children and dogs welcome?
Yes, well behaved children and dogs are very welcome in the daytime.
When is it?
Every day, 13 to 20 August 2026, at The Copse.
Get in touch
Contact
For bookings, questions or anything else, email us or find us on Instagram. We answer everything ourselves.