Wimbledon - A Delicious Experience

All around the world, Wimbledon is recognised as “the” tennis tournament, but a day out at Wimbledon involves a lot more than just tennis. It’s also about the food and drink that make going to this iconic tournament an experience unlike any other sporting event.


Strawberries, cream and champagne have been forever synonymous with Wimbledon. Tournament goers wander through the grounds carrying small bowls full of red treasures floating in a sea of cream, or topped with a dollop of Cornish clotted cream. Champagne bars sell bubbly in glasses, bottles and magnums. For the price of two small glasses you could nearly buy a bottle of good champagne in a liquor store, but despite the high mark up Wimbledon-goers still quaff over 17,000 bottles of the stuff during the two-week tournament.

Jazz bands play as you wander through the grounds, and there are numerous cafés and snack bars catering to your every desire. From sandwiches and hot snack food to coffee and pastries, there is something for just about everyone. And for those who want something just a bit more special, there is The Wingfield Restaurant. Situated on the first floor of the Centre Court building (which would be considered the second floor in North America), the restaurant has floor to ceiling windows along one side, giving diners lucky enough to get a table by the window a panoramic view over the grounds and a great opportunity to survey the crowds. Despite the strict dress code for players, there is no dress code for visitors to Wimbledon (although jeans are not allowed in the Wingfield Restaurant) so you see everything from the very casual to the extremely dressy. Shorts and tank tops walk alongside designer dresses and handbags, although in reality Wimbledon itself leans heavily towards the very fashionable. This year Ralph Lauren designed all the official on-court wear for umpires, linesmen, ball boys and girls, and copies of all of it are available in the Wimbledon store on the grounds. The female umpires in particular looked amazing this year, in crisp white trousers and shirts, topped with beautifully tailored navy jackets sporting the Ralph Lauren Wimbledon logo.

But back to the food. The Wingfield schedules its lunch (which you must book and pay for in advance) to coincide with the start of the first games on Centre Court. When we were there on Thursday they opened at 11.15, to allow plenty of time for a leisurely lunch before the start of play at 1 o’clock. There was a bit of an awkward start as we all queued until nearly 11.25 before they began to show us to our tables. It seemed odd to everyone as the waiting staff were all lined up facing us doing just as we were - waiting. However once things got started it was all went swimmingly.

You cannot request any particular table at the time of booking, so I was very pleased to be shown to a table by the window, which I had been hoping for. Although it was a mind-numbingly hot day, there was a nice cool breeze blowing through the restaurant so we were quite comfortable. There was a bottle of mineral water waiting for us on our table when we arrived, and we were soon offered a choice of wine - Chardonnay, Shiraz or a White Zinfandel, all by Blossom Hill Wineries. It was too hot a day for red wine in our opinion, and we didn’t fancy the Chardonnay, so the White Zinfandel it was. It was a super choice, light and refreshing.

Although it was a set menu, there were three choices of starter (entrée), three hot or two cold choices for main course and three choices of dessert. My husband chose to start with the Duo of Smoked Salmon which included Beet Gravlax and Shetland Isles Smoked Salmon served in a dill mascarpone with capers. He thooughly enjoyed it, and the Gravlax looked beautiful colored as it was by the beetroot. I chose the Chicken, Pancetta and Basil Terrine with a spicy tomato chutney, which is pictured below.


It tasted just as good as it looks, the pancetta enhancing the flavour of the basil spiced chicken. The homemade cheese straw was delicious as well.

We decided we would prefer a hot main course, so passed on the two cold options, Poached Sheltland Isles Salmond or Seared Chicken Caesar Salad. This left us a choice of either Pan Fried Fillet of Sea Bass, Herb rubbed Rump of Welsh Lamb or Marinated Goat’s Cheese with French Onion Tart. Regular readers will know that I just cannot manage to eat goat’s cheese – it always tastes of wet socks to me - although this is pure conjecture; I have ever eaten a wet sock! I absolutely love fish though, so it was the Sea Bass for me. Served on a bed of crushed new potatoes, accompanied by steamed snow peas and roasted vine tomatoes, this dish was perfect for the warm day, light and refreshing. The fish was tender and beautifully cooked, and the vegetables were the perfect foil for its light flavors. My husband chose the lamb. I have gone off lamb recently, having seen so many baby lambs gambolling in the fields near to us I cannot bear the thought of having part of one on my plate, but when I tasted it I had to admit it was almost worth the guilt. Unlike a lot of lamb, it did not taste in the least bit ‘gamey’ and was set off beautifully by the broad bean and mint risotto it was served with.

We were quite full by the time we got to dessert, but when we were offered either Kentish strawberries with clotted cream, White Chocolate Vanilla Brûlée with Cherry Compote or Baked Lemon Curd Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis, neither of us had the strength of will to refuse! As it was Wimbledon, my husband chose the strawberries and cream. I was tempted by tradition, but was pretty much lost when I heard the words ‘white chocolate, vanilla and brûlée’ in the same sentence. I’ve eaten an awful lot of desserts in my time, and this one was definitely in the top ten. The crispy broiled topping gave way to gorgeous creamy voluptuousness in the custard below, the white chocolate and vanilla flavorings singing out beautifully. The cherry compote was more for decoration than flavor, as there were only three small drops of it on the plate, but it did provide a nice tart contrast to the sweetness of the brûlée itself.



We finished our meal with coffee just in time to go through to our seats on Centre Court. As we sat, replete, waiting for the Ladies' Semi-Finals to begin, I reflected on how much a part of Wimbledon food and drink really are. People walked past me to their seats, ice cubes chinking in covered glasses of Pimms and off in the distance I heard a champagne cork pop. Of course, the whole reason for the tournament is the tennis, but the traditional food and drink that go along with it are a huge part of the event. Our visit to the Wingfield Restaurant really enhanced our Wimbledon experience, and I highly recommend it.