Description
Masterclass of Flavour: A Fire-Led Masterclass with Matt Burgess (Matblak)
Date: September 12, 2026 · Price: £140
We’re proud to welcome New Zealand–born chef Matt Burgess — widely known as Matblak — to Millington Hall Farm for an unforgettable live-fire experience that blends heritage, flavour, and deep culinary craft.
Matblak is a long-standing figure in the UK BBQ scene. With over 30 years of professional cooking experience, he has worked in some of the world’s most respected kitchens — from Wellington to London — including time at Maze Grill under Gordon Ramsay, Bluebird, and Threadneedle Street Restaurant under Jamie Oliver. His career spans fine dining, fire cooking, and global flavour development.
Today, he leads his own brand, Kaiwhenua — “food from the land”, a philosophy rooted in respect for ingredients, connection to place, and the Māori values of whakapapa, manaakitanga (hospitality), and cooking with meaning.
This masterclass brings all of that to the fire.
What You’ll Learn
A rare opportunity to cook alongside a chef who blends cultural heritage, technical skill and bold, fire-driven flavour.
Build deep, layered flavour over live fire
Learn how Matblak develops complexity using smoke, embers and controlled heat — the difference between cooking on fire and cooking with fire.
Master the five core tastes
Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami — and how to balance them to create your own signature “flavour journeys” rooted in intuition rather than recipes.
Cook with local, seasonal ingredients
From field to fire, you’ll create dishes using premium meats and produce that reflect place, season and story.
Create dishes that speak of memory, land and connection
Understand how Matblak builds meaning into food — drawing from Māori cooking traditions, personal heritage and a lifetime of global culinary exploration.
Why This Masterclass Is Unmissable
This isn’t a generic BBQ class. It’s a rare chance to learn from a chef who combines:
- Three decades of high-level culinary experience
- World-class restaurant pedigree
- Deep respect for culture, ingredients and land
- A unique fire-led style that blends Māori tradition with modern cooking
- A warm, generous teaching style that welcomes all skill levels
Matblak doesn’t just cook — he teaches flavour. He shows you how to think, taste and create like a chef connected to the land.
In the setting of Millington Hall Farm — surrounded by fields, woodsmoke and open fire — this becomes more than a class. It’s an experience.
What’s Included
- Full live-fire cooking masterclass
- All ingredients and equipment
- A multi-course fire-cooked feast
- Q&A and storytelling throughout the day
- Time with Matblak to ask questions, learn techniques and dive into flavour philosophy
Spaces Are Very Limited
To keep this masterclass intimate and hands-on, we’re capping the group size. Once spaces are gone, they’re gone.
Booking is first come, first served.
Reserve Your Place
Step into the world of Fire & Flavour at Millington Hall Farm.
Learn, cook, taste and explore flavour with Matblak — a chef who honours land, story and fire.
Secure your ticket now.
