Belafonte’s Experimental Kitchen · Surrey, UK
Fire, meet flavour.
Private dining and experimental BBQ by Tatenda Lovemore. Low, slow, and unbothered — because the best things in life are worth waiting for, especially when they’re smoked.
No set price.
Let’s reach a common ground. Every fire is different, every table is different — we agree the number together, in conversation, once we know the room.
Surrey based. UK bound. No grill too far.
Twenty seconds of slow smoke.
Our reel, plated. Fire, fat, patience — the whole menu in the time it takes a coal to catch. Watch it, then book the real thing.
From the ember archive.
No stock photos, no stock answers — just fire-forged recipes with a little extra seasoning and a lot of cheek.
Chicken Wings
Wing it. These little drummers march straight from marinade to fire, come out crackling like a Cape Town summer, and disappear faster than you can say ‘just one more’.
Seasoning: Peri-peri, smoked paprika, garlic, brown sugar, lemon, and a whisper of Mrs Ball’s chutney glaze. Sticky, smoky, and unapologetically South African.
Pork Belly
Low, slow, and belly of the ball. Rendered over gentle coals until the fat melts like a compliment and the crackling shatters like applause.
Seasoning: Rock salt cure, fennel seed, coriander, brown sugar, garlic, and a rub of chakalaka spice. Finished with an apple-cider-and-honey lacquer that begs for another slice.
Oxtail
The tail that wagged the pot. Collagen-rich, fork-tender, and cooked low until the meat forgets where the bone begins and the gravy starts.
Seasoning: Allspice, bay leaves, thyme, ginger, garlic, tomato, and a slow-building Cape Malay warmth. Finished with a splash of red wine and a lot of patience.
Chuck Steak
The cut that punches above its price. Marbled, mischievous, and built for the braai — seared hard over coals until the outside crackles and the middle stays blushing.
Seasoning: Coffee-and-brown-sugar rub, then a blanket of braai spice, smoked paprika, garlic, and black pepper. Basted with brandy butter and rested like it just ran a marathon.
Pick a date. Claim the fire.
The calendar is live. Open dates are yours to ask for — send the brief and Belafonte comes back personally with a menu built for your room.
No deposits online, no auto-confirmations. Pricing is quoted against the brief, agreed between us before a single coal is lit.
How to bookRequest a date
Minimum flame-crew8 guests
PricingQuoted per brief
25 July 2026
Coals claimedPrivate estate BBQ
50 guests, one fire, zero excuses. A full-service outdoor feast at a private estate — whole-animal cookery, live-fire theatre, and enough smoke to make the neighbours jealous.
15 August 2026
Menu in the worksBespoke private booking
A fully custom menu built from scratch — no off-the-shelf, only off-the-coals. The brief is under wraps, but the flavour profile is already unforgettable.
Pull up a chair. The fire's waiting.
August 2026
Struck-through days are spoken for. Head to the bookings page to tap an open day and send your brief.
Prep work, but make it fire.
The service is lit. Order today, eat tomorrow — fire-forged proteins, sides that travel well, and absolutely none of the sad desk-lunch energy.
Order the week →A fridge full of flavour. No microwave required.
Three ways to eat through the week. No fixed menus, no shortcuts, and definitely no plastic trays of regret.
The Starter Pack
Quoted on your briefA curated box for the week — one fire-forged protein, two sides, and a sauce that pulls it all together. Enough to make your colleagues jealous.
Single serve · min 1The Family Flame
Quoted on your briefFeed the household without feeding the microwave. Larger portions, bolder rubs, and enough smoke to linger pleasantly through Tuesday.
Multi serve · min 4The Custom Prep
On requestMacros, allergens, preferences — we build the box around your week. Because one size fits nobody, especially when fire is involved.
BespokeTatenda Lovemore.
Self-taught. Fire-obsessed. Belafonte’s Experimental Kitchen began in a Surrey back garden with one stand, one brisket, and one long weekend of stubborn optimism. There was no business plan — only the burning desire to feed people properly.
What started as cooking for friends became cooking for their friends, then their weddings, then their weekends away. Belafonte is the answer to the question every guest kept asking: can you do this at ours? Turns out, the answer was always yes — as long as there was charcoal, curiosity, and enough time.
My approach is simple: respect the fire, source with care, and never let a guest leave hungry. Every menu is built around the room — the occasion, the season, the crowd, the weather — and written only after we’ve talked. I don’t do off-the-shelf; I do off-the-coals.
I cook across the UK from a Surrey base, bringing custom BBQ stands, whole-animal cookery, and a little live-fire theatre to private gardens, weddings, and weekend escapes. Fine-dining technique, backyard soul, and just enough controlled chaos to keep things interesting.
7+
Years over flame
UK
Nationwide travel
∞
Menus repeated, never
“Low, slow, and unbothered.”
Request the date.
Tap an open day, send the brief, and we’ll talk it through. Pricing is agreed together, in conversation — no set number, no fixed menu.
Surrey based, UK bound, permanently hungry for the next fire.