The Diary: Gentleman’s Journal Long Summer Lunch 2023, at Blenheim Palace

Set against the golden-stoned backdrop of the stately build, the Long Summer Lunch lived heartily up to its name – long; summery; and very much a Bacchanalian feast

Words: Joseph Bullmore

Photography: Hubert Cecil

On Friday 4th August, in defiance of the mercurial British summer weather, Gentleman’s Journal gathered 100 or so of its closest friends on the South Lawn of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, for its third Long Summer Lunch, which comprised an afternoon of general carousing. Set against the golden-stoned backdrop of the stately palace itself, the Long Summer Lunch lived heartily up to its name – long (many hours, at last count); summery (thanks to the copious yardage of linen on display); and very much a lunch (the delicious grilled lamb chops and salmon skewers made sure of that).

Entertainment came in the form of joyful saxophone licks from the Sax Man himself, but also via The Little Car Company, whose dinky, ingenious replicas of Aston Martin DB5 and Ferrari convertibles zipped around the green undulations of the parkland. Guests – some of who arrived via chauffeur-driven cars, courtesy of Wheely; others in helicopters from Thunder Aviation – included Che Lingo, Thomas Straker, Francis Bourgeois, Andrew Georgiades, Kit Price, Cyrill Ibrahim, William Franklyn-Miller, Harrison Osterfield, Orfeo Tagiuri and Max Chilton, and all were kept thoroughly watered thanks to Rock Angel rosé, G.H Mumm champagne, and MOTH cocktails, meanwhile the good people of Wheely ensured everyone got where they needed to go next in style (namely: Wilderness festival). All in all, a sterling success – and not a spot of rain!