After a successful first season catering for the Waterperry Opera Festival in 2025, Cherwell Collective’s Climatarian Kitchen is pleased to announce that it will once again partner with the festival to provide food and dining services for attendees in 2026. By serving over 190 hungry guests and over 400 picnic hampers, Climatarian Kitchen has proven high-end dining doesn’t have to come at a high cost to your wallet or the environment.

This year we aim to learn from the last and provide even better service. We have a delicious range of three-course dining options planned from around the world, adapted to suit each individual’s dietary needs. Of course, none of this could be achieved without our fantastic team of chefs, waiters, and volunteers. We are very grateful to them!

Volunteer with us

We welcome people willing to volunteer to work at this world renowned festival to fill out the Google form here. All help is appreciated. Support sustainable living and your local community. 

Wine and Dine 

Climatarian Kitchen focuses on sustainable dining, using seasonal, responsibly sourced ingredients, including imperfect produce and community-grown food. Our mission is to reduce the carbon footprint of food by connecting people from farm to fork.

During this year’s Festival, attendees can enjoy one of two dining options catered by us:

  1. Three course Dinner – in the Lawn Restaurant, with choices of vegan, vegetarian, or meat-based main courses. (Available at 7.45pm between Friday 7th August – Sunday 9th August and Thursday 13th August – Sunday 16th August) 
  2. Festival Hampers – filled with seasonal delights, perfect for enjoying in the gardens. (Available all festival days)

Please note that all dining options require advance booking, and menus are subject to seasonal availability. Both the seated dining and festival hampers will be available in a meat, vegetarian, or vegan format. The availability of both vegetarian and vegan dining, not common at many festivals, helps offer attendees a range of options with a lower Carbon Cost.  A wide assortment of wines and champagnes is also available for booking.

See some highlights of our 2025 Waterperry Climatarian Kitchen’s catering here.

Sustainable, Low Carbon Cost Festival Meals

Unlike many traditional catering companies, Cherwell Collective uses techniques for sustainable eating and carbon costing of food to promote environmental hospitality and the circular economy. 

We use local, in-season food that is abundantly available, including food surplus, which encourages a low-carbon-cost diet and follows a Climatarian Diet, a key pillar of Climatarian Kitchen’s philosophy. By making strategic ingredient and menu choices to provide the best quality food with the lowest environmental impact, we pave the way for sustainable dining and demonstrate that elegant, delicious food does not need to come at the expense of the environment. 

In addition to a traditional meat-based entrée and starter, Climatarian Kitchen also offers both a vegan and vegetarian menu that has a significantly lower Carbon Cost. The sit-down menus and hamper items will also not be set in advance. Instead, they will be determined closer to the festival date to provide the freshest in-season, sustainable items available that week.

Cherwell Collective’s Emily Connally explained. “We are known for generous portions made from fresh ingredients and a lovely variety so that our diners walk away satisfied. You choose your main ingredient or dietary type and we (with mother nature) will do all the rest.”

For more details and to book your dining experience, visit the festival’s hospitality page.

Waterperry Opera Festival’s Wine, Dine and Vibe 

The festival this year will run from the 7th of August to the 16th of August with a range of activities from craft workshops, musicals, live music, singing workshops and world class operatic performances set against the backdrop of Waterperry’s beautiful gardens. The full schedule can be found here (Full Schedule)  and the individual events are below: 

The Elixir of Love 

Donizetti’s beloved comedy reminds us that no potion can purchase love but courage and a well‑timed confession can change everything.

Craft Workshop 

Spark imagination and create cherished moments of creativity, as everyone makes animal ears to wear to the performance!

Peter Rabbit’s Musical Adventure

A charming retelling of Beatrix Potter’s beloved tale, brought to life with Haydn’s string quartets.  

Serenades

Blending operatic charm, dance rhythms, and lyrical warmth, these works were designed to delight, entertain, and drift effortlessly across open spaces.

Come and Sing Workshops

These free events will involve singing through some of opera’s best-loved pieces, led by Head of Music, Ashley Beauchamp.

Music in the Ballroom: Opening recital with John Savournin

This intimate ballroom concert series shines a light on the richness of the human voice. Across four events, different voice types take centre stage, revealing how character, emotion, and storytelling live within the music.

La Bohème 

Expect soaring music, laughter, and heartbreak in an unforgettable night of opera beneath the stars.

Living Light: Visions of an Abbess  

Staged in the intimate church at Waterperry, this immersive performance weaves Hildegard von Bingen’s music and words, inviting audiences into a luminous world of sound, spirituality, and visionary imagination.

Young Artist Gala 

Celebrate the future of opera at our Young Artist Gala Concert, showcasing standout arias and scenes performed by the 2026 cohort of Waterperry’s Young Artists.

Last Night at the Opera 

Bring the 2026 Waterperry Opera Festival to a stunning close with Last Night at the Opera – an unforgettable evening of opera’s greatest hits.

Performances and workshops run from 11:30 am until after dark on weekends, with evening performances scheduled for weekdays.

To see the full range of performances and book tickets, check the Waterperry Opera Festival.