On Thursday 9th February, a unique line-up of leading chefs generously volunteered their time to team up with third year students at Westminster Kingsway College to deliver a fabulous menu in aid of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts’ Adopt a School Trust, a national charity delivering food education by sending chefs and hospitality professionals to work with local primary schools.
This annual event was hugely popular with tickets selling out weeks ahead and Adopt a School were thrilled to surpass not only guest numbers, but also the amount raised previously, raising over £18,000 for the charity.
The dinner featured a brigade of some of the biggest names in the industry providing guests with an equisite four course menu and Simon Girling, Director of Food and Beverage at The Ritz London expertly supported the students with the wine service during the evening.
The night’s menu was:
• The Pig’s Salt Baked Garden Celeriac, Dorset Air Dried Sow Ham, Pickled Beetroot Crone Artichoke's and “Golding” Ricotta Salata by James Golding from the Pig Group
• Baked Cod Medallion, Jerusalem artichoke puree, confit Savoy cabbage, root vegetables, shaved winter truffle by Shaun Whatling from the Berkeley Hotel
• Treacle Cured Fillet of Beef, Beef Shin Demi Pie, Hand and Flowers Carrot and Red Wine Sauce
By Tom Kerridge from The Hand and Flowers
• Yorkshire Rhubarb, Zephr White Chocolate & Vanilla Mousse Rhubarb Jelly, Spiced Whole-Wheat Biscuit, Rhubarb Milk Sorbet by Sarah Frankland from Pennyhill Park Hotel & Spa
The dinner was also the perfect opportunity to celebrate and witness the impact that Adopt a School has on children’s lives. Children from St Andrews Primary School in Streatham, whose school is adopted by Adopt a School Chef Lecturer Alice MacKinnon, were invited to serve canapés to guests upon their arrival, emphasising the raison d’etre of this fundraising event. After the event, Deputy Headteacher, Aoife Boland, thanked Adopt a School and the chefs “for inspring their children and exposing them to such an enriching evening, one that they will remember for a very long time”.
A special thanks to Marc Whitley for masterminding this fundraising dinner. Without Marc and the support from Westminster Kingsway College and their students, this dinner would never have happened.
All proceeds from the dinner will go directly to Adopt a School, which works with 17,000 children every year delivering food education and cooking skills in primary schools, hospital schools, youth clubs and on farms. Adopt a School operates across the UK, but works extensively within the North West, West Midlands, Sussex and London: in areas with high levels of deprivation.
Helena Houghton, Executive Director of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts’ Adopt a School Trust said: “Not only did this dinner showcase the best of our most established and emerging industry talent, it also raised much needed funds for Adopt a School enabling us to deliver a good food education to many more children around the country. Food education is key to giving young people the knowledge, practical skills and ability to be responsible for their wellbeing and to adopt a healthier lifestyle through informed choice. This is why programmes like Adopt a School are so important”.
