Chefs cook fantastic feast at Ready Steady St Albans
Local chefs, including catering students from Oaklands College, created a delicious three-course vegetarian feast that set guests’ taste buds tingling at Ready Steady St Albans.
The cooking demonstration is one of the highlights of St Albans Food and Drink Festival and helped raise £775 for the Mayor’s charity Youth Talk.
Paying guests picked up culinary tips as they watched the chefs cook each course in Poggenpohl’s kitchen showroom on Wednesday night. They then tasted each dish when samples were passed round for everyone to enjoy.
A team from Dylans the Kings Arms, in George Street, made a starter of wild mushrooms, soft quail’s egg, grilled sour dough with rapeseed hollandaise.
They were followed by Harry Lumsdon, Head Chef at The Great Northern in London Road, who was crowned Young Masterchef of Britain in 2016. He produced a main course of Vacherin tortellini with caramelised onion broth.
A delicious trio of desserts was created by Paul Wood, a chef tutor in Hospitality and Catering at Oaklands College, and students Megan Trundle and Kyran Bates. It included mango and lime mousse with a tuille biscuit; mini carrot cake, with a butter scotch sauce, and chocolate decadence, with honey combe and crème fraiche. The team also made a selection of petit fours.
In addition, guests were treated to a glass of Prosecco on arrival and a glass of wine or a soft drink from Flagship Wines.
The Mayor of the City and District of St Albans, Councillor Mohammad Iqbal Zia, said: “The chefs did a brilliant job creating three courses of superb vegetarian food for this charity fundraising event. I thank them all for giving up their time to raise funds for Youth Talk, as well as our hosts Poggenpohl and drink suppliers, Flagship Wines. I also want to thank the many people who paid to watch the cooking demonstration and to sample the delicious food that was made. It was a lovely evening and I am sure everyone picked up cooking tips along the way.”
Youth Talk provides a much-needed confidential counselling service for local young people aged 13-25.
More information about St Albans Food and Drink Festival is available at: www.enjoystalbans.com/foodanddrink.
The Right Worshipful the Mayor of the City and District of St Albans, Councillor Mohammad Iqbal Zia
Contact for the Mayor’s office:
Alison Orde, the Mayor’s Civic Officer
Tel: 01727 819544
Email: mayoralty@stalbans.gov.uk
Contact for the media:
Amanda Wilkinson,
Senior Communications Officer
St Albans City and District Council
Tel: 01727 819317
E-mail: amanda.wilkinson@stalbans.gov.uk
www.stalbans.gov.uk
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/StAlbansCouncil
Notes:
Each Year the Mayor of the City and District of St Albans chooses a charity to support by hosting events to raise their profile and much-needed funds. The current Mayor, Cllr Mohammad Iqbal Zia, has chosen Youth Talk as his charity for the Mayoral year 2017/18.
Photos:
Above: A chef from Dylans the Kings Arms cooking at Ready Steady St Albans.