L’Ortolan Charity Cookery Challenge
“It’s important for us at L’Ortolan to be able to give back something back to the local community.”
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Every week around Berkshire people read or listen to their work. They help form public opinion, they inform, advise and entertain. but can they cook?
Restaurant Reading L’Ortolan Cookery Challenge
L’Ortolan set the local press a challenge, inviting them to show off their culinary flair in the Demonstration Studio and offering £1000 for charity for the winning team.
Six local reporters accepted the challenge and, on the 9th June, donned their aprons.
The Teams The Purple Team:
Nick Williams
Richard Reed
Jacky Hayler
The White Team:
Tessa Harris
Hilary Scott
Rebecca Johnson
Teams were picked at random – some competitor papers had to work together, others had the chance to face their competitors in a direct cook-off.
Restaurant Berkshire Michelin Star L’Ortolan
Together the teams worked their way through the preparation of a three-course meal. Guided by L’Ortolan Head Chef Elliott Lidstone the reporters, editors and broadcasters rolled fresh pasta, prepared a fish, and sweated over whether their desserts would rise.
After much clattering of pans, and careful tutoring from Elliott, the teams were able to tuck in to their stuffed tortellini starter, pan-fried sea-bream main, and lemon curd (white team) or raspberry jam (purple team) souffles for dessert.
With a £1000 charity donation up for grabs, competition was fierce. Elliott had a hard time selecting a winning team but finally declared the White Team victorious with their superior souffles.
Rebecca Johnson, Hillary Scott and Tessa Harris decided to split their winnings between three separate charities: Sebastian’s Action Trust, The Robbie the Robot Appeal and Thames Hospice Care.
A week later representatives from the three charities delightedly came to L’Ortolan to be presented their cheques by restaurant owner Peter Newman.
Restaurant Reading Charity Challenge
“It’s important for us at L’Ortolan to be able to give back something back to the local community. Our Charity Cooking Challenge in our demonstration studio was the perfect vehicle for us to do that,” explains Peter. “We’re delighted to be able to support these three worthy local charities.”
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Why not think about booking the for your own event? Great for team building, or just having a fun time with friends.
Or if you’d like to learn more about how to prepare your own Michelin starred food, why not consider attending held twice a month on a Wednesday.
