March 11th 2008
Stars Gather For Big Fat Organic Feast Of Albion
Filed under: events: uk, food & drink — michael @ 9:31 am
This coming Thursday in London, a massive organic dinner party called The Feast of Albion will provide a five-course gourmet experience to the 400 guests paying over $2K for the evening. The get-together is the result of a partnership between award-winning sustainable and ethical chefs Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Mark Hix. Everything served will be local, seasonal, and deliciously organic. Nothing beyond a 50 mile radius of London will be included in the ingredients. From Smartplanet,
“It’s been reported that the five-course Feast of Albion menu will include venison from Windsor Great Park, mutton from Prince Charles’ Highgrove, herrings from Thames Bay, beetroots from Romney Marsh and nettles (for a soup) picked in London by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall himself. We’ve heard vegetables will come from the extremely low-carbon Tolhurst Organic Produce, which have been transported to London by fit cyclists.”
Celebrities partaking in the fun of the evening include Jemima Khan, Sophie Dahl, Tom Parker Bowles, Richard E. Grant and many others. The headlining entertainment for the evening will be none other than Annie Lennox. All profits earned for the evening will go to the Soil Association’s Farm School Project, which aims to connect kids with organic farming and the countryside. Curious as to what the full menu for the evening looks like? Have a taste after the jump below.
The £1,000 feast of forage
The Menu
Canapes
Venison sausages with Cumberland sauce
Venison: shot by the gamekeeper at Windsor Great Park, which borders the Queen’s back garden
Brawn on toast with piccalilli
Mutton and turnip pies
Mutton: lovingly reared by Prince Charles at Highgrove, just down the M4 in Gloucestershire
Smoked salmon with potato latkes and horseradish
Starters
Pickled herrings with beetroot
Herrings: “responsibly” caught in driftnets at fisheries in Thames Bay
Beetroot: grown by organic producers in Romney Marsh, a wetland in Kent and East Sussex
Crispy pig’s head salad with soft-boiled duck egg
Pig’s head: from free-range porkers hand-reared at Laverstoke Park in Overton, Hampshire
Purple sprouting broccoli with anchovy dressing and pickled walnuts
Purple sprouting broccoli: grown at Iain Tolhurst’s organic farm in Pangbourne near Reading, one of the country’s oldest organic farms
Oysters
Oysters: gigas oysters grown in Maldon Oyster Company fishery in the river Blackwater, Essex
Middle course
Nettle and wild garlic soup
Nettles: picked by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his team from London’s Hyde Park and the banks of the Thames
Main course
Roast venison fillet, braised shoulder and a faggot with bay and juniper sauce
Dessert
Richmond Maids of Honour
Farmhouse cheeses served with rosehip jelly
Cheeses: soft blue cheeses made from cows’ and ewes’ milk by Two Hoots Farmhouse Cheese, in Berkshire
That sounds like a great meal, especially coming from a country not commonly known for culinary triumphs. I wonder if the standards as to what is considered “organic” are the same as in the US? Maybe merchants could deliver groceries via EVs.
[...] and stage actor Richard E. Grant talking about organic foods to Latest Homes magazine at the Soil Association’s Feast of Albion event last month. No [...]
[...] and stage actor Richard E. Grant talking about organic foods to Latest Homes magazine at the Soil Association’s Feast of Albion event last month. No [...]