Food and hospitality industry help raise £135k in support of Farm Africa

25 April 2016

Leading figures from the UK’s food and hospitality industry and other generous supporters were out in force on Thursday April 21st, raising an incredible £135,000 at a gala event organised by Farm Africa. The impressive sum will help Farm Africa to continue reducing poverty in eastern Africa by enabling farmers across the region to grow themselves out of poverty.

The black tie event was staged under the dome in the magnificent surroundings of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, with Michelin-starred chefs Ashley Palmer-Watts, Tom Kerridge and John Freeman teaming up to design a special menu served to over 200 guests.

The sumptuous dinner was a highlight of the evening and began with an inspired first course of Meat Fruit Mandarin, Chicken Liver and Grilled Bread served by Ashley Palmer-Watts, Executive Chef at two Michelin-starred Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and Executive Head Chef of the Fat Duck Group.

A hearty and delicious main course of Shepherd’s Pie with Lamb Suet, Black Cabbage Puree and Clotted Cream Mash was served by Tom Kerridge and Chris Mackett of The Hand and Flowers - the first ever pub to be awarded two Michelin stars. 

The meal was rounded off with a mouth-watering Tiramisu from John Freeman, Head Chef at Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham, which has also been awarded two Michelin stars.

Special events caterers Payne and Gunter helped to deliver the hottest dinner in town, with their chefs and operations team bringing together the logistical elements to ensure a smooth and seamless event.

Alongside fantastic contributions from generous individuals and businesses, stepping up in particularly strong support of the evening were the gala’s Gold Sponsors: 2 Sisters Food Group; ABP Food Group; Kettle Produce and Moy Park.

Summing up sentiment on the night, Farm Africa’s CEO Nicolas Mounard, said:

“We are very grateful to have such brilliant chefs serving such delicious food in support of Farm Africa. And it’s important to remember that behind the food, there is always a huge amount of work that takes place, stretching from the kitchen right back to the farmer.

Everyone had a great night, with a lot of energy and people from across the food and retail industry coming together with the shared ambition of enabling farmers in Africa to grow more, sell more, and sell for more so they can lift themselves and their families out of poverty.”

Images from the evening are available here: http://www.farmafrica.org/events/the-farm-africa-gala-2016

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

For media enquiries and high resolution photographs of the night please contact:

Tara Carey, Farm Africa Media Relations Manager at tarac@farmafrica.org ; +44 (0)20 7841 5156; +44 (0)7971 556 340.

About Farm Africa:

Farm Africa reduces poverty by unleashing the ability of farmers across eastern Africa to grow their incomes in an environmentally sustainable way. We apply a practical approach to development, providing inputs, tools and expertise to enable farmers to double or triple their yields. We also help them to become more resilient to the effects of climate change, and to access markets so they can increase their income and build sustainable businesses.

With more than 30 years’ experience on the ground in rural Africa and 170 local staff, Farm Africa has a unique ability to spark change. For more information please visit www.farmafrica.org or follow us on Twitter @FarmAfrica.