Fantastic Four Present Local Food Feast
11 May 2007
Otto Thissen will be among the chefs preparing dishes using local produce.
All profits from this Gala Evening Dinner will be used to support the University’s Hospitality and Catering students, providing them with opportunities to find out about sustainable local food production and procurement, and the benefit to the local economy and the environment.
”Sheila Russell, Project Leader for Peak District Cuisine
Four acclaimed Derbyshire chefs are to host a gourmet dinner to celebrate local food and support food education initiatives at the stunning Devonshire Campus in Buxton.
It will be a unique opportunity for food lovers in the region to enjoy dishes prepared using locally sourced ingredients by top regional restaurateurs.
The Peak District Cuisine Gala Evening Dinner takes place on Thursday 24 May, from 7pm in the Devonshire’s Fine Dining Restaurant – The Dome. The restaurant is a professional training facility for students of catering and hospitality set to become the chefs and restaurateurs of tomorrow.
Diners will get a unique opportunity to enjoy a three-course special set menu featuring the very best local, seasonal produce. The combined talents of Peak District Cuisine chefs will be on show in one place, on one evening – and Catering and Hospitality students will gain great experience working alongside them.
Guests at the Gala Dinner are set to enjoy dishes created by Michelin-starred Max Fischer of Fischer’s at Baslow Hall, as well as Ralph Skripek of The Butler’s Pantry in Mickleover and Helen Haywood of The George at Hathersage, alongside University of Derby Buxton’s Chef Lecturer, Otto Thissen and students from the Devonshire.
On arrival, they will be greeted with champagne and canapés in the Dome to musical accompaniment from a local brass band. For his starter, Max will prepare a signature fish dish; Ralph’s main course will be Gressingham Duck; and Helen and Otto will join forces to create an assiette of seasonal rhubarb.
The event has been organised by Sheila Russell, based at the Devonshire Campus in Buxton, who manages several innovative projects to promote local producers and food service providers, supporting tourism in the Peak District.
Peak District Cuisine supports restaurants, cafés, tearooms, bars, and pubs serving food. All members share a commitment to locally sourced produce.
A parallel scheme, Food From The Peak District, promotes local food producers, and the Peak District Butchers scheme encompasses a network of butchers in the Peak District who sell meat produced locally on farms that contribute to the conservation of our internationally important landscape.
“Two Food From The Peak District events last autumn proved there’s a real passion for local food in Derbyshire and Peak District,” said Sheila. “In October, the Devonshire played host to the Great Peak District Fair, followed by the Food Fest and our Traditional Christmas Food Fair at Thornbridge Hall at Ashford-in-the-Water was packed.
“All profits from this Gala Evening Dinner will be used to support the University’s Hospitality and Catering students, providing them with opportunities to find out about sustainable local food production and procurement, and the benefit to the local economy and the environment.
“It has been calculated that if every person, tourist and business switched 1% of their current spending to local products, this action would put an extra £1million into the local economy every week,” said Sheila.
The evening’s speaker will be Sue Prince OBE, local food champion and consultant to Food From The Peak District. Sue is the wife of an organic dairy farmer in the Peak District and with extensive experience of rural enterprise.
An artist and illustrator, Sue also provides farm accommodation and won the 2003 Gold Award for best tourism website in England. She sits on the Peak District National Park Authority, the board of Advantage West Midlands and the National Trust Estates Panel.
The Peak District Cuisine Gala Evening Dinner costs £45 per head including champagne. Ticket numbers are very limited, so people are encouraged to book soon by calling The Dome Fine Dining Restaurant on 01298 28345.
The free 2007 Savour the Flavour of the Peak District guide, published by Food From The Peak District, will be launched next week. It is divided into Where To Buy, Where To Eat, and Where To Stay, and includes a list of farmers’ markets, and a calendar of other food-related events. See www.peakdistrictfoods.co.uk for more information.
For details on Peak District Cuisine, Food From The Peak District or the Peak District Butchers scheme, contact Sheila Russell on 01332 594606 or email S.A.Russell@derby.ac.uk.
-ends-
For further media information please contact the University of Derby’s Press and PR Officer, Simon Butt, on 07748 920023 or 01332 591891, or via email at s.butt@derby.ac.uk.
