After weeks of careful planning and a few last minute arrangements, our Chewton Glen v Lime Wood Charity Chefs' Challenge went off without a hitch at Ballard School Performing Arts Centre in New Milton on Monday 12th July.

Hosted by Hampshire chef, Alex Aitken, and Chewton Glen's Chef Sommelier, Alan Holmes, the evening's programme provided live culinary theatre at it best, with fantastic dishes being created by Nick Hewitt and Oliver Marlow from Chewton Glen and Luke Holder and Richard Lloyd from Lime Wood (pictured here with Alex Aitken) and plenty of audience participation. £1,880 was raised for the two charities - Joseph Patrick Trust and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

Following the success of our first event, don't miss our next Ready, Steady, Cook-style contest on Thursday 30th September 2010 in Chandler's Ford, starring teams of chefs from Hotel du Vin Winchester and Lainston House. More>>

	Ballard School's auditorium made the perfect setting for our first Ready, Steady Cook-style Chefs' Challenge, starring teams from Chewton Glen and Lime Wood - two of the UK's most prestigious 5-star hotels. Granite Transformations of Lymington kindly supplied and built the kitchen with its stunning granite worktops, free of charge, giving the chefs a great showcase to work on.

Part of the Hampshire Food Festival, the evening was a celebration of cooking with fresh local, seasonal produce and Michelin starred Alex Aitken and renowned Chef Sommelier, Alan Holmes, co-hosted the proceedings with masterly flair. Luke Holder and Richard Lloyd of Lime Wood got the show off to a great start, with two mouth-watering dishes, 'Sea Trout with Basil & Courgette Puree' and 'Venison with Coffee & Beetroot'. See recipes…

	For each course, two lucky members of the audience whose ticket numbers were drawn out of a hat were invited to sit at the chefs' table to sample the fabulous food and taste the fine wine chosen Alan Holmes to complement that dish. "Well done! It was a brilliant evening. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, especially Beverly, who had a dinner date thrown in!" Louise W.

It was a lovely informal evening, with Alex, Alan and the teams of chefs answering questions throughout the show. Ian Nelson of Sunnyfields in Totton was invited to take to the floor for five minutes to talk about organic food and farming, making it very much a local affair.
A party from Oakleaf in Bournemouth were also in the audience. And although members of Deloitte in Southampton were unable to attend, the company gave a very generous donation toward the fund. There were plenty of willing volunteers on hand to help everything run smoothly, including Alan and Valerie from the Joseph Patrick Trust.

	Delicious canapés were served during the interval, courtesy of Waitrose in Christchurch. Guests also had the opportunity to sample scrumptious homemade cheese straws and biscuits made with Lyburn farmhouse cheese, as well as fresh olives, sun dried tomatoes and balsamic onions from Food For Thought delicatessen in Ringwood.

Roger Leppard, Sherie William-Ellen, Kirsty Watts and Mike Gregory (Aircrew Paramedic) from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance did a sterling job selling raffle tickets on the night.   Following the break, Nick Hewitt and Oliver Marlow from Chewton Glen demonstrated their dishes created specially for the event - 'Local Plaice Braised in New Forest Cider' and 'Jelly and Ice Cream'. See recipes…

At the end of the show everyone had the chance to vote for their favourite dishes by holding up a green or red card. The result was too close to call and so the chefs settled the contest with an omelette-cooking tie-breaker. A member of the audience was asked to adjudicate and Chewton Glen won by a whisker.

	Medals were presented to all contestants and then the raffle prizes were drawn. After the acknowledgements, everyone went home with a goody bag.

Summing up the event, volunteer event organiser, Katy Metson, said, "I really can't begin to thank everyone enough for their support, from Alex, Alan and the wonderful chefs who took to the stage, to all the people working behind the scenes, who contributed greatly to the success of the show - especially Rachel Spackman (Ballard School) and Angela Day (Chewton Glen) - not forgetting those who helped to promote it, including Sophie Boxhall, Hampshire Fare's PR & Marketing Officer. They're all stars!

"Big thanks also to the local suppliers and businesses who made the evening's entertainment extra special, and to all the people who bought tickets - please tell your friends about it and encourage them to come along to our next event on Thursday 30th September.

"I'm now very much looking forward to the next event, which takes place at Thornden Hall Performing Arts Centre in Chandler's Ford, hosted by Simon Clarke from Wave 105's afternoon programme and Ian Nelson of Sunnyfields. To ring the changes, the format of the show will be slightly different. We'll have two exhibition kitchens on stage (kindly provided by Ian Nelson) with Andy Mackensie from Lainston House and Adam Fargin from Hotel du Vin Winchester will be going head to head in the culinary contest, creating their vote winning dishes using the same ingredients.

What's more, in addition to having the chance to win raffle prizes, members of the audience will also be able to bid for some amazing 'money-can't-buy' experiences in our charity auction. Lots include 'Lainston Comes to You' experience, where Head Chef Andy Mackenzie and his team come to your home to cook and serve a 4-course dinner for 8 people. There's also a luxurious stay at the Hotel du Vin Winchester, as well as two places at their Cookery School with Head Chef, Adam Fargin. And a fabulous day out from Ocean Village onboard a fast cruising yacht for 10 people. Plus a VIP behind the scenes visit to the Wave 105 studio, including lunch with Simon Clarke before watching his live afternoon broadcast."

Organised in association with Wave 105, Cookery Demo's forthcoming charity event will be raising money for three good causes. Half the proceeds will go to the radio station's 'Cash for Kids' appeal, 25% to Macmillan Cancer Support and, again, 25% to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

To watch a video clip of Katy's introduction at Ballard School on 12th July, click here.

Click here to see the gallery >.

 

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