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The evening was an opportunity to cerebrate the impact of the Adopt a School Programme has on children’s lives.

Chef Thomas Marriage received Adopt a School sessions from Gary Jones when he attended Chalgrove Primary School and it inspired him to become a chef.  Eight years later he is now a commis chef apprentice at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.

Marriage said: “If it wasn’t for Adopt a School, I wouldn’t be here. I thank the programme for where I am now. Adopt a School has changed my life, every child needs to be a part of this programme.”

The dinner featured dishes from some of the world’s most prestigious chefs:

• Ricotta and goats’ cheese agnolotti with basil and tomato essence, prepared by Raymond Blanc OBE and Jones (Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxfordshire).
• Crab sausage roll with brown crab ‘ketchup’ and pickled cucumber with dill, prepared by Mark Sargeant (RockSalt Restaurant, Folkestone).
• Steamed fillet of sea bass with tartare olive oil hollandaise and steamed young leeks, prepared by Nathan Outlaw (Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Port Isaac).
• Roasted loin of lamb stuffed with cep mushrooms, boulangère gratin and garden savoury scented jus, prepared by Alain Roux and Fabrice Uhryn (The Waterside Inn, Bray).
• Amedei chocolate and praline delice with citrus compote with orange and yoghurt ice cream, prepared by William Curley MCA (William Curley).

Chef Simon Boyle, founder of social enterprise and restaurant Beyond Food & Brigade is one of 11 chefs who volunteer to deliver practical cooking sessions to children at the hospital school in central London.

He added: “What I take most from Adopt a School is the power that food has to transform children’s lives through health, raising aspirations, providing a new career path, and giving them an enjoyable activity which takes them away from their day-to-day lives.” 

The evening raised a record number of funds for the Adopt a School Trust, partly raised through an auction of ‘exclusive prizes’, including two Executive Club tickets at Tottenham Hotspur, a Chocolate Masterclass for ten with William Curley MCA & Sara Jayne Stanes OBE and am overnight stay and dinner for four at The Waterside inn.  

Stanes OBE, chief executive of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and Adopt a School, commented: “Food education is key to giving young people the knowledge, practical skills and ability to be responsible for their wellbeing and to adopt a healthier lifestyle through informed choice. This is why programmes like Adopt a School are so important.”