Lake District chefs event for Cancer Care held at Kendal College

The event saw 50 guests gather at Kendal College to savour the hospitality of professionals from some of the county’s Michelin-starred restaurants.

(Image: Jenny Jones Photography) The dinner successfully raised over £14,000 to help support the work of CancerCare in North Lancashire and South Cumbria. 

The evening was expertly hosted by hospitality luminary Lorraine Stanton, who alongside tutors from Kendal College, as well as Craig Blackburn and Olivia Blackburn from the Old Stamp House, successfully marshalled Front-of-House students from Kendal Culinary.

(Image: Jenny Jones Photography) They delivered a faultless dinner and wine service to the assembled guests with wines generously supplied by Lakeland Vintners at Ings, Grapevine from Threlkeld, and Stainton Wines, Kendal.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the five chefs, members of their respective teams and Culinary Students from Kendal College were expertly organised by chef Steven Doherty.

Steven is known as the first English chef to head up a three-Michelin-starred kitchen.

(Image: Jenny Jones Photography) They set about cooking a five-course feast with each dish created using of some of the finest locally sourced produce.

Ingredients were generously provided by local businesses such as McClure’s, Windermere, Thornby Moor Dairy, Thursby, Winter Tarn Dairy, Kendal, Lovingly Artisan Bakery, Kendal, and more.

(Image: Jenny Jones Photography) Paul Leonard of Forest Side, Grasmere served up BBQ Belly of Herdwick with Whipped Sheep’s Curd and Black Garlic, alongside Lightly Cured Mackerel With Seaweed Custard and Aged Oscietra.

Richard Swale of Allium at Askham Hall, Penrith, crafted a starter of Cooked, Pickled and Raw Vegetables from Askham Hall Gardens, served with Thornby Moor Dairy Soft Cheese and Roasted Duck Bone Vinaigrette.

Kevin Tickle's ‘When Daisy Met Bramble,’ a dessert made with Mugwort Fudge, Mugwort Fudge Ice Cream, Blackberry Powder Puree finished with Sourdough Biscuit Crunch (Image: Jenny Jones Photography) Ben Queen-Fryer of The Dog & Gun, Skelton, cooked the fish course of Whole Maryport Dover Sole on the Bone with Capers, Sultanas, Curry Sauce, and Triple Cooked Chips.

Ryan Blackburn of The Old Stamp House, Ambleside, served a main course of Cumbrian Venison Loin with Celeriac and Onion Truffle Jus.

Left to Right Lorraine Stanton and Emma Johnson (Image: Jenny Jones Photography) Kevin Tickle of Heft, Newton in Cartmel, rounded off the evening with ‘When Daisy Met Bramble,’ a dessert made with Mugwort Fudge, Mugwort Fudge Ice Cream, Blackberry Powder Puree finished with Sourdough Biscuit Crunch.

During dinner there was a live auction and ‘Golden Envelope Prize Draw,’ providing the opportunity to secure some fabulous items including bespoke table centrepieces handcrafted by Miles-Moore Ceramics, Hornby, which had been specially handcrafted for the evening.

Paul Leonard's Lightly Cured Mackerel With Seaweed Custard and Aged Oscietra (Image: Jenny Jones Photography) All proceeds raised are being donated to CancerCare to help support their vital work helping people affected by cancer or bereavement, as well as providing cancer support for young adults and essential support for families.

Claire Mason, Head of Fundraising and Marketing at CancerCare and project lead for the charity’s first-ever event with chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants, said: "The Five Star Evening For CancerCare was an incredibly exciting event to organise and it's been an honour to work alongside some of the industry's most respected figures. 

Richard Swale's Cooked, Pickled and Raw Vegetables from Askham Hall Gardens, served with Thornby Moor Dairy Soft Cheese and Roasted Duck Bone Vinaigrette (Image: Jenny Jones Photography) “CancerCare has simply been overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone involved. Our five chefs, Ryan, Paul, Richard, Ben and Kevin, donated their time to curate a unique and inspiring menu that championed local ingredients.

“Lorraine and Steven's unrivalled expertise ensured that the evening ran smoothly and that our guests knew about everything from the provenance of the ingredients being used to the meticulously chosen wines. The Restaurant at Kendal College, which they kindly donated for our use, was a superb venue which was beautifully dressed by Poppins Parties & Events.

"We would like to say a special thank you to our guest speaker Jeremy Langmead spoke so poignantly about his personal experience with cancer, as well as that of his late friend and co-creator of the podcast ‘How Long Have You Got?,’ Sarah Edmundson, who was originally going to accompany Jeremy on the evening but sadly passed away a few weeks ago.

Alison Stainthorpe, Chief Executive of CancerCare and Jeremy Langmead (Image: Jenny Jones Photography) "The front-of-house and kitchen volunteers, including college staff, students, and team members from each chef's respective restaurant, worked collaboratively to deliver a truly Five-Star experience.

“We’d also like to thank every one of the food and wine suppliers for their help and generosity, and not forgetting those enormously supportive businesses who kindly donated prizes for our auction. Of course, the entire evening wouldn’t have been possible without our wonderful guests who snapped up the tickets for this unique sold-out event and on the night bid so generously for the auction lots available.’’

Adding: ‘’Without any of this support, the evening simply wouldn't have been possible. It was a great success, raising over £14,000 for CancerCare. The atmosphere in the dining room was incredibly special, with everyone coming together to celebrate local talent and top-class cuisine, all while raising vital funds for their local cancer and bereavement charity."

Ryan Blackburn, Chef-owner of The Old Stamp House, commented: ‘’Firstly I’d like to say a massive thank you to the chefs for giving up their time, all the producers and suppliers for being so very generous, Kendal College and in particular the culinary team and hospitality students for their help and support, the generous businesses who so kindly donated auction lots, Lorraine and Steven for their expertise and Jenny Jones for capturing the evening so beautifully and above all the guests who without whom the event simply wouldn’t have been a success.

"Everybody’s generosity means that CancerCare will be able to continue to deliver better outcomes locally for individuals and families affected by cancer or bereavement, helping those impacted to deal with the difficulties and challenges they face – thank you to all involved for helping support their local community.’’