A MEAL OVER 6 KENTISH LANDSCAPES
sit-down dinner for Delfina Foundation, London

on the hills and and in the woodland, nettles and mushrooms underfoot, a harvest of nuts and honey.

(Wild mushroom & chestnut baked polenta, nettle crisps & honey butter, served with cobnut mead)

across chalk grasslands, wild herbs grow and birds’ eggs nestle

(a selection of birds’ eggs topped with herbs and herb mustard dressing)

through allotments, gardens, smallholdings, six types of gourd, six types of wheat

(crown prince squash puree and harissa, roast harlequin squash in red kuri squash pastry made with Eckley Farm’s mixed wheat flour (Crusoe, Edgar, Solstice, Gallant, Skyfall and Trinity), topped with watermelon and cucumber pickle, spiced pumpkin seeds)

down to the harbour: the mouth and the arm, the aroma of chips and vinegar

(a cup of Salty Potato tea with sour pickled rock samphire and tapioca pearls)

floating over chalk reefs cracks in the chalk sea bed house blue mussels and toothwrack

(squid ink crackers to dip in mussel cream and an edible chalk powder served with seaweed)

and descending into Folkestone Pomerania. A wealth of sea sponges: ’chocolate finger’ (Raspailia ramosa), ‘shredded carrot’ (Amphilectus fucorum), ‘mermaid’s glove’ (Haliclona oculata)) and the home of the lost cucuzza

(a dessert of sponge puddings: Chocolate Finger sponge Shredded Carrot sponge and Mermaid’s Glove Ginger sponge with candied pumpkin and whipped vegan cream)

A COASTAL TOWN
canapé party for Creative Folkestone

1. Gardens & allotments of East Cliff:

  • crunchy new season radishes ‘planted’ in edible miso soil – to eat, you pull them up by the leaves, dip in sesame oil and munch (Vegan, Gluten Free)

2. Wild spaces of the Folkestone Downs: – all served on tree bark

  • Reindeer moss fried in butter and dusted with cep powder (Vegetarian, Gluten Free)
  • Wild garlic & winterbourne shaw cheese tarts with wild herbs (Vegetarian)

3. Rock pools on the Warren:

  • Clear seaweed broth with oyster ‘pebbles’ (Gluten Free)

4. The Stade: – served on a tray of chipped ice

  • Cockles & Whelks with dipping dishes of wild pepper and Custom extra special chilli vinegar (served in biodegradable pots with cocktail forks) (Gluten Free)

– Miniature crab sandwiches on home made soda bread

  1. Historic Folkestone:

– Miniature “Folkestone Pudding Pie” to Mrs Beaton’s recipe, topped with Ottinge Court Creme Fraiche (Vegetarian)

latest kitchen news and events

Custom Food Lab’s kitchen, led by award-winning chef Cherry Truluck, uses locally and ethically sourced ingredients to make extraordinary stories and landscapes in food for community meals and unique events.  Custom make climate-friendly food. We use sustainable and well-researched ingredients, including home grown and foraged herbs, fruit and vegetables, prepared with a bare minimum of waste and is always exquisitely presented. We believe passionately that supporting localised food production is not just the responsible choice, but is also a beautiful way of creating richer and more poetic food experiences. We have developed sensory experiences with arts organisations, demonstrated the richness of local supply systems for media events, created life stories in food for private events and much more.

Custom Food Lab have a team of brilliant and knowledgeable kitchen and front of house workers, as well as a small mobile kitchen. We can work in almost any setting and can travel to venues across the south of England. Please contact us for a free consultation about your event. kitchen@customfoodlab.org

Click here for some of Cherry Truluck’s recipes created specially for Custom Food Lab.