Hospitality Action Dinner at Manchester House

Wellocks was proud to sponsor and supply the Hospitality Action dinner at Manchester House – devised by Chef/Proprietor Aiden Byrne and his team. The evening was spectacularly brought to life by a team of top chefs who joined forces to make a difference for people from the hospitality industry – a true mission to help those in need.

Stepping into Manchester House ahead of the preparations for the evening there was a certain excitement and spark amongst the team of chefs involved brought together by Aiden – the dream team: Tom Aikens, Lee Westcott, Tom Sellers, Dan Smith, Roger Hickman and Vicky Enderson.

It was apparent from witnessing the final team briefings that this was going to be an evening of dedicated craft, passion and companionship showcased in a very modern limelight.

The nine-course menu created excitement, intrigue and anticipation amongst the 76 diners, who were seated just before the carefully-selected wine was poured. The menu highlighted a variety of seasonal ingredients from heritage carrots to Yorkshire rhubarb, white asparagus and Goldrush apples supplied by Wellocks.

All eyes were very much on the kitchen – the first three courses were delivered by Aiden Byrne and his team. The first was an assembly of pork crackling, hazelnut, pickled pigs tongue, smoked apple followed by crisp chicken skin, foie gras mousse and aged parmesan. The last was perfect Goldrush apples, with caviar and apple liqueur paired with the juice strained from the apples served in a wooden box with steaming liquid nitrogen – a stunning moment.

Chef Roger Hickman’s lovely heritage carrot salad with dukkah crumb was served next before courses from chefs Tom Sellers and Dan Smith. Tom’s course, ‘The Forager’, was a delicately-presented dish of squid cured with kombu seaweed, blowtorched umami broth and wild foraged herb. Dan’s dish, course six, took Yorkshire forced rhubarb to the next level – served alongside gingerbread, foie gras and tantalising plum sake. Rhubarb was a dominant presence on the plate, not only for its colour but its alluring taste.

Next up, chef Lee Westcott presented roasted scallop, white asparagus, curry and pine – a unique blend of citrus shone through and the carefully cut white asparagus was a true delight.

The penultimate dish came from chef Tom Aikens – the kitchen was an absolute buzz, and witnessing the magic in the very heart of the room was a unique moment. Tom had everything perfectly prepared and the dishes became true works of art.

As the final touches were made to Tom’s slow-cooked pigeon, chef Vicky Enderson began her sweet masterpiece – a mirror image of talent, from one side of the kitchen to the other.

The final dish, combined an enthralling matcha green tea, yoghurt and yuzu and was a true surprise on the plate – a beautiful ensemble and the perfect sweet finish.

As each chef brought their dish into the spotlight, it was like witnessing a relay race – as one triumphant dish left the pass, onto the next and all of the adrenaline and passion served up on a plate. These guys were silently passing a baton, a spark, a token to succeed. The evening combined a celebration of talent, hearty perfect ingredients and a passion for the best hospitality in the business and a quest for success.

Aiden toasted the evening, and spoke how proud he was of the calibre of chefs and talent displayed – he was proud to have these chefs under one roof for one very memorable evening.

A huge congratulations to Hospitality Action who raised over £16,500 on the night and to Manchester House for being host to such an incredible evening.