It was when the amuse-bouche of that old Scottish stomach filler, haggis, neeps and tatties, arrived &ndash an unexpectedly elegant mousse, topped by a
delicate lattice of crisp potato strips on a bed of fresh young broad beans &ndash that it became clear this was not going to be any ordinary meal. She was right. But this was just at the start of a remarkable seven course meal, conceived and cooked by seven of Britain’s brightest young chefs and designed to showcase the best cooking from the around the country. With seats for the dinner at the Marriott, where Maze is also situated, costing &pound120 each, plus a charity auction of meals and rooms at some of the restaurants and hotels where Atherton and his colleagues cook, the evening raised a total of &pound35,000. One guest agreed to pay &pound3,100 for Atherton to cook a meal for six at his home. “It’s just my way of trying to put something back into the industry, to help out others who might be struggling because we are living in difficult times. And a lot of people, like waiting staff, have to work very long hours, for not much money,” Atherton told the Standard. What was remarkable, observed several guests, was that in an industry known for its fierce competitiveness and rampant egos, that seven highly talented chefs had managed to occupy the cramped kitchens of the Marriot, turning out a complex, multi-course meal for more than 250 people, without a raised word. Perhaps, as Atherton said afterwards, it was due to the realization that they are among the lucky ones: “For every celebrity chef out there, we know there are probably 2,000 more who don’t make it.” What they cooked: Canapes: Jason Atherton – seared tuna and deep-fried risotto rice balls.
Amuse bouche: Tom Kitchin – gourmet haggis served with a lattice of potato strips.