GLORIOUS SUMMER
W L
GLORIOUS SUMMER
BY PAUL ASKEW, CHEF PATRON OF THE ART SCHOOL RESTAURANT
Hello dear reader and welcome to summer.
At The Art School we’ re welcoming the early shoots of the new season, taking us out of spring’ s rich abundance and into the gloriously long days of summer.
We’ ve been blessed with this lovely weather for some time. There’ s no better time than now for me, with the bright mornings and later evenings, and that sense of optimism when the sun shines so brightly across the land. Spring has indeed been fantastic and we’ re very fortunate to have such wonderful ingredients to work with in our Sugnall Street home.
I would like to share an incredible experience with you which took place on Wednesday 14th May. It was an absolute honour to be invited to a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate and recognise the ongoing work in our industry and especially for the next generation of hospitality staff. I’ m a huge fan of the pageantry and regal celebration which is part of the Royal Family, so to be part of this afternoon with many of my peers was truly heartwarming.
We started at the day at The Ritz with fellow Royal Academy of Culinary Arts members all gathered for champagne and canapes courtesy of John Williams and Deepak Mallya – this was a fantastic way to begin our marvellous day. Then we hopped in cabs over to Buckingham Palace and it never fails to stir the emotions in me- it’ s such a grand and evocative setting. We saw the Royal Family arriving, the king and queen, which made it so special to be part of. There were over seven thousand people gathered to celebrate skills and education across the UK, in our case the culinary arts, so to see such emphasis on the next generation was inspiring.
I spoke with Adam Byatt who is the new RACA chair and a fellow chef patron and an independent restaurateur; we shared our respective stories and there’ s little difference in the challenges faced if you’ re based north or south. Michael Coaker from the University of West London, Lisa Jenkins CEO of RACA, the wonderful chef and author Sabrina Gidda and many more were all in attendance. I even spoke to royal chef Mark Flanagan who’ s a lovely man to share time with. We feasted on a splendid afternoon tea with plenty of networking, plus lovely music and of course seeing the king and queen was very special – I was also thrilled to see the Yeoman of the Guard up close. I came back to Liverpool with my faith restored in being British.
As you will know, the industry can be tough and whilst many challenges remain, the Garden Party imbued me with renewed vigour for the path ahead. Along with my role of President of Disciples Escoffier UK and recently The Commanderie de Bordeaux à Liverpool receiving its Charter from Le Grand Conseil de Vins de Bordeaux, there is always much to do. I found it invigorating to be in the company of so many influential figures across the UK who have all made such a profound and selfless impact on the hospitality industry. Gathered together under the sunshine, it was a magnificent occasion and I remain thrilled to have been invited.
I’ d also like to bring your attention to a run of special dates coming up at The Art School this summer.
First up, Sunday 15th June is our Father’ s Day luncheon in The Lantern Room – the perfect opportunity to celebrate all of the much-loved dads with our seasonally curated menu. Whether it’ s a small gathering or a sprawling family get together, we’ re able to host every kind of celebration for this very special day in June and to toast to all of the wonderful fathers out there. We’ re very excited to welcome you all.
Then hot on the heels – or should I say hoofs – of Father’ s Day, we have a double date weekend of horse racing celebrating Royal Ascot down in The Art School Cellars; Thursday 19th June is Ladies Day and a full card of races, followed by another packed day of racing on Friday 20th June. These events have grown into something special in our intimate setting, with the horse racing up on our screens and of course our fantastic food and drink to go with the experience.
Then we’ re back in The Art School Cellars on Friday 22nd August for the York Ebor racing at the historic York Racecourse.
We’ ve got more lovely events to be revealed soon. Yours with love, Chef Patron Paul Askew x
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