Great Dorset Menu Raises £10,000 for Room to Reward

The four chefs

The inaugural Great Dorset Menu fundraising dinner at the Captain’s Club Hotel & Spa in Christchurch raised over £10,000 for local charity Room to Reward on Friday 10th November.

Four of the best Dorset chefs whipped up an absolute culinary storm in the kitchen for specially invited 100 guests, with Alex Aitken of The Jetty taking home the prize with his dropped ice-cream inspired starter featuring edible sand, River Avon trout tartare, wasabi ice cream, crispy seaweed and sea vegetables.

As well as the starter, there was a fish course from Mark Hix, a main dish of venison from Colin Nash, dessert, Summer Lodge Carrot Garden, from Michael Moirinho, all created with ingredients provided by Country Fare and Premier Fish, a cheese course from the Book and Bucket Cheese Company and petit fours from Adriana Lisk of Rockwater, all paired with wines supplied by English Oak Vineyard, Langham Wine Estate and Baccello. Further refreshment was supplied by Midas Prosecco, Shanty Spirits, Conker Distillery, Piddle Brewery and Jimmy’s Iced Coffee.

The chefs and sponsors all joined together to raise money for Room to Reward, which is a Christchurch-based charity that uses donated unsold hotel rooms as a means for charities and community groups to give 'thank you' breaks to their inspirational volunteers. 

Captain’s Club Hotel & Spa have been partners of the charity for over five years and provided several memorable breaks to deserving recipients in that time. Fundraising on the night took the form of a raffle, three envelope prize draws and an auction, plus donations from ticket sales.

“We are hugely grateful to everyone who helped make such a fantastic event happen,” said Adam Terpening, Director of Room to Reward. “To the chefs who created such a fantastic menu, the sponsors who provided the drinks, Tim and Robert and the whole team at Captain’s Club who have been wonderful supporters of ours for so long, everyone who donated a raffle or auction prize, everyone who bought a ticket and came along we just want to say a huge thank you. 

"We are a small charity and donations like this go a long way to helping us on our mission to recognise and thank more Hidden Heroes.”

From humble beginnings in 2015, Room to Reward will work with over 1000 hotels across the U.K. by the end of the year. Collectively, they have donated more than £1million worth of breaks to over 2000 volunteers nominated by more than 800 charities and voluntary organisations. Giving those who give up their time to help people and places in need the chance to enjoy a break and take some time back for themselves.

To find out more about Room to Reward, the hotels and charities involved and to meet some of the Hidden Heroes, visit: www.roomtoreward.org.

The Farm Table Restaurant at Darts Farm Celebrates Its First Anniversary With Legendary Chefs

Darts Farm, which is just outside Exeter, celebrated the first anniversary of its new restaurant, The Farm Table, in July by welcoming two iconic chefs to take over the kitchen for the evening. 

Great British Menu winner, Mark Hix and local seafood hero, Mitch Tonks, created a unique 5-course seasonal menu, combining their celebrated styles with produce from the fields at Darts Farm and incredible artisan ingredients from the food hall; whilst sharing their stories about a lifetime of friendship through food.

Hosting two such culinary giants represents a huge accolade for the new Devon restaurant which opened its doors in Summer 2022 and has gone from strength to strength in spite of a period of unprecedented challenges for the industry.

Michael Dart, who runs Darts Farm with his two brothers, James and Paul, said: “It's been a very tough couple of years for hospitality businesses and not the ideal climate for launching a new restaurant, but as we mark the first anniversary of The Farm Table, we are so proud of what we have achieved in the last 12 months. Following hot on the heels of winning Food Magazine's Reader Awards as 'The Best Newcomer', The Farm Table has just hosted two world-renowned chefs who share our passion for championing local and sustainable food. 

"Our team, led by my son George and our Head Chef Tom, has worked incredibly hard to achieve so much in such a short time and having the seal of approval from two of the country's most eminent chefs is a fantastic reward for all their efforts.”

Michael's son, George, has been instrumental in bringing the original concept of The Farm Table to life and creating the new flagship restaurant. He explains: “Our aim with the launch of The Farm Table was to create a restaurant that would celebrate the simplicity of beautiful ingredients grown, reared, caught and crafted on our doorstep. 

"Produce that cannot be sourced from the farm is provided by our vibrant community of like-minded artisan producers, farmers and fisherman who share our passion for flavour. A year ago I couldn't have dreamt of hosting two such prestigious chefs in our kitchen but this event marks the culmination of all our efforts to deliver a world class dining experience that showcases the very best of Devon's produce.”

The Farm Table is open seven days a week for lunch (12-3pm) and for dinner (6-9pm) Thursday to Saturday. The menu includes Darts Farm's iconic Ruby Red beef, dayboat fish and seasonal vegetables, all cooked over charcoal and accompanied by a huge selection of wines, beers, ciders and spirits from the cellar. 

For further information on The Farm Table and Darts Farm please visit www.dartsfarm.co.uk and follow Darts Farm on Facebook and Instagram.