BaxterStorey has just played host to The Prince of Wales when His Royal Highness, the Patron of the Foundation of Common Land, attended a summit at the University of Cumbria.
The conference, set up to encourage cooperation between the cultural farmed landscape and nature conservation in the Lake District, was held in the university’s Ambleside campus and was attended by over 40 leading figures from organisations including the National Trust and The Prince of Wales’ Countryside Fund.
The independent hospitality provider served afternoon tea celebrating the best of seasonal produce. Led by head chef Chris Dickson, development chef Brian Clark and chef manager Rory O’Connor, guests were treated to an abundance of bakes including mini chocolate eclairs, Kendal mint cake, Grasmere gingerbread and cherry Bakewells.
Catering for a range of industry leaders including a director from DEFRA and the Foundation of Common Land community, the BaxterStorey team focused on showing off the best in local suppliers. The afternoon tea featured Windermere beef and horseradish sandwiches, Staveley free-range egg and mayonnaise cress, and Lythe Valley lamb stew with spinach dumplings.
Among the special guests to attend were the conductor of the National Park Review, Julian Glover, and Lord Curry, who ran the Foot and Mouth inquiry in 2001.
The University of Cumbria’s Head Chef, Chris Dickson, commented, “It was a fantastic opportunity for my team to demonstrate their creative skills and to serve delicious food to HRH The Prince of Wales. Our focus was on using local and seasonal produce, and we loved being able to work with new local suppliers in the Lake District. I am unbelievably proud of all the team for the hard work they put into making the day such a success - it was a monumental team effort”.
Julia Aglionby, Executive Director of the Foundation for Common Land, said, “What an amazing day it was, and I was so pleased that The Prince of Wales had a chance to personally the team and admire their amazing spread.”
Emma Bales, University of Cumbria’s Deputy Director for Student and Staff Services, added, “BaxterStorey excelled themselves and there have been many compliments from our guests and Clarence House regarding the quality of the hospitality. We are grateful to the whole team for their time, effort, care and the attention to detail that went into delivering an outstanding food service. They did themselves and the university proud.”