Celebrating Young Taste-Makers Driving Sustainable Gastronomy Forward

Bambara groundnut is a unique crop. It’s a bean, but it grows underground like groundnuts. It is a drought tolerant legume well adapted to the local climate. The bean is packed with nutrients and is very versatile- from the popular Okpa (Nigerian Bambara Pudding) to even Bambara milk which is used as a nutrient dense milk substitute for lactose intolerant babies. Though underutilised, it can be a key to a more sustainable future.

In this dish we’re serving it for you as a fritter, similar to akara, with a fresh tomato salsa celebrating fresh tomatoes in season and some fresh herbs.

Sesame seeds, Agbalumo jam, Honey butter, Pepper coulis

Millet brioche is a play on the Lagos classic: Agege bread, enriched with 40 coarse millet flour for added nutrition and texture. We’ve topped it with sesame seeds. Nigeria is one of the world’s largest producers of sesame seeds. Typically grown in the North central part of Nigeria and used widely in local snacks and soups like the Igogo soup common in Kogi state.

The Sesame seed is tiny but mighty. This self pollinating plant requires little intervention in the form of herbicides or chemicals to grow. It requires little water to flourish and grows well in arid environments.

For your spreads, we have an Agbalumo jam, made from the season’s bounty- African Star Apple, honey butter made from local honey and a pepper coulis made from fresh peppers in season- a blend of ata rodo, tatashe, shombo with onions and ginger.

Guinea fowl, Sweet corn purée, Herbs

For the appetizer course, we have a rainbow fonio salad. Fonio or Acha is a native grain indigenous to Northern West Africa. It is incredibly resilient, often called the lazy farmer’s crop, because of how easily it grows. A member of the millet family, it is nutrient dense and versatile. It’s high in fibre and can be steamed, made into porridge, pottage and even served as a swallow.

For this course, we’ve lightly steamed the fonio and combined it with fresh vegetables in season (sweet corn, carrots and bell peppers), locally raised confit Guinea fowl, a sweet corn purée and fresh herbs.

Sweet potato purée, Roasted Prawn, Peppersoup Reduction

Sweet potatoes are incredibly heat tolerant. In the North, they grow so easily all year round- they are the crop you can always go and harvest whenever you are hungry. They require little water to grow and are packed with antioxidants from the different variants. 

For the main course, we have a sweet potato purée with wild caught roasted prawn marinated in uziza seeds and alligator pepper and a Peppersoup reduction- which celebrates our local spices like ehuru and uyayak, which are not just flavourful, but highly medicinal, earthy and complex. The prawn shells, heads and any off cuts can be used to enrich the base stock for the Peppersoup, thereby minimising waste. Feel free to use a mix of mushrooms to make this dish vegetarian. We finish off this course with herb oil, made from fresh and spicy uziza leaves.

For your palate cleanser we have zobo, which are the petals of the red hibiscus or sorrel plant. This plant thrives in a wide range of climates and soil conditions. Typically enjoyed as a drink across West Africa, we are serving it as a fun yet nostalgic popsicle, infused with basil and mint, topped with a candied zobo petal- this element showcases that the zobo petal is entirely edible, even though it is usually steeped for its flavour and discarded.

Garri crumble, Egusi ice cream, Egusi tuile and brittle, Strawberry chilli jam, Iru dulce

For dessert, we have a play on egusi soup, a Nigerian classic. For the base, we have a garri crumble. Garri is a fermented cassava meal, common across west Africa. Cassava flourishes in nutrient poor soil while still producing carbohydrate rich tubers and protein rich leaves. This makes it an insurance crop in many rural communities- it helps communities sustain their livelihood in the face of climate change.

On the crumble, we have an egusi seed ice cream, made by steeping the toasted egusi seeds in milk and churning that egusi milk into an ice cream (this is easily made dairy free by using coconut milk). To garnish, we use the leftover crushed egusi seeds from the milk making process to make an Egusi tuile and brittle, we also add a strawberry chilli jam for some tartness and spice and an iru (fermented locust bean) dulce de leche, served with warm spiced tea: chai. Iru or dawadawa is an integral part of West African cuisine- it is a great source of umami flavour and is often referred to as funky- both in aroma and flavour, but it adds a lovely depth to any dish, thereby cutting through the sweetness of this dessert and providing much needed balance.

Thandai is a refreshing and cooling Indian beverage, traditionally prepared with a blend of milk, nuts, seeds, and spices. Originating from India, it is especially popular during festivals like Holi and Maha Shivaratri. The drink is known for its creamy texture, aromatic spices like cardamom and saffron, and the energizing properties of nuts and seeds like almonds, cashews, poppy seeds, and fennel seeds. Often served chilled, Thandai offers a sweet and subtly spiced flavor profile, making it a delightful and refreshing summer drink.

Unnithandu upperi is a traditional Kerala stir-fry made using banana stem (also called plantain stem), a highly nutritious and fiber-rich ingredient commonly found in South Indian kitchens. The dish involves finely chopping the tender banana stem and sautéing it with coconut, green chilies, turmeric, mustard seeds, curry leaves, and sometimes onions and garlic, all tempered in coconut oil for a distinct aroma and flavor. Unnithandu Upperi is valued not only for its crunchy texture and subtle taste, which absorbs the flavors of the spices, but also for its health benefits, particularly for digestion and detoxification.

This dish hails from the Indian state of Kerala. Known as “God’s Own Country,” Kerala is famous for its lush tropical landscapes, extensive backwaters, coconut-lined beaches, hill stations, and rich biodiversity. Kerala enjoys a pleasant, equable climate throughout the year, with distinct monsoon and summer seasons. Malayalam is the official language, and the state boasts India’s highest literacy rate. Kerala’s economy is driven by agriculture (notably rubber, tea, coffee, coconut, and spices), fisheries, remittances from a large expatriate community, and tourism. The state has a unique culture shaped by centuries of trade and foreign influences, and is renowned for its traditional arts, festivals, and matrilineal social traditions.

Bisi Bele Bath is a popular dish from Karnataka, India, renowned for its complex flavors and satisfying heartiness. It’s essentially a spiced lentil and rice dish cooked with a medley of vegetables, tamarind, and jaggery, creating a symphony of spicy, tangy, and subtly sweet notes. The key to its unique taste lies in the Bisi Bele Bath Masala, a special blend of aromatic spices that infuses the entire dish with warmth and depth. More than just a meal, Bisi Bele Bath is a complete culinary experience, offering a balance of flavors and textures that make it a beloved comfort food. Its use of nuts, vegetables, spices and lentils make it not only a hearty and conforming meal but also a nutritious one.

Parsis are a small but influential ethno religious community in India, descended from Persian Zoroastrians who fled to the Indian subcontinent over a thousand years ago to escape religious persecution after the Islamic conquest of Persia. The name “Parsi” literally means “Persian.” Most Parsis settled in Gujarat and later moved to Mumbai, where they became known for their contributions to industry, education, philanthropy, and cuisine. Despite their rich cultural heritage, the community today faces a declining population due to low birth rates and strict rules on intermarriage.

The sugar and milk story is a well-known Parsi legend that symbolically captures the essence of their arrival in India. According to this tale, when the first group of Zoroastrians fled Persia and arrived on the western coast of India (likely in Gujarat), they sought asylum from the local ruler, Jadi Rana. The king, unsure about allowing foreigners to settle, sent them a bowl of milk filled to the brim, a way of saying his kingdom was already full. In response, the Zoroastrian priest gently stirred a spoonful of sugar into the milk without spilling a drop, symbolising that his people would blend into the society just as sugar sweetens milk without displacing it. Impressed by this message of peaceful integration, the king granted them refuge, on a few condition that they adopt the local language (Gujarati), respect the customs of the land, and not proselytise.

The recipe I’ve given you today for this community is that of ravo. Parsi Ravo is a traditional sweet dish deeply cherished in Parsi households, especially prepared during auspicious occasions like birthdays, New Year (Navroz), and religious ceremonies. It’s a comforting semolina (rava/sooji) pudding made by slow-cooking fine semolina in ghee, milk, and sugar, often flavoured with cardamom and garnished with slivered almonds, raisins, and sometimes rose water.

What sets Parsi Ravo apart from similar Indian semolina desserts is its rich, creamy texture and restrained sweetness, it’s meant to soothe, not overwhelm. Unlike the more widely known sheera or kesari bath, Ravo tends to be less cloying and more buttery, embodying the Parsi style of understated indulgence. I still remember that as a child my grandma would send over a pot of ravo for every birthday and it was traditionally the first thing you’d be served on your birthday.

Seasonal baby cucumber and apple, smoked then blended with jaggery, black salt & mint (Vegan, GF, DF)

Celebrating digestive wellness

Yellow mung dal simmered with green mangoes, mustard seeds & curry leaves.

Combines pulses with seasonal sour fruit to promote gut health; aligns with diversity & adequacy principles; supports farmers growing native varieties.

Puffed rice or millet tossed with mustard oil, fermented radish leaves, boiled kala chana, peanuts & garden herbs

Emphasizes pulses & whole grains; uses preserved greens to reduce waste & highlight traditional preservation; snackable, inclusive, gluten-free.

Seasonal wild & cultivated greens sautéed with garlic, chillies & nigella seeds

Spotlights biodiversity of edible greens; utilizes on-site grown herbs/greens; nutrient-dense & fiber-rich; minimal environmental footprint

Courgette flowers dipped in rice batter & crisp-fried with ajwain, oregano, fennel

Utilizes edible flowers that are often wasted; promotes inclusion of neglected ingredients; encourages zero waste from kitchen gardens

Heirloom aromatic rice & split yellow lentils with seasonal vegetables such as any cauliflowers, broccoli & mustard oil.

Classic pulse & grain combination for protein adequacy; low food waste & one-pot energy-efficient cooking; balances nutrients & energy.

Roasted aubergines with sesame oil & Bengali five-spice

Promotes heart-healthy sesame oil & fiber-rich eggplants; celebrates fire-roasted cooking method requiring less energy & oil

Bengal gram dal tempered with aromatic lime leaf & spices, topped with lime juice and green chillies, homemade ghee

Showcases a pulse at the heart of the Bengali diet; Gondhoraj lime is an heirloom citrus variety; supports diversity within the legume category

Served with fermented radish & mustard relish

Whole millets with pulses for balanced nutrition; fermented relish adds probiotic value & reduces waste of radish tops

Neglected local greens sautéed simply with smoked chillies & mustard oil

Encourages the use of lesser-known, nutrient-dense wild greens; promotes biodiversity & reduces dependence on commercially common vegetables

Rice pudding with date palm jaggery & local nut milk

Spotlights traditional seasonal jaggery; offers vegan/dairy-free options; uses minimal processing and aligns with cultural traditions

Chilled tart hog plum granita with black salt

Celebrates underutilized sour fruit; simple preparation with low energy footprint; aids digestion and reduces menu sugar load

Tulsi & Hibiscus Kombucha → Supports gut health, house-fermented to reduce packaging waste & carbon footprint.

Single-estate Darjeeling Green Tea → Supports sustainable local tea estates; lower environmental impact vs imported teas.

Smoked Rice Water with Citrus→ Minimal waste beverage using rice washing water; promotes hydration & highlights Bengali culinary heritage.