Top chefs cook up over £30,000 for local charity

The team that cooked at the event: Tom Kerridge (Patron), Ashley Palmer-Watts, Laurie Gear together with volunteer waiting team.
Three acclaimed local chefs joined forces at a recent event where they cooked up the cash and raised over £30,000 in aid of local charity, Scannappeal.
A hundred guests had a real treat as they were wined and dined at the beautiful Hampden House, Great Missenden and were treated to a sumptuous meal cooked by three of the country’s top chefs.
Ashley Palmer-Watts (Dinner by Heston Blumenthal) wowed the guests with his Meat Fruit starter followed by Scannappeal Patron, Tom Kerridge (Hand and Flowers, Marlow) dishing up a delicious main course of treacle cured fillet of beef. The guests then enjoyed Tomlinson’s Yorkshire Rhubarb – a beautiful rhubarb and ginger cocktail, with buttermilk, Cambridge cream and white chocolate dessert by Laurie Gear (The Artichoke, Old Amersham).
Speaking at the event Tom Kerridge said: ‘Scannappeal are a great charity doing so much in our community. They really are making a big difference to the diagnosis, treatment and care our local hospitals can deliver and I am delighted to be able to help.‘ He went on to say: ‘Tonight was a fantastic evening. It was a privilege for me and my team to cook alongside the other two phenomenal chefs and for such grateful guests. I am delighted to be able to support Scannappeal on this very special evening and to help raise as much money as we can.‘
The private dinner was hosted by Scannappeal Chairman, William Baxter CBE, to mark the launch of the charities new Bucks MRI Appeal for £1.5million.
The evening raised over £30,000 which greatly helps contribute to one of the largest appeals Scannappeal has ever run in its 32 year history. The new appeal will see two world class scanners sited in Wycombe and Stoke Mandeville hospitals by 2020. With 22,000 MRI scans carried out in 2018 year, the launch of this appeal will future proof services for Buckinghamshire by increasing scanning capacity and capabilities across a wide range of medical investigation needs.
Explaining the importance of the evening, the charity’s Chairman, William Baxter CBE, said: ‘Tonight was a truly wonderful evening. We are so grateful to the Chefs for their very generous support and to all the guests for digging deep and showing their appreciation on the night. We have been able to raise a significant amount of money to boost the new Bucks MRI Appeal which will benefit the lives of so many people across Buckinghamshire.‘