The British Consulate hosted a ‘British Food Night’ to let Saudi friends taste British cuisine on Saturday.
The three-day event was organized by the consulate in cooperation with Sheraton, Jeddah, British Airways and visiting Executive Chef, Michael Dutnall, from Le Meridien, Piccadilly, London, welcomed the guests from business world and Jeddah Chamber of Commerce (JCCI) and important friends and journalists on the occasion of “British Food Night.”
Mohammed Shokat, the British consul general, said in 2012 Britain launched a campaign to highlight the greatness of Britain in its culture, traditions, innovation, sports, technology, countryside, export strategy and food. “Since I arrived 16 months ago, I saw many consuls general hosting evening dinners. I had the pleasure to taste the local hospitality during this period and I like the Saudi cuisine very much. We decided to bring the taste of Britain to our Saudi friends,” he said.
He said British Chef Michael Dutnall came especially to the Kingdom for the British Food Night.
“We want to highlight British food as part of our campaign, that Britain is a multicultural society, so we challenged Michael to present a pure British cuisine but with a twist,” Shokat added.
Dutnall has been a chef for nearly 18 years and has had the opportunity to work in various hotels and restaurant kitchens across London.
“I have now fulfilled one of my ambitions by becoming chef de cuisine at Le Meridian in Piccadilly. Since my appointment two years ago, I have succeeded in introducing and implementing my food culture and culinary approach across the hotel and its brigade,” he said. “We have created a great product, focusing on fresh, locally sourced produce and ingredients, minimizing our carbon footprint and showcasing the best food in Britain. At Le Meridien, the latest achievement has been a Top-20 ranking in the “fish to fork” rating, rewarding our continuous efforts to remain sustainable and green,” he said.
He further said he chose a special menu for the night, which started off with Cullen Skink, a traditional Scottish soup made with a bouillon of Scottish smoked haddock and malt vinegar. Dutnall gave it a new touch with a soft poached egg and spices of turmeric, topped with Sevruga caviar to make it rich and creamy. This was followed by traditional British fish and chips, served with creamed mushy peas, and a beer sorbet — a famous Yorkshire recipe made of halal iced ginger beer.
The main course of British food night was Beef Wellington, an oven baked Irish beef tenderloin, pressed wild mushroom duxelles and roasted duck foie gras in a traditional way, followed by a selection of British cheeses.
These had been brought in especially for the occasion. They were Colston Bassett, Cornish Yarg, Mull of Kintire and baby Stilton.
The dessert of the day was called Eton Mess, made out of crisp meringue, with soft whipped vanilla cream, served with fresh strawberries and ice cream.
Seifallah M. Sharbatly, deputy general manger of Mohammed Abdullah Sharbatly Co, Ltd, told Arab News that he liked the food, especially the fish and chips.
“I never tasted English food before so I think they should develop the idea of English cuisine. In Jeddah there is a number of different restaurants but there is not a single one which serves British cuisine,” he said.
