Issue1 TasteBound compressed - Flipbook - Page 91
COOKS ABROAD
FRANCE
The bucolic view from Kirk and
Keeley Haworth’s French farm
Plates Farm
& Retreat, Gers
Fresh from their restaurant winning
a Michelin star in its first year – a first
for a British vegan venue – brother-andsister duo Kirk and Keeley Haworth
have opened the doors to their Plates
Farm & Retreat in France.
It’s been a landmark 18 months for
the Blackburn-born Kirk: his rippled
berry sponge and wild pine oil
won him the title of Great British
Menu’s Champion of Champions
(2024), and his deft touch with
non-dairy laminated pastry,
coconut charcoal and yeasted
béchamel saw his first
bricks-and-mortar
restaurant, Plates
London, open to
critical acclaim.
Now those enchanted by his
artistry with lion’s mane mushroom,
mugwort and mallow can experience
the chef’s craft at source. The
setting – a working farm in the
Gers Valley, between Bordeaux
and Toulouse – is where Kirk’s
plant-based philosophy (honed
after a Lyme disease diagnosis in
2016) comes to life. The converted
barn kitchen forms the heart of
proceedings, where guests can
cook alongside the team following
foraging expeditions and market
trips to Lectoure. For those inclined
to take on more of an appreciative
role than a participatory one, there’s
a pool, a reading terrace – and local
wines – close at hand.
From £2,000 (4-day retreat), including
b&b accommodation, plus 2 evening
meals. plates-london.com
TANZANIA & KENYA
PHOTOS: SALLY BARRETEAU; CHARLOTTE BLAND; HOLLY JACOB; CRISPIN JONES
Africa on a plate, with
Lerato Umah-Shaylor
Join Lerato Umah-Shaylor – leading
voice in contemporary African cooking,
author of Africana, and The Kitchen
Cabinet podcast regular – for
a vibrant journey through
East Africa. Her varied
itineraries guide small
groups (no more than ten
guests) along routes designed
to help her share her deep
love for the African continent
and its rich, diverse cuisines.
This autumn sees two
departures for a retreat that involves
travelling from the markets of Zanzibar
to Kenya’s vibrant capital. The group
will learn about the fragrant dishes of
the Spice Islands, before moving on to
the cardamom-scented chai and hand-
‘The itinerary
includes market
visits and lessons in
home kitchens’
rolled chapatis that shape Nairobi’s cuisine.
The itinerary includes market visits, lessons
in home kitchens and a day at a working tea
farm. Keep an eye out for upcoming trips
taking in Senegal and South Africa.
From £3,990 for a 7-night African cuisine
itinerary. leratofoods.com
TA S T E B O U N D
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