It’s been a great month at the Waterleaf Restaurant, we are now fully fledged members of Produced in Kent. It’s been a great start to meet so many other members and see a small portion of the amazing produce Kent has to offer.
When I started work at the Waterleaf I was asked how I would be able to incorporate ‘superfoods’ in the menus. I was handed a bag with a small selection of superfoods and set to work, some easy to work into the menu and some more challenging! As research continued we found more ingredient’s to use with amazing health benefits.
Once we had signed up to Produced in Kent I was put in contact with Andrew Tickle of Aronia Berries UK. Aronia berries have a very high antioxidant potential and that they can be considered as a functional food containing both anthocyanins and catechins. It is the antioxidants that help to maintain cell fitness and health over the years. It is the high levels of polyphenols (some of the most powerful antioxidants) that are used in medicine to treat certain conditions. I was blown away that we had such an amazing product only a few miles from the Retreat that would fit right with our superfood theme. I arranged to meet with Andrew to see the farm, take away some of these amazing berries and find out what the team and I could put together. As with all new products a little trial and error was in order! I am happy to say we now have our first Aronia berry dessert on the menu, a play on crème brûlèe with the star of the show in a few different forms. We will continue the incorporate the powerful berries in different ways. Look out for Aronia Laurent Perrier cocktails and a super smoothie in the lounge (if they are good enough for Simon Cowell they are good enough for me)!
I look forward to the coming months and the chance to work with as many Kent products as possible.
Look forward to seeing you all soon,
Dave
