KEY INFORMATION
Thursday 20 June 2024, 6.30pm - 10:00pm
Freedom from Torture, 111 Isledon Road, N7 7JW
Join us at The Great Garden Feast to celebrate our newly relocated RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden. Enjoy al-fresco entertainment and a feast cooked by top chefs and survivors, inspired by ingredients from our garden.
· Enjoy private tours of the garden by members of our horticultural group and the garden designers
· Listen to our celebrity guests in conversation about the healing power of plants
· A stellar line-up of top chefs creating a gourmet menu of dishes live for you - inspired by ingredients from our garden.
· Survivor shop packed with handmade gifts including aprons, tea towels and our unique new recipe book featuring survivor and celebrity chef recipes.
· Fabulous one-of-a-kind prizes to be won in our Gastronomy-inspired Silent Auction.
· Performances from members from Write to Life our creative writing group
· Fine wines provided by Farr Vintners and delicious alcohol-free drinks flowing throughout the evening.
THE CHEFS
Paul Merrett- Owner-director Jolly Fine Pub Group. Twice awarded Michelin stars in his fine dining days Paul now owns and runs 2 London gastro pubs - The Fox & Grapes in Wimbledon and The Victoria in Sheen....the latter being awarded Londons Best Gastro Pub. Paul has written 4 cookery books and made numerous appearances on TV. Paul has been an ambassador for Freedom From Torture since 2010.
Anton Manganaro - BAFTA. Anton began his culinary career at the Royal Garden Hotel with David Nichols, formerly of The Ritz and the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel, and since then he has worked with many well-known chefs including five years with Paul Merrett, achieving a Michelin star at Interlude and The Greenhouse. For over sixteen years, Anton has been Head Chef at the prestigious BAFTA, creating exceptional, modern dishes for stars of stage and screen.
Yogi - Survivor and Refugee Chef. Yogi came to Freedom from Torture after fleeing torture and persecution, leaving behind his wife and daughter. After struggling with his trauma, Yogi began to open up to his therapist and turn his life around. Yogi had never cooked before he arrived in London as a refugee, and after receiving support from Freedom from Torture, he discovered a new passion. He studied hard and after working as ‘chef de partie’ at Park Plaza Hotel, he know owns his own catering business.
Chaya Maya - Ottolenghi. Chaya was born and raised in Mauritius. She moved to London for further education as a teenager and accidentally fell into cooking for a living when someone suggested that she do it for a living after having tasted something she made. She found work in pub kitchens and slowly made her way to the kitchens in London restaurants. Chaya now develops recipes in the Ottolenghi test kitchen for the Guardian and the Ottolenghi restaurants. Her cooking is deeply influenced by her Mauritian heritage. She is very passionate about spices, tropical flavours and eating (not cooking) Japanese food.
Nafa - Survivor and Refugee Chef. After fleeing torture and persecution in her home-land of Sri Lanka, Nafa came to Freedom from Torture for support and counselling. After some time she joined Freedom from Torture's therapeutic baking group, which allowed her to re-discover her love of cooking and connect with other survivors. Since finishing her therapy, Nafa volunteered her time teaching many group cooking classes over the pandemic, has gained experience working in top hotel kitchens across London, and is now running her own catering company.
Freedom from Torture's Bread Group. The Bread Group provides a relaxed and sociable environment for survivors of torture. By baking bread together, the focus is taken off therapy and speaking, and they can express themselves in other ways, whilst sharing food and memories of baking from the countries they were forced to leave behind.
ENTERTAINMENT
Alexei Sayle is a comedian, actor, presenter and writer. His television work as a writer and performer includes The Young Ones, Alexei Sayle's Stuff, and The All New Alexei Sayle Show. He has written regularly for the Observer, Independent, Time Out, Car Magazine and Esquire and he has appeared in numerous films, from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to Gorky Park and Swing. Alexei has written two short story collections, five novels, and a radio series spin-off book.
John McCarthy is a British journalist, writer and broadcaster, and one of the hostages in the Lebanon hostage crisis; he was Britain's longest-held hostage in Lebanon, being held for more than five years until release in 1991. John has been a Supporter and Patron of Freedom from Torture since 1993, and has enjoyed a long broadcast and writing career, having worked for the BBC, ITV, Sky Arts and Al Jazeera.
Marchelle Farrell is a therapist, writer and gardener. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Marchelle came to the UK to study at both Cambridge and Oxford, and has spent the last 20 years as a trained consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist. Marchelle spends most of her time in her Somerset garden and her debut memoir Uprooting won the 2021 Nan Shepard Prize.
