An annual event pitting lawyers against bankers in the kitchen has raised £13,600 for Cumbrian charities this year.
Kitchen Rivals is organised by lawyers from Baines Wilson, who go head-to-head with workers from Barclays to create a three-course meal for 90 guests at the Lodore Falls Hotel and Spa in Borrowdale.
Guests pay what they feel the meal was worth and the team that raises the most wins.
This year’s event was raising cash for Cumbria Community Foundation, Carlisle Eden Mind and Jigsaw, Cumbria’s children’s hospice.
It was first held in 2016 – although cancelled in 2020 and last year due to coronavirus – and has raised a total of £77,000 for charity.
Joanne Holborn, employment partner at Baines Wilson, who led the legal team serving the food, said: “Kitchen Rivals is always challenging but it’s very entertaining.
“Our guests really enjoy seeing us out of our comfort zone. There was a great buzz in the room as there always is. It was a fantastic night and we raised a lot of money for local charities.”
Mark Harris, group executive chef at Lake District Hotels, devised the menu while James Watts and David McGill – head chefs at the Inn on the Lake and Lodore Falls respectively – oversaw the kitchens where a live TV feed allowed diners to watch on screen as their meal was prepared by teams from Baines Wilson and Barclays.
Guests arriving for the black-tie dinner were given a welcome drink and canapés – pigs in blankets, a shrimp cocktail and cheese and onion beignets – before an introduction to the teams and presentations from the charities.
The meal comprised a ham leek and mustard terrine, a traditional Christmas dinner with turkey and all the trimmings, followed by baked Alaska.
Lake District Hotels is a family-owned group that has hosted Kitchen Rivals since its inception.
This is the second time that the Lodore Falls has hosted Kitchen Rivals. This year’s event was to have been held at the Inn on the Lake, Glenridding, but had to be moved because of a road closure on the A592.
Abi Bailey, Barclays’ relationship director, is a veteran of Kitchen Rivals who led the bank’s team of chefs.
She said: “Yet again it was a fantastic event. As always it was a huge success, with some excellent funds raised for charity and a night enjoyed by everyone who attended. It was a pleasure to be part of it.”
The evening ended with a raffle and an auction. Items included a glamping break, a tour of M-Sport’s facility at Dovenby, and an ultimate two-night stay in a premium suite at the Lodore Falls – including the loan of a Porsche.
