Pictured above: Beth Heath of The Shropshire Hamper Company
and James Day of Gourmet Life Dining Club with the hamper for Jean
Christophe Novelli.
The Shropshire regions food producers rallied round at this
weekend's food shows to donate their finest products towards a
hamper created as a gift for Celebrity chef Jean Christophe
Novelli, to be presented to him later today.
The 'Taste of Shropshire and the Marches' hamper will be
presented later today by Midlands foodie James Day of Gourmet Life
dining club, when he meets Jean at his Hertfordshire cookery
Academy. James will be taking local choclatier Louis Barnett, who
has made a 3 foot solid 'Chokolit' tree to help raise funds for one
of his charities, Save the Children Fund. Jean has invited Louis to
add some 'finishing touches' to the tree, at his Hertfordshire
home.
James, pictured above with Beth Heath of The Shropshire Hamper
Company who helped create the gift, commented "During our
attendance at the regions recent food shows including the BBC Good
Food Show at the NEC, and more locally the Greenfields Festive Fair
in Telford, many producers who heard Louis on the radio, and in the
local press, saying he was visiting Jean, came up to us to donate
their produce to give to him. They have been so generous, and I am
sure Jean will be delighted to receive it, as he too is a
passionate foodie and loved the diversity of Shropshire when he
visited in the Summer"
The tree is going to be approx 3 foot tall, and made of solid
'Chokolit' and will be presented at The Save the Children Funds
'Festival of trees' fund raising event next Tuesday 8th December.
Held at The Natural History Museum, London, with paying guests who
will pay from £350 to £500 per ticket for the honour of
bidding for the trees with gifts that 'money cannot buy' - Louis'
tree will carry an exclusive experience of a personal tuition for
up to 10 guests with Jean at his Hertfordshire Academy, worth over
£7,000.
Louis, who is fresh from his 5 days at the NEC gift fair,
presenting to 100's of fans, commented " It is the beginning of a
very exciting week for me. The tree is certainly a challenge, never
been done before, and I am really looking forward to meeting Jean -
he has been a hero of mine since childhood, when I used to watch
him with my mum, making his 'Novelli twists' with hot sugar - he
was a real influence of mine."
For more information on the Gourmet Life Dining Club please
visit: www.gourmet-life.co.uk