Morris-Green, Classic’s director of agency sales and marketing, is throwing the three-course meal for 22 – complete with entertainment – at his home in Hampshire to raise money for the Red Cross’s Ukraine appeal.
Seats at the table on Saturday 2 April cost £50 a pop, plus a £10 deposit, and sold out just 24 hours after Morris-Green publicised the event last Friday (4 March). All proceeds will go to the appeal.
Morris-Green, a former hotel chef, told TTG he was inspired to put on the event when he saw the crisis unfolding in Ukraine and wanted to help.
After seeing numerous Facebook pages raising money, and after hosting 18 at Christmas, he decided to put his skills in the kitchen and his love of fine dining to use to help those fleeing Russia’s invasion.
“People go out to restaurants so I thought, why not divert that spend, still go out for a lovely meal, and do a good deed in the meantime," he said.
Morris-Green wrote to several local food suppliers inviting them to donate or contribute, with one fishmonger discounting some produce for the menu.
Classic Collection has said it will match whatever the event makes. Morris-Green estimates the dinner could, therefore, raise £1,800 all in.
Entertainment will be provided by Classic PR manager Andrew Farr, who will host the night and sing. Most of the guests are from the travel industry, with some coming down from as far as Birmingham to attend.
"I was overwhelmed with the amount of messages we got from people saying they wished we lived nearer," said Morris-Green. "It’s a model for other people to do this across the country".
Besides canapes, homemade bread and plenty of wine, Morris-Green will be serving an a la carte menu featuring scallops with black pudding, Asian-style Alaskan salmon and Sicilian lemon tart.
What’s on the menu?
For starters:
- Vine-roasted-tomato soup with basil-infused oil and parmesan crisp;
- Pan fried scallops with black pudding, chargrilled apple and champagne cream;
- Asparagus wrapped in pancetta with quails egg and hollandaise; and
- Halloumi, watermelon and a refreshing mint salad
For mains:
- Confit Gressingham duck on a wild mushroom and pea ragout with vanilla mash;
- Chicken stuffed with mozzarella and a sun-dried tomato cream served with homemade polenta and rosemary chips;
- Wild Alaskan salmon with soy, ginger, honey and Thai noodles; and
- Grilled Mediterranean vegetables and goat’s cheese tartlet with a green pesto creme fraiche and salsa
For desserts:
- Sicilian lemon tart with raspberry sorbet;
- Baileys nougat ice cream with a hazelnut crunch; and
- Local cheeses with homemade chutney
