London’s top chefs and restaurants will be adding a Syrian twist to their menus next month in support of UNICEF UK’s Children of Syria fund.
The #CookForSyria campaign brings together the likes of Angela Hartnett, Yotam Ottolenghi and Jose Pizarro for a month of special events and Syrian-inspired dishes to raise money for Unicef’s work to help the 8 million children in danger as a result of the ongoing conflict in Syria.
Initiated by top food blogger Clerkenwell Boy and supported by SUITCASE magazine, the campaign calls on restaurants to add a Syrian inspired dish to their menus, with £2 from all sales donated to Unicef. For the entire month of November you can feast on crispy chicken with Syrian hamud, rose and pomegranate at Chicks’n’Sours; Harak Osbao (a spiced lentil and pasta stew) from Ottolenghi; grilled quail with green harissa from Barrafina and pomegranate-glazed guinea fowl from Frenchie, all for a good cause.
Several restaurants are hosting special one-off ticketed events at the end of November, including a family-style dinner of Syrian-inspired share plates at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen in Hoxton and Sunday feast of hot and cold meze plates at Arabica Bar & Kitchen in Borough Market.
Organisers are also calling on the public to host their own dining events to raise funds for Unicef, which works on the ground in Syria, as well as helping refugees who have been displaced to Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt and across Europe because of the conflict.
Clerkenwell Boy said he hopes the campaign will raise awareness of the plight of children in war torn countries, as well as funds. “Through cooking, sharing recipes and the power of social media, we invite everybody to help make a difference and positive contribution towards this important initiative,” he said.
Visit cookforsyria.com for a list of participating restaurants.
