The Royal Society of Chemistry at Burlington House provided the idyllic backdrop for journalists to adorn their chef hats and aprons and put their culinary and mixology skills to the test.
The impressive venue that has been the Royal Society of Chemistry’s London home since 1857, challenged representatives from M&IT Magazine, PA Life and Prestige Events Magazine to go head-to-head in a fun timed challenge.
Against the clock, the journalists were tasked with creatively plating a delicious cold starter and dessert and mixing three perfect cocktails and mocktails from a selection of ingredients meticulously pre-prepared by in-house caterer Houston & Hawkes.
While the caterer’s culinary expert judging panel made their tough decisions based on taste, presentation, time management and creative name choice, the journalists enjoyed a tour of the venue, which is located in the heart of London’s Piccadilly. Six feature rooms are spread over two floors, provide the perfect setting for a range of events including conferences, celebrations, award ceremonies and gatherings of up to 120 people.
A cocktail making masterclass followed, offering demonstrations from Nicholas Kamande to concoct appetising and aesthetic Virgin Berry Mules and Spiced Zero Rum Sours, challenging the offering of basic non-alcoholic drinks at events. An alcoholic Lemon Drop cocktail was also expertly prepared for the journalists to replicate.
After much deliberation, M&IT’s senior editor and senior journalist Holly Patrick was crowned the eventual winner being presented with a commemorative wooden spoon. She said: “Interactivity plays a massive part in how we learn effectively and retain information; the Journalist Challenge at the Royal Society of Chemistry was a sterling example of how this can be done well. We were able to get creative, engage with the venue team and learn about the venue’s meetings and events offering while having fun. I was delighted to win the challenge and take home the Head Chef spoon, although I’m not sure my plate of crumbled meringue and berries would cut it in the professional kitchen.”
Catering at RSC is provided exclusively by the trailblazing Houston & Hawkes, presenting a truly bespoke in-house service with inspiring menus tailored to compliment every event and its environment.
Powered by outstanding chefs, sommeliers, and mixologists, Houston & Hawkes’ team of culinary experts assure every event is filled with innovative touches that will leave a lasting impression with organisers and delegates.
More information about the venue can be found here.
