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Being a chef has led to numerous events and connections that have created a far-reaching scope to Chantelle’s career and work. Collaborations with like-minded people are frequent and Chantelle enjoys widening her own experience, as well as those of others.
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As an active member of the hospitality community, Chantelle is passionate about much more than cookery alone. With a passion to educate and inspire children about where food comes from, and how to cook, her involvement in community projects and campaigns is far reaching.
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Below, you will find a selection of events and projects Chantelle has been involved in.
ADVENTURES IN AQUAFABA
Great British Chefs is an online platform featuring recipes from top chefs within the UK. An avid supporter of Great British Chefs from the outset, Chantelle has contributed over 30 recipes to their site which cover a wide range of ingredients, methods and also conceptions.
Collaborating with Vitality UK Chantelle has also created a number of recipes based on themes that focus on health and wellbeing. One of which included her Orange and Almond Polenta Bundt Cake. This sticky orange and almond polenta bundt cake is full of sweet orange and rich almonds. It is completely plant-based, using that wonder-ingredient aquafaba (the water from a can of chickpeas). This is whisked into a stiff meringue to add body and lightness to both the cake and the coconut yoghurt crème.
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As the Great British Chefs cookbook hits our shelves Chantelle is listed as the first ‘Chef of Day’ with her vegan Courgette and Cumin Fritters recipe.
Featuring in the last chapter of the cookbook, Chantelle sits alongside other chefs showcasing what the future of the UK’s food scene could be.
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Chantelle has also hosted kids cookschool events for Vitality UK. Educating children on great things to cook at home including pizza and gnocchi with tomato sauce, whilst having fun.
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View the recipes to some of our All's Well favourites on the Great British Chef website and recreate them at home!
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ACTION AGAINST HUNGER
AT TASTE OF LONDON
Chantelle was delighted to yet again support Action Against Hunger as one of their 5 chefs in the line up at Taste of London.
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Crispy fried Quorn, zhoug, kohlrabi & garlic aioli was Chantelle’s dish which had amazing feedback from both carnivored and plant-based diners at Taste.
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For 13 years, Action Against Hunger has been the charity partner for Taste of London with all proceeds going towards their worldwide programmes. AAH saves the lives of malnourished children. They ensure everyone can access clean water, food, training and healthcare. They enable entire communities to be free from hunger.
MONTESSORI ST NICHOLAS
AT CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW
The Montessori Centenary Children’s garden reflected the key principles at the heart of the Montessori approach to education. The garden was a child-centric space for children to play and learn. It was a riot of colour with engaging features and included a bright pink repurposed shipping container which housed the main teaching area. Also, a propagating greenhouse complete with a child-sized door. And a living wall of herbs and salad leaves, as well as a hydroponic area and brightly-coloured, blown-glass water spouts. The wealth of features aimed to teach children about the natural world and the importance of sustainability, sitting alongside the modern technology that is the future of horticulture.
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Chantelle was delighted to partner with the team to create 4 recipes using produce that was grown in the garden. These recipes are child friendly and focus on seasonal produce:
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THE CHEFS’ MANIFESTO
As an integral founding member, Chantelle is passionate about the food system and how chefs can contribute to its future. With the London hub launched in June 2018 the Manifesto discussed a framework around 8 thematic areas addressing the issues our current food system faces.
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Created by chefs, for chefs, the Manifesto allows chefs from around the world to work in accordance with their individual environment and circumstance. It has an overarching focus on planetary health, the health and wellbeing of people and the need to utilise more biodiverse ingredients.
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Intended to grow on a global scale, the chefs already part of the Manifesto are constantly taking part in many events around the world to spread the message.
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Chantelle joined the Chefs’ Manifesto in Stockholm in June 2019. The first stop was the Swedish Food Festival - Smaka på Stockholm - with a demonstration focusing on utilising surplus produce and plant-based ingredients.
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Chantelle partook in a panel discussion at Swedish Food Tech on Alternate Proteins. Her takeaway; use these as an ingredient, not as a finished product.
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All the chefs were tasked to create a canapé each for 100 guests for the Food Forever experience which focuses on signing up 2020 chefs by 2020 to support biodiverse ingredients. Chantelle’s canapé was a fava bean flour & chickpea pancake with buckwheat & lentils, green chilli salsa and a toasted walnut butter. This one bite utilised 5 of the future 50 foods that we all need to be making more of.
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The next day was the start of the EAT forum with a powerful message that time is running out for us to act to reverse climate change. Chantelle took to stage to demonstrate a delicious, plant-based dish using biodoverse and local ingredients – Hodmedod’s grains & legumes.​
CAROUSEL PRESENTS…
CHANTELLE NICHOLSON
Carousel, Marylebone’s revolving creative hub, showcase a selection of both local and international guest talent, as well as that of its own team. Bringing a variety of flavours and techniques to the capital that London diners wouldn’t find here otherwise (from locavore Californian to vegan Mexican from Toronto), Carousel invites talented guest chefs to work alongside head chef and co-founder Ollie Templeton and his team to prepare a five-course set dinner menu that showcases the visiting talent’s signature style, using seasonal produce from the British Isles.
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Carousel kicked off 2019 with a line-up of chefs from both the UK and abroad with January highlights including New Zealander Chantelle Nicholson, award-winning Chef Owner of Tredwells and author of Planted. Her plant-based menu included celeriac with mushroom and truffle, carrot cake with coriander and cashew, kimchi fritter with lemon Kosho mayo, XO Aubergine with ginger and sesame, and finished of with a rich baked clementine, chocolate and smoked yoghurt
PETER GORDON
Peter Gordon paid a visit to Tredwells for a special supper-club with Chantelle, where they cooked together to create a delicious, 6-course plant-based menu.
Following this great success, Chantelle joined Peter in his kitchen at The Providores and Tapa Room to create another supper-club.
Both growing up in New Zealand, the two chefs share a love of global flavours, warm, kiwi hospitality and a NZ wines.
PLANT-BASED LIVE SHOW
Chantelle demonstrated at the Plant-Based Live Show at ExCel London in 2019 with recipes from Planted.
Recipes featured included salt baked carrot with pine nut, freekah and roast garlic aioli and her divine dark chocolate mousse with passionfruit, chamomile and cacao.
CHARITABLE WORK
Chantelle’s charitable contributions are wide and ever growing to support some of the causes she feels closest to.
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In February 2020, Chantelle joined an all-female dream team to raise funds for DEBRA at their annual DEBRA Great Chefs Dinner.
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In 2019 and 2020, Chantelle joined an all-star line-up of chefs for Leukaemia UK’s annual fundraising dinner.
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On 3rd October 2019, Chantelle joined some of London's best chefs to raise money for Action Against Hunger
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In September 2019, Chantelle joined the likes of Skye Gyngell and Tom Hunt to raise much-needed funds for Alexandra Rose charity.
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Further support include:
Cook School
Life Kitchen
School Food Matters
Springboard
ADVENTURES IN AQUAFABA
Most people who you mentioned the word aquafaba to, look back blankly. What it is, is a wonderful discovery and a very handy ingredient that is a byproduct, and something that normally gets poured down the drain. I am talking about ‘bean
water’, yes, I know not the most attractive sounding two words but wait to be converted! I first read about aquafaba on twitter a couple of years ago. Being a little sceptical of things that purport to replace good things I didn’t really believe that
anything other than egg whites could really replicate a meringue. Happily, I was very wrong, and thus my adventures in aquafaba began. I first made meringues
and was taken aback at the very notion that you could not discern between them and the ones made with egg whites. Then the possibilities came into view and experimented with using it in baking, and then in to mayonnaise making. I have
never looked back.
So, to actually use it, just buy a can of chickpeas and strain off the liquid. As a side note, we generally have a lot of chickpeas around, so they frequent the staff meals
at Tredwells regularly. Then, just use it in almost the exact same way you would use egg whites, or even whole eggs in the case of mayonnaise. It does take a little longer to whisk than egg whites do, and you won’t get the exact same stiffness when making Italian meringue but apart from that, do give it a go. I use it in a lot of recipes in Planted, with some of my favourites being the roast garlic aioli and the dark chocolate mousse .