Chichester chef raises over £1,300 for Beirut blast with home delivered feast

Families across West Sussex took part in the evening.

Author: Lettie BuxtonPublished 9th Oct 2020

A Chichester based chef has helped raise more than £1,300 for a charity's emergency appeal by hosting a Lebanese theme 'dine in' event.

It was hosted by Juliet Graham, owner of Hambrook catering company Green and Graham, in support of Children on the Edge’s Beirut explosion appeal.

She is a supporter of the charity and had previously organised a Syrian themed fundraising dinner at Tuppenny Barn in 2017.

But, because of the current coronavirus restrictions, Juliet was unable to organise a similar fundraising dinner, so instead created 'Dine in for Lebanon'.

It was a Lebanese feast cooked and prepared by Juliet and her team, then packaged and delivered to households across West Sussex by a team of volunteer drivers.

The mezze meal featured a range of dishes including flatbreads and dips, chicken kebabs with tahini, aubergine stew, mujadara lentils, slow cooked lamb and a lemon and pistachio torte to finish.

She has raised £1,375 for the appeal.

Juliet said:

"It's always such a pleasure to cook for Children on the Edge and I feel honoured to be part of the fundraising for Lebanon, it makes my heart sing!"

Guests were also sent a Lebanese Spotify playlist and a video, featuring Children on the Edge founder Rachel Bentley and Nuna Matar, director of Triumphant Mercy.

They thanked guests for taking part in the evening and showed how their support would be helping families and children living through the current crisis in Lebanon.

Children on the Edge fundraising manager Eloise Armstrong said:

"A huge thank you to Juliet for deciding to support Lebanon in the wake of the blast in Beirut and creating this unique fundraiser, Juliet donated all of her time to cook the mezze meal for 82 guests and what an incredible feast it was!

"Thank you also to our team of six volunteer drivers who collectively spent nine hours driving on a windy and rainy evening to deliver 23 boxes of food across 300 miles of Sussex.

"We couldn’t have done this without their support."