Killinghall chef Frances Atkins to curate first Nidderdale Feast

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Chef Frances Atkins will lead a group of Yorkshire chefs and local farmers at the first Nidderdale Feast in Masham next week.

The feast marks the start of a three-year sustainable food and farming initiative run by Nidderdale National Landscape, the government-funded body based in Pateley Bridge that maintains the area of outstanding beauty.

Chefs and primary producers from Nidderdale will create a four-course meal using locally sourced ingredients including Dalesbred shearling, pasture-raised eggs, wheat grown near Masham and trout from Swinton.

Ms Atkins, who held a Michelin star for 16 years and now runs Paradise Café in Killinghall, will curate the menu and oversee chefs working in pairs to prepare each course.

She said: 

Masham Town Hall will be transformed into a temporary restaurant for the event on March 17.

The evening will also include short talks on conservation, nutrition and rural resilience, hosted by chef and broadcaster Stephanie Moon.

Over the next three years the Nidderdale Feast programme will support product development, conservation focused land management, education initiatives and improved routes to market for local producers.

Matt Trevelyan, who is part of the farming in protected landscapes team at Nidderdale National Landscape, said the initiative aims to strengthen links between food production, conservation and rural enterprise: 

Chefs involved in the evening include:

· Tim Kitchen, head chef at The Penny Bun, Askwith

· Huda Alhamwi, Syrian chef and founder of Road to Damascus catering in Pateley Bridge

· Lawrence Yates, executive chef at Swinton Estate

· Kimberley Brereton, head chef at Pickled Radish Feasts

· Aled Williams, head chef at The General Tarleton, Ferrensby

· Mikael Paylor, The Craven Arms, Appletreewick

· Jon Atashroo, chef at Where There’s Smoke, Masham

· Jemima Robinson, Wildings Riverside Cafe

Local producers featured:

· Dalesbred shearling lamb supplied by shepherd Jack Graham

· Swinton trout from Bessy Beck Trout Farm

· Mallard Grange pasture-raised eggs

· Locally grown rhubarb

· Flour produced from wheat grown near Masham, milled locally and baked into bread by Ambry Bakery

· Butter produced by a young Upper Nidderdale farmer using cream from Kingston Farm

Guests will also be welcomed with a locally produced cider-based aperitif made by Masham Cider Press.