Launched on 30th October for one month, to coincide with the clocks going back and the longer nights, UK & Irish Mushrooms have teamed up with trailblazing chef Ixta Belfrage (Co- Author of FLAVOR with Ottolenghi) to create the UK’s first ‘Mushroom Boost’ menu for an autumn dose of much needed vitamin D, available at The Hoxton Southwark’s Albie restaurant, all through November.
An exciting collection of three limited-edition, immune-boosting dishes, Ixta has taken the mighty everyday mushroom and created a colourful, never-before-seen menu, packed with vitamins, and centered around sustainably grown UK & Irish mushrooms. Each plate draws on Ixta’s eclectic culinary roots, particularly where she grew up traveling, eating and obsessing over; Italy (where she lived as a child) and Mexico (where her grandad lived).
With shorter daylight hours our vitamin D levels significantly decrease, a vital vitamin needed to regulate the absorption of calcium and phosphorus and facilitate a normal immune system. Mushrooms are one of the most incredible food sources on the planet, bursting with vitamins, minerals & antioxidants, and are the only vegetable to provide a healthy dose of the sunshine vitamin D, essential for keeping us healthy and helping to reduce stress and anxiety levels.
Making the most of the versatile nature of even the most readily available types of mushrooms, rich in umami flavour and with a texture that holds juiciness not achieved with any other vegetable, Ixta’s menu promises for a heady and enlightening experience, perfectly balancing salt, sweet, sour as follows:
Portobello Mushroom Tacos with chipotle crema, pickled onions & salsa fresca
Tempura Chestnut Mushrooms with shimeji, coconut and scotch bonnet dipping sauce
Paccheri Pasta with Mushroom Ragu with white mushrooms, dried porcini and sauteed girolles
Grown on vertical farms, and unreliant on the seasons, UK & Irish mushrooms are not only strong on nutritional value, but are also a sustainable way to eat, low on food miles, only taking 12 hours from soil to supermarket, and using a fraction of water and land needed for most other foods.
The limited-edition menu is available on Albie London’s all day dining menu from the 30th of October throughout the month of November. Albie London is located in the bustling Hoxton Southwark hotel and the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week, with a weekend brunch option too.
