A teenager who has become an online hit with her vegan recipes is to showcase some of her creations to discerning diners at an award-winning restaurant.
Lucy Musgrave will step up as consultant chef at 1884 Wine & Tapas Bar, working with the restaurant’s top team to present a special Veganuary night on Thursday 30 January.
Although too young at 15 to actually work in the restaurant’s kitchen, Lucy will devise about half of the dishes and will create some of the dessert elements in her kitchen at home, which has been brought up to food hygiene standards to support her own business.
Deborah Spicer, Director of 1884 Wine & Tapas Bar, came up with the idea of inviting Lucy into the restaurant after hearing how she set up Pure Delicious, which supplies recipes and advice to large and small businesses around the UK.
The Veganuary night is part of a programme of events planned by the restaurant to celebrate the tenth year since it opened as The Wilson in 2010. It also marks the launch of a new selection of menus designed to cater for a wider range of dietary requirements and preferences.
Lucy built her social media audience through Instagram and then added a website as a platform for sales of her e-book, “Powered by Plants”. From there she progressed to supplying online content for vegan food producers and distributors and she is now expanding her own range of products made at her home in Bricknell Avenue, Hull.
Her vegan baking mixes contain ingredients to make 12 bite-sized treats in a choice of three flavours – chocolate walnut brownie, chocolate chip cookie and lemon coconut cookie – with all recipes organic, vegan, low-fat and sugar-free and plastic-free packaging.
Funding from the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank in Hull paid for Lucy to complete training with Golding Computer Services to gain a qualification in computerised accounting for business awarded by the International Association of Bookkeepers (IAB). She will be 16 in March and is working towards taking her GCSEs at Kelvin Hall School, with plans to progress to A levels whilst also expanding her culinary activities.
Lucy said: “The night at 1884 Wine and Tapas Bar is a massive opportunity for me and I'm hoping that everyone else gets as much out of it as I will! I'm so excited to join with Deborah and her team to create some delicious plant-based tapas, and think it really is going to be an amazing night.
“I love how 1884 are so open to new ideas, and willing to adapt traditional dishes to be vegan – with no compromise on flavour or quality. With the new vegan menu launching as well, there will be some pretty spectacular options for everyone!”
Deborah said the hope is that the Veganuary event will attract plenty of interest and pave the way for another vegan night after Lucy’s 16th birthday, enabling her to work with the restaurant’s chefs in their kitchen.
She said: “We have always worked hard to meet different dietary needs and we have just revamped our menus with one each for GF, pescatarian, vegan and vegetarian, and other requirements and preferences available on request.
“We were thinking about having an event to launch the new menus and when we met Lucy everything fell into place. We’re looking forward to the Veganuary night very much and we hope to do more in the future in between Lucy’s exams to help her gain experience of the food industry and to help us cater for the growing vegan market.”
The Veganuary night at 1884 Wine & Tapas Bar will take place on Thursday 30 January at 6,.30pm for 7pm with 10 vegan dishes plus dessert and vegan Sangria – including a non-alcoholic option. Price is £25 per person. To book call 1884 Wine & Tapas Bar on 01482 216306.
