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Incoming SMS:
Errm… I’m only just at Peckham so running a bit behind schedule :o) Should be there by 9.30ish tho. How far is it from Oxford Circus? That warm confident feeling slightly drifted away as the above text vibrated onto my phone. Nothing like having a team mate who was running late and had no sense of direction. But as I walked up to The Cookery School on Little Portland Street I was quivering with excited anticipation at a full on day of shopping and cooking.
  
Nom Nom Nom is a Masterchef-type competition for food bloggers, writers, photographers and enthusiasts run by Qype. As soon as I saw the call for competitors a months ago I jumped at the chance, but being new to the blogging community didn’t really know anyone to team up with. One online post later and The Ginger Gourmand came to my rescue. The challenge was to present to a eminent culinary jury a three course meal for four people which was seasonal, sustainable, simple and sexy. One course had to be cold (with no cooking). And all within £40. I’d love to tell you that the menu was carefully crafted over many months of in-depth research, kitchen experimentation and blind tasting panels. But it wasn’t. So I won’t. Truth is the deadline was fast approaching, so after a couple email exchanges we ended up with a menu that sounded delicious: Gazpacho, Pan-fried Sea Bass with Aubergine Caviar and a Summer Berry Lemon Shortbread Cheesecake. Drooling yet? The Ginger Gourmand and I had only met 3 or 4 times, so we got together at her house and spent a late, drunken night cooking our competition menu for our starving partners. As the blender erupted with Gazpacho and the biscuit dough reproduced exponentially (she blames the scales!), we tasted and tweaked and reduced and refined. Eating at just before midnight! If you haven’t been to The Cookery School, it’s an excellent space and the staff are super friendly and helpful. After a much needed and very tasty breakfast (the cheese scones were so light and fluffy), eight teams of highly charged cooks were let loose on the local farmers’ market just off Marylebone High Street to shop for ingredients.   
Sticking to the brief we picked up sweet smelling tomatoes from the Isle of Wight, line caught Sea Bass from Essex and a selection of aromatic summer berries from Christ Church. A rush of adrenalin and some sweaty stove action saw us end up in a very surprising second place. And from the judges’ comments it seems like the citrus/butter dessert was a big hit. To have some of the country’s most respected culinary minds enjoy your food is a true honour. Tom Aikens thought that our soup was good and dessert was great and very tasty (gasp!). Allegra McEvedy, who doesn’t normally like desserts, though we had a winning pudding. (faint!) So I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. Here, for your viewing pleasure is our Sensational Summer Menu: 
But now that the judges have done their thing, it’s your turn. All the menus are up for the Viewers Choice Award. All you have to do is Vote for More Gingers, Vicar? (That’s us!). And as if that wasn’t sufficient excitement, you could help to raise money for Action Against Hunger, an international humanitarian organization, working is 43 of the world’s poorest countries. Its vocation is to save lives, especially those of malnourished children and to work with vulnerable populations to preserve and restore their livelihoods with dignity. Nom Nom Nom are running an online raffle with some amazing prizes including a case of wine, a hamper of vanilla products and a meal for two with wine at Le Gavroche. Only £5 per ticket so enter now. I’d like to say a huge thank you to Qype for a great day and also to The Cookery School for all their help.
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