Leading chefs defy recession at food festival

But if the list of rich and decadent dishes dreamed up by leading restaurants for the Taste of London show is to go by, geese have more to fear from the downturn than Michelin-starred chefs.

Foie gras - the goose liver pâté abhorred by animal rights campaigners - features in six of the 19 dishes, truffle in three, lobster in two, with edible gold leaf, wagyu beef and caviar all also making an appearance.

The opulence of the ingredients has astounded organisers of the four-day event in Regent's Park - starting on Thursday - at which top chefs dish up their signature dishes and showcase new ones.

They had expected chefs to come up with recipes reflecting harder times and restricted budgets with cheaper cuts and locally-sourced ingredients.

Two restaurants - Gordon Ramsay's Boxwood Café in Knightsbridge and L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in the West End - offered variations on a foie gras burger.

Perhaps the most bizarre was Kensington restaurant Launceston Place's osetra caviar and parsley lolly, while Gary Rhodes, of Rhodes 24 in the City, opted for a more comforting sweet of Jaffa Cake pudding.

The enduring demand for eating out expensively has been one of the most surprising features of London's recession.

Leading restaurateurs at Taste of London said that despite a downturn in corporate bookings, spending on fine dining was holding up well.

Bernard Yeoh, owner of Michelin-starred Mayfair Chinese restaurant Kai, said: "September was about 15 per cent down, October to December about f ive per cent down but January to June has been 10 per cent up. We're much leaner and more careful with our costs."

Giovanni Baldino, general manager of West End Italian Ristorante Semplice, said: "Surprisingly our figures are up, but we were awarded our first Michelin star this year. It came at the right time - right in the middle of the recession."

Tessa Willmott, editorial director of Taste of London, said: "You only have to look at the sheer decadence and opulence of some of the dishes on offer to see that Taste of London is clearly bucking the recession.

"Chefs are continuing to seek out the highest quality ingredients in a direct response to consumer demand. People may be willing to forgo some luxuries, but food is not one of them."

Ticket sales are up 21 per cent on last year with the number of exhibitors swelling from 57 to more than 90.

For more log on to: www.tastefestivals.com/london