Celebrity chefs back 'Taste for Life'

11 August 2009

Some of the country's best-known chefs are lending their support to a brand new initiative called Taste for Life, a fun way to simultaneously entertain friends at home and raise money for a good cause.

With the barbeque and picnic season in full swing, WaterAid is asking people to host a food event and invite their guests to make a donation to support our work to provide safe water and sanitation in some of the world's poorest communities.

With its emphasis on home cooking and an opportunity to enjoy great company, the scheme has attracted the backing of a host of celebrity chefs including Ainsley Harriott, Valentine Warner, Ken Hom and Gary Rhodes. Each has provided a special recipe that anyone signing up to stage a Taste for Life event will have access to via www.wateraid.org/tasteforlife.

Celebrity Chef Taste for Life supporter Ainsley Harriet.

Credit: WaterAid / Suzanne Porter

According to Ainsley Harriott, who's submitted a mouth-watering recipe for seared chicken mango salsa with sweet potato wedges:

"WaterAid's Taste for Life initiative is the perfect opportunity to share delicious food with friends while making a real difference to the lives of millions of people worldwide who don't have access to clean water and sanitation. Why not try my tasty recipe for seared chicken with mango salsa on a lazy summer's evening?  Your guests will love those fruity flavours!"

The River Café's Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray, who have provided a seasonal recipe for summer ribollita, had this to say:

"When we turn on the tap we don't have to worry for a moment that the water could actually endanger our health or that of our children – a daily reality for almost a billion people worldwide. Clean water is a basic amenity which, in 2009, everyone should be entitled to."
 
Amber Woods, WaterAid's Taste for Life Co-ordinator, explains:
"We’re asking people to get together with friends and family to enjoy good food, and raise funds for WaterAid at the same time. Taste for Life is flexible: you can choose any event you like. From a slap-up dinner party, to a relaxed picnic with your friends, or perhaps a mouth-watering Sunday roast or a summer BBQ with your family – it's totally up to you!

"Hosting an event is simple – especially with the free Taste for Life pack available for everyone who registers at www.wateraid.org/tasteforlife. Just invite your guests over for a culinary feast, have a great time, ask them to make a donation to WaterAid and finally, encourage them to hold their own event."

"We're so thrilled to have such stellar support from some of the country's best-loved chefs for Taste for Life. We’ve got other celebrities coming on board too; Fern Britton and Joanna Lumley are also sharing their favourite recipes with us!"

Across the world one in eight people live without access to safe water and 2.5 billion have nowhere safe or private to go to the toilet. Without these basic human rights millions of people are prevented from overcoming poverty and 4,000 children die needlessly every day.

Amber continues: "The money you and your guests raise by taking part in Taste for Life will support WaterAid's vital work. You can also be a catalyst for a bigger change by passing Taste for Life on. Why not encourage your guests to join the Taste for Life network by hosting their own event."

To find out more, and to register to host a Taste for Life event online, please visit www.wateraid.org/tasteforlife.

Contact:  Lisa Martin on 020 7793 4524, lisamartin@wateraid.org 

Notes to editors: 

*Download Ainsley Harriott's recipe ( PDF 70Kb).  Others available on request

WaterAid enables the world's poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. Our vision is of a world where everyone has access to these basic human rights which underpin health, education and livelihoods and form the first, essential step in overcoming poverty.

Key stats:

• At least 4,000 children die every day as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation.
• 884 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. This is roughly one in eight of the world's population.
• 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation, this is almost two fifths of the world's population.
• WaterAid projects providing safe water, sanitation and hygiene education cost just £15 per head.