Harbour & Jones raises £19,000 in memory of former colleague

Foodservice firm Harbour & Jones (H&J) has raised £19,000 in memory of head chef Sam Sommerville, who died in an accident while on holiday in August last year.

The 36-year-old worked for the company from May 2014 and is remembered for teaching his colleagues to "love life".

H&J held a fundraising dinner on 29 February, attended by 160 guests, to help support his children Eva and Charlie over the coming years.

The menu was made up of the H&J awards finalist dishes and the main course was Sommerville's own buttermilk chicken and cauliflower, which he named ‘the bird & white curd'.

The event took place at the Royal Institute of British Architects and tables were decorated with hula girls, leis, rubber ducks and plastic chickens.

An auction with lots including dinner for eight at home cooked by H&J chefs and a Mercedes Formula One cap signed by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg helped raise money on the night.

There was also a cabaret performance by alumni from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, which showcased his favourite songs by the Arctic Monkeys and Oasis.

Funds are still being collected until 7 March. To donate click here.

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