Help Syria? eat here

Post date: 05-Feb-2013 08:23:18

Sometimes what we are raising money for and what we eat intersect, and it makes it a lot more real why we do all this cooking.

Syria is the prime example of such a case. So far, 2.7 million Syrians have been displaced, and over 6,000 people have been killed that we know about. Imagine if you had to leave your home for fear of your life. There are food and medicine shortages in the camps. I have friends there in both Damascus and Aleppo - who, touch wood, so far are OK - and John wrote very movingly at the end of 2011 of a close friend of his who was killed which you can read about here; over a year later the situation is worse, not better. Medecins Sans Frontieres are now very much in the country - so much so that a missile landed only 800m from an MSF field hospital in Aleppo less than a week ago. You can read about their work in Syria here.

The UN Peace Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi says Syria is "being destroyed bit by bit" and that "the country is breaking up before everyone's eyes. Only the international community can help"

Will Aleppo end up looking like this - the dead city of Serjilla? And what of the amazing historical and cultural treasures there, which belong to the world? Already the amazing mediaeval souks in Aleppo have been destroyed; I would have been one of the last foreign people to see them and their donkey transport system.

Well the good news is that you CAN help. And you don't need to suffer doing it too. When you dine at Parkholme Supper Club, £35 of your £40 bill goes DIRECT to MSF. We don't touch it and we can prove it gets there - because you donate it yourself in your own name. Take a look at our Justgiving site - including the tax that MSF can claim back, we've raised over £31,000! Just come to ours for a fabulous Syrian dinner. Medecins Sans Frontieres is one of the most efficient charities, with around 85% of your donation actually going to the work they do (you may have noticed, they never advertise etc. like some charities).

On the menu will be:

Sabenirh Bezzet - Spinach and onions with spices

Kibbeh Bel Ferroun - Quince and Pomegranate Kibbeh, truly a “feast” dish

Yehlanji - Vegetarian stuffed vegetables

Kibbeh Bil Saniyeh – Damascene kibbeh, the kind Syrian Christians typically eat for Sunday lunch

Tabbouleh - Parsley and Burghul salad

Labna - Home made cream cheese balls

Falafel – homemade and really, really good

Fattoush - Typical Syrian salad with croutons

Hirak Isbaoo - Fabulous Lentil dish from “Naranje”, arguably the best restaurant in Damascus

Mutabal Kusa - Courgette pulp gently fried with garlic

Bulghur - Chickpea, Tomato and Bulghur Salad

Fasolia Bzait - Green Bean Salad

Homemade Syrian Cheese and Za’atar Bread

Arabic Bread and Olives

Ma’amoul – homemade Syrian date cakes

For more photos of the fascinating Syria we are losing, click here to go to an album on Facebook

Please e-mail us with bookings on info@parkholmesupperclub.co.uk

Price will be £40 of which £35 will go direct to MSF to help with their work there.

We will be teaching a cooking lesson based on this supperclub on Weds 20th Feb, 6.30pm, mail us if you'd like to join (max 4 people), more details here: Syrian Cooking Lesson