Help a Hungry Child: Alexander Lebedev cooks up Russian feast for our Christmas appeal

Dishes included vegetable consommé, vegetable salad and buckwheat porridge, as well as buckwheat bread and rye crackers

Alexander Lebedev, businessman and father of Independent proprietor Evgeny, and his wife Elena Perminova, cook a traditional Petrushka menu (Evening Standard)

Hungry Londoners were treated to a Russian feast yesterday as part of The Independent‘s Help a Hungry Child Christmas Appeal.

Alexander Lebedev, businessman and father of Independent proprietor Evgeny, and his wife Elena Perminova, cooked a traditional Petrushka menu for visitors to the Refettorio Felix, the community kitchen at the St Cuthbert’s Centre in West London, set up in collaboration with the Felix Project and Massimo Bottura's charity Food for Soul.

“The Felix Project is a wonderful cause, helping to feed London’s hungry, and I am very happy to do my part,” said Mr Lebedev. “I wanted to raise a flag for traditional Russian cuisine, but also provide a healthy meal with all the right nutrients.”

Dishes included vegetable consommé, vegetable salad and buckwheat porridge, as well as buckwheat bread and rye crackers. Most of the ingredients were from surplus produce, sourced by the Felix Project from supermarkets and other retailers. The piece de resistance were some King Crabs, donated by Marylebone restaurant, Fancy Crab.

The Refettorio Felix opened earlier this year in partnership with Massimo Bottura, the top Italian chef whose restaurant in Modena, Osteria Francescana, holds three Michelin stars and was voted the best in the world in 2016. During the Evening Standard’s London Food Month in June, dozens of top chefs came to cook for visitors to the centre, which caters for up to 70 visitors per day, five days a week. As well as nourishing lunches, the centre provides mental health support, cleaning and clothing facilities, and creative arts and social groups.

This year The Independent‘s Help a Hungry Child Christmas Appeal is raising money for The Felix Project, the food poverty charity founded by The Independent‘s chairman, Justin Byam Shaw. The appeal is focussing on primary school children, in the wake of shocking statistics that 1 in 10 children live in families who worry about food.

As well as lending his skills in the kitchen yesterday, Mr Lebedev match-funded the star-studded Help a Hungry Child telethon earlier this month, up to £30,000, helping the event to raise £73,000 in total. Stars including Jon Hamm, Sir Ian McKellen and Daisy Lowe took donations from readers.

“We were delighted to welcome Alexander Lebedev to St Cuthbert’s Centre,” said Richard Parker, Chairman of the St Cuthbert’s Centre. “Our clients greatly enjoyed the Russian-themed lunch he produced, and his support of the charity is much appreciated.