Celebrate Black History Month through food!

Join us in celebrating Black History Month through food across UAL's canteens!

To mark this effort by our canteens, we spoke to UAL's Executive Chef Garret Lynch about the ins and outs of putting together the Black History Month menu:

How long have you been Executive Chef at UAL and what is your culinary background?

I’ve been Executive Chef for nearly 10 years at UAL, but I’ve been with Baxterstorey 16+ years. I started my apprenticeship in hotels across Ireland and the UK.

Why is it important to celebrate Black History Month (BHM)?

Black History Month is very important because it gives us an opportunity to better understand Black history, going beyond stories of racism and slavery, to highlight Black achievement and beyond.

What does BHM mean to you?

To me Black History Month is about celebrating the positive impact and contributions that the Black community have given to the world, including music, food and fashion.

What considerations did you have when creating the BHM menu?

Seasonality and flavour are very important. I usually gather all the Head Chefs from different College sites and we put our heads together to come up with menu ideas. For this occasion, we wanted to highlight the diversity of ingredients and flavours and raise awareness around it.

How important is it to have a diverse group of people coming together to cater for a community as large as UAL’s?

Very important. Indeed, we try to translate this in our menu by including flavours and typical dishes coming from around the world. Our weekly menu has Mediterranean, Asian, Latin and American influences. 45% of our food offer this year has been brand new dishes. We put a lot of effort into staying relevant and offering the best food in the market.

Why should people who may not have tried these dishes before make an effort to try them this month?

This month is a celebration of Black culture & food. It is an opportunity to expand your knowledge and try something new. I guarantee you will enjoy it!

Are there any plans to incorporate any of these dishes or other dishes from the Black community as part of the UAL canteen menu in the long-term?

Absolutely. We recently had a vegan jerk cauliflower with rice and peas on the menu, plus we do different variations of Jerk chicken as it seems to be so popular amongst UAL students.

Of the 6 dishes you’ve chosen, which is your favourite to cook and why?

Without question my favourite would be Jerk chicken with rice and peas, it’s so versatile. Simple, but rich in flavour.

Check out what's on the menu throughout October: