Guest Chef Series in The Park at Pear Tree Cafe

Originally from South Ukraine, Olia Hercules, named the Observer Rising Star of 2015, moved to Cyprus when she was 12 years old before finally settling in London when she left school. The first part of her life really influenced her cooking style, flavour combinations and ingredients used which can be seen in her four course Georgian-inspired supper club at the Pear Tree Cafe on the 14th December. Having trained at Leith’s, Olia uses classic techniques learnt there complemented by her heritage and time at Ottolenghi to create exceptional dishes and distinct flavours. Dishes include sourdough with mint adjika, home-made curd cheese and sharon fruit; pumpkin cooked in walnut sauce on a bed of polenta; fermented vegetable plate with thinly sliced raw onion and unrefined Ukrainian sunflower oil and Ossetian pie stuffed with beet tops cooked in garlic butter with crumbled feta and ogleshield. For something sweet to finish off the evening, Olia has created a blood orange, pomegranate and rosemary jelly.