Oddbox x The Spread Eagle - Odd Five Ways Menu

This February, Oddbox will partner with The Spread Eagle vegan pub in East London, to host a five course food-waste fighting feast. The ‘Odd Five Ways’ menu will feature a series of mouth-watering dishes made from “too wonky'' and “too many” (aka surplus) Oddbox fresh fruit and veg rescued from farms where it was at risk of going to waste. 1.2 billion tonnes of food are lost globally on farms before, during and after harvest and the Odd Five Ways menu will help raise awareness and encourage people to eat the produce that’s been grown when it’s available in a bid to drive action on food waste.

This season, Oddbox has rescued over 330 tonnes of carrots from growers where they were at risk of going to waste. Fresh and deliciously odd, these carrots will become the star of the Odd Five Ways menu. Diners will taste just how versatile carrot can be as it features in every course, from the carrot-based cocktail aperitif, all the way through to a root vegetable twist on a classic carrot cake dessert.

Odd Five Ways is a vegan-friendly play on the famous ‘pork four ways’; a technique honed by top chefs to deliciously demonstrate the versatility of pork. The menu has been developed by Gina Hopkins of 2021 Masterchef Professionals fame and Executive Chef at The Spread Eagle. Being flexible with the menu design and keeping low-waste front of mind, Hopkins was challenged by Oddbox to only use the rescued produce available in the week’s Oddbox in the five courses. The Spread Eagle is London’s first fully vegan pub, and was nominated for the Innovator of the Year for the GQ Food & Drink Awards in 2019.

Odd Five Ways will be an epic vegan feast that showcases not only carrot, but other “surplus” and “wonky” winter fruit and veg including sprouts, kale and nectarines. Diners will enjoy:
The cocktail; hot and spicy The King’s Ginger liqueur shaken with the complimentary flavours of sweet carrot and quince, with wintery cinnamon and topped off with a squeeze of bitter lemon (or a non-alcoholic alternative).

A snack of crispy baked kale leaves, loaded up with a juicy carrot and rich onion relish

Deep-fried Brussel sprouts accompanied by three vibrant in colour and creamy carrot, beetroot and celeriac dipping sauces

Indian-inspired earthy roasted carrots and potatoes elevated with citrusy coriander, fiery chilli and masala spice

A show-stopping, three layer carrot and root vegetable cake - an innovative twist on the British classic

On the collaboration, Emilie Vanpoperinghe, CEO and Co-Founder of Oddbox said: “With Odd Five Ways we are showcasing an exciting, flexible and resourceful approach to food, called “grower-led eating.” It’s cooking what’s available from farmers when it’s available. This helps them sell off their delicious produce no matter whether they have “too many” or it's deemed “too odd” looking. Grower-led eating helps tackle the endemic issue of surplus and cosmetic specs in the food industry, and is therefore an effective way to reduce food waste. Which, as we know, is a major contributor to the climate crisis - accounting for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions” (WWF).

Luke McLoughlin, Co-Founder of The Spread Eagle, added: “We’ve always been keen to demonstrate that cooking with vegetables is fun and delicious and the Odd Five Ways menu does just that. We’ve made the carrot the centrepiece but the truth is every vegetable can be made to shine when you are versatile with them. We've alway been advocates for sustainability and minimal waste at The Spread Eagle, so this is an ideal partnership and we hope to inspire diners to make a difference to the planet through the food they eat, and by reducing food waste both on the farm and at home.”

The Odd Five Ways menu is priced at £30, with £5 from each diner donated to The Felix Project, one of the Oddbox charity partners, who tackle food redistribution by taking good quality surplus food from right across the food industry and get it to charities and schools so they can provide healthy meals and help the most vulnerable in our society.