Podcast: Simon Rogan on getting his restaurant empire through the pandemic
The L'Enclume chef patron's farm produces much of the food for his restaurants in Cartmel and London. Rather than letting it go to waste, the produce is now being used to make simple meals for locals that can be heated up at home, with a proportion offered to the vulnerable and elderly for free.
"It's gone so well that we may actually keep it going when this is all over. In Cumbria there's no delivery services. It's been well-received," he says.
Produce that is not suitable for the meals will be preserved for when L'Enclume and Roganic re-open. Rogan is also offering some of his produce in veg boxes.
Rogan's two Hong Kong restaurants have remained open through the crisis but bookings are down and a recent surge in cases is causing concern.
"The speed that this has come upon us is quite remarkable. Having restaurants in Hong Kong, I should have seen it coming," he says. "I didn't expect it to hit us so quickly and for us to be faced with the things we have been faced with."
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#UnitedWeStand has been created by William Reed hospitality titles BigHospitality, Restaurant magazine and Morning Advertiser and is supported by Arla Pro, Britvic, Coca-Cola European Partners, McCain and Unilever Food Solutions.
