Homemade Organic Egg Baked in Avocado with Salt and Pepper

Top Chefs Highlight Its Versatility with Their Signature #AvoMyWay Recipes

Health 13 November 2020 By

The World Avocado Organization (WAO) has invited the UK’s top chefs to develop new avocado-based recipes, as part of the #AvoMyWay challenge. The prize for the winning dish is a pallet of avocados donated to NHS Charities Trust in the chef’s name. The winning chefs, Tom Aikens (Muse) and Sanjay Dwivedi (COYA) created recipes that celebrated the avocado’s versatility.

The avocado has also proved pandemic-proof as its popularity with British consumers continues. Over 6,000 avocados are now sold every hour in the UK, used as an ingredient in the kitchen and at-home skincare routines.

London, 13th of November 2020 – To celebrate the versatility of the avocado, the World Avocado Organization (WAO) challenged some of the UK’s top chefs to create a dish with the avocado as the star ingredient. The winning chef will have a pallet of avocados donated to the NHS Charities Trust in their name.

The competition was fierce as the inspired chefs smashed, grilled, piped and puréed their avocados. WAO chose the winning recipes as a testament to the chefs’ creativity and flair as well as the avocado’s unique versatility as an ingredient. COYA’s Sanjay Dwivedi created a sumptuous avocado mousse with coconut, passion fruit sorbet and rice crackers while Tom Aikens from Muse reinvented a classic with his avocado cannelloni.

For the full list of entries, see below:

  • Tom Aikens from Muse: Avocado Cannelloni
  • Sanjay Dwivedi from Coya: Avocado mousse, coconut, Passion fruit sorbet, rice crackers
  • Joe Grant from Issho: Dragon rolls with tempura tiger prawns, avocado and spicy mayonnaise
  • Ruth Hansom from Princess of Shoreditch: Gin cured sea trout and bream, nori, avocado purée coriander and citrus
  • Atul Kochhar from VAASU: Hawkyns’ crispy soft-shell crab with avocado Panna cottas
  • Cyrus Todiwala from Café Spice Namasté: Avocado and Parsee wedding pickle cake
  • Chris & Jeffrey Galvin from Galvin Restaurants: Avocado puree
  • John Williams from Ritz London: Roast scallops bergamot and avocado
  • Paulo de Tarso from Margot: Guacamole
  • Theo Randall from Theo Randall at the Intercontinental: Toasted sourdough with smashed avocado, poached eggs, smoked salmon, chilli and parsley
  • Rich Henderson from Cornish Arms Tavistock: Salmon avocado pink grapefruit fermented cucumber nasturtium
  • Jodie Kidd from The Half Moon: The Half Moon king prawn and avocadotini
  • Sophie Michell: Salmon Yuzu ceviche with avocado and crab
  • Ben Bartlett: Grilled avocado salad with 21 aged D rump steak
  • Brian Turner: Avocado & asparagus salad
  • Thomas Leatherbarrow: Avocado toast with a poached egg
  • Ching-He Huang: Ying-Yang chilli eggs
  • Chris Prow from the Capital Hotel: Avocado chocolate mousse with avocado coconut frozen yoghurt
  • Alfredo Russo from The Franklin London: Cocktail di Gamberi con Emulsion di Avocado
  • Oliver Marlowe from The Hunter’s Moon: Scallop ceviche with whipped avocado, pickled ginger and ponzu
  • Robert Walton (President of the Restaurant Association): Avocado rose toast
  • Diane Kochilas: Greek guacamole

Avocados: The pandemic-proof superfood

The chefs aren’t the only ones making the most of the avocado’s health benefits. So far this year, Europe has consumed 700 million kilos of avocados, 100 million kilos more than last year. During the pandemic, the avocado has become the new healthy comfort food both for the body and mind. It was a key part of embracing a healthier lifestyle under lockdown, along with sourdough starters and the boom in YouTube fitness videos.

Avocado consumption across Europe has been steadily growing for years, with the UK and France being the two biggest markets. Over 6,000 avocados are now sold every hour in the UK.

‘During the pandemic, many people have started to pay more attention to their diets and are turning to foods that will strengthen their immune systems. The avocado, along with a balanced diet and an active lifestyle, is our body’s best friend, ideally matched to new consumer habits and needs in 2020,’ states Xavier Equihua, CEO of WAO.

And it’s not just being bought as an ingredient in the kitchen. Providing a wealth of essential fatty acids, vitamins C and E, and minerals, the avocado is proving popular in at-home skincare. Avocado oil soothes burnt skin and boasts regenerative properties for both the face and hair.