Liverpool’s Lu Ban Kitchen is teaming up with Leukaemia Care for a night of virtual cooking and fundraising on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

The novel fundraiser, from the online meal kit provider, is aiming to secure 500 participants for the #lubancookalong, which will be hosted by Lu Ban Restaurant executive head chef Dave Critchley.

Liverpudlian Critchley will play a starring role on the #lubancookalong as he guides the online army of amateur chefs on how to cook the perfect Chinese meal using a specially created Lu Ban Cooks Box – featuring aromatic herbs and spices for an authentic Chinese meal for two.

The menu for the event, which is being held on Thursday February 11, includes Lu Ban chicken in chilli, Chinese greens, boiled rice with cardamom and coconut. Vegetarians will be able to supplement the chicken for an alternative option.

Lu Ban Cooks boxes for the charity event are available on the Lu Ban Kitchen website and cost £15 (including UK-wide delivery), with £5 from every box sold supporting the work of Leukaemia Care. Each box will also contain a Lucky Red envelope with one containing a golden ticket for a special Lu Ban Kitchen prize.

Chef Dave Critchley

The event will be a first for Leukaemia Care, which has seen its fundraising initiatives severely hit as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The national blood cancer charity provides a range of services and support for those diagnosed with leukaemia, which is 250,000 people in the UK.

More than 1.4 million people accessed its website in the past 12 months for information, it provided travel grants to 250 families at a cost of £50,000 and delivered a range of services.

Zack Pemberton-Whiteley chief executive of Worcester-based Leukaemia Care welcomed Lu Ban Kitchen’s support and the innovative fundraising idea:

“We are delighted to be working with Lu Ban Kitchen on this exciting fundraising event which will leave everybody with the warm glow of doing something good – as well as a stomach of delicious authentic Chinese food,” he said.

“The work of Leukaemia Care has never been more needed yet many of our traditional fundraising opportunities have been curtailed by COVID-19, so it is exciting to see this event come to fruition. I am certainly looking forward to cooking along from home.”

Lu Ban Kitchen, which was launched in November and provides authentic Chinese restaurant quality meals via its ‘Heat at Home’ and ‘Banquet Boxes’ cooked by the Lu Ban Restaurant team, is confident the event will be a huge hit.

Director Mark House said: “We know that this lockdown has been hard for people and for charities, so when we were approached by the great Leukaemia Care team, we jumped at the chance to help bring some fun to an evening and to help raise funds for those who we know will be affected by Leukaemia.

“We can’t wait to have an evening of fun and learning with our specially created fundraising box.”

Participants will receive a recipe card with the cooks’ box. Participants will need to purchase the ingredients for the meal and to do any necessary ‘prep’ ahead of the Zoom event.

Participants are advised to order their Lu Ban Kitchen Cooks Box by Thursday February 4 to ensure it arrives in good time and enable time to purchase ingredients for the #lubancookalong.

Those taking part are also invited to share their support and their cooked meals on the night using the hashtag #lubancookalong on Lu Ban Kitchen’s and Leukaemia Care’s social media channels.

Lu Ban Kitchen was launched in November 2020 when Lu Ban Restaurant was forced to close for the second time as result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Lu Ban Kitchen provides restaurant quality meals which represent the very best in Chinese cuisine and are made using the finest and freshest ingredients.

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