Adventures in Food

Henrietta Russell loves to surprise with food.

 

20 years after leaving LWC, the Sternian has built a career around taking her clients on a culinary adventure.

 

When we meet, Henrietta is coming to the end of a typically busy summer at the helm of her luxury catering and event planning business, Peapod & Co., based in Selborne. The last few months have been a whirlwind of weddings, private parties and corporate events. She is about to experience a rare day off, which, ironically, she’ll spend at a friend’s wedding (although this time, not in the kitchen).

 

“I grew up around food,” Henrietta admits when asked what sparked her love of cooking. “My mother loved having friends over for dinner, and I was fascinated by cookery programmes from a young age. I think I was seven when I first started doing cookery demonstrations in the kitchen, pretending to be Delia Smith. I think, even then, I knew I wanted to make a career out of food.”

 

But this wasn’t going to be just any career with food.

 

Henrietta spent two years in Sixth Form at LWC, where she studied for A-levels in Geography, PE, Classics and Business Studies. “I made some of my best friends there,” she admits. “I loved the grounds and the amazing teachers. We were treated (as Sixth Formers) like adults rather than children. It felt like a mature Sixth Form compared to some of the schools that my other friends attended.”

 

When the time came to leave LWC, Henrietta had the confidence and clarity of thought to pursue her passion. “I went and trained for four months at Ballymaloe,” she explains (a multi-award-winning and world-renowned cookery school based in Ireland’s County Cork). From there, she completed a season as a private chef in Verbier before taking up a position at Bristol’s Hotel Du Vin. But it was upon joining Rhubarb Hospitality that Henrietta discovered where her real passion lay.

 

“There’s something so satisfying about creating food that catches someone’s eye, makes them stop and look, and then surprises them with that first bite.”

-Sternian, Henrietta Russell

 

“I worked at Rhubarb for around six years and had the time of my life,” she reveals. The move into event catering had ignited something. Having progressed to become Head Chef at London-based luxury caterer, Rocket Food, the stage had been set for Henrietta to branch out on her own.

 

“One day, I found myself thinking about how much I missed the countryside, the open fields, the space and being part of a local community,” she reflects. “I could also see a gap in the market for a countryside-based catering and event planning company. I believed I could create something of my own, so I decided to give it a go. I’ve never regretted it.”

 

Seven years after its formation, Peapod & Co. continues to go from strength to strength. Henrietta has built a large portfolio of private, corporate and high-profile clients, working across a wide range of sectors. She has also worked on some of the UK’s most prestigious events, from the Chelsea Flower Show and London Fashion Week to summer parties at the V&A and Royal Academy. This year, the company also announced that it had become an accredited caterer at three high-profile Hampshire venues: Avington Estate, Froyle Park and The Grange. When asked where the appeal lies in the luxury event market, it’s clear that customer reaction lies at the heart of it for Henrietta.

 

“There’s something so satisfying about creating food that catches someone’s eye, makes them stop and look, and then surprises them with that first bite,” she reveals. “I’ve always believed that you eat with your eyes first, but the flavour has to deliver too. I’d describe what we create as edible artwork: food that looks almost too beautiful to eat but delivers an unexpected burst of flavour and I love being there to see it happen.”

 

Photo Credit: Peapod & Co.

 

Henrietta spends as much time developing new tastes and flavours as she does providing canapés and four-course lunches to clients. “One of my favourite canapés is our botanical tuna sea garden,” she smiles. “It sits on a sesame tuile and is finished with a lime and avocado mousse and edible flowers.”

 

Despite being a self-confessed ‘savoury person’, Henrietta also enjoys creating something special for those with a sweet tooth. “Yesterday, we made a beautiful chocolate flowerpot filled with caramel ganache, chocolate mousse and chocolate crumble, finished with edible flowers to make it look like the real thing. We have a core menu, but adapt it to suit each client and create bespoke dishes when the brief calls for something different.”

 

Many of Peapod & Co.’s events now provide opportunities for LWC students to join the front-of-house and waiting teams during school holidays and at weekends. As Managing Director, Henrietta continues to lead the culinary team. “I work in both the kitchen and the office, but I always want to be in the kitchen as much as possible because that’s where I’m happiest. Everything else falls away and I get into a kind of flow state that I find almost therapeutic. I’m completely focused on the food.”

 

And Henrietta’s most memorable events are not always the highest profile. “I really enjoy our weddings,” she says. “You get to know the couple and their families over the course of a year, so when the day finally arrives, you get to see their vision come to life, from the food and tablescape, to the flowers, the smallest details and, of course, the guests enjoying it all.

 

“It’s just magical.”