Dora Taylor is a passionate freelance chef, specialising in sustainable vegan food, an activist and freelance writer with expertise in food, farming and environmentalism, and the Head Chef and Director of Pea Shoot Feasts. We’re so excited to welcome her to the DINE kitchen where she’ll be cooking a plant-based, seasonal feast at our next DINE supper club (Wednesday 07 June 2023).

She sat down with The Bridge to talk about the dishes she’ll be cooking on the night and why a sustainable, plant-based diet is vital to an equitable food system.

Follow Dora on Instagram; @peashootfeasts and @dorstaylor

So Dora, how did you get into cooking?

I have always loved cooking, with both of my parents imparting their culinary knowledge on my from my childhood. I decided to start cooking professionally because I felt an urge for more creativity in my life, and food was already the medium I used to express myself in. I did a couple of vegan chef training programmes, and loved it! The longer I’ve been a chef for, the more I’ve realised the power of cooking and eating as a way to create positive change.

And why do you cook vegan and seasonal?

The food system is the key to so many things - community, health, and environmental repair. In order to live within the means of our planet, we need to be eating less meat and dairy, and more plants and diverse proteins such as beans, peas and pulses. The food I cook is not only plant-based, it’s also centred around ethically produced ingredients that are in-season and don’t contain pesticides. I want to demonstrate how great taste and positive environmental impact can go hand in hand!

We’re so excited for you to cook at DINE! What’s on the menu?

For our starter, we’ve got crunchy summer slaw with crushed herby potatoes and a tangy sesame and onion dressing. Then there’s two main course options; Turmeric and Chickpea pancakes, garlic steamed seasonal greens, Za'atar marinated mushrooms topped with fresh Zhug or Sunshine stew (carrots, chard and red carlin peas in a spicy broth with spelt dumplings and seasoned with thyme, pimento and scotch bonnet, topped with fresh leaves).

Are there any stories behind the dishes you’ve put together?

I am half Jamaican, and I take a lot of inspiration from Jamaican dishes and flavours. I also love Mediterranean food for the way that vegetables are celebrated and centred. All my dishes have elements of different cuisines in them.

This stew incorporates many Jamaican tastes; it’s spicy, warming, fresh and playful. It’s packed full of vegetables, and so nutritious. While stew is often seen as a winter meal, I associate this dish with sunshine.

I absolutely love pancakes, and make them all the time. I love the texture of them, their versatility, and their feeling of celebration; they’re always seen as a treat, so they put me in a great mood when I’m cooking them. These turmeric and chickpea pancakes are one of my favourite dishes to cook and eat at home. I am a savoury person, so eating them with rich, umami flavours like mushrooms is my preference.

We believe that there is a strong link between community and food, and that pay what you can models like we have at DINE can lead to a more equitable society. Do you agree? What do you think about the link between community and food, and why do you think that access to good and nutritious food is important?

The need to eat is a leveller, and bringing people together over a shared meal is a fantastic way to connect with others in our communities. I envisage a world in which everyone feels a responsibility to make sure others in their community can eat well, where more food is locally grown, and food is a method for community repair. In our gapingly unequal society, a pay-as-you-feel model, founded on meeting collective needs, helps us imagine what an equitable food system could feel like.

Eating well is an act of love. By eating good food - food that is flavourful, nutritious and ethically produced - we not only nourish our bodies, but our communities and our soil as well. Eating well has a hugely positive effect on our mental and physical health, and builds a foundation for overall wellbeing on an individual and community level. Good food should be seen as a right, and accessible to everyone, no matter what their economical or social background.

Want to join Dora at DINE? Booking is now live - book your space at www.thebridge-uk.org/dine.

DINE is our monthly pop-up community kitchen serving delicious plant-based food. Everyone should have access to tasty food that’s good for you and the planet. That’s why we’re running DINE, our plant-based pop-up, on a loose ‘pay-it-forward’ model. Eat for free, pay what you feel, pay for a meal, or pay it forward – everyone’s welcome at our table.

meet the chef: Dora Taylor