For six days The Fat Duck group executive chef will be swapping the comfort of his Knightsbridge hob for the pots and pans of a typical mud hut kitchen in a village near Kisumu, close to Lake Victoria.
The trip will see the chef stay as a guest in the house of Joyce Kadenge and her family in the Mumias area of the Western province of the African nation. Palmer-Watts will be shown the work of Farm Africa, a UK-based charity who, through purpose-built fish farms and 'Aqua Shops', are helping the local population in their aim of becoming self-sufficient.
Heston Blumenthal's number two will be tasked with fishing, cooking and eating with the local community as he attempts to help them add value to the product they sell while highlighting the cause to the hospitality and restaurant industry back in the UK.
Ashley's African Diary
BigHospitality will be travelling with the chef for each part of his journey - from landing in an unknown country to preparing a celebratory evening meal for the community on his last night.
To keep up to date with his progress:
- Read Ashley's Africa Diary as he records his experiences and reactions for a blog complete with video and pictures, including of the tilapia fish farms, markets and 'Aqua Shops' the Farm Africa charity supports.
- Catch all the latest updates by following Restaurant Magazine on Twitter where you can also comment on Ashley's trip or leave him a message using the hashtag #ChefAfrica.
Once the Dinner chef touches back down in the UK, keep checking BigHospitality and our Facebook page for a complete photo gallery and full-length video report of his trip including his thoughts on what role the hospitality and restaurant industries can play in helping Africa become self-sufficient and sustainable.
Palmer-Watts and Pam Williams-Jones, Farm Africa’s director of fundraising and communications, will also be hosting a special Q&A including a showing of the BigHospitality video on Tuesday 2 October at The Restaurant Show.
'Good luck'
Jonny Lake, head chef at The Fat Duck, sent Ashley the following good luck message to when he met BigHospitality at a Restaurant magazine photoshoot last week.
Do you have a question for Ashley, a query about #ChefAfrica or do you have a good luck message for the chef ahead of his trip to Kenya? Why not leave a comment on this page or send us a tweet and we will post your message or answer your question in the blog on site.