Acorn Award winner Tom Jackson launches fundraiser for Hospitality Action and the NHS

2018 Acorn Award winner Tom Jackson has launched United Through Food, a competition to raise £5,000 each for the NHS and Hospitality Action.

The competition prizes, donated by Jackson's friends and colleagues in the hospitality industry, include a private three-course dinner by Masterchef: The Professionals 2019 winner Stu Deeley and an overnight stay at Old Downton Lodge in Ludlow.

Speaking to The Caterer Jackson said the aim of the fundraiser was to bring together those in the hospitality industry, including fellow chefs, suppliers and hotel restaurants while raising money for both the NHS and Hospitality Action.

Jackson is donating a six-hour private home cookery lesson of "the winner's choice", which he said ideally would take place post-lockdown in the winner's home, "either cooking a dinner from scratch to feed their family" or teaching them "something as simple as how to make sourdough bread".

Jackson added: "Our industry has been hit one of the hardest out of anybody and the response to the competition shows the love and power in the industry of people coming forward."

Tickets are for sale at £10 each until 29 May and will secure a place in the prize draw at 3pm on 31 May on Jackson's Instagram Live.

At 27, Jackson was Wilson Vale Catering's youngest area manager. He was also a head chef at 23 and at 17 graduated from Stratford Hospitality & Catering College as Student of the Year.

To buy a ticket and donate visit United Through Food's JustGiving pages