Victoria sponges filled with strawberry jam and cream have been a Wimbledon staple for decades, but for the first time, the All England Club has created a plant-based sponge.
The famous British cake has been transformed with floral spread and coconut cream as part of a wider move to make the championship more environmentally sustainable. The cake will be available to guests who pay up to £2,000 a ticket.
“It’s a very iconic British cake,” said All England Club executive chef Adam Fargin.
“Instead of small cakes slathered with butter and cream, the traditional afternoon tea in our hotel suites is a plant-based Victoria sponge cake made on site by our pastry team.
“I think it’s important to note that we also made these changes based on taste. So we’re not going to offer it because it’s plant-based — we believe in the taste and [any] Victoria sponge.
“It’s important for us to strike a balance between does it taste good and is it good for the environment?”
As part of the club’s goal to reduce waste, the team also uses banana peels that would normally be thrown away to make banana muffins, Fagin said. The players’ cafeteria serves waffles with pumpkin seeds and oats.
“One of the players’ favorite foods is bananas,” Fagin said. “Historically, the banana peel would be thrown away without thought. In fact, if you treat it the right way, the banana peel brings a lot of flavor. It’s very nutritious, just like the banana itself.
“These muffins are made from the banana itself and the peel. We bake them fresh every day and deliver them to players’ spaces.
During the tournament, players consumed approximately 3.3 tons of bananas, approximately 30,000 pieces of fruit.
Explaining how to use leftover peels, Fagin added: “The best way is to ferment them a little bit. If you marinate the peels under vacuum for about 24 hours, it will start to break down the fibers of the peels, which will have To help with the mixing. So you mix it with bananas, flour and then it becomes a muffin mix.
In recent years, Wimbledon has announced a series of sustainability measures and set ambitious targets to mitigate the climate crisis, including a commitment to reduce its operational emissions to net zero by 2030. Banks as sponsors.
Among the guests in the royal box to watch the Murray brothers play doubles on Thursday were those known for their sustainability efforts. Sebastian Coe, who has warned about the impact of climate change on sport, Australian cricketer and BBC Green Sports Award winner Pat Cummins and former professionals in winter sports Skier Chemmy Alcott will both be in attendance.
Waste-Free Banana Muffins Recipe
Makes 20 muffins.
4 ripe bananas
2 eggs
350g caster sugar
120ml vegetable oil
5ml vanilla extract
50g sunflower seeds
225g plain flour
10 grams sodium bicarbonate
1 pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Remove the banana from the peel and leave the peel on. Place the banana and both peels in a food processor and blend with the sugar until smooth. Add eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla and beat again until smooth.
Remove mixture from food processor and place in large bowl. Take the remaining two banana peels, chop them and fold them into a smooth paste.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Place muffin molds into muffin cake tins and fill three-quarters of the way full with mixture to allow for rising.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Let cool.
hint: When the muffins are still a little warm, place them in a container and cover with plastic wrap. This creates moisture and makes the muffins extra delicious.
