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TV Chef’s Jungle Jam Recipes Feature at TUI Mexican Resort
Tuesday, 20 Feb, 2010
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Jo tossing pancakes
Cook book and TV chef Jo Pratt, is giving Thomson customers at its Sensatori Resort Mexico a real taste for sustainable tourism, by introducing them to some no-fuss dishes with a Mayan twist.
Famed for giving gourmet food a ‘real world make over’, Jo has developed recipes using ‘Jungle Jams’ made from pitaya (cactus fruit) and papaya that have been locally produced by women in the Mayan community of Chumpon, which is just two hours from Cancun.
Jo Pratt demonstrated her tantalising dishes in a cookery session for Thomson customers at its Sensatori resort last week. Guests got the lowdown on how to make mouth watering main meals and desserts, such as duck and papaya stir-fry and lime and pitaya cheesecake pots.
The ‘Jungle Jams’ project is helping a co-operative of Mayan women set up their own jam-making business for supply to local tourism businesses. It is supported by kind donations made by Thomson customers to the World Care Fund, which the company matches. Thomson has been working with the Travel Foundation on several sustainable tourism initiatives around the world, and in Mexico the money is helping these Mayan women benefit from tourism in the Riviera Maya.
Jo Pratt said: “I’m really excited about supporting this project and helping the local community of Chumpon. It’s great that the women behind it are now able to earn an income from tourism without moving away from their village, which will help keep their cultural heritage alive. I have really enjoyed the challenge of conjuring up dishes that incorporate the ethical ‘Jungle Jams’, and you can use it in so many different ways. It’s also great to see a big holiday company like Thomson, ensuring that the local communities in destinations benefit from their holidays too.”
In December 2009 the ‘Jungle Jams’ were launched onto the breakfast buffet at Thomson’s Sensatori Resort. Thomson adopted the Travel Foundation project last year, providing funding for the set-up of the business and creating an important link to their Sensatori Resort Mexico for supply of the jams. Preparation for the launch has included the creation of a jam-making kitchen in the jungle and training for the women in quality and hygiene.
Tim Williamson, customer director at Thomson said, “We are very excited to have Jo Pratt involved supporting our adopted project and demonstrating recipes that use locally produced Mayan jam that helps support a community. It’s thanks to customer support, through donations to the World Care Fund that holiday-makers visiting the Sensatori Resort Mexico can now enjoy the flavours of locally grown papaya and pitaya jam on the breakfast buffet. We are committed to ensuring local communities benefit from our operations. Following on from the success of this project, we plan to work with the Travel Foundation to introduce projects at our other ‘flagship’ Sensatori Resorts.”
Sue Hurdle, chief executive of the Travel Foundation said, “The support from Thomson for the ‘Jungle Jams’ project has been vital to its success and we’re now delighted to have the help of TV chef and author Jo Pratt to make this project come alive for customers through her wonderful recipes. We hope that guests will enjoy the flavours of these unique jams in the knowledge that this project is making a real difference to the lives of the Mayan women who make it.”
Valere Tjolle
Valere Tjolle is editor of the 2010 Sustainable Tourism Report Suite details at:www.travelmole.com/stories/1141006.php
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