360. Thats the number of individually handcrafted plates that were needed to showcase Luke Dale-Roberts dish of foie gras, duck and quail terrine at this years Prudential Eat Out Awards.
The last plates came out of the kiln the morning of the awards, laughs Dale-Roberts. They were still warm when I received them at the venue!

The plates in question were born out of necessity when Dale-Roberts needed a range of crockery that would complement his conceptual Elements menu at La Colombe (2009 Prudential Eat Out Restaurant of the Year), which drew inspiration from various components of nature.

I got in touch with Dr Adriaan Landman, a lecturer at the arts faculty of the College of Cape Town, he says, “and he thought itd be a great idea for the students at the College’s Gugulethu campus to work on the plates.

The resulting range of crockery was such a success that Dale-Roberts and Landman decided to make it commercially available. And where better to launch it than at a prestigious gala evening attended by some of the most renowned foodies in the country?

Faced with the somewhat daunting task of churning out over 300 plates for the Eat Out Awards, Dale-Roberts called in help from expert ceramicist Andile Dyalvane, owner of Imiso Ceramics, to consult with him on the design and to oversee the students during the production process.

Apart from the exquisite range of Forest Elements plates that are already available, the gang are now working on a new series. I think this initiative shows the students that there is a purpose to what theyre doing, says Dale-Roberts. Its not just an exercise, but the creation of something functional.

• Fifty sets of crockery, each consisting of six Forest Elements plates, are now available for purchase at R400 a set. All proceeds will go towards starting a community project at the Gugulethu campus of the College of Cape Town.