Sailbox – a royal appointment with avocados

Sailbox chef and owner Mark Babbins appeared on ITV’s This Morning on Wednesday 9th October 2024 to talk about avocados.  King Charles III has been advised not to miss out on lunch following his cancer treatment, and will now eat half an avocado to keep him going throughout the afternoon.  Mark Babbins is no stranger to avocados, getting through between 30 and 40 avocados each day in Sailbox.  As an expert in avocado preparation, he was the right person for Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard to talk to.

“Our second best-selling dish at Sailbox is avocado on toast with poached eggs, so I’m an expert on preparing avocados.  What you need, and what we always serve, are lovely, fresh avocados.  They can stay fresh if you keep them in the fridge.  Once you’ve chopped them up, sprinkle them with a little lemon juice, some white pepper and lay over some parchment paper which will help stop them turning brown.” 

itv appearance

“I got the call the afternoon before the show was on, asking for an expert in avocados.  You know when you agree to something and then spend the next few hours really wondering what you’ve let yourself in for?  Well, it was such fun.  The team were so nice, and helped set up the table in front of our massive glass doors that look out onto what I think is the best view in Folkestone Harbour.  You can see the White Cliffs behind me, and if it’s sunny, this is a great place to extend our restaurant to the outside tables.  If it’s windy or raining, you’re protected behind these glass doors but still get to feel the excitement of the weather!

“The tv appearance went by in a flash.  One minute I could hear Cat Deeley in my ear and then it was over.  And as soon as it finished, I wanted to do it all over again.  They said I could spend 5 minutes talking about avocados, so I showed them the easiest way to cut open one.  I slice the top off, and then, with the avocado lying on its tummy, and the knife parallel with the board, I slice it around the middle.  You can twist the avocado at this point and it will help the two halves come apart.  Then, carefully, with the heal of your sharp knife, stick that in the stone of the avocado and it takes it out cleanly.  You can get the flesh out with a serving spoon, and slice your avocado, or smash it – however you’d like to serve it.”

celebrate with the king

“I share a birthday with King Charles so I am thinking about doing a ‘King Charles and Mark’s birthday avocado celebration’ – which would be fun!  We have three dishes on the menu which have avocado in, and you can always ask for a side of avocado too.  There’s avocado as part of our vegetarian breakfast, and then there’s our brunch menu with avocado in our tacos which makes them nice and creamy.  We do a sweet potato hash as a vegan option, which has avocado on the side. 

“We serve over 100 breakfasts on Saturdays and Sundays, and then turn around for Sunday Roasts which are very popular too.  People come in to start their day with a decent cup of our home-roasted coffee from Harbour Coffee, and a good breakfast, and then are ready to get on with the rest of their day.  We’re open 7 days a week, so there’s always space to come for breakfast, brunch and beyond.”

reaching millions

“This Morning reaches over 4 million viewers a week, and my phone hasn’t stopped buzzing with family and friends telling me I’m on the telly.  I’ve even had family from Southern Ireland see me, which is a good way to boost morale.  But, I need to crack on and prep the brunches coming up; none of this showbiz, celebrity chef business for me!”