AN URBAN food trend is popping up in rural Dorset to serve up cash for a good cause.

Valerie McRobert is inviting strangers to come dine with her and raise money for a centre for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) sufferers.

Next month, the orangery in her Burton Bradstock home will be transformed into a pop-up restaurant serving a three-course meal for 12 diners for one night only.

Ms McRobert, 60, said she was inspired by hearing about the guerilla dining movement in London.

“I heard about pop-up restaurants popping up all over London but generally people have been doing it to make money for themselves and not for charity.

“We will ask people to give whatever they think the meal is worth. It’s all to do with putting something back.

“We just had this idea that it would be a great way to raise money and it would be fun to have something a little bit different rather than going round with a charity box.”

The novel night of dining on Tuesday, November 23 from 7.30pm is in honour of Ms McRobert’s friend Nabil Jafari, an MS sufferer from Berkshire.

He used to work with Ms McRobert at Heathrow Airport and has retired due to ill-health.

Former British Airways worker Ms McRobert said: “I met someone who was collecting for an MS charity in Beaminster and asked them where their local centre was and they told me they don’t have one. The centre Nabil goes to sees people from all over.

“It’s a charity that’s close to our hearts and this money will go straight to the people who need it.”

While Ms McRobert will take on the head chef role, her friend Barbara Linton will travel from Gloucestershire to take on front-of-house duties.

“It’s terrifying to think about – we’ve been on the phone nearly every day swapping recipes and talking about how we’re going to do this,” she said.

“We’ve managed to get chinaware donated and I’m comfortable with making everything that’s on the menu. I wanted to put a few challenging things on there.”

Mr Jafari said: “When people do things for you like this it’s phenomenal, it takes your breath away. Without these kind of contributions the centre couldn’t exist.

“Everyone who goes there is touched by the kindness of people like Valerie.”

Pippa Vincent-Cooke, manager of the Berkshire MS Therapy Centre, said the fundraising is much appreciated. “It costs £350,000 a year to run the centre and it’s great that someone in Dorset is doing this for us.

Wine at Chez McRobert will be on a BYO basis and a £10 reservation fee must be paid upon booking. Details: popuprestaurant @rocketmail.com or 01308 897905.