Food Competition 2004
Old Harkers Arms - Heats
Chris and Ed put on a tremendous effort against some tough competition, considering Ed is more accustomed to pulling pints and general management rather than exercising his culinary skills. Nevertheless they came up with some good British dishes that have the potential to go far with more technical execution.
Starter:
Sweet potato, pancetta and cauliflower cheese
Straight-forward and nicely cooked dish.
Light Bite:
Sausage and leek hash with braised red cabbage
Very 'B&P', could have been cooked together a little longer to knit together the flavours but overall it was well executed.
Main:
Oven roast duck breast and winter vegetables with black cherry sauce
Good idea, but the duck was just not cooked accurately, and the sauce needed to be a bit thinner and sharper.
Pudding:
Grilled apricot mascarpone
Very tasty, but consistency wasn't great.
Prepared by:
Chris Bunting, Ed Warrington
| Heats | Final | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Black Jug | ||
| Old Harkers Arms | ||
| Hare | ||
| Grosvenor Arms | Grosvenor Arms | |
| Pant-yr-Ochain | Pant-yr-Ochain | Pant-yr-Ochain |
| Armoury | ||
| Dysart Arms | ||
| Glasfryn | ||
| Cross Foxes | ||
| Corn Mill | Corn Mill | |
| Pen-y-Bryn |
The Challenge
Every pub must enter a starter, light bite, main course and pudding. The dishes need to be prepared, cooked and put together in the morning before judging at lunchtime.
In the first round, three or four pubs each day go up against each other. The winner overall on each day goes through to the final, which is held two weeks later.
Pub managers and senior chefs are encouraged to come along for the judging and to lend support at the tastings and see what their crews have done, but they can't make any alterations or comment until after the judging - or heckle the other pub teams.
The Criteria
Each dish will be judged under the following criteria; the written description of the dish; the style of the dish; presentation; taste and balance; value for money for the customer; gross profit to the pub; kitchen efficiency; likelihood of consistent reproduction; ease of service to the table.
Prizes
The winning team will enjoy the glory, the admiration and undoubtedly the accusations of bias and double-dealing from all their peers. They will also receive a trophy and probably a case or two of something quaffable to share amongst the team.