Food Competition 2004
The first three days of the annual food competition got off to a promising start with mandatory bacon sarnies served up to whet everyone's appetites, prepared by master buttie-builder Foxy the roving chef, who'd been drafted in to keep the training kitchen in good order. Remarkably, Jerry and GP declined, keeping a weather eye on the impending tasting marathon - which is the first time in living memory the trusty pair have ever declined a bacon buttie.
- Click here for the first round results -
- Click here for the final results -
The overall standard of this year's competition was again exceptionally high - the skill levels displayed by the young chefs so early in their careers was remarkable, and bodes very well for the quality of our food in the future as they progress through the ranks. The dishes showed a fine grasp of our style both in inception and in execution, with a large number of the dishes being good enough to go straight on to our menus.
Mike, GP and Jerry discussing a daffodil main course
The only hiccup of the whole event was the Pen y Bryn team, who recklessly followed a hieroglyphic map drawn by Graham Arathoon and ended up exploring the tiny country lanes that are such a pleasant feature of rural Cheshire - unless you're late for a cooking competition.
| 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.