Food Competition 2004
Grosvenor Arms - Heats
www.grosvenorarms-aldford.co.uk
The Grosvenor team excelled themselves again this year with a winning main course of rump of lamb with black olive crushed potatoes and rosemary sauce and an irresistible apple and fig tart. The only concern was a slightly Mediterranean feel in some of the dishes, particularly with the olives and ciabatta bread.
Starter:
Filo pastry filled with feta cheese and spinach served with a Greek salad
Nice but not memorable - could do with more feta cheese and would have been better presented in two smaller filo pastry parcels, as the one large parcel was a bit over-bearing.
Light Bite:
Pasta ribbons with smoked salmon and sorrel
Very good all round, with slight reservations on overly 'Mediterranean' feel.
Main:
Rump of lamb with black olives, crushed potatoes and rosemary sauce
Wow dish- Pink lamb at a fair price with a great sauce, but it should have had the greens on show.
Pudding:
Apple and fig tart with Calvados crème fraiche
Superb but slightly overwhelmed by the sauce.
Prepared by:
Laura Jones, Tom Aiston
| 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.