Food Competition 2005
Fox - Heats
The chefs from the Fox cooked up a classic main course, the Boiled beef and carrots was simply delicious, and would sit well on the pub menu. The only suggestion to enhance this dish would be to butter or glaze the carrots.
Starter:
Smoked salmon, Feta, spinach and pine nut filo parcel
Good reliable dish, light and tasty. Leaves needed a better dressing. Slight concern over getting balance of ingredients right in parcel.
Light Bite:
Omelette "Arnold Bennett" with green salad
The omelette was delicious but the green salad did not complement it and the description was unclear. Definitely worth developing.
Main:
Boiled beef and carrots
A real classic in the making. Glaze or butter the carrots and serve with a bit more gravy and this dish will be a real winner.
Pudding:
Rhubarb upside-down pudding served with custard
This pudding needed more rhubarb in the mix but was otherwise very good.
Prepared by:
Jon Sabin, Neil Clarke
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.