Food Competition 2006
Pen-y-Bryn - Heats
By and large there was evidence of trying a bit too hard with some of the dishes, but overall the team did well considering the lack of experience. The Queen of puddings dessert was most definitely their most regal dish of the day.
Starter:
Smoked haddock scotch egg with curried mayonnaise
More seasoning would have enhanced the haddock mixture and the Waldorf salad made this dish slightly too busy, but the overall execution was done well.
Light Bite:
Seared tuna Nicoise with poached egg
More seasoning through out and a dressing to pull all the ingredients together would improve it. Possibly a bit too big a twist for a classic dish.
Main:
Free range loin pork with black pudding potatoes and wholegrain mustard sauce
Sadly this dish was poorly executed. The lion was under cooked and again under seasoned,
Pudding:
Queen of puddings
Looked and tasted good - warm and sweet, although better crockery needs to be used and possibly a more detailed description of what to expect would benefit customers.
Prepared by:
Dean Edwards, Nicky Drummond
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.