Food Competition 2006
Hand and Trumpet - Heats
www.handandtrumpet-wrinehill.co.uk
Altogether a fair effort from the new pub on the block, a revisit to some of the dishes to make a few adjustments and they have the potential of sitting well on the menu. The wholesome honey roast ham hock was the most spectacular dish of the day for Dean and Chris.
Starter:
Smoked haddock rarebit with oven-dried tomatoes and crispy bacon
Good idea, but sadly this dish looked uninspiring on the plate, although the mouth watering tomatoes were especially well done.
Light Bite:
Spicy shredded crispy lamb salad
An interesting dish that has obvious potential. Slightly larger pieces of lamb with a little more spiciness could prove this dish to be very popular.
Main:
Honey roast ham hock with pease pudding and mustard sauce
Great dish, with good flavour and texture but the over-cooked veg let the course down.
Pudding:
Peach melba
A very good pudding that looked impressive although the portion could be a little bigger at the same price.
Prepared by:
Dean Dobson, Chris Ridsdale
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.