Food Competition 2006
Grosvenor Arms - Heats
www.grosvenorarms-aldford.co.uk
The Grosvenor team produced classic dishes that on the whole were excellent but did lack a certain amount of inspiration and individuality. Nevertheless their tart tatin was unquestionably one of the best desserts.
Starter:
Kedgeree with a poached egg
A good looking, stylish dish, that unfortunately had a notably strong lemon flavour that unbalanced the whole dish.
Light Bite:
Cold poached salmon with Nicoise salad
All the ingredients came together well, that resulted in a stylish and balanced dish if not that imaginative.
Main:
Coq au vin with English mustard mash
A hearty, classic plate of food that was done remarkably well, although perhaps slightly to cheap.
Pudding:
Apple tart tatin with cinnamon ice cream
Another classic dish that was without exception executed brilliantly with fine definition of flavour.
Prepared by:
Ceri Davies, Dave Christian
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.