Food Competition 2008
Cross Foxes - Heats
www.crossfoxes-erbistock.co.uk
Great imagination and use of ingredients was evident through out the Cross Foxes menu. Each dish was well put together, with an all round good level of cooking.
Starter:
Pressed rabbit, duck and venison terrine served with warm roasted figs
A very well-executed terrine, didn't need quite so much salad but the honey and red wine sauce complemented the overall flavour of the dish, Figs could have been more saucy and sticky jam like.
Light Bite:
Salad from the land and the sea (smoke scallops, mussels, mushroom and pigeon salad with mustard and lentil vinaigrette)
Remarkably well cooked but the ingredients needed to be tossed together to unite all the distinctive flavours.
Main:
Roast rack of spring lamb with spinach and basil garlic potato cake and sticky cabbage
A well cooked, nicely balanced main course brought together with a light and tasty sauce.
Pudding:
Sweet Yorkshire Pudding with poached pear, bitter chocolate sauce and home made vanilla ice cream
Looked great - ice cream, pear and chocolate sauce came together well, but the judges were unsure whether the Yorkshire pud really worked - Perhaps a drop scone/Welsh cake would have been better.
Prepared by:
Daniel Edwards and Leanne Wallis
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.