Food Competition 2008
Combermere Arms - Final
www.combermerearms-burleydam.co.uk
Following on from their success in the first round, Natalie and Alaistair cooked up good, traditional and inspired food using a range of exciting ingredients, at every stage of the final. Unfortunately they were just pipped to the post by the Hand and Trumpet.
Starter:
Bouillabaisse (prawns, cod, clams, mussels and red mullet fish stew)
Hearty and well-balanced. An excellent example of a classic dish.
Light Bite:
Pan fried venison rump salad with crisped roots, chicory and raspberry vinaigrette
A very colourful and beautifully presented salad, dressing would benefit from being slightly sweeter.
Main:
Braised pork and sage faggots with potato fritters and mushy peas
This is an all round great pub dish, with wonderful flavour through out.
Pudding:
Toasted banana and walnut bread with cinnamon ice cream
A fabulously sweet and sticky dessert. More bananas and less bread would make it even more luscious.
Prepared by:
Natalie Ellis and Alaistair Logan
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.