M&B chefs face off in east London

Stuart Jackson, of the George & Dragon, Brentwood, Essex, was awarded the title after a cook-off at the House of Peroni in Haggerston, east London, under the eye of top Italian chef Francesco Mazzei.

Jackson and four other young chefs from across the company's 150+ site estate were given a pasta masterclass from the chef, owner of London restaurant Sartoria, before being asked to create their own interpretation of an Italian classic.

The masterclass was called 'The Geometry of Pasta' and included a demonstration on how to create a tortellini with burrata.

Winning creation​

Jackson's winning creation was a dish of lamb, gnocchi and beetroot fondant. As well as winning a weekend in London, he will be given the chance to cook with Mazzei and dine at Sartoria.

Martin Nelson, operations director at M&B, said: "All the chefs were delighted to be invited to the House of Peroni residency. They had a fantastic day and created superb dishes, all of which are suited to our menu.

"We look forward to introducing the winning dish to our menus next year."

Sell off​

Peroni was recently sold by AB Inbev to Japanese brewer Asahi alongside fellow brands Meantime and Grolsch to dispel concerns by EU regulators that competition was not weakened in EU markets following the brewing giant's acquisition of SABMiller.