Gold stars
The trend towards local sourcing of supplies can often pay dividends for pubs, and none more so than the clutch that have just been honoured in the Taste of the West Food and Drink Awards. Mark Taylor reports
When Nathalie Bellamy and Jeremy Edwards took over the Flemish Weaver in August 2003, neither of them had any experience of running a pub. Nathalie hadn't even pulled a pint before.
Two years on and the couple are proud winners of a Gold Award from Taste of the West.
Situated in the Wiltshire village of Corsham, the Grade-II listed Flemish Weaver is the classic story of a rundown boozer transformed into a smart dining pub.
'It was so grotty that people wiped their feet on the way out,' laughs Guyana-born Nathalie. 'It was a very undesirable pub and quite neglected, so we ripped everything out and started again.'
The Flemish Weaver is now a very desirable destination pub serving up to 450 meals each week to a mix of locals that includes lords and ladies and even a couple of bishops.
It was a commitment to local produce that secured Nathalie and Jeremy's award for the best dining pub in Wiltshire.
The menu is sensibly priced, with chef Jeremy sticking to simple dishes, such as organic steak braised in stout and port with mushrooms (£9.75) and free-range pork steak cooked in cider with Bramley apples (£9.50).
A blackboard in the bar lists all of the pub's suppliers - beef from Marshfield Organic Farm, veal from Hill End Farm at Brinkworth, pork from Downlands Produce at Lacock - most of which were sourced via local farmers' markets.
'We're out in the middle of the countryside so there is no better place to source fresh produce,' says Nathalie. 'We went to see all the farms beforehand, because the treatment of the animals always has an effect on the meat. I grew up on a farm in South America so I know about these things!
'Our beef comes from Marshfield Organic Farm, who have become our customers, as well as our suppliers. 'When they bring the boxes of meat into the pub, they always bring in their own sirloin steaks, which they ask us to cook for them!'
The Langton Arms
It's a similar story at the Langton Arms in Tarrant Monkton, Dorset, which also scooped a Gold at the Taste of the West Awards.
The pub is run by Barbara and James Cossins, who are also working farmers, specialising in beef, dairy and corn. While James works the farm, Barbara and chef Francis Baumer run the 17th-century thatched pub.
The award is especially poignant because the pub was badly damaged by a fire in March 2004. Barbara says: 'We are on cloud nine and delighted to be recognised as the best dining pub in Dorset, particularly after our terrible fire last year.
'We support a large range of local producers, sourcing our meat and game, vegetables, real ales and cider from them. There is very little that isn't local. We have a farming background and so recognise the importance of educating people about the region's expertise in producing food and drink.
'Our customers like to know where their meat comes from and we can tell them the ear-tag number for all of our beef, which comes from a farm 20 minutes' drive from the pub.'
The Haymaker Inn
Celebrating a Gold Award for best dining pub in Somerset is the Haymaker Inn at Wadeford, near Chard.
Chef/proprietor Tim Whitehead says: 'We know the farmers who supply us with food personally and can actually see three of the farms from the pub window.
'We have lots of passion for what we do and have dishes on our menu that customers don't see anywhere else.' Customer favourites at the Haymaker Inn include roast breast of Somer- set duck with mead-scented gravy and salt- crusted rack of lamb with raspberry, port and ginger jam.
The Bay View Inn
The award for Cornish dining pub of 2005 went to the Bay View Inn at Widemouth Bay, near Bude in Cornwall.
Owner Ali Carter says: 'It's fantastic for us and we're really proud of this award as we've only been here for 18 months. We made a real decision to support local farmers and feature it on our menus. To win this award so soon after arriving here is fantastic.'
Ali ran a successful pub in Hampshire for 13 years and sourcing local produce was something she started then.
'I started sourcing through farmers' markets but it was much more difficult in Hampshire,' she explains. 'At the Bay View, we're 50 yards from the sea so fresh local fish is almost jumping into the kitchen and we're surrounded by farms so the whole set-up makes it far easier to find really good quality, often organic, local produce.
'I came down to Cornwall with the vague idea of going along the local produce route, but it became a much bigger feature of the menu much faster than I'd realised it could be. People are now prepared to pay that little bit extra to get something that's good quality.
'Our signature dish is the Bay View burger, which is an Aberdeen Angus burger. The meat has been hung for three weeks and it's made locally by a farmer two miles down the road. It's topped with the award-winning Miss Muffett cheese, made by Sue Proudfoot at Whalesborough Farm, which adjoins our pub.
'I suppose you could say it's top-quality fast food, but it costs £7.25 on the menu and we still get a 65% GP.'
Ringing endorsement
The Bell at Sapperton has been named South West Dining Pub of the Year in the 2005 Taste of the West Food and Drink Awards.
The Gloucestershire pub, owned by Paul Davidson and Pat LeJeune, was praised for its 'freshly prepared dishes and daily-changing menu'. The proprietors, who have run the freehouse since 1999, were presented with their award by the Prince of Wales at a ceremony at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire.
The annual awards honour south west food and drink producers and retail and hospitality establishments dedicated to serving the best of the region's produce.
The Bell at Sapperton prides itself on using local produce and head chef Ivan Reid's menu includes: baked pigeon faggot on saute potatoes with Savoy cabbage (£6.50), slow-braised Old Spot belly pork in balsamic sherry and red wine with black pudding and a poached egg (£14.50) and boiled ham hock with pearl barley and carrots (£13.50).
