The Fox - Pub Roast of the year FINALIST
Pub background: The pub in Dorchester is a Hall & Woodhouse tenancy and serves an average of 400 to 500 covers per week. The wet:dry split is 40:60.
The average spend per head on food at the Fox is around £9.50. Approximately 40% of total weekly food sales are from roasts.
The pub has recently had a £100k kitchen refurbishment and renovation of its rooms. The Sunday roast is served from the carvery.
About 80% of the pub's roast business on a Sunday is from bookings.
Roast offer: daily: roast duck, nut roast, roast shoulder of lamb Sunday carvery: rib of beef, leg of lamb,
turkey, leg of pork, roast chicken, nut roast.
Average roast sales per week: 150
Roast price: On Sundays, the carvery is £8.95 or for two courses, £12.20. On other days a roast is available only on the menu at £12.95 - not from the carvery.
On the Sunday menu: Starters include watercress and potato soup, country potted chicken liver and pork with walnut toast, fresh crab and coriander spring roll, crayfish and avocado salad, Wessex ham, and chicken and cheese croquette with red pepper salsa.
Desserts include spiced rhubarb crumble with custard, orange and lemon tart with cream, white and dark chocolate mousse, blueberry and strawberry cheesecake, mango and blackcurrant sorbet terrine, and Pimm's and lemonade ice cream.
Best-selling roasts: rib of beef, stuffed shoulder of lamb, roast duck.
Accompaniments: Cauliflower cheese, broad beans and bacon in dill sauce, leeks in cream sauce, carrot and parsnip purée, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, mashed potato and fresh herbs, stuffing, fresh vegetables.
Secret of good gravy?: Stock made from bones and the juices from meat. The pub uses use Knorr bouillon, red wine and herbs.
On the judges' menu:
Starters: Country potted chicken liver marinated in rum with walnut toast, smoked fishcakes.
Mains: Roast beef and roast lamb served from the carvery.
Desserts: Pimm's and lemonade ice cream, brioche and bread and butter pudding.
Judges' comments: "Amazing amount of choice on carvery"; "Fantastic enthusiasm for what they do"; "Appeals to a wide-
ranging customer base"; "Good value for money"; "You won't go away hungry".
