PubChef Food Excellence Awards WINNER - Mediterranean
The new Mediterranean category for the PubChef Food Excellence Awards challenged pub chefs to create a main course dish taking inspiration from Mediterranean cuisine and ingredients.
Jason Howlett
Position: Joint head chefPub: Ring O'Bells, Thornton, Bradford, West YorkshireContact number: 01274 832296Website: www.theringobells.comDish: Trio of Mediterranean fishClick here to see the recipeCost of ingredients: £2.98Menu price: £10.95GP: 68%Why you chose this dish: "It's visually stunning and attractive on the eye, with three individual taste sensations. The dish consists of Spanish prawns pil pil, Italian fish risotto and Greek-style snapper fillets."
Background: Having started his career in a Greek restaurant in Bradford and also working for two years in a restaurant in Cyprus, Jason has first-hand experience of Mediterranean cooking. For the past decade, he's been the joint head chef at the award-winning Ring O'Bells, which has a wet:dry split of 34:66 and does an average of 1,000 covers a week.
He thinks he's a good pub chef because: "As well as being professional and creative, I have the ability to serve fresh, quality cuisine under pressure and to a consistent level."
Best-selling dishes include: Roast topside of sliced English beef with rich gravy and Yorkshire pudding; roasted chicken breast stuffed with buttered leeks and wrapped in smoky bacon with white wine and mushroom sauce; individual joint of lamb shoulder marinated in garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, lemon and bay leaves, and the pub's range of traditional, home-made pies.
JUDGES' COMMENTS
"The bulgur wheat and toasted angel-hair pasta had a lovely flavour and was a very clever idea."
"Jason displayed a good demonstration of skill in each component of this complex dish."
"All three elements of the dish had the right Mediterranean feel."
