Match point
Don't miss this opportunity to win £10,000 in Hardys' food-and-wine matching competition
Hardys, in association with Matthew Clark, has launched a competition to find the Hardys Chef of the Year 2007.
If you are a pub chef with a fantastic signature dish that wows your customers and you know a thing or two about wine, don't miss this amazing opportunity to win £5,000 for yourself.
Licensees should urge their chefs to take part, as an additional £5,000 is also up for grabs for the winning chef's pub.
To enter, all you have to do is complete the entry form and submit an original recipe along with a suggested Hardys wine-pairing for your chosen dish. Along with your entry you must include a few words about why you think you should be selected as one of the four finalists in the cook-off final of the competition in London.
Entrants can choose from the extensive range of Hardys wines to find the perfect match for their dish.
Chefs can choose from about 50 wines, which include the VR range, Hardys Stamp and Hardys Nottage Hill, to premium wines including Thomas Hardy Cabernet Sauvignon, named in honour of Hardys' founder.
For more than 150 years, the Hardy family has been crafting fine wine in Australia's best wine regions.
Constellation Europe vice president of brands marketing Clare Griffiths says: "We are building Hardys' relationship with food through a competition that is relevant to chefs' working lives, inspiring a greater degree of creativity with wine and food.
"We feel it is important that the prize not only rewards a chef personally, but also acknowledges the outlet he or she works for by benefiting the business in a practical way."
Once your entry is submitted, your application will be judged by two-Michelin-starred chef Shane Osborn, along with a panel of independent judges.
Osborn is one of London's most innovative chefs: in 2006 his culinary talents were recognised by the Australian High Commission, which credited him with its Outstanding Young Australian of the Year Award.
His flair for creating original dishes with intriguing flavour combinations has been acknowledged with a score of 8/10 by The Good Food Guide, a rating of 29/30 from Zagat - the highest in Europe - and four AA rosettes. His restaurant also scooped the Reader's Choice award in Restaurant magazine's World's 50 Best Restaurants 2007.
Osborn says: "Here's your chance to prove your true culinary and wine-matching skills."
The four finalists will be selected following paper judging. The panel will be looking for originality, flair and effective use of seasonal produce in dishes - and, of course, those that provide the best matches for a Hardys wine. Entrants can submit recipes for a starter, light meal, main meal or dessert.
The competition final will take place on 30 September at Osborn's Pied à Terre restaurant in Charlotte Street in London's West End. Finalists will be asked to prepare their original dish and pair it with a Hardys wine. Osborn will award the title and £5,000 to the winning chef and £5,000 to their pub or restaurant.
Hardys will cover all transportation and accommodation costs for the four qualifying chefs to attend the September final.
The competition is open to professional chefs aged over 18 years, working in an on-trade establishment. All recipes must be the entrant's own creation.
Griffiths says: "Hardys Chef of the Year will reinforce Hardys as the voice of food-and-wine matching at the start of a concerted campaign to underline the fact that the brand is at the heart of a range of consumer-drinking occasions."
All finalists and the pubs they work in will also benefit from the fantastic PR generated.
HOW TO ENTER
For an entry form and full terms and conditions, visit www.winhardys.com/chef, ask your Matthew Clark representative or see the entry form in this issue of the Morning Advertiser.
The closing date for competition entries is 31 August 2007.
