Food Excellence Awards

Pub company of the year - branded

Barracuda

Brands: Smith & Jones, Varsity, Cape, Barracuda Bar, Juniper.

Key innovations in 2007: The last year has seen a big focus on increasing footfall and customer loyalty in Barracuda's core brands. The Smith & Jones (S&J) card was launched last year and now runs in more than 30 houses - some 42,000 cards have been sold to date.

The catering department, headed up by Martyn Smith, has doubled in size in the past 12 months. Barracuda also launched a new South African-themed brand, Cape - the first site opened in Nottingham. Key dishes include stone-baked pizzas, brunch menus and platters served on bamboo trays with banana leaves. Table service, coffee and morning goods such as muffins, cookies and shortbread continue to be a focus for the company.

Wine sales are also enjoying strong growth, with sales up 17% across the 216-strong estate from October to December.

Orchid

Divisions: Free Houses; Free House Dining; Contemporary Carveries; Contemporary Dining; the Oriental Restaurant Group.

Key innovations: In 2007, Orchid completed 208 investments costing from £30k to £700k. Orchid was born in June 2006 after GI Partners acquired 290 Spirit pubs from Punch Taverns for £571m, adding massive bulk to the 21 Oriental restaurants acquired from Noble House. Innovations have included contemporary carveries, delis, take aways, farmers' markets in car parks, Fairtrade hot drinks and British "farm assured" produce in carveries. The biggest growth in pub-food sales has been in the new-style carveries. At the time of purchase the wet:dry split was 50:50. Now, it's 35:65. British and Fairtrade wines are available.

Biggest achievements: All carvery pubs have Red Tractor accreditation and average rises in sales, from old Country Carveries to contemporary counterparts, is 35.6%.

The Brown Cow & Dragon, in Leeds, is the first Dragon site outside London and there are plans to open more English pub/Thai restaurants in the north.

Orchid will increase its focus on extending local produce and food provenance and creating a chef academy with Brakes to promote chef autonomy. A new grill concept is also being trialled at the Ship Inn, in Rainhill, Merseyside.

Mitchells & Butlers

Brands: Vintage Inns; Ember Inns; Sizzling Pub Co; Harvester; Toby Carvery; O'Neill's; Pub & Carvery; All Bar One; Bistro pubs; Nicholson's; Browns; Miller & Carter.

Formats: Metro professionals, Classic pubs and Premium Country Dining.

Key innovations in 2007: Menu

development has enabled M&B to offer guests more variety, from sharing "small-plate" dishes in Ember Inns to hand-cut Maris Piper chips in its Metro Professionals format. Cornerstone, the blue-collar community pub concept, has introduced a Best of British range including choices such as liver & onions or ham hock in a West Country scrumpy sauce. O'Neill's has a new, wider menu.

Own-label wine has grown to about 25% and branded coffee such as Costa, Illy and Segafredo is available in almost 1,200 pubs.

Biggest achievements: M&B believes it is now the UK's largest on-trade caterer. In the last financial year, the company maintained an average main-meal price of £5.60 against a UK average of £8 to £9. Food volumes have grown by 67% over the past five years.

M&B has evolved new formats to tap into the fast-growing areas of the market. One such format is Pub & Carvery, trialled more than two years ago, is now trading in more than 70 sites nationally and is a growth brand for the company. The brand serves an average of 2,950 meals a week, with prices starting at £3.50.