Food Excellence Awards
Poultry
Neil Clark
Head chef, the Linnet,
Great Hinton, near Trowbridge, Wiltshire
01380 870354
Tenure: Wadworth tenancy
Dish: roast breast of mallard with red wine, braised leg, parsnip & apple rösti and sage gravy
Why is it a winner? The rich flavour of the wild duck with the sweet classic combination of parsnip and apple is a match made in heaven.
Background: Neil has been a chef for 11 years and has worked at the Linnet for six. He started at the Linnet as sous chef and worked his way up to head chef. In the past 12 months, food sales at the Linnet have increased by 5% and now account for 80% of the turnover.
Judges' comments:
The rösti was perfectly cooked and the flavours of the mallard really came through. A very clean, organised chef.
Jason Howlett
Head chef, Ring O' Bells,
Thornton, West Yorkshire
01274 832296
?theringobells.com
Tenure: Freehold
Dish: Gressingham duck breast stuffed with black pudding on mustard braised cabbage, redcurrant & apple sauce and duck scratchings.
Why is it a winner? It's a traditional duck breast enhanced by a black-pudding textured filling. The mustard cabbage is a great complement and the crunchy duck
scratchings are a bit different, not to mention really tasty.
Background: Jason believes good pub food should always be fresh and locally sourced where possible, using original ingredients. He thinks creative dishes should incorporate both quality and value for money.
Judges' comments:
The duck scratchings were an original idea. The black pudding works really well as a stuffing.
James Middleton-Burn
Chef/partner, the Crown Inn,
Dial Post, West Sussex
01403 710902
?floatingcrown.co.uk
Tenure: Freehold
Dish: Duo of guinea fowl, beetroot rösti, buttered kale, pan juices.
Why is it a winner? It looks great and the colours are fantastic, especially with the seasonal, local vegetables. The dish shows the versatility of poultry and the flavours work really well together.
Background: The Crown is a joint venture involving James, his wife, Penny, and a local wine company called Amphora. James has been a chef for 21 years and the trio of investors bought the pub 18 months ago.
Judges' comments:
Wonderful use of seasonal, local
vegetables; the beetroot added a really earthy flavour. Very pubby idea to use it with the pan-juices.
