Food Excellence Awards
MEAT
Ross Williams
Head chef/owner, the Wellington, Wellington, Herefordshire
01432 830367
?wellingtonpub.co.uk
Tenure: Freehold
Dish: Roast rack and faggot of speckled-faced Welsh lamb with shallot and red wine sauce and roast garlic mash
Why is it a winner? The pairing of the rack and the faggot provides distinct but complementary flavours and textures. The faggot is also a great way to up the GP and use up parts of the animal that wouldn't normally get used.
Background: Food sales have increased by 15% in the last 12 months. To cope with extra demand, Ross has extended the restaurant and refurbished the pub.
Judges' comments:
Great rustic pub dish, fantastic butchery skills. The faggot is a great example of how to boost gross profits in the kitchen.
Neil Clark
Head chef, the Linnet,
Great Hinton, Wiltshire
01380 870354
Tenure: Wadworth tenancy
Dish: Roast rack of lamb with corned lamb hash, tomato and rosemary ketchup
Why is it a winner? Using the shoulder to make the lamb hash works well with the pink, delicate rack, and the roasted tomato and rosemary ketchup gives the dish some extra depth and richness.
Background: Neil has worked at the Linnet for six years, first as sous chef and now as head chef. He thinks his strengths in the kitchen include menu innovation - with dishes like corned lamb hash instead of the traditional beef - as well as taking time to direct and motivate younger members of the team.
Judges' comments:
Lamb hash - what an original idea. The tomato and rosemary ketchup is fantastic and works brilliantly with the dish. Neil is clearly a very experienced and highly capable chef.
Kevin Donnelly
Sous chef, Inn @ West End, Surrey
01276 858652
?the-inn.co.uk
Tenure: Enterprise leasehold
Dish: Home-made pie of braised beef, smoked oysters and wild mushrooms with spinach and Port gravy
Why is this dish a winner? This is a revival of an old and classic combination. Traditional pub food is very fashionable.
Background: Kevin has been a chef for 18 years and started off at a seafood restaurant in the Wirral in 1990. He then moved to four-star hotel St David's Park in Wales and has worked in New Zealand as well as in pubs and restaurants around Cheshire. He started at the Inn @ West End in 2003 and hopes to work as a chef in New Zealand or Australia in the future.
Judges' comments:
A welcome revival of an old classic. Good mise en place. A hearty portion. A great pub dish.
