Watergate Bay Hotel team win
The Cornish Challenge 2007
Having entered the competition for the first time, Watergate Bay Hotel team pulled out all the stops, to win first prize at last nights Cornish Challenge competition.
Using the finest Cornish ingredients Watergate Bay wooed the judges with a mouth watering 4 course meal and the front of house judges were impressed by there serving team.
The winning combination started with a Crab Consommé with crab spring rolls.
Followed by Cornish Scallops with deep fried Falmouth Oysters.
For their main course the team served up Seared loin steak of Cornish Ruby red Beef with Oxtail risotto, braised Savoy cabbage, celery root foam and cooking juices.
The meal was completed with a delicious Chocolate & salt Caramel delice with Barwick Farm organic milk ice cream and a wafer of freeze-dried strawberries.
Tom Bradbury – Head Chef and his team were delighted to be picked as the winners at the event which was attended by 120 guests.
Tom Bradbury said we just tried to do an exciting menu. To me it is about flavours, presentation and textures - all in the right order. On another day we might have been placed differently, but I think we executed well tonight, we cooked some interesting food with lots of flavour and seasoning and that probably pulled us through.
I tried to be really organised – but still the time flies away! We were running everywhere, trying to reach the deadline and it all gets quite manic. It is credit to everyone that it has gone so smoothly – particularly when we are working in someone else’s kitchens.
It is great for everyone involved and proof that Cornwall is really trying to lift its game. It is a wonderful learning curve, with helpful feedback from people in the industry I really respect. I’ve learnt so much today and the whole team has had a really good day and now I looking forward to entering a menu for The Cornish Challenge 2008.
Tom’s team members were Nick Osborne, Hannah Croft & Lukasz Jus, their Front of House team members were Abbey Murrin and Kat Jolly, aided by students from the college including Sarah May who also received an award.
Second prize this year went to St Austell Brewery the team was lead by Paul Drye. Whilst the third place was scooped by HMS Raleigh and their team was lead by Bill Ferguson in this six team final.
Judging the Cornish Challenge this year was Kevin Viner of Viners Restaurant, David Sharland the Seafood Restaurant, Padstow. Andrew Bennett the Park Lane Hotel, London, Paul Gayler the Lanesborough Hotel London and Omero Gallucci The Compass Group.
The Front of House judges were led by Lorna Dunstan, Cornwall College, Matt Redhead – Assistant General Manager the Headland Hotel and Andrea Callis – General Manager of the Fowey Hotel.
The guest speaker was Alex Polizzi Manager of Hotel Endsleigh @ Tavistock, who gave an inspiring speech focusing on careers in catering.
Cornwall Catering Excellence has been sponsors of the Cornish Challenge for approximately 13 years. The members of Cornwall Catering Excellence are Abbott’s of Cornwall, Doble Quality Foods, St Austell Brewery, Chaffins’ Country Range, Newquay Fruit Sales, AE Rodda & Sons and Cornwall College.
This year’s competition took place on Tuesday 27th February @ Cornwall College, Camborne. The six finalists this year were
HMS Raleigh,
St Austell Brewery
Brend Hotels
Watergate Bay Hotel
Fistral Blu Restaurant
Blue Banana Catering
The brief for the competition was to create a three course menu for 22 people with a budget of £200; the menu had to consist of a Beef Dish, A fish/seafood dish and a dessert to complement their menu, seasonality and local produce had to be taken into consideration when devising the menu.
For the first time ever we are also running a front of house competition for the teams, the teams have two bring two people from their restaurants to help serve their food along with a team of Students from Cornwall College.
Cornwall Catering Excellence is a group of Cornish independent suppliers of food, drink, hospitality and education. Our primary aim is to market ourselves and show that there is no need to send money out of county by using national supplier for goods or services; Cornish suppliers can compete on quality, service, product range and price. What is more we are committed to spending our money in county wherever possible and thereby adding value to the money you spend as far as the Cornish economy is concerned. We are also committed to improving the visitor experience by helping to encourage the use of the best in Cornish food and drink and raising the skills of those cooking and serving it. The Cornish Challenge and the associated schools program is the latest example of us putting something back into our industry. We pride ourselves as the best in our field and being “Cornish companies working together”.
The companies behind Cornwall Catering Excellence encompass the best of Cornwall’s businesses – family-run, locally based, committed to quality and customer satisfaction, and providing employment. The companies are:
Doble Quality Foods is the longest established supplier of frozen and chilled food, having served Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly for 60 years. Doble is affiliated to the Fairway Food Services Consortium and were accredited to the coveted BS5750 (now ISO 9001) quality standard in 1992 – the first and only frozen and chilled food supplier in Cornwall to be so recognised. The St Agnes-based, family-run business operates a delivery service with a fleet of refrigerated dual compartment vehicles to Plymouth and Cornwall including the Isles of Scilly: look out for their distinctive “Flying Chef Logo.”
Newquay Fruit Sales Ltd endeavours to supply the highest quality fresh produce at the best possible price to hotel, catering and retail establishments. The company prides itself on being able to provide a first class service to customers by concentrating on a small area of Cornwall rather than stretching resources to cover the whole county. All of its staff are experienced and dedicated to providing the standard of service that the company knows is paramount to the smooth running of catering establishments during the peak trading periods.
Rodda’s – cream makers since 1890 – has always strived to set new standards. At first delivering only as far as a horse and cart could travel in a day, exports of the company’s famous cream and crème fraiche reach as far a field as Hong Kong. With a fleet of temperature controlled sales vehicles and instant computerised invoicing; Rodda’s provide a regular and efficient service to all parts of Cornwall. Whether supplying corner shops, national supermarket chains or international airlines, with its distinctive milkmaid symbol, Rodda’s can rightly claim to be the cream of Cornwall.
St Austell Brewery was founded in 1851 and has grown to become one of the largest private companies in Cornwall, with a range of leading brands, including ‘Tribute’. It is still a family-run business today. It makes a notable contribution to the rural community in Cornwall (and across the South West) through its ownership of local pubs, hotels and restaurants and its investment in their future. The brewery’s emphasis on the quality of hospitality and commitment to the purchase of local produce across its ‘houses’ make a positive and valuable impact to tourism in Cornwall.
Abbott’s of Cornwall began trading 17 years ago out of a garage, but now the firm employs 28 staff occupying a unit on Pool Industrial Estate, Redruth. Abbott’s supplies catering equipment and sundry supplies to the catering trade. The firm specialises in fitting kitchens in restaurants, pubs and other establishments across Cornwall and beyond.
In 2006 we opened a new department ‘Abbott’s Event Hire’ hiring a wide range of equipment, with items being chosen with quality and durability in mind giving our Hire customers a fantastic opportunity for a first class presentation. At Abbott’s Event Hire we have the expertise to assist you in the planning, designing and the set up of your event.
Even now, we still offer the same personal service to all our customers, and enjoy an on going business relationship. We have a genuine commitment to offer our customers a first class service.
Cornwall College has joined Cornwall Catering 2000 in a bid to improve links between training and employment in the industry. The college is represented on the group by Head of Catering Donald McKenzie. And with more than 30 years experience in the sector, he is well placed to advise both students and employers on how to get the best out of each other. Mr McKenzie moved to Cornwall approximately 4 years ago and has previously worked at such establishments as The Shakespeare in Stratford upon Avon in Warwickshire and The Bell Hotel in Thetford.
Photography supplied by David Griffen. www.davidgriffen.co.uk
For further information about Cornwall Catering Excellence please contact:
Julie Homer
Tel: 01872 552121
Email: julie@doblefoods.co.uk