Chef news
A Salisbury pub has celebrated opening its new restaurant by serving 72 meals in an hour and a half.
The Kings Arms in Dowton relaunched following a 10-week refurbishment funded by Armanda finance. Licensees, Jackie and Nick Sayer, launched the 50-cover restaurant to coincide with the village's annual cuckoo fair over the early May bank holiday weekend. The pair sold more than 1,000 beefburgers to diners.
Michelin-starred gastro pub, Blenheim in Etwall, Derbyshire, has appointed Gary Crozier head chef. Hosts Carole and Peter Simpson have challenged Crozier to take the venue's food to "the next level". Crozier, who has worked in several gastro pubs, aims to offer a selection of English classics with a modern twist. "I'll be changing the menu according to what's in season to get the best out of the products at their optimum quality," he says.
Ryan Patterson, chef at the Cock & Bull Inn in Balmedie, has scooped the Grampian Chef of the Year prize. The 24-year-old's winning dishes included pan-seared trout, mustard and kale "rumble thumps" and baked ginger parkin, rhubarb compote and custard. Patterson received a commemorative trophy, £300 prize money and one night's accommodation at David Wilson's Peat Inn in Fife.
The Processed Vegetable Growers Association has announced details of the Great British Pub & Restaurant Challenge 2004. Chefs will be challenged on 27 July to devise a healthy menu including a pea dish at the Thomas Danby College, Leeds. Entrants must prepare a starter and a main course in under 45 minutes with the successful chef winning a weekend for two in Paris.
Gastro bar The Priory has opened in Clerkenwell. Owners, Lee Bradshaw and Sarj Chotai, who also own the Angelic in Islington, have created an industrial-themed venue serving traditional British dishes and homebrewed ales. Head chef Pablo Scalise, who has worked at the Eagle and the Hope & Anchor, will serve dishes including grilled scallops with broad-bean purée and bacon. The 80-cover venue will serve its own label, Priory ale.
Independent pub operator Nicholl's Country Inns has launched its second venue, the Russell in Buckinghamshire. The revamped Ellesborough pub includes a 60-cover restaurant and will serve a locally sourced menu with an emphasis on seafood. Dishes include panfried king prawn salad with red pepper relish and soy honey dressing (£6.25). Co-owner Greg Nichol, who has worked as a chef in Gleneagles and St Andrews, says: "I want the Russell to build a reputation for the best food in the area. It's about giving the customers simple but excellent quality food."
A Lancashire pub has been awarded the title of Supreme Kitchen and Caterer of the Year by brewer, Daniel Thwaites. The Ship Inn, at Caton near Lancaster, beat competition from across the Thwaites estate to secure the accolade. Licensees Susan Jones and Ken Burrows, who have been at the pub for 10 years, say: "We have taken care to build up the catering side and are now reaping the benefits. This award reflects a lot of hard work."
