Brewers Fayre is launching a search for a new regional British dish that will appear on the menus of its 280 pub restaurants.
The Whitbread brand is asking budding Jamie Olivers and Delia Smiths to design a dish that best represents their region, using local ingredients, in the hope that it becomes the next British classic.
As interest in traditional British pub dishes increases, Brewers Fayre believes there may be family recipes handed down from generation to generation that deserve a wider audience, or perhaps a long lost local dish worthy of being revived.
Winning entries from each region win £250 and go through to a national "cook off" final, judged by an expert panel including Brewers Fayre's food marketing manager, Gordon Wright.
The overall winner will take the £1,000 first prize and work with Brewers Fayre's food development team to develop the dish for the 2006 Brewers Fayre menu.
Mr Wright said: "Over the years we have championed the revival of some classic British pub dishes, from the Ploughman's to liver and bacon. But we're also aware that there are thousands more great recipes out there and we're asking our customers to tell us about them.
"In an age where there is so much fantastic food from across the globe, we want to make sure we champion the best of British regional dishes and cooking styles, keeping our own traditions alive.
"We're really excited by this competition and we're sure we'll be inundated with some fantastic recipes. Entrants will be helping us shape our thinking about our food offer and the winner could see their credited dish featured on our 2006 menu."
To enter the competition, log on to www.brewersfayre.co.uk for an entry form.
Pictured: Brewer's Fayre's sausage 'n' mash in a giant yorkshire pudding.