Battle of the Chefs - Top of the Pots

Two chefs from a West Sussex inn use French Charlotte and Amandine potatoes in this month's head to head. Alison Baker reports

Think of two young, male housemates and you automatically think of all the nights they'd spend at their local. This is true of Simon Goodman and Ally Sirett; the difference being that they actually work there.

The two chefs share a house just up the road from the Lickfold Inn in the sleepy village of Lickfold, West Sussex, and have worked together for six years. To onlookers their friendship is obvious, as is their competitive streak, which is why they're keen to enter into battle.

Armed with a suitcase full of Charlotte and Amandine potatoes (the sponsor's representative's innovative method of transporting the key ingredient to the event) the chefs' task is to create an imaginative starter and main dish, each using the two varieties of salad potato.

Simon, head chef and finalist in the Game and Meat categories in the PubChef Awards 2006, is tipped as the favourite but he faces tough competition from his second

chef, Ally.

The challenge

Each chef receives a box of mystery ingredients, including Charlotte and Amandine potatoes, and is challenged to create both a starter and main course in 45 minutes using all, bar one, of the ingredients provided. The chefs also have access to stock ingredients, including eggs, oils, milk and herbs.

Before

The boys enjoy a drink at the bar with the Lickfold's owners, Andrea and James Hickey, and two of the pubs' regulars who have been invited to join today's judging panel.

"This should be good" remarks Simon confidently. "Ally wants to beat me - badly. I'll quit if he does!" Ally has been second chef at the Lickfold for two years and is also quietly confident. "You're going down," he jests with Simon.

Licensee James Hickey is looking forward to a gripping competition. "It's created quite a stir in the kitchen - they've been teasing each other about who's going to win."

As the pub is closed on a Monday lunchtime the two should be enjoying a well earned morning off, but instead they go off

to change into their whites and prepare themselves for the challenge ahead. They draw lots for their set of ingredients and the cook-off is ready to begin.

Each chef has five minutes planning time before their 45 minutes cooking time begins. They are also allowed to nominate an ingredient not to use.

Ally looks apprehensive as he ponders the table of ingredients before him. "Oh well, they can do it on the TV" he remarks.

Simon seems more relaxed. He says: "There are loads of ingredients and I think there is plenty to work with." and decides on a starter of stuffed pepper on a bed of potatoes and a main of poussin with chargrilled asparagus and mushrooms in a cream port sauce and thyme crushed new

potatoes.

And they're off

45 minutes to go: Fruit is obviously out of favour. Ally chooses to discard his bowl of seasonal cranberries while Simon ditches the dates "I just don't like them" he explains.

Ally has decided to make a leek and potato soup, using the Charlotte potatoes, as a starter. "I'm not sure about the main. I'll get started and see how I go."

40 minutes to go: Ally sets about chopping his Charlotte potatoes, leeks and garlic for the soup and puts the Amandine potatoes on to boil.

Simon starts boiling his potatoes and prepares the poussin for his main course, stuffing it with thyme and pan frying it. He then halves the sweet red peppers, drizzles them with olive oil and places them in the oven. Simon starts chopping his potatoes.

35 minutes to go: The old adage that opposites attract is obviously true here and explains why the two chefs work so well together.

Ally darts around the kitchen, leaving no inch uncovered. He looks under pressure and is clearly still pondering his maincourse dish.

By contrast, Simon works at a slower pace. He calmly pops out to get himself a drink and answers questions; completely

unfazed by the competition environment.

Entering the PubChef Awards is obviously paying off. Ally finally reveals his plans for the main. "I'm going to fry

off the courgette and red onion with the lardons and combine with the potatoes as a base for the pork" he explains. "The goat's cheese will make a herby sauce."

30 minutes to go: Ally maintains the pace, keeping an eye on his soup ingredients while preparing the ingredients for the pork dish.

He decides to mix the monkfish and king prawns with herbs and use as croûtons on top of the soup. Simon sweats down the shallots and garlic with the shiitake mushrooms as the base for a gravy to serve with the poussin.

25 minutes to go: While Ally takes his soup ingredients off the heat and dices the monkfish, the banter continues. "What are you doing Ally?" asks Simon. "Not telling you" comes the reply. The potato mashers are clearly drawn for this showdown.

Simon begins to prepare the ingredients for his char-grilled vegetable salad

20 minutes to go: Simon quickens his pace, checking the peppers and adding port to the shallots and mushrooms. Ally pan fries the pork and puts it in the oven to finish off.

Conversation is at a minimum with the two chefs fully focused on achieving victory. Owner, James, is impressed. "They're usually swearing at each other - you can hear

a pin drop in here".

15 minutes to go: Simon skins some of the red peppers before chopping them, together with some of the spring onions, the beef tomatoes and chillies.

Ally fries the courgettes and the lardons for the main course. He begins to melt the goat's cheese for the sauce and blends the soup ingredients, still finding time to give Simon a friendly pat on the shoulder.

10 minutes to go: Ally returns the soup to the heat while removing the cheese to add to the Greek yoghurt. The two competitors nearly collide but Ally manages to hold on to his glass of white wine which is vital for his cheese sauce. He removes the monkfish and prawns from the oven and mixes them with the coriander.

Donning a rather fetching rubber glove, he then crushes the potatoes with his knuckles. Still looking relaxed, Simon mashes his potatoes and checks on his poussin and peppers.

5 minutes to go: Ally empties the potato, lardon and courgette mix into moulds for his main. Simon adds cream to his mushroom sauce and slices the potato to fry as a garnish. While char-grilling the asparagus he mashes the spring onion and chilli mix with the potatoes and uses it to fill the peppers.

Time's up: As the forty five minutes cooking time draws to an end, the smoke alarm goes off, right on cue. The chefs plate up well within time and await the verdicts of the judging panel.

The results

The judges are Marianne Malonne, account director at Sopexa UK (representing potato breeder Germicopa, growers Pom' Alliance and importers Rush Potatoes) and Annie and Stuart Cameron, regulars at the Lickfold.

The judges' brief is to rate the dishes on taste, presentation and the creative use of ingredients. The panel begin with starters, which consist of Simon's stuffed pepper and chargrilled vegetable salad and Ally's leek and potato soup with fish croûtons.The judges are impressed with the presentation of the soup and its interesting texture but Simon's pepper scores highly on taste and presentation.

"This is gorgeous; I can't stop eating it," remarks one judge. The head chef is awarded a first-round victory with an impressive 38 marks out of a possible 45.

The judges turn their attention to the main-course dishes.

Ally's pan-fried pork on a bed of crushed potatoes with onions, garlic, bacon and rosemary served with a goat's cheese sauce is an instant hit with the panel who praise the mix of flavours.

When Simon's whole roasted poussin with chargrilled asparagus, crushed potatoes with thyme and port and shiitake

mushroom sau