Beer and Food - Match that!

The Beer and Food category at the PubChef Awards went down a treat with Susan Nowak, the editor of The Beer Cook Book.

Culinary history was made in a steamy kitchen in Milton Keynes when five pub chefs battled it out in the UK's first - to my knowledge - competition to create the best dish to go with beer.

Chefs were competing in a new category in this year's PubChef Awards. I was excited to be one of the judges in a competition that is a real boost for the campaign to partner

beer with food. It turned out to be an inspiring gastronomic journey.

The five cooks had reached the final by not only originating dishes that any pub diner would relish, but would also have them reaching for a pint to slake their thirst.

The mix of traditional and contemporary, British and international was especially pleasing in a cook-off where the standard was extremely high. The spectrum of flavours included a good old-fashioned casserole, Thai seafood, Russian chicken and sophisticated lamb with cherry confit.

As beer and food expert Richard Fox said, summing up for the judges: "It was fabulous - very, very inspiring. They were all genuinely passionate about their food and their local ingredients, and the beers they serve in their pubs."

Winner John Rudden, of the White Hart in Lydgate near Oldham, actually managed to achieve a marriage of traditional and modern in his dish of roast Hereford beef fillet served with rag pudding (a slice of suet crust roly-poly filled with thymebraised beef offcuts).

Then he surprised us by pouring a Belgian beer, the famous Trappist Westmalle Dubbel, rich and yeasty with a café au lait head, into large wine glasses.

"It cuts through the strong, meaty flavour and the fat in the rag pudding like a big red wine," he said. My own judging note recorded "beef like silk, beer like silk."

John's no slouch when it comes to beer with food. He'd already held one beer dinner at his pub, where his winning dish was part of a six-course menu, and was expecting over 150 diners at the second, to be held during the week following the contest.

It was encouraging that the other dish to get a special "accolade" from the judges was real pub food.

Yann Martin from the Ring O'Bells near Bradford gave us a casserole, but not your usual steak 'n' ale. He mixed local lamb, lamb's kidneys and black pudding in a full flavoured,

slightly glutinous stock enriched with a whole pint of Black Sheep Bitter,which went equally well in the glass.

"A classic combination, brilliant pub dish, you can't fault it," was the verdict of Fuller's head brewer John Keeling.

For me, the other highlight was the impeccable pairing of Enville Brewery's Ginger Beer, and an oriental seafood plate

of crispy noodle king prawns, seared scallops and chilli hot crabcakes.

Just to complete the taste kaleidoscope, our two other finalists arrived with real draft Cornish ale and a wire-corked, tissue wrapped bottle of Liefmans Kriek (cherry

beer) to accompany their food.

All in all, this proved to be a true invitation to partner beer and food. Here's to next year's contest!