Cooking title 'at steak'

The English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX) is once again calling for pub chefs to enter to its National Steak Pie Competition.

Entries have already flooded in, according to the group, but the closing date is not until April 27.

Up for grabs is £1,000 worth of prizes, with the award decided at a cook-off final in July 2007.

The competition is open to anyone working in a pub or restaurant in England, but the pie entered must be made from scratch on the premises. Following an initial paper judging round, semi-finalists will be selected to go through to the next stage of the competition, when a mystery diner will visit their premises unannounced to sample and score the pie on site.

Six finalists will then be chosen to compete at the cook-off for the title of National Steak Pie Champion.

EBLEX foodservice project manager Hugh Judd said: "If you haven't entered already, don't panic, you've still got time! We will consider every entry that reaches us by April 27, but clearly the sooner you get your entry form and recipe in the post to us, the less chance you will have of missing the closing date.

"It's also worth remembering that the media interest surrounding the event has had a tremendous impact on sales for previous finalists and winners, so it really is an excellent way to boost business!"

For a copy of the entry form, visit www.eblexfoodservice.co.uk or call Jackie Bradley on 01480 482 984.