EBLEX steak pie contest brings out the best
A chef working at a National Trust restaurant has pipped the pub trade's finest to the post in the National Steak Pie Competition 2007.
Organised by the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX), the annual competition invites cooks to submit recipes for great steak pies. The winner was Sarah Peukert, who works at the Old Rectory Restaurant at Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire.
In a close fought competition, fewer than 10 points out of a maximum of 400 separated the four top finalists.
Sarah's creation, Wimpole's Raised Steak & Mushroom Pie, used meat from rare breeds raised on the farm at the National Trust property, and herbs and vegetables from its walled garden. Pies and sausages made from Wimpole Hall's rare breed stocks are a regular feature on the menu.
The judges were impressed by Sarah's confidence and skill in the kitchen, as well as the quality and taste of the pie. Sarah said: "I was much more nervous waiting for the winner to be announced than I was in the kitchen."
The judging panel were Richard Ali, EBLEX chief executive; Hugh Judd, EBLEX foodservice project manager; Jim Hodge, licensee of the Mill Inn in Mungrisdale, Cumbria and owner of the Pie Mill business; and John Porter, Pub Food Editor of The Publican.
The prizes were presented by Defra minister Lord Rooker, who said: "It's great to see the traditional English pie doing so well, and I'm sure all the finalists will continue to find the pies are successful for their businesses."
The runners-up were:
- Neville Brown, Talbot Arms, Dorset: Steak & Ale Pie
- Ashley Bignell, Wills O' Nats Inn, Holmfirth: the Geordie Pie
- Carl Smith, the Guinea Grill, London: Steak & Mushroom Pie
- Martin Rudley, Ring O' Bells, Bradford: Diced Steak & Country Vegetable in Abbot Ale & Thyme Sauce Encased in a Caramelised Shallot & Sage Shortcrust Pastry
- Paul Walker, the Five Bells Inn, Devon: Citrus Beef, Leek, Thyme and Pickled Kumquat Pie in a Potato Pastry Basket
