A group of journalists including James Wallin from the Argus, Jonesy from Juice FM and Rob Marks from Brighton Visitor magazine, also the city's 'ghost walk' tour guide, took on the great steak eating challenge at the Old Bank Steak & Grill in Kemptown to support Red Nose Day.
Jonesy was star of the day, managing to eat a full four pounds of rump steak along with a side order of chips, sponsored by dozens of his listeners, whilst the others managed half their steaks before being forced to stop with dry mouths and full stomachs.
They were raising funds for Comic Relief which is this year supporting Sussex charity Sightsavers, which prevents avoidable blindness in developing countries. The journalists have been promoting their cause, which was shown in the BBC1 Red Nose Day Celebrity Trek.
Said owner, Helen Bailey: “The Old Bank Steak & Ribs is Kemptown’s friendly, new steak house restaurant, serving delicious food with great service in a warm and comfortable setting. We are aiming to be the ‘Cheers’ of the neighbourhood - a rarity in the city, offering quality steak and ribs, local catch of the day, grilled chicken and vegetarian dishes at good value prices.”
“The whole night was about raising funds for Comic Relief and Sightsavers, which is a fantastic cause."
Friday, 18 March 2011
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
Star quality chef appointed by stadium
A former personal chef to the prime minister and multiple award winning cook, Frederick Tobin, has been appointed as head chef at the American Express Community Stadium to serve superb quality food throughout the stadium.
Fred’s star-studded career includes posts at Chequers, the Prime Minister’s Country Residence, the Dorchester Hotel in Park Lane, Harrods in Knightsbridge, The Grove in Rickmansworth and most recently, the Felbridge Hotel in East Grinstead, winning many rosettes and accolades along the way.
Elliott Moore, general manager of catering at the stadium, said: “We received nearly a hundred excellent applications for this job and went through a rigorous process to select our chef – but without a doubt, Fred was the right man for the job and we very much look forward to working with him to take stadium food to a new level in quality and service.”
The final stage of the recruitment included a true MasterChef-style ‘cook off’ between shortlisted chefs, held at Queens Park Rangers’ Loftus Road Stadium, where Fred cooked from a mystery box of ingredients, creating seared supreme of salmon with a soused potato and spring onion salad and supreme of chicken filled with cream cheese and mushroom mousse.
Fred, who was born in Crawley and lives there now with his wife and four children, said: “Working on my home turf in one of the most exciting projects in the region really is a dream come true and my goal is to create a new benchmark in excellence for stadium food. This is an awesome project and is something that I can really get my teeth into – it’s huge for Sussex, huge for the South and huge for me!”
Fred will be overseeing seven kitchens, eight 1901 Club corporate hospitality suites, 14 kiosks, each with their own chef, a supporters restaurant, as well as a huge range of non-match day events, from trade fairs and conferences to weddings and private parties. He intends to use as much local, Sussex produce as possible in the food served at the stadium and is already in discussions with local suppliers, seeking out the best ingredients.
The American Express Community Stadium events team is now open and ready for business and are now taking bookings for conferencing and events at the hottest new venue in the city, opening this summer. High spec event rooms with capacity from 2 to 500 have sweeping views of the South Downs and the pitch. Email EventsBrighton@azure.uk.com or call 01273 542 343 to find out more.
Fred’s star-studded career includes posts at Chequers, the Prime Minister’s Country Residence, the Dorchester Hotel in Park Lane, Harrods in Knightsbridge, The Grove in Rickmansworth and most recently, the Felbridge Hotel in East Grinstead, winning many rosettes and accolades along the way.
Elliott Moore, general manager of catering at the stadium, said: “We received nearly a hundred excellent applications for this job and went through a rigorous process to select our chef – but without a doubt, Fred was the right man for the job and we very much look forward to working with him to take stadium food to a new level in quality and service.”
The final stage of the recruitment included a true MasterChef-style ‘cook off’ between shortlisted chefs, held at Queens Park Rangers’ Loftus Road Stadium, where Fred cooked from a mystery box of ingredients, creating seared supreme of salmon with a soused potato and spring onion salad and supreme of chicken filled with cream cheese and mushroom mousse.
Fred, who was born in Crawley and lives there now with his wife and four children, said: “Working on my home turf in one of the most exciting projects in the region really is a dream come true and my goal is to create a new benchmark in excellence for stadium food. This is an awesome project and is something that I can really get my teeth into – it’s huge for Sussex, huge for the South and huge for me!”
Fred will be overseeing seven kitchens, eight 1901 Club corporate hospitality suites, 14 kiosks, each with their own chef, a supporters restaurant, as well as a huge range of non-match day events, from trade fairs and conferences to weddings and private parties. He intends to use as much local, Sussex produce as possible in the food served at the stadium and is already in discussions with local suppliers, seeking out the best ingredients.
The American Express Community Stadium events team is now open and ready for business and are now taking bookings for conferencing and events at the hottest new venue in the city, opening this summer. High spec event rooms with capacity from 2 to 500 have sweeping views of the South Downs and the pitch. Email EventsBrighton@azure.uk.com or call 01273 542 343 to find out more.
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Sussex Food Heroes Crowned!
Celebrations were in full flow at this year’s spectacular Sussex Food & Drink Awards ceremony, where eight of Sussex’s top food and drink producers were hailed as local heroes as they received their trophies at the East Sussex National Golf Resort & Spa near Uckfield.
Thousands of people voted for hundreds of Sussex food and drink businesses and individuals in the Sussex Food & Drink Awards 2010/11, which is run by Natural PR and this year celebrated its fifth anniversary!
Said Clive Beddall OBE, Chairman of the Judges: “The Sussex Food & Drink Awards celebrate the exceptional standards of quality and innovation that have taken the county’s producers into the top half of the UK’s Premier League for locally produced food and drink.
This competition has raised the profile of an ever-growing variety of products from across the county and what has pleased me most this year is that more and more Sussex hotels, pubs and restaurants are highlighting local produce on their menus.”
Over 200 leaders in the food, drink and farming industries gathered for what is now dubbed ‘the Sussex foodie event of the year’. Guests were treated to a wonderful ‘Sussex bubbly and ale reception’, sponsored by Harvey & Son and Carr Taylor, followed by a stunning seven-course banquet. The special fifth anniversary menu was created by AA rosette chef Andy Wiles and featured an array of Sussex goodies, including: local Sussex rabbit rillette; Harvey’s beer battered line-caught Sussex pollock; a trio of Sussex venison; layered Sussex blackberry fool; a selection of local cheeses and Sussex ground coffee with chocolate truffles and mini cup cakes.
It was an even split across the county as winners were announced in a BAFTA-style presentation, hosted by Danny Pike of BBC Sussex. East Sussex fought off tough competition seeing wins for the second year in a row from Uckfield for Best Sussex Farmers Market, sponsored by Harveys Brewery and Lewes based Cheese Please for Best Sussex Food/Farm Shop, sponsored by Mayo Wynne Baxter. Having recently received the accolade of a Michelin Star, it was a night for more celebration for The Curlew Restaurant in Bodiam which won Best Sussex Eating Experience, sponsored by A Taste of Sussex; and Tablehurst Farm in Forest Row was awarded Sussex Butcher of the Year, sponsored by Leonards and Natural Farms.
West Sussex saw siblings Jenny and Trevor Passmore of Church Farm in Lancing win the very popular title of Sussex Farmer of the Year, sponsored by Knill James; Sussex Food Producer of the Year, sponsored by Musgrave, was awarded to Caroline’s Dairy in Sidlesham, Chichester; Dark Star Brewery in Horsham beat neighbouring rivals Hepworth’s to take first place in Sussex Drink Producer of the Year, sponsored by Natural PR; and another Horsham winner was South Lodge Hotel’s sous-chef, Steven Edwards, who took away the much coveted title of Sussex Young Chef of the Year, sponsored by Blue Spark Organisation.
As fireworks lit up the banquet hall, Paula Seager, MD of Natural PR which organise the awards, said: “Tonight has been a true celebration and we are so proud that these awards have played a part in building the reputation of Sussex as one of the best food destinations in the country and home to some of the most creative and exciting producers of exquisite food and drink.
As ever the awards would not be possible without the support from all our wonderful sponsors and the many great organisations and individuals involved and we hope that we can continue to make these awards a success for many years to come.”
For more information on all the winners and the awards please visit www.sussexfoodawards.biz
The winners are:
Best Sussex Farmer's Market – sponsored by Harveys Brewery
Winner - Uckfield
Runners up – Lewes & Shoreham
Sussex Farmer of the Year sponsored by Knill James
Winner – Jenny & Trevor Passmore, Church Farm, Coombes, Lancing
Runners up - Tim Hassell, Home Farm, Goodwood & Shon and Simon Sprackling, Rother Valley Organics, Petersfield
Best Sussex Food/Farm Shop sponsored by Mayo Wynne Baxter
Winner – Cheese Please, Lewes
Runners up - Plaw Hatch Farm Shop, Sharpthorne & Sussex Produce Company, Steyning
Sussex Food Producer of the Year sponsored by Musgrave Retail Partnership
Winner – Caroline's Dairy, Sidlesham
Runners up - Nut Knowle Farm, Horam, nr Heathfield & Plaw Hatch Farm, Sharpthorne
Sussex Drink Producer of the Year sponsored by Natural PR
Winner – Dark Star Brewery, Horsham
Runners up - Hepworths Brewery, Horsham & World Coffee, Lindfield
Best Sussex Eating Experience sponsored by a Taste of Sussex
Winner – The Curlew, Bodiam
Runners up - Restaurant Tristan, Horsham & Simply Delicious, Bognor Regis
Sussex Young Chef of the Year sponsored by Blue Spark Organisation
Winner – Steven Edwards, South Lodge, Horsham
Runners up - Simon Duncan, Sam's of Brighton & Hanna Payne, the Pass at South Lodge, Horsham
Sussex Butcher of the Year sponsored by Leonards & Natural Farms
Winner – Tablehurst Farm Shop, Forest Row
Runners up - S K Hutchings, Partridge Green & New Street Butchers, Horsham
Thousands of people voted for hundreds of Sussex food and drink businesses and individuals in the Sussex Food & Drink Awards 2010/11, which is run by Natural PR and this year celebrated its fifth anniversary!
Said Clive Beddall OBE, Chairman of the Judges: “The Sussex Food & Drink Awards celebrate the exceptional standards of quality and innovation that have taken the county’s producers into the top half of the UK’s Premier League for locally produced food and drink.
This competition has raised the profile of an ever-growing variety of products from across the county and what has pleased me most this year is that more and more Sussex hotels, pubs and restaurants are highlighting local produce on their menus.”
Over 200 leaders in the food, drink and farming industries gathered for what is now dubbed ‘the Sussex foodie event of the year’. Guests were treated to a wonderful ‘Sussex bubbly and ale reception’, sponsored by Harvey & Son and Carr Taylor, followed by a stunning seven-course banquet. The special fifth anniversary menu was created by AA rosette chef Andy Wiles and featured an array of Sussex goodies, including: local Sussex rabbit rillette; Harvey’s beer battered line-caught Sussex pollock; a trio of Sussex venison; layered Sussex blackberry fool; a selection of local cheeses and Sussex ground coffee with chocolate truffles and mini cup cakes.
It was an even split across the county as winners were announced in a BAFTA-style presentation, hosted by Danny Pike of BBC Sussex. East Sussex fought off tough competition seeing wins for the second year in a row from Uckfield for Best Sussex Farmers Market, sponsored by Harveys Brewery and Lewes based Cheese Please for Best Sussex Food/Farm Shop, sponsored by Mayo Wynne Baxter. Having recently received the accolade of a Michelin Star, it was a night for more celebration for The Curlew Restaurant in Bodiam which won Best Sussex Eating Experience, sponsored by A Taste of Sussex; and Tablehurst Farm in Forest Row was awarded Sussex Butcher of the Year, sponsored by Leonards and Natural Farms.
West Sussex saw siblings Jenny and Trevor Passmore of Church Farm in Lancing win the very popular title of Sussex Farmer of the Year, sponsored by Knill James; Sussex Food Producer of the Year, sponsored by Musgrave, was awarded to Caroline’s Dairy in Sidlesham, Chichester; Dark Star Brewery in Horsham beat neighbouring rivals Hepworth’s to take first place in Sussex Drink Producer of the Year, sponsored by Natural PR; and another Horsham winner was South Lodge Hotel’s sous-chef, Steven Edwards, who took away the much coveted title of Sussex Young Chef of the Year, sponsored by Blue Spark Organisation.
As fireworks lit up the banquet hall, Paula Seager, MD of Natural PR which organise the awards, said: “Tonight has been a true celebration and we are so proud that these awards have played a part in building the reputation of Sussex as one of the best food destinations in the country and home to some of the most creative and exciting producers of exquisite food and drink.
As ever the awards would not be possible without the support from all our wonderful sponsors and the many great organisations and individuals involved and we hope that we can continue to make these awards a success for many years to come.”
For more information on all the winners and the awards please visit www.sussexfoodawards.biz
The winners are:
Best Sussex Farmer's Market – sponsored by Harveys Brewery
Winner - Uckfield
Runners up – Lewes & Shoreham
Sussex Farmer of the Year sponsored by Knill James
Winner – Jenny & Trevor Passmore, Church Farm, Coombes, Lancing
Runners up - Tim Hassell, Home Farm, Goodwood & Shon and Simon Sprackling, Rother Valley Organics, Petersfield
Best Sussex Food/Farm Shop sponsored by Mayo Wynne Baxter
Winner – Cheese Please, Lewes
Runners up - Plaw Hatch Farm Shop, Sharpthorne & Sussex Produce Company, Steyning
Sussex Food Producer of the Year sponsored by Musgrave Retail Partnership
Winner – Caroline's Dairy, Sidlesham
Runners up - Nut Knowle Farm, Horam, nr Heathfield & Plaw Hatch Farm, Sharpthorne
Sussex Drink Producer of the Year sponsored by Natural PR
Winner – Dark Star Brewery, Horsham
Runners up - Hepworths Brewery, Horsham & World Coffee, Lindfield
Best Sussex Eating Experience sponsored by a Taste of Sussex
Winner – The Curlew, Bodiam
Runners up - Restaurant Tristan, Horsham & Simply Delicious, Bognor Regis
Sussex Young Chef of the Year sponsored by Blue Spark Organisation
Winner – Steven Edwards, South Lodge, Horsham
Runners up - Simon Duncan, Sam's of Brighton & Hanna Payne, the Pass at South Lodge, Horsham
Sussex Butcher of the Year sponsored by Leonards & Natural Farms
Winner – Tablehurst Farm Shop, Forest Row
Runners up - S K Hutchings, Partridge Green & New Street Butchers, Horsham
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Kings Old Ale wins national award
Horsham-based brewery WJ King today won the Silver Medal at the National Winter Ales Festival in Manchester for its Kings Old Ale, in the old ales and strong milds category.
Head Brewer Ian Burgess, who joined the WJ King team less than a year ago, leaving Harveys of Lewes where he brewed for 19 years, created this beer, which won the Champion Beer of Britain, London and South East Regional Beer in March 2010, taking it through to the national awards this week.
Said Ian Burgess: ‘After 30 years of brewing, this is my first ‘individual’ award and it is a tremendous honour and achievement after only 6 months of taking on my very own brew house. I accept this award as part of an amazing team surrounding me and I hope together we will have more awards to come and enjoy seeing customers across the South East of England enjoying WJ King’s traditional hand crafted ales.’
“Kings Old Ale is a multiple award winning dark brown Old Ale with an intense dry, coffee and slightly smoky aroma. There is a delicious and satisfying mouthfeel of silky viscosity before the taste of coffee and molasses covers your tastebuds. The aftertaste of liquorice from the malt and slight spice from the relatively light use of hops complements the preceding flavours very well and forms the perfect end to this beautiful beer.
Nigel Lambe, Chief Executive of WJ King, who together with Head Brewer Ian Burgess, bought the brewery in June last year, said: “We are excited to be winning awards so soon after taking on the brewery. Ian is a true master of brewing, so we are really lucky to be working with him and plan to bring out many more innovative and popular beers, like our Brighton Best, Horsham Best and Red River.”
With a 200 year tradition of brewing some of the most respected and enjoyed Sussex ales, WJ King has evolved into a new style of micro brewery, using only the finest natural and local ingredients and traditional brewing techniques to produce the finest quality local ales.
The brewery recently opened a Brewery shop at its Horsham address in Foundry Lane, selling a range of beers from single bottles up to 70 pint casks. It is open 9am-5pm on weekdays and 10 – 2 on Saturday, and their beers can also be bought online at www.kingbeer.co.uk.
Head Brewer Ian Burgess, who joined the WJ King team less than a year ago, leaving Harveys of Lewes where he brewed for 19 years, created this beer, which won the Champion Beer of Britain, London and South East Regional Beer in March 2010, taking it through to the national awards this week.
Said Ian Burgess: ‘After 30 years of brewing, this is my first ‘individual’ award and it is a tremendous honour and achievement after only 6 months of taking on my very own brew house. I accept this award as part of an amazing team surrounding me and I hope together we will have more awards to come and enjoy seeing customers across the South East of England enjoying WJ King’s traditional hand crafted ales.’
“Kings Old Ale is a multiple award winning dark brown Old Ale with an intense dry, coffee and slightly smoky aroma. There is a delicious and satisfying mouthfeel of silky viscosity before the taste of coffee and molasses covers your tastebuds. The aftertaste of liquorice from the malt and slight spice from the relatively light use of hops complements the preceding flavours very well and forms the perfect end to this beautiful beer.
Nigel Lambe, Chief Executive of WJ King, who together with Head Brewer Ian Burgess, bought the brewery in June last year, said: “We are excited to be winning awards so soon after taking on the brewery. Ian is a true master of brewing, so we are really lucky to be working with him and plan to bring out many more innovative and popular beers, like our Brighton Best, Horsham Best and Red River.”
With a 200 year tradition of brewing some of the most respected and enjoyed Sussex ales, WJ King has evolved into a new style of micro brewery, using only the finest natural and local ingredients and traditional brewing techniques to produce the finest quality local ales.
The brewery recently opened a Brewery shop at its Horsham address in Foundry Lane, selling a range of beers from single bottles up to 70 pint casks. It is open 9am-5pm on weekdays and 10 – 2 on Saturday, and their beers can also be bought online at www.kingbeer.co.uk.
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Sussex food heroes make enticing line-up
Finalists for the Sussex Food & Drink Awards 2010/11 have been announced and 24 of Sussex’s fantastic food and drink heroes have made it through on public voting and expert judging to make an enticing final line up.
Said Clive Beddall OBE, Chairman of the Judges: “The awards are celebrating their fifth anniversary this year and they continue to grow in popularity with thousands of members of the public voting for hundreds of their favourite Sussex farmers, food and drink producers, young chefs, food/farm shops, butchers, eateries and farmers markets.
“We have seen a record number of different businesses and individuals receiving votes this year –familiar, quality names have appeared again and we are excited to see many new names emerge, proving that these awards are reaching every corner of the county and that Sussex continues to produce some of the UK’s best food and drink heroes.”
All 24 finalists will have to wait a few more weeks to discover who the winners are which will be announced at the Sussex Food & Drink Awards banquet, to be held at the East Sussex Golf Resort & Spa on 27th January 2011.
This black tie event promises to be the best yet, celebrating the awards’ fifth birthday! A Sussex bubbly and ale reception (sponsored by Harveys) will get the party started and then, using the very best local produce, AA rosette chef Andy Wiles has created a fantastic banquet with seven courses including game, fish, fruits, cheeses and other Sussex goodies.
Said, Paula Seager, MD of Natural PR which organise the awards: “The awards ceremony is always such a fantastic evening and this year’s banquet is going to be a true celebration of the amazing food and drink that Sussex has to offer. A sense of anticipation builds throughout the evening until winners are announced and trophies presented BAFTA-style with host Danny Pike from BBC Sussex. There is nothing contrived or stuffy about these awards, just a lively and fun celebration of our Sussex food heroes.”
To buy tickets for this fabulous event, email: sandra@naturalpr.biz or call Natural PR on 01273 857242.
The finalists are:
Best Sussex Farmer's Market
Lewes
Shoreham
Uckfield
Sussex Farmer of the Year sponsored by Knill James
Tim Hassell, Home Farm, Goodwood
Jenny & Trevor Passmore, Church Farm, Coombes
Shon and Simon Sprackling, Rother Valley Organics, Petersfield
Best Sussex Food/Farm Shop sponsored by Mayo Wynne Baxter
Cheese Please, Lewes
Plaw Hatch Farm Shop, Sharpthorne
Sussex Produce Company, Steyning
Sussex Food Producer of the Year sponsored by Musgrave Retail Partnership
Caroline's Dairy, Sidlesham
Nut Knowle Farm, Horam, nr Heathfield
Plaw Hatch Farm, Sharpthorne
Sussex Drink Producer of the Year sponsored by Natural PR
Dark Star Brewery, Horsham
Hepworths Brewery, Horsham
World Coffee, Lindfield
Best Sussex Eating Experience sponsored by a Taste of Sussex
The Curlew, Bodiam
Restaurant Tristan, Horsham
Simply Delicious, Bognor Regis
Sussex Young Chef of the Year sponsored by Blue Spark Organisation
Simon Duncan, Sam's of Brighton
Steven Edwards, South Lodge, Horsham
Hanna Payne, the Pass at South Lodge, Horsham
Sussex Butcher of the Year sponsored by Leonards
S K Hutchings, Partridge Green
New Street Butchers, Horsham
Tablehurst Farm Shop, Forest Row
Said Clive Beddall OBE, Chairman of the Judges: “The awards are celebrating their fifth anniversary this year and they continue to grow in popularity with thousands of members of the public voting for hundreds of their favourite Sussex farmers, food and drink producers, young chefs, food/farm shops, butchers, eateries and farmers markets.
“We have seen a record number of different businesses and individuals receiving votes this year –familiar, quality names have appeared again and we are excited to see many new names emerge, proving that these awards are reaching every corner of the county and that Sussex continues to produce some of the UK’s best food and drink heroes.”
All 24 finalists will have to wait a few more weeks to discover who the winners are which will be announced at the Sussex Food & Drink Awards banquet, to be held at the East Sussex Golf Resort & Spa on 27th January 2011.
This black tie event promises to be the best yet, celebrating the awards’ fifth birthday! A Sussex bubbly and ale reception (sponsored by Harveys) will get the party started and then, using the very best local produce, AA rosette chef Andy Wiles has created a fantastic banquet with seven courses including game, fish, fruits, cheeses and other Sussex goodies.
Said, Paula Seager, MD of Natural PR which organise the awards: “The awards ceremony is always such a fantastic evening and this year’s banquet is going to be a true celebration of the amazing food and drink that Sussex has to offer. A sense of anticipation builds throughout the evening until winners are announced and trophies presented BAFTA-style with host Danny Pike from BBC Sussex. There is nothing contrived or stuffy about these awards, just a lively and fun celebration of our Sussex food heroes.”
To buy tickets for this fabulous event, email: sandra@naturalpr.biz or call Natural PR on 01273 857242.
The finalists are:
Best Sussex Farmer's Market
Lewes
Shoreham
Uckfield
Sussex Farmer of the Year sponsored by Knill James
Tim Hassell, Home Farm, Goodwood
Jenny & Trevor Passmore, Church Farm, Coombes
Shon and Simon Sprackling, Rother Valley Organics, Petersfield
Best Sussex Food/Farm Shop sponsored by Mayo Wynne Baxter
Cheese Please, Lewes
Plaw Hatch Farm Shop, Sharpthorne
Sussex Produce Company, Steyning
Sussex Food Producer of the Year sponsored by Musgrave Retail Partnership
Caroline's Dairy, Sidlesham
Nut Knowle Farm, Horam, nr Heathfield
Plaw Hatch Farm, Sharpthorne
Sussex Drink Producer of the Year sponsored by Natural PR
Dark Star Brewery, Horsham
Hepworths Brewery, Horsham
World Coffee, Lindfield
Best Sussex Eating Experience sponsored by a Taste of Sussex
The Curlew, Bodiam
Restaurant Tristan, Horsham
Simply Delicious, Bognor Regis
Sussex Young Chef of the Year sponsored by Blue Spark Organisation
Simon Duncan, Sam's of Brighton
Steven Edwards, South Lodge, Horsham
Hanna Payne, the Pass at South Lodge, Horsham
Sussex Butcher of the Year sponsored by Leonards
S K Hutchings, Partridge Green
New Street Butchers, Horsham
Tablehurst Farm Shop, Forest Row
Friday, 19 November 2010
Sussex Young Chef of the Year finalists announced
Six talented young chefs from across the county fought it out in the hotly contended Sussex Young Chef of the Year ‘cook off’, sponsored by Blue Spark Organisation, as part of the Sussex Food & Drink Awards 2010/11.
The six shortlisted chefs were selected by public vote and faced enormous pressure this year having to produce a full three-course menu, based on local and seasonal ingredients, as opposed to the one course in previous years.
The cook off was hosted by City College Brighton & Hove and the young chefs faced a nail biting wait before having to perform against the clock, producing each dish under the watchful eyes of the expert judging panel chaired by Clive Beddall OBE, Chairman of the Sussex Food & Drink Awards.
After much deliberation from the judging panel, organisers are delighted to announce the top three going through to the final are two young chefs from South Lodge Hotel in Horsham, 24-year-old Steven Edwards, Sous Chef for the main hotel and 23-year-old Hanna Payne from The Pass Restaurant; and joining them is the youngest candidate this year, 20-year-old Simon Duncan from Sam’s of Brighton.
Dhrutee Davé, Director of Haywards Heath based food recruitment agency, Blue Spark Organisation, said: “It has been a fantastic experience to be sponsors of this very popular category this year. The six candidates truly proved themselves in a very intense cook off and all were worthy of a place in the final – it was an extremely difficult decision for the judges to choose the top three as all the dishes were outstanding, but Simon, Hanna and Steven were exceptional and their dishes were truly delicious.”
Said Clive Beddall OBE, Chairman of the Judges: “This year the quality was the best we have ever had – the young chefs were calm and extremely professional and the food was unbelievably good. I’m very excited about the future of food in Sussex with these young chefs making their mark here. We want the three who didn’t make it through this year to please come back again next year as they were excellent and picking the three finalists was a very hard decision.”
Runners up, Will Stanyer from Hotel Du Vin, Brighton; Daniel Whittle from Temptation café, Brighton and Bradley Jordan from Restaurant Tristan, Horsham fought a close battle against the other three finalists. Steven, Simon and Hanna now face another two months of waiting to see who the overall winner is which will be announced at the Sussex Food & Drink Awards dinner, to be held at the East Sussex Golf Resort & Spa on 27th January 2011 and hosted by Danny Pike from BBC Sussex.
Organisers have already opened sales for tickets to attend the awards dinner, now dubbed the ‘Sussex foodie event of the year’. This black tie event promises to be the best yet, celebrating the awards’ 5th birthday and includes a Sussex bubbly and ale reception, sponsored by Harveys; a stunning seven-course banquet dinner using the very best Sussex produce, created by the talented Andy Wiles, East Sussex National’s head chef; lots of entertainment; and a lively Oscars-style awards presentation.
Visit the website www.sussexfoodawards.biz to find out how to buy tickets for this fabulous event or call Natural PR on 01273 857242 for more information.
The six shortlisted chefs were selected by public vote and faced enormous pressure this year having to produce a full three-course menu, based on local and seasonal ingredients, as opposed to the one course in previous years.
The cook off was hosted by City College Brighton & Hove and the young chefs faced a nail biting wait before having to perform against the clock, producing each dish under the watchful eyes of the expert judging panel chaired by Clive Beddall OBE, Chairman of the Sussex Food & Drink Awards.
After much deliberation from the judging panel, organisers are delighted to announce the top three going through to the final are two young chefs from South Lodge Hotel in Horsham, 24-year-old Steven Edwards, Sous Chef for the main hotel and 23-year-old Hanna Payne from The Pass Restaurant; and joining them is the youngest candidate this year, 20-year-old Simon Duncan from Sam’s of Brighton.
Dhrutee Davé, Director of Haywards Heath based food recruitment agency, Blue Spark Organisation, said: “It has been a fantastic experience to be sponsors of this very popular category this year. The six candidates truly proved themselves in a very intense cook off and all were worthy of a place in the final – it was an extremely difficult decision for the judges to choose the top three as all the dishes were outstanding, but Simon, Hanna and Steven were exceptional and their dishes were truly delicious.”
Said Clive Beddall OBE, Chairman of the Judges: “This year the quality was the best we have ever had – the young chefs were calm and extremely professional and the food was unbelievably good. I’m very excited about the future of food in Sussex with these young chefs making their mark here. We want the three who didn’t make it through this year to please come back again next year as they were excellent and picking the three finalists was a very hard decision.”
Runners up, Will Stanyer from Hotel Du Vin, Brighton; Daniel Whittle from Temptation café, Brighton and Bradley Jordan from Restaurant Tristan, Horsham fought a close battle against the other three finalists. Steven, Simon and Hanna now face another two months of waiting to see who the overall winner is which will be announced at the Sussex Food & Drink Awards dinner, to be held at the East Sussex Golf Resort & Spa on 27th January 2011 and hosted by Danny Pike from BBC Sussex.
Organisers have already opened sales for tickets to attend the awards dinner, now dubbed the ‘Sussex foodie event of the year’. This black tie event promises to be the best yet, celebrating the awards’ 5th birthday and includes a Sussex bubbly and ale reception, sponsored by Harveys; a stunning seven-course banquet dinner using the very best Sussex produce, created by the talented Andy Wiles, East Sussex National’s head chef; lots of entertainment; and a lively Oscars-style awards presentation.
Visit the website www.sussexfoodawards.biz to find out how to buy tickets for this fabulous event or call Natural PR on 01273 857242 for more information.
Monday, 8 November 2010
Royal Pavilion Ice Rink opens this week!
The Royal Pavilion’s first ever outdoor real Ice Rink opens its gates to the public this week - on November 13th until January 16th. The first skaters at 10am on Saturday will be given scrummy free hot drinks by Due South, who are running the ice rink restaurant.
School choirs which book to perform Christmas songs at the rink on weekdays at 4.15 during the next two months, will be offered free skating and will also help attract well-wishers to support the Argus Appeal team, who will be collecting for local charities then.
School choirs should email organiser Shella Parkin at shella.parkin@virgin.net with their details, suggested dates and how many children will be singing. School groups can also book tickets at the discounted price of £4 per head off-peak, which can be booked from Ticketmaster on 0844 844 2121.
The rink, which also has a stunning heated restaurant created by Due South, promises to dazzle Brighton this Christmas, providing a superb experience for people in the city, as well as attracting thousands of visitors from elsewhere. It is the only rink in the country with its own pre-school crèche, beginners’ area and ‘penguin’ skate aids especially for youngsters, and aims to be the Christmas rink for families to visit outside of London.
Shella Parkin of Laine Ltd, behind the attraction, said: “We’re really excited about bringing a real ice outdoor rink to Brighton for Christmas 2010. We hope to create a genuinely festive experience with a traditional feel, raising the bar for rinkside dining and going out of our way to make children and families feel welcome and hope to raise plenty of money for charity too.”
With the former Royal pleasure palace as backdrop, the 700 square metre rink has space for 200 skaters per session and the team behind the scheme, who are working with the Royal Pavilion and Brighton & Hove City Council, anticipate thousands of visitors.
Royal Pavilion Ice Rink tickets cost from £9.50-£11 for adults and from £6.50-£7.50 for children under 12 and the one-hour skate times run from 10am to 10.15pm daily, on sale online at www.ticketmaster.co.uk or by calling 0844 847 2352.
Known for its commitment to locally sourced ingredients, Due South’s fully licensed rinkside restaurant, open 9am to midnight, will serve passing customers with warming, seasonal dishes including Castle Farm steak & real ale pie, Honey roasted ham hock with buttered mash and a rich organic cider sauce, South Downs venison curry with rice and poppadom, seasonal fruit crumbles, cakes baked daily and luxurious ice creams. It also offers scrumptious party menus and Christmas dinners – pre-book by calling 01273 821 218.
For tickets for the Royal Pavilion Ice Rink, please visit: www.ticketmaster.co.uk, call: 0844 847 2352 or book in person at Ticketmaster ticket centres.
School choirs which book to perform Christmas songs at the rink on weekdays at 4.15 during the next two months, will be offered free skating and will also help attract well-wishers to support the Argus Appeal team, who will be collecting for local charities then.
School choirs should email organiser Shella Parkin at shella.parkin@virgin.net with their details, suggested dates and how many children will be singing. School groups can also book tickets at the discounted price of £4 per head off-peak, which can be booked from Ticketmaster on 0844 844 2121.
The rink, which also has a stunning heated restaurant created by Due South, promises to dazzle Brighton this Christmas, providing a superb experience for people in the city, as well as attracting thousands of visitors from elsewhere. It is the only rink in the country with its own pre-school crèche, beginners’ area and ‘penguin’ skate aids especially for youngsters, and aims to be the Christmas rink for families to visit outside of London.
Shella Parkin of Laine Ltd, behind the attraction, said: “We’re really excited about bringing a real ice outdoor rink to Brighton for Christmas 2010. We hope to create a genuinely festive experience with a traditional feel, raising the bar for rinkside dining and going out of our way to make children and families feel welcome and hope to raise plenty of money for charity too.”
With the former Royal pleasure palace as backdrop, the 700 square metre rink has space for 200 skaters per session and the team behind the scheme, who are working with the Royal Pavilion and Brighton & Hove City Council, anticipate thousands of visitors.
Royal Pavilion Ice Rink tickets cost from £9.50-£11 for adults and from £6.50-£7.50 for children under 12 and the one-hour skate times run from 10am to 10.15pm daily, on sale online at www.ticketmaster.co.uk or by calling 0844 847 2352.
Known for its commitment to locally sourced ingredients, Due South’s fully licensed rinkside restaurant, open 9am to midnight, will serve passing customers with warming, seasonal dishes including Castle Farm steak & real ale pie, Honey roasted ham hock with buttered mash and a rich organic cider sauce, South Downs venison curry with rice and poppadom, seasonal fruit crumbles, cakes baked daily and luxurious ice creams. It also offers scrumptious party menus and Christmas dinners – pre-book by calling 01273 821 218.
For tickets for the Royal Pavilion Ice Rink, please visit: www.ticketmaster.co.uk, call: 0844 847 2352 or book in person at Ticketmaster ticket centres.
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