2010Competitions

• 1 . Greene King hosts first ever MasterChef style competition for pub trade

• Following a cook-off against five other finalists at the Food Innovation Centre in Bicester, head chef Matthew Halls (27) from the Bridgewater Arms in Hemel Hempstead was crowned Greene King’s very own MasterChef. The winning recipe is his take on beef carbonade (beef and onions braised in beer), with horseradish and chive mash.
  In the competition, organised by Old English Inns – Greene King’s inns and hotel division – chefs were asked to create a simple, cost-effective recipe for a new dish in 90 minutes.
  Mike Jeffrey, food and development manager at Greene King, one of the judges on the panel, felt that Matthew’s recipe and preparation of the dish on the day was top-notch. He said, “Although I’m not as harsh as food critic Gregg Wallace from MasterChef, Matthew’s unique recipe, cooked in Guinness, won all of the judges over. It tasted great.”
  Other recipes which made it into the Old English Inns Chef Incentive final included:
  ❦ Smoked haddock with bubble and squeak and a poached egg
  ❦ Princess chicken and sweet red pepper sauce
  ❦ Harvest pie
  ❦ Beef stroganoff
  ❦ Drunken beef and crispy dumplings
  ❦ Gluten free almond and orange cake
  Jonathan Webster, managing director, Greene King Destination said: “Having great food is an important part of the pub experience for customers, and we always ensure our chefs are producing the best possible meals they can. Thanks to this MasterChef style competition, we have a new and exciting way of ensuring our menus are the highest quality.”
  
• For a list of Old English Inns in your area, please visit
  http://www.oldenglishinns.co.uk.
• Matthew Hall’s recipe for carbonade, horseradish and chive mash:
• Directions
  Cube the stewing steak
  Cut mushrooms in half
  Finely slice the onions and garlic
  Roughly chop the rosemary and parsley
  Brown the meat
  Saute the mushrooms and garlic in butter
  Cook onions, brown sugar and rest of the butter in the pan, and add a splash of water
  Mix in flour, chopped rosemary, beefstock and Guinness
  Mix in nutmeg and bay leafs
  Cover pan and cook on hock / or in the oven for 80 minutes