Winners Case Studies
Pub Chef of the Year 2010
Simon Goodman, head chef, at freehold the Duke of Cumberland, Henley, Surrey
Best thing about being part of the Great British Pub Food Awards 2010? Entering the awards has been great for my confidence as a chef. It has opened lots of doors for me and has been a fantastic networking opportunity, allowing me to meet fellow chefs, expert judges and other industry professionals. As a previous winner of the game category I linked up with Game-to-Eat at the awards night and have since been involved with several of their projects.
Business benefits from winning award: It's a great way of raising the profile of your pub and of consolidating its reputation for good food. The pub is going from strength to strength and trade has increased steadily over the past year necessitating a bigger kitchen and restaurant to cope with demand. We have a lot of local support and people have been really proud and excited about my success in the awards and pleased that their pub has done so well.
PR and marketing benefits: Winning has progressively raised my profile and reputation within the industry as well as being a great advert for the business. I've been interviewed on the breakfast show of BBC Surrey and the pub has received lots of local press coverage. We advertise our awards on the pub's website and my trophies are on display in the restaurant receiving lots of comments and questions from customers.
Would you recommend entering to other chefs? 'I would definitely recommend it. Entering opens lots of doors for you and pushes your career on. Both the awards themselves and the standard of entries have got better and better over the years and are an important way of showcasing the quality of pub food which is why it¹s the only competition I have ever entered.'
Team of the Year
Montague Inn, Shepton Montague, Somerset
John McGeever and Matt Dean
Best thing about beig part of the Great British Pub Food Awards 2010? Owner Suzy O'Callaghan says: 'For John, a veteran of chef competitions in the distant past, it has reawakened his passion for producing quality dishes in a competitive environment and for Matt, who has never before considered entering competitions, it has given him the opportunity to experience the thrill of planning, preparing and competing in a cook-off. The awards were an excellent night out and the chef team, including those who were not part of the award, have been re-energised and have gained a tremendous amount from the experience.'
Business benefits of winning the awards: 'The benefits to the freehold pub have been massive. Sales figures for January and February 2010, immediately after the finalists had been announced, were significantly higher than the seasonal norm. The morale of the whole team was also given a huge boost, encouraging other staff to take part in competitions. The pub has since sponsored the Taste of Somerset Awards and is being taken seriously amongst the locality as being a quality destination. Although our local customers were already aware that they have a quality product on their door-step, for that to be recognised nationally by the industry, made them sit up and realise what a treasure they have. John has also since done a lot of food development work with Tilda Foodservice, who sponsored the category, which has led to a number of new dishes appearing on the menu.'
PR and marketing benefits: 'We made sure that we fully capitalised on the awards. Prior to the cook- offs, we invited selected food writers from the local press to comment on the competition menu and the dishes were also put on our specials board. The resulting coverage raised the profile of the pub during those very dark, quiet, winter months reminding customers of the quality of food on offer. Following the awards the press immediately picked up on the good news story and the pub ran the menu as a gourmet dinner night which was an immediate sell out.
Would you recommend entering to other chefs? 'Yes, go for it. It gives both the chef and the pub a gold standard to aim for. Entering offered us a chance to show off our quality local food as well as providing us with a realisation of the quality of British pub cooking.'
Seafood
Philip Milner, executive chef, Punch Taverns lease the Orange Tree, Thornham, Norfolk
Best thing about being part of the Great British Pub Food Awards 2010? The awards provided me with a great opportunity to test my skills and imagination. The awards night itself is a really enjoyable evening and gave me the chance to meet chefs from around the UK and compare ideas and talk to them about their styles of cooking.²
Business benefits of winning the awards: Entering and winning the awards has stimulated not only my imagination but the whole teams¹. It has encouraged our chefs to find their creative side, which is good for our menus, and has been a great motivator. Located in a coastal village we were already well-known for our seafood but, since I won the seafood award, we have definitely noticed more people coming to the pub to try it.²
PR and marketing benefits: Our local paper, the Lynn News, ran an article about me winning the award, which helped to advertise the restaurant. Since then, I have been producing menu ideas for a weekly column in the paper, using dishes that we currently have on our menu as well as new dishes that are easy to make at home, and on the back of this I have been invited to do some filming on foraging and sourcing of local produce; all of which helps to promote the pub further.²
Would you recommend entering to other chefs? The cook-offs are nerve-racking but are great experience and give you a chance to demonstrate your skills and develop new ideas using a variety of ingredients. The best part is the mystery box, where you are given a range of ingredients on the day and asked to produce a dish using them. Entering is also great PR for you and your pub and can open up a whole range of opportunities for you.
