Worcester pub Chef Russell Collins is celebrating after winning pub restaurant brand Chef & Brewer’s national cooking competition and will now see his Lamb Three Ways dish made available in over 136 pubs across the country.
Russell, a Chef at the Fox Inn in Bransford, will receive a cooking class experience at the famous River Cottage and personalised chef whites, and won over the judges at Chef & Brewer’s Masterchef competition with his Roast Lamb Chop coupled with pan fried Lamb’s liver and a Shepherd’s Pie “Bon Bon”, topped with pea puree and accompanied with buttered baby vegetables, pea shoots and a red wine and thyme jus.
Russell also cooked up a Tea Smoked Duck and Beetroot Salad starter, and a Strawberry and Basil Cheesecake dessert to complement his main course.
The competition, which was launched to give Chef & Brewer employees the opportunity to create a dish to feature on a future menu, has been a resounding success and highlighted the strong talent that lies within pub restaurants’ kitchen teams.
Inspiring teams to get creative
Kate Wilton, Operations Director for Chef & Brewer, said: “Russell’s dish definitely stood out, the technical skill of the dish clearly came through and it tasted absolutely delicious. His starter and dessert also perfectly complemented his main course and we’re confident Lamb Three Ways will be a sure hit with our guests.
“We’ve had an absolutely fantastic result from the competition, not only has it helped us launch a new dish but it has inspired our teams to get creative and has clearly demonstrated the high calibre of teams that we have in our kitchens. We’re extremely proud of the teams we have and it has been a privilege to offer them some recognition. We look forward to seeing what creative culinary delights are created when we run the competition again next year.”
Spirit Pub Company owns and manages 791 pubs across the UK under brands such as Chef & Brewer, Fayre & Square, Flaming Grill, John Barras and Taylor Walker.