Our blog

After tough competition, a chef from Barton’s Mill has been crowned victor of the Essential Cuisine sponsored Wadworth Pie of the Year Competition 2017. Chefs from across their 48 dining pubs submitted a menu of a unique pie, featuring at least one Essential Cuisine product. They were then whittled down to just five, with the standard of creativity judged to be “exceptionally high.” Here are the 5 finalists and the dishes they created.

Lansdowne Arms	Cheeks full of pudding
Bartons Mill	The Rockin Moroccan Lamb Pie
Cleveland Bay	The Piggy Chicken
Broad Street Tavern	6 Nations
The Colesbourne	6X Golden Shot Pie

  The final cook off took place on 20^th March, where the 5 finalists had 4 hours to prepare, cook and present 5 portions of their very own pie to a panel of judges, which this year included our very own Business Development Manager Gary Kilminster. Marina produced her Rockin Moroccan Lamb Pie and won the judges over with its flavour and presentation. Marina described her dish as "slow cooked Moroccan lamb stew encased in short crust pastry served with rosemary parmentier potatoes and roasted Mediterranean vegetables." All 5 finalists received a box of Essential Cuisine goodies which included a personalised chefs jacket, apron, and much more. The winner, Marina, also received a set of Robert Welch professional knives courtesy of The Stock People. And as if that wasn’t a big enough prize, her winning Rockin Moroccan Lamb Pie will be manufactured and available on special boards at all Managed Wadworth Houses from 27^th March. What an achievement! Congratulations to Marina, and all the competitors who took part.