The Competition Entry

The  Competition Entry

For my menu, I wanted to show the ultimate British summer. I felt this would not only show off the best of British produce, specifically from all four areas of the United Kingdom, but also celebrate and support our British athletes in the games and show other countries what it means to be British, and that British cuisine is classic, tasty and summery. Each course is based around a typical British meal, bringing in elements from all areas of British cuisine and each containing 5 elements as a further tongue in cheek celebration of the Olympics, representing the 5 olympic rings.

The first course would be based on a British Picnic, for a typical summer’s day. Consisting of: 1.A mini pork pie, made with british pork; 2. an Indian spiced lamb scotch quails egg, bringing in the huge influence Indian cooking has had on British cuisine, made with welsh lamb mince, and west sussex quail’s eggs, on a spoonful of spiced mayonnaise made with british eggs; 3. a small triangle sandwich filled with smoked salmon and dill butter, pierced with a mini union jack flag on a cocktail stick, made with scottish smoked salmon and british cucumbers; 4. A small spoonful of potato salad, using irish potatoes, british walnuts and walnut oil; 5. A small spoonful of broad bean and pea shoot salad with an apple cider vinaigerette, made with somerset broad beans and cider vinegar, wiltshire pea shoots and british bacon.

The second course is a twist on Fish and Chips, what could be more traditionally British summer seaside. 1. A beer battered pea mousse, suprisingly delicious, playing on the mushy peas accompaniment, the deep fried mousse is crispy on the outside with a melting warm pea centre, made using east anglia peas and real ale. 2. The mousse will be in a small cone of newspaper with 1948 london olympic games reported along with thick triple cooked chips using Irish potatoes and finely grated flecks of warickshire berkwell hard sheeps cheese. 3. This would all be served on a rectangular plate with the cone far right and next to it a fillet of cornish pollack with a caper, lemon zest and parsley breadcrumb ‘sand’ topping (british seaside) on top of 4. ribbons of lemon and black pepper marinated raw new forest courgette ‘sea’. 5. This is all drizzled with a thin white wine vinegar mayonnaise.

The final course is based on an Afternoon tea, what could be more quintessentially British, and more associated with British sports. 1. The main event would be a cornish clotted cream cheesecake on a scone-like pastry base with a thin layer of strawberry jam ontop of the base, drizzled with 2. a strawberry sauce; 3. topped with an earl grey tea caramel shard. All accompanied by a 4. strawberry marshmallow on a stick, and 5. a single fresh strawberry – all using staffordshire strawberries.

-Pork Pie – made with british pork,

- Indian spiced lamb scotch quails egg – made with welsh lamb mince, influenced by indian influence on England and west sussex quails eggs, on a spoonful of spiced mayonnaise made with british eggs

-smoked salmon and dill butter sandwiches – made with scottish smoked salmon, british cucumbers

-Potato salad using irish potatoes, british walnuts+walnut oil

- broad bean and pea shoot salad with an apple cider vinegerette fresh mint and british bacon – using somerset broad beans and cider vinegar, wiltshire pea shoots and british bacon

Fish and Chips twist

-        Beer battered pea mousse, using real ale, english peas form east anglia

-        Thick chips triple cooked, using irish potatoes and finely grated flecks of warickshire berkwell hard sheeps cheese, all served in a small cone of newspaper with 1948 olympic games (last london games)

-        Cornish Pollack fillet with a caper, lemon zest and parsley breadcrumb ‘sand’

-        On top of ribbons of lemon and black pepper marinated raw courgette ‘sea’ – using new forest courgettes

-        Drizzled with a thin white wine vinegar mayonnaise – using british eggs

Afternoon tea cheesecake

-        Cornish Clotted cream cheesecake with a layer of strawberry jam made using stafforshire strawberries

-        Earl Grey caramel shards

-        Strawberry marshmallow

-        Fresh strawberry garnish

-        Strawberry sauce