| BREWERY HOSTS LEAGUE OF CHEFS IN COOK-OFF CHALLENGE
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Chefs from the House of Lords and London's Caledonian Club were invited to Shepherd Neame brewery for a final cook-off in the prestigious League of Club Chefs annual competition.
The chefs were challenged to create two dishes suitable for a pub menu using Shepherd Neame's 1698 Kentish Ale and Grant's Morella Cherry Brandy.
Founded in 1988, the League of Club Chefs is made up of 18 chefs from various London clubs and conducts a range of competitions among its members. The league aims to bring cooking into the 21st century, sharing experiences and knowledge from the culinary world.
Mark Thatcher, executive chef for the House of Lords, and Paul Hodson, head chef at the Caledonian Club, battled it out for 90 minutes, before presenting their dishes to judge and league president Don Irwin. The food was assessed according to presentation, taste, use of local seasonal produce and suitability for a working menu.
Paul Hodson was announced the overall winner with his starter Posh Ploughman's with Wholemeal Bread and Cherry Bakewell Tart dessert.
Worthy runner-up Mark Thatcher served a main of Roasted Rump of Kentish Salt Marsh Lamb and a Hot Chocolate Soufflé Pudding for dessert.
Shepherd Neame marketing manager Mark Miller said: "It was a great honour to host such high calibre chefs at the brewery and watch them create delicious dishes using Shepherd Neame's 1698 Kentish Ale. Both chefs were challenged to come up with dishes that could be used by pubs, so they might even appear on a Shepherd Neame menu."
