Liberation chefs scoop prestigious awards

Liberation Group is celebrating after two of its Butcombe Pubs & Inns chefs triumphed at the prestigious International Salon Culinaire. 

Sam Seedhouse, head chef at the Bird in Hand, Knowl Hill, scooped Best in Class in the Pub Chef of the Year category, while Mo Farnhan, head chef at the Horse & Groom near Malmesbury won a worthy Bronze and a Hygiene Award.

Seedhouse won Best in Class for his homemade Cumberland sausage, sticky braised pancetta, red onion and mustard marmalade with creamed potato (above). In addition to the title, he also won a trip to Venice.

"We are delighted Sam has won this prestigious award, particularly for his technical skills on this classic pub dish which should be celebrated," says Alice Bowyer, head of food at Liberation Group. "We will be adding it to the menu! Sam has been quietly building a team of young people into promising new talent and the food they are sending out at the Bird in Hand is some of the best in our group.”

International Salon Culinaire, which was held at HRC in London, is staged to promote and encourage talent within the UK hospitality community and to raise the bar in culinary skills. The event provides a platform for seasoned chefs to showcase their talent and nurtures the chefs of the future as they start out in their career.

For the first time in two years, chefs from around the UK and beyond were able to demonstrate their skills and creativity to a  judging panel of over 70 experienced professional chefs including Michel Roux Jr, Mark Hill, executive chef at the House of Commons, and Gary Jones of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.

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