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March 2009
The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials has become a highlight of the British Social Calendar; set within the grounds of the magnificent Burghley House stately home, it attracts approximately 150,000 horse and country enthusiasts from up and down the country as well as over 200 competitors over the three day event.
The reputation of the hospitality has grown as such that this year the show attracted the attention of Masterchef; who used the intense environment of the catering operation to test the abilities, organisation and quality of the shows finalists. The contestants, with the assistance of Sodexo Prestige, had the honour of creating and delivering the menu for the Competitors Party on 4th September in the Hospitality Suite.
Sodexo Prestige Executive Chef Leon Smith sat on the sidelines of the event, entrusting the operation in the hands of the up and coming competitors; they were not given an easy ride either with three menu options for every course – as well as a vegetarian alternative – each requiring between five and eight ‘moves’ to put together. Added to this was the extra pressure of performing under the glare of television lights, as well as presenters John Torode and Gregg Wallace.
“The pressure and the margins for error are completely different when cooking for this quantity of people. Every dish has to be perfect and prepared for service within a 15 minute period on every course,” commented Leon Smith, Sodexo Prestige Executive Chef. “One mistake in this environment can have a knock on effect that can damage the entire service and leave a lot of very upset people.”
“It was a real delight to see the operation work; a lot of what we do is about individual or small group covers and being involved in a menu pulled together for 150 guests was a fitting test for our finalists,” commented Ed St Giles, Producer and Director of the show. “We’ve seen Sodexo Prestige work a number of times and are always grateful to them for letting us getting involved in their work.”
“I’m never that good at sitting out at this sort of thing as I’m the kind of chef that likes to get involved; however, it was great to see some new talent taking on such a difficult task and we were there to help and guide them,” commented Leon. “To be fair they did a very strong job and, aided by our own team, were able to produce the right quality and stick to the strict timings we set for them.”
The Competitors Party included a cocktail reception, open bar and dinner all delivered by Sodexo Prestige, the three course dinner was served to the 150 people in a two hour window. Competitors on the show were asked to work with the Sodexo Prestige staff to evaluate their performance under pressure and their ability to produce outstanding fare to large quantities.
“The contestants got a real good look at what it takes to be a professional chef,” commented Torode. “Producing excellent food, under pressure to a large volume of discerning customers; every plate had to look right and taste excellent.”
Please click here for more information on corporate hospitality at the Burghley Horse Trials
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Menu:
Starter – Trio
Saffron & citrus gravalax, celeriac rémoulade, salad of fine beans
Picked crab with lime & coriander, toasted sourdough
Mackerel fillet, fennel, apple & salted almonds
Main:
Seared breast of English chicken, thyme & smoked sea salt butter,
Confit leg with pancetta & sage, soubise puree,
Sauté leeks, spinach & greens, fondant potato
Vegetarian:
Wild mushroom & shallot tart tatin, balsamic roast vine tomatoes (V)
Sauté leeks, spinach & greens
Dessert:
Dark chocolate tart,
Bramble jelly & vanilla buttermilk panacotta
Pistachio tuile & chocolate ‘gnocchi’