National Yorkshire Pudding Day was celebrated for the sixth time with a battle of professional chefs to see who makes the best traditional Sunday roast accompaniment – The Yorkshire Pudding.
The annual competition took place this year at Stratton Court, the award-winning retirement village and care home, so it was apt, that their head chef, Grace Horgan, took the title. She beat Chef and two successive years in a row champion, Ethan Rodgers, The Bakers Arms, from Broad Campden, Rob Goves, of The Relish Group, and a former ‘Yorkie King’, and her own colleague, a late entry, her apprentice – Riley Scriven.
The first Sunday of February marks National Yorkshire Pudding Day – a day to celebrate everything we love about this light, fluffy, crispy pudding. The Cotswold Yorkshire Pudding Day has been taking place since 2017.
Judges for the professional chef competition were: Peter Lloyd, a self-confessed, “Yorkshire Pudding aficionado, keen home-cook” and sales director of the Aura Care Living group, a resident of the retirement village, and proud Yorkshire person, Jackie Riley, Lady Bathurst, and Foyez Rahman, restaurateur of Sasa’s Indian Kitchen and Bar, Crudwell, and the new, You, Me & Umami, Pan-Asian restaurant, in Fairford.
Grace said of her win: “I am stunned, I went from cooking Sunday lunch for the residents and their families, and Lord and Lady Bathurst, to suddenly being thrown into this. It is another achievement for Stratton Court, albeit a bit of fun. I have a tried and tested recipe, and it goes to show that keeping it simple, is often best.”
Other entries used bone marrow, herbs were a-plenty amongst the entries, and Rob Goves of Relish Group, a catering company and hospitality venue management specialist, did a gluten-free Yorkshire Pudding. He said: “Nobody noticed the difference, and I wanted to showcase that gluten free food is something you do not have to be afraid of and it can taste exactly the same, or better. It also is an example of how food technology and technique has moved on, to incorporate allergies.”
Former champion Ethan Rodgers was “gutted”, not to make it three in a row, but has some big news coming up, to focus on. “Well done to Grace, and all the others who took part, and of course the judges, Lady Bathurst, Foyez and company. I thought the Indian, Asian inspired Yorkie, by the (Stratton Court) apprentice was amazing, it was actually something I had spoke to a venue about doing,” he said. “I am reopening a venue in Cirencester, it will be classic British, so felt I had to try and make it a hattrick. I hope to come back next year. Perhaps it will be my turn to be judge, but I maybe to busy on Sundays from now on, watch this space.”
