Fuller Smith & Turner, the premium pubs and hotels business, held its first ever International Women’s Day menu dish competition this February, with the winning dish – a superb banana bread from Kiah Enticknap of The Queen’s Head in Kingston – taking pride of place on menus across Fuller’s Managed Pubs & Hotels during the month of March. A 50p donation for each dish sold, facilitated by Work for Good, will be given to Refuge, the country’s largest single provider of specialist support to women and their children experiencing domestic abuse.
Eight amazing chefs from across the Fuller’s estate took part in the competition, with dishes featuring a plethora of ingredients from rabbit to sea bass to crème brulee beignets. Each dish came with a tale of tastes from home and the encouragement and involvement the entrants had received from their mothers and grandmothers was evident in abundance.
Kiah’s winning banana bread took the top spot, with the judge’s – all from Fuller’s support centre – polishing off the winning dish and actively seeking out second helpings. It was totally delicious and a homage to Kiah’s mum, who taught Kiah to make it when she was seven – despite the fact that Kiah is allergic bananas! Close behind were two runners-up, Sam Kirkland, from The Scarsdale in Kensington with her pan-roasted sea bass with garlic prawns and Rose Warman-Kebell from Bel & The Dragon in Odiham, with her dish of smoked sausage ragu with tagliatelle and marinated tomatoes.
Food Marketing Manager Ella Cranmer, who came up with the idea and was on the judging panel, said: “I’m so pleased to have launched this competition. While we have some amazing role models through chefs like Angela Hartnett and Claire Smith, women are still underrepresented in Britain’s kitchens. Raising their profile with great competitions like this is one way we can highlight the amazing female role models across the Fuller’s estate.
“It’s also great to be raising money for Refuge as a result – all women should be celebrated, and we wanted to make sure that the inspiration and talent of our female chefs can be used to help give a better life to women who are suffering abuse.”
Executive Chef Jade Clark added: “The winning dish is absolutely delicious – and I love the fact that Kiah was taught to make it by her Mum when she was just seven years old. It clearly inspired Kiah and I’m excited to see where her career in Fuller’s takes her.”
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For further information, please contact the press office:
Georgina Wald 020 8996 2198 georgina.wald@fullers.co.uk
Alice Monteath 020 8996 2074 alice.monteath@fullers.co.uk
Fuller’s in a nutshell:
Fuller, Smith & Turner PLC is the premium pubs and hotels business that is famous for beautiful and inviting pubs with delicious fresh food, a vibrant and interesting range of drinks, and engaging service from passionate people. Our purpose in life is to create experiences that nourish the soul. Fuller’s has 208 managed businesses, with 1,043 boutique bedrooms, and 175 Tenanted Inns. The estate is predominately located in the South of England (44% of sites are within the M25) and stretches from our London heartland to the Jurassic Coast via the New Forest. Our Managed Pubs and Hotels include Cotswold Inns & Hotels – seven stunning hotels in the Cotswolds, and Bel & The Dragon – seven exquisite modern English inns located in the Home Counties. In summary, Fuller’s is the home of great pubs, outstanding hospitality and passionate people, where everyone is welcome and leaves that little bit happier than they arrived.
Press release from Fuller, Smith & Turner PLC.
For further information, please contact the press office:
Georgina Wald 020 8996 2198 georgina.wald@fullers.co.uk
Alice Monteath 020 8996 2074 alice.monteath@fullers.co.uk