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Chester Food & Drink Festival 2009

One Pot Cook Off Champion for 2009 Food & Drink Festival

A domestic master chef delivered a sensational stew to carry off the pot and the title after a sizzling competition. The second annual One Pot Cook Off Champion is Dave Purcell, following a cook off held at the Macdonald Hill Valley Hotel Golf & Spa. The annual event highlights the passion Macdonald Hotels has in sourcing the best seasonal and local food available for its customers, with the event kick-starting the eighth annual Chester Food and Drink Festival.

More than 50 entrants were short-listed to three Finalists who were judged by last year’s winner, Bhupinder Virdee-Lace, Jane Casson of Made in Cheshire and Reaseheath College and Mark Astbury, Head-Chef at the Whitchurch based hotel.

Dave, an educational welfare officer for Halton Borough Council, cooked his lamb casserole, winning a professional cookery pot and a complimentary weekend for two at the Hill Valley Hotel. Dave, 52, will also have his dish showcased at the Chester Food and Drink Festival at Chester Racecourse on Monday April 13, from 11am to noon. Runners-up were gardener Steve Beech, 48, of No Man’s Heath, Malpas, with his hash lemon gherkin dish, which included local lamb, vegetables and red wine and Darren Chard, 29, a soldier at Chester’s Dale Barracks, who cooked chicken supreme. Steve Beech’s son, Daniel, won the under-16 Junior Chef competition at last year’s Chester Food and Drink Festival.

Kate Halewood, General Manager for The Macdonald Hill Valley Hotel, Golf & Spa, said:

“These are three talented chefs, but Dave’s dish stood out. This competition highlights the passion Macdonald Hotels puts into their cuisine. Macdonald Hotels believes in sourcing the best produce available, including outdoor reared animals, such as corn fed chickens and organic food and vegetables. Coffee used is Fair Trade and milk is organic. We are delighted to be taking part in the Chester Food and Drink Festival for the second time and pleased that this has become such a successful event.”

The dishes could not take any longer than 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook, using just one pot and competitors could not work as a chef in a professional capacity.

The Chester Food and Drink Festival 2009 runs from April 4 to 18, with the Taste Festival at Chester Racecourse from April 11 to April 13 and fringe events happening around the city.

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CAPTION: (left to right) Darren Chard, Jane Casson of Made in Cheshire and Reaseheath College, Winner of the One Pot Cook Off 2009, Dave Purcell, Head-Chef at the Macdonald Hill Valley Hotel Golf and Spa, Mark Astbury, Bhupinder Virdee-Lace, winner of the 2008 One Pot Cook Off and Steve Beech.

Notes to editor:
The Macdonald Hill Valley Hotel, Golf and Spa is set in peaceful private grounds just 20 miles from Chester and Shrewsbury and under an hour from Manchester and Liverpool airports.

Well-known as one of the Top 10 golf venues in the UK, Hill Valley boasts two 18-hole golf courses, a brand new luxury Spa and health club and conference facilities for up to 300. With 81 individual bedroom experiences, every care has been taken to provide modern luxury facilities.

Macdonald Hotels & Resorts Limited operates 48 well-located hotels across the UK and ten resorts throughout the UK and Spain. The company employs over 4,400 staff and operates in excess of 3900 rooms.

First established in 1990 by Donald Macdonald and colleagues, the company was floated in 1996 on the main London Stock Exchange. In 2003, it returned to private ownership and was one of Scotland’s biggest public to private deals at a cost of £620m, which was wholly underwritten by the Bank of Scotland. The Bank now owns 50% of the equity with the remainder held by the management.

The Group’s focus is on developing its strong portfolio of four and five star hotels, with each offering its own character and individuality underpinned with the quality and attention to detail expected of the Macdonald brand. In particular, the company prides itself on the seasonality and provenance of its food within the hotels, from breakfast through to dinner, as well as its wide range of specially selected wines.

The Group has recently embarked on a programme of investment and refurbishment that includes properties such as Macdonald Blossoms in Chester, Macdonald Old England in Windermere and Compleat Angler in Marlow. In addition, the Group recently opened the Macdonald Portal Hotel Spa and Golf in Cheshire in July and the Macdonald Manchester Hotel, situated in the heart of the city centre, adjacent to Piccadilly Station in October 2007.

For more details visit: www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/hillvalley/

Macdonald Hill Valley Hotel, Golf and Spa Contact: Lynn Hunter, Communications Manager
Mob: 07944 722631
Tel: 01506 815246
MACDONALD HOTELS
Email: lynn.hunter@macdonald-hotels.co.uk
Press Contacts: Phil Brotherhood Mob: 07884 493370
Tel: 01244 330000
MARKETING PROJECTS
Email: info@marketingprojects.co.uk

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