The chef team at Warwickshire’s Heritage Motor Centre have been crowned Britain’s Best Brigade in a public vote to find the UK’s hardest working kitchen.
The catering team at the private hire, fine dining conference centre and museum, saw off seven other regional finalists after almost 1000 votes were cast in Essential Cuisine’s nationwide competition.
After an initial paper judging stage, the teams were tasked with creating short videos to encapsulate the sense of camaraderie, teamwork and cooking prowess within the kitchen walls. Proudly representing the Midlands, The Heritage Motor Centre brigade channelled the spirit of The Italian Job and TV’s ‘The A-Team’ to create a memorable short film that has been viewed over 550 times since its May launch.
The win sees the team scoop the title of Britain’s best plus £1000 and an exclusive menu development masterclass with a leading UK chef.
Heritage Motor Centre Head Chef, Paul Kelly, who submitted the original entry, had this to say on the win: “We’re over the moon. I’m proud to have a really close-knit, passionate brigade who enjoy cooking together and working for each other – hopefully that showed in our video entry. After making the video, we just tried to get the message out to as many people as we could that we were representing the Midlands – the response was just phenomenal.”
Paul revealed that the team are planning to use part of the £1000 for a brigade dinner, while the remainder will be donated to charity.
Nigel Crane, Managing Director for Essential Cuisine, said: “Congratulations to the brigade at the Heritage Motor Centre for proving they really are the A-Team when it comes to pulling together and turning out plates to be proud of. Their video encapsulated everything that is great about working in a kitchen: reward, dedication to the cause and passion for perfection, all delivered with a hefty slice of good humour – they rightly deserve to be known as Britain’s best.
The seven runners-up in Britain’s Best Brigades will receive £300 towards a team-building night on the tiles.
The finalists in full:
English Midlands
The Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, Warwickshire
Home to the world’s largest collection of British vehicles, this private hire, fine dining destination has a team used to catering for anything from 20-seater VIP dinners to 500 strong gala celebrations.
Greater London
Just Hospitality, London
A 17-strong contract caterer with a highly sociable team serving a number of the capital’s most prestigious and creative hubs.
South East
Oakley Hall Hotel, Oakley, Basingstoke
A multi-national brigade serving the hotel’s 2 AA rosette fine dining restaurant, bringing menu ideas from across the globe and translating them into dishes made using highly local British produce.
South West
The Kingham Plough, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
A multi award-winning pub with an intensely hard working brigade that delivers an exciting modern British menu, leaning heavily on quality and locality.
North East
Jamie’s Italian, York
The York arm of Jamie Oliver’s highly successful, casual Italian empire has at its heart a nine-strong brigade smashing 800 covers per day with a fresh menu featuring over 80 dishes.
North West & Northern Ireland
The Mere Resort, Knutsford, Cheshire
This hotel, spa and golfing resort has three, 2 AA rosette restaurants manned by a large-scale brigade creating over 10,000 meals per month.
Wales
Cibo @ St David’s Walk, Mold, Flintshire
An award winning Flintshire bistro boasting a locally sourced menu created by a tireless kitchen team.
Scotland
Edinburgh Airport Hilton Hotel, Edinburgh
A modern venue with a classic menu, the hotel catering team boasts a number of long-serving kitchen stalwarts at its heart.
