The sommelier and chef team from luxury hotel and spa Chewton Glen in New Milton, Hampshire, has won the Academy of Food & Wine's (AFW) inaugural Gastronomy Team of the Year competition.
Head sommelier Alan Holmes and junior sous chef Nick Hewitt beat four other teams to win the title of the competition, which has been designed to encourage kitchen and service professionals to work together more closely.
The final, which took place at London's Westminster Kingsway College on Monday (27 July), included a team from the Andaz Hotel in London, who came in second place, as well as teams from Bovey Castle in Dartmoor, the East India Club in London, and the George Hotel & Brasserie in Buckden, Cambridgeshire.
Teams were asked to create, cook and serve a two-course menu using Parma ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese as ingredients matched with Burgundy wines, Port and Douro Valley wines - all part of the Discover the Origin PDO (protected designation of origin) campaign, which sponsored the competition.
Sophie Roberts-Brown, executive director of AFW, said: "With every restaurant operation currently under pressure to retain customers and maintain sales it's becoming more vital that front-of-house and the kitchen have a thorough understanding of each other's departments in order to ensure customers receive the best service possible."
As the winners, the Chewton Glen team receives a 10-day trip courtesy of Discover the Origin to Burgundy, Parma and the Douro Valley.
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By Kerstin Kühn
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