On the 27th June 2013 The Freemasons of Wiswell and The Spiced Pear of Hepworth are hosting the inaugural “War of the Roses” dinner.
Steve Smith of Freemason’s Wiswell and Tim Bilton of The Spiced Pear Hepworth and their respective teams have come up with the idea of hosting an evening of fun, entertainment and great food, called the “War of the Roses dinner”.
Based on the wars fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York for the throne of England, the two establishments have seen the historical event as the perfect opportunity to show off the two great regions and with a real sense of fun as the underlying theme.
The menu will be themed accordingly and showcase the best produce of both Yorkshire and Lancashire, with the tickets selling at £60 per head or £90 with a wine package included.
The diners will have a selection of six courses prepared by both chefs to taste, but will not be aware of where the course originated from. They must then decide which they prefer and where the ingredients come from.
At the end of the evening, both chefs will unveil their menu and the votes counted, giving the winner of the War of the Roses.
This would be the inaugural “War of the Roses” at Freemasons, but it has been designed with the long term in mind and both Steve and Tim are determined to establish it as a real destination event within the culinary calendar.
Tim said: “I have been involved in the BBC’s Great British Menu for a number of years, so am very used to friendly chef competition. Whether it’s Round Green Farm Venison, Yummy Yorkshire ice-cream or game from the Hepworth shoot, everything at The Spiced Pear ““ down to the pickles, chutneys and balsamic reduction ““ is local: with a capital L! I have known of Steve and Freemasons for a while and in the same way, I know his food will represent everything great with Lancashire.
Steve comments: ‘This is a huge honour to get Tim Bilton of The Spiced Pear Hepworth to come to the Freemasons. It is an event I have wanted to host for a while, but needed someone who was on the same page as me with regard to proudly sourcing local produce. Tim is a fantastic chef, as many of you will have seen from the Great British Menu and the War of the Roses dinner promises great food in a fun and entertaining format.”
Fast gaining a reputation as one of the best gastro pubs in the country, Steve’s third AA rosette comes hot on the heels of Bob Granleese’s excellent review of Freemasons’ in The Guardian, calling the food ‘…thoughtful, generous ““ and all too rare.’**