Spirit of creation

Pioneering vodka maker Absolut has asked chefs to "enter new territory" by creating recipes based on Absolut Vodka.

Designed to "encourage creativity among up and coming chefs", the scheme has the backing of the big boys - Alastair Little, Antony Worrall Thompson, Bruno Loubet, Gordon Ramsay and Simon Hopkinson - who are applauding Absolut's culinary initiative as "stimulating and encouraging excellence within the industry".

Using any of the Absolut Vodka variants, entrants may devise any dish that fires their imagination - appetiser, main or dessert. The only criterion is that the recipes must contain Absolut vodka.

The Absolut Challenge closes on 31 January 1996, and the winner will receive £3,000 to go towards continued training and/or education.

For further information on the challenge, contact Felicity Carlin at Food Matters, tel: 0171-371 6466.