STRAIGHT FROM THE HART
For our regular look at what branded foods caterers have in their kitchens, this month we talk to Peter Miller, landlord and Tony Farmer, head chef of The White Hart Inn in the village of Ford, outside Chippenham, Wiltshire
The White Hart Inn is in the village of Ford, with 30 houses, just outside Chippenham, Wiltshire. The pub has obviously created a reputation for good food as Michael Winner, who writes "Winners' Dinners" in the Sunday Times magazine, had lunch there in the summer and an article is due to be published shortly.
Did he enjoy himself? Head chef Tony Farmer thinks so. "Apparently he was quite impressed. The Sunday Times rang to check some details, so we hope an article is published soon."
Food is served from 12 noon to 2pm and from 7pm to 9.30pm seven days a week, although the pub is closed from 3pm to 5pm.
"We attract a more mature crowd," says Peter Miller, landlord, "and not many youngsters - we hold a lot of reunions."
For Millennium night, Miller organised a party where the fee on the door was a dish - he asked the local residents to bring a dish they had made.
The pub attracts walkers, many of whom just want "a nice cup of tea". Miller finds he serves at least 40 to 50 cups of Tetley tea per day including breakfast. He says "I have always used Tetley not only because it is a branded name, but because Tetley tea bags always produce a great cup of tea."
Most of the food is home-made and Tony Farmer says he doesn't use many branded products. "I choose my brands according to the need. For example, if I'm preparing an authentic Thai meal I will use Thai jasmine rice from Western Food Brokers or West Country Foods, as it is the traditional rice from Thailand. For rice to accompany dishes like beef stroganoff or chicken curry, I use Uncle Ben's American long grain rice."
The food caters to two different sorts of customers at lunch-time and evening. At lunch-time, food is served at the bar and in the restaurant. Service must be fast as business people coming to the pub expect to be finished in 30 minutes. In the evenings, all food is served in the restaurant, with 136 covers, and everything is cooked to order from the a la carte menu. Generally, the a la carte menu changes weekly while the lunch-time menu is different everyday. "There are a few signature dishes we keep on due to popular request," says Farmer. These are: pan fried lambs kidneys with parsnips, mash, sage buttered cabbage, black pudding, mustard and capers and onion tart with gruyere cheese, roasted peppers, spinach and watercress sauce.
December, predictably was frenetically busy with lots of parties, although Farmer says the pub is just as busy at Whitsun, Easter and in August. On average, 1,200 meals are served during the week. Farmer says the record was two years ago, when they served 6,842 main courses in 24 days from 1 December to 24 December. Last Christmas it was 4,500 main meals during the same period.
For lunch-time meals, Farmer serves Macdougalls pasta, usually tagliatelle, lasagne and macaroni.
The Thai chicken curry dish served at lunch-time is very popular and Farmer buys in Nan Amjai Thai green curry paste (from Western Foods) and Condimex Ketchup Manis Japanese sweet soy sauce from West Country Fine Foods.
Farmer likes Bookers own brand extended life vegetable oil, and for salad dressings, he chooses Le Blanc peanut oil and hazelnut oil from Western Foods.
Virtually all desserts are made in-house by the pastry chef, although Farmer does buy in one dessert - Waldrons Treacle Tart from Caterfood. "
