We are very excited to be featured in the latest edition of Cheshire Living magazine! The fantastic article highlights the incredible efforts of group executive chef Jamie Leon to showcase the best of Cheshire’s seasonal produce in our latest menu.
You may remember our Bronze win in the “Best Use of Local Produce” category in the 2019 Taste Cheshire Awards… read on below to find out what our talented kitchen team have been up to since then!
We have reproduced the article in Cheshire Living, written by Michelle Owen, below. You can read the original in their e-magazine here.
From great customer service to good, honest wholesome food and stunning views of Beeston Castle and the Cheshire Plains, The Pheasant Inn has it all to offer,” muses Jamie Leon, the newly-appointed executive chef of The Nelson Group, who own the pub. “Everything on our menu is either locally sourced or freshly-made in house, including our bread and pies.”
The Pheasant Inn is celebrating, having won a bronze award in the Best Use of Local Produce in a Menu category at the recent Taste Cheshire Awards. It’s an accolade that Jamie is keen to build upon as he feels his way into his new role.
“I’m in the process of sourcing local Cheshire pork as part of ongoing conversations about our meat supply,” he explains. “Our beef variety is changing to 28-day dry-aged Hereford bred. Cut into fillet and ribeye steaks, it’ll be chargrilled to enhance the flavour. I’ve also got my sights on watercress from Wirral, local heritage tomatoes and fresh English asparagus.
“Local provenance is hugely important to us. All our cheeses come from within a 30-mile radius – including British cow’s milk cheese Blue Monday; Collier’s Welsh Cheddar; and Burt’s Blue, which is an awardwinning handcrafted cheese from Knutsford. We also use real dairy ice cream from Cheshire Farm, just down the road from us.”
Living up to its name, The Pheasant Inn is busily gearing up for game season, with Jamie hoping to introduce a seasonal Game Dish of the Week. He is also keen to serve up sensational dishes for vegetarian and vegan diners – drawing on his formative experiences working with previous employers The Know Group.“There’s definitely an increase in demand for vegetarian and vegan options and I am excited to rise to that challenge,” he enthuses. “Coming into summer, one of our lighter options will be a spring sweet pea and charred English asparagus risotto with fresh burrata cheese and garden mint.
“Living in the Instagram age, presentation is more important than ever, so I want to offer dishes that look as good as they taste.” Prior to his time with The Know Group, Jamie worked at an executive level alongside celebrity chef Simon Rimmer at Mission Mars. He was also executive chef at Rowton Hall Hotel and Spa in Chester, where he catered for more than 120 weddings a year alongside the fine dining rosetted restaurant.
“Rowton Hall had its own gardener who would grow fresh produce for a ‘garden to plate’ concept – everything from beetroot and artichokes to potatoes and all the herbs you can imagine,” recalls Jamie. “Establishing our own herb garden is something I am keen to do at The Pheasant Inn.”
Belonging to The Nelson Group, The Pheasant Inn’s ‘sister venues’ include The Grosvenor Pulford Hotel & Spa, with its recently launched Palm Court Restaurant, Bar and Piano Lounge; The Bear’s Paw in the village of Warmingham; and The Fishpool Inn in Delamere. “I see my role as looking to maintain the quality we have already achieved and to increase it,” says Jamie. “As a Group, we want to grow to other sites, but do it sustainably.”
For now, Jamie’s attention is firmly on the task in hand, working alongside general manager Chris Duxbury at The Pheasant Inn, which has been rewarded for its quality with an AA Rosette and listings in both the Michelin Good Pub and Egon Ronay guides. “The bar features four real ales that have been recognised for their well-kept quality by the Campaign for Real Ales,” says Chris. “We also have a fantastic wine list featuring wines from around the world by renowned producers. With 12 en suite rooms on site, you can turn your dining experience into an overnight stay. Having used our fantastic location near the Sandstone Trail as a base to explore Burwardsley and the surrounding villages, you can then come back to us for a meal made from the best seasonal ingredients our local producers have to offer.”
