THE call is out for budding chefs to dust off their pinnies and dig out their finest ingredients to represent the region in the hunt for a new national dish.

The Worcestershire and Herefordshire area is renowned for food and drink which is the envy of the rest of the UK, so those who are a dab-hand in the kitchen should not be short of inspiration for the challenge to find the next British classic.

The competition has been organised by pub-restaurant chain Brewers Fayre, and each of the submitted recipes has to use local ingredients.

Your offering could be literally brimming with mouth-watering fruit and vegetables from the fertile Vale of Evesham, which has a name for its fresh

produce.

Or it could be that you whip up a wonder with Worcestershire sauce or add a little kick to your dish with a splash of Herefordshire cider.

The culinary challenge follows the Worcester News' Save Our Sauce campaign earlier this year, which proved more than a flash in the pan, inspiring readers to send in their own recipes containing Worcestershire's world-famous Lea & Perrins sauce.

The Malvern Melt is already one of the recipes entered to represent the area and has been concocted by 55-year Malvern QinetiQ employee Jeanne Evans, from the town's Lower Chase Road.

It took her a few months to fine-tune the dish - combining local ingredients such as Worcestershire Sauce, Tew-kesbury Mustard and Hereford beef - with her 18-year-old son James.

She said: "We're very lucky because we're part of the three counties and we've got lots and lots of local produce here which some other parts of the country don't have."

The winning entries from each region will win £250 and go through to a national final, with the overall winner scooping £1,000 and the chance to work with the chain's food development team to develop the dish into the star of the 2006 Brewers Fayre menu.

The closing date for entries is Friday, July 29. You can either download an online entry form from www.brewersfayre.co.uk or telephone 0161 236 2277.

You can also send your tasty regional recipes to us for publication at the Worcester News, Hylton Road, Worcester, WR2 5JX.

MALVERN MELT

For the filling :

2tsp Worcestershire Sauce

50g Double Gloucester cheese - grated

400g Hereford beef mince

2 medium apples (when available choose from the local varieties)

Olive oil

1 onion - chopped

2 pressed garlic cloves

125g mushrooms - chopped coarsely

400g tin chopped tomatoes - drained, skins removed

Large handful of fresh parsley - chopped

Salt and black pepper

to taste

For the mystery topping

Tewkesbury mustard

200g Double Gloucester cheese - thinly sliced

100ml brown ale

method

1. Saute onions and garlic in oil until transparent

2. Add the mince and fry until brown

3. Add mushrooms, parsley, Worcestershire Sauce and tomatoes. Cook and allow to reduce for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Make topping while mince mixture is cooking:

1. Spread each cheese slice with a generous coating of mustard

2. Arrange in the bottom of a large shallow dish

3. Add enough brown ale to cover the cheese

4. Bake at 190C or mark 5 for about 10 minutes until the cheese is soft. Alternatively, heat in a microwave oven for two minutes.

5. Mix through with a fork

Assemble the dish in layers:

1. Line a buttered casserole dish with half the apple slices

2. Cover with half the mince mixture

3. Layer the remaining apples

4. Sprinkle cheese (grated) over the mixture evenly

5. Spoon on and smooth the remaining mince mixture

6. Pour the topping over the entire mixture, covering completely

7. Bake at 190C or mark 5 for 30 minutes until golden brown

Serve with asparagus from Evesham or a crisp

green salad.