The Elm Tree: Carving a niche for fine dining

Despite being sneered at by food critics, a carvery is still the first choice of many looking for a hot lunch. But all carveries are not the same, with quality and the menus on offer varying hugely.

Some pubs and hotels dole out little more than dried up meat while others really try to take an inventive twist on home cooked favourites.

And so the Great Carvery of the Year 2014 is hoping to separate the wheat from the chaff with its annual awards programme, the shortlist of which has just been announced.