Great British Menu 2010

[david goodfellow]

Anybody have a line up for this years competition yet?

Its rumoured Lisa Allen (Northcote Manor) is among the chefs.

Lisa cooked Nigels 2009 GBM dishes for us last year and we had a really good chat with her after the meal.

She is really sweet and totally unassuming.Hope she is appearing.

We enjoyed our chat that much I drove off without paying

Being well on our way home I pulled in to apologise and paid by credit card.

Must be an age thing.

[marc at fraiche]

hi david yes lisa is on this years, along with aiden again,another new face is aled williams from bodegroes and i hear richard davies is in the welsh side from bybrook restaurant.

[david goodfellow]

hi david yes lisa is on this years, along with aiden again,another new face is aled williams from bodegroes and i hear richard davies is in the welsh side from bybrook restaurant.

Thanks Marc,

Good to see some fresh faces on their.Hope Lisa does well for the laydees.

I know your a fan of Plas Bodegroes good to see Aled Williams in the flesh so to speak.

Rumour has it you were offered a spot? And you turned it down????

[nikkib]

I'm pretty sure lee bennet from pont de la tour is doing it, a great young talent.

Edited January 17, 2010 by nikkib (log)

[david goodfellow]

I'm pretty sure lee bennet from pont de la tour is doing it, a great young talent.

He is indeed, great pedigree, and eighty nine hours a week smacks of obsessive dedication

http://www.london-eating.co.uk/newsletter/2008/june/pont%20de%20la%20tour.asp

Edited January 17, 2010 by david goodfellow (log)

[Paul]

For the Welsh region James Sommerin has been selected again. along with Aled Williams from Plas Bodegras. and apparently the Head chef from Manor House. (He gained a star in last years michelin guide and retained it this year). i have been told its between 3 people and gets judged down to two. does anyone know about this? cheers paul

Edited January 18, 2010 by Paul (log)

[PhilD]

For the Welsh region James Sommerin has been selected again. along with Aled Williams from Plas Bodegras. and apparently the Head chef from Manor House. (He gained a star in last years michelin guide and retained it this year). i have been told its between 3 people and gets judged down to two. does anyone know about this? cheers paul

Didn't they do this a couple of years ago. Matthew Norman ate at each restaurant and then eliminated one/two chefs (IIRC they went from four to two) I quite liked it because you saw them in situ. It also prompted us to go and try the local ones that didn't get in, i.e. Bell's Diner in Bristol.

[John Ferris]

Paul I've spoken to Danny Millar about it a few times and yes, there's a shortlist in essence where they whittle it down to two chefs for the show. Danny tells me he's not doing it this time around (he opened his second place two months ago). Nathan Outlaw, when I interviewed him in November did sound like he was going to be on again (though he refused to confirm or deny at the time).

[david goodfellow]

I heard a whisper Paul Kitching (21212) was representing the North East with perhaps also Kenny Atkinson and a n other.

A call to Paul confirmed that he had "politely turned down Matthew Fort" as it was not for him.

Shame that.

Kenny returned my call only to say that he could not give me any personal info as no contracts for any of the N East chefs had (as far as he knew) been confirmed.

The format is indeed three chefs voted down to two after five days.

Nigel Haworth is rumoured to be one of the mentors

Catch up with Kenny at his new place

http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2009/11/10/330841/michelin-starred-chef-kenny-atkinson-to-move-to-rockliffe-hall-next.html

[david goodfellow]

I can confirm that Glyn Purnell is appearing again, however he is not cooking this time, he is one of the mentors.

Can't get any information yet about the chefs, as I understand the contracts have a clause forbidding disclosure.

Watch this space

[Polarbear]

Rumour has it for the Midlands.

Head Chef from Galtons Morston Hall.

Will Holland.

The Culinary bad boy otherwise known as Daniel Clifford.

Just a hunch mind...

[david goodfellow]

Rumored on another site.

"Anthony Demetre, Tristan Welch, and Tom Kerridge are competing with Jason Atherton acting as judge"

Any truth in this Mr B?

[Polarbear]

I couldn't possibly comment, but if I was a betting man!!!!!!!!!

P.S just heard on the Bush telegraph a certain Young Chef has won Central. A Will somebody from Shropshire, anyone heard of him.?....

Edited February 11, 2010 by Polarbear (log)

[david goodfellow]

Any info on any of the other guys who are taking part?

Any new kids on the block?

[PhilD]

From Catersearch

London region

Tom Kerridge, The Hand & Flowers, Marlow

Anthony Demetre, Arbutus, London

Tristan Welch, Lauceston Place, London

Judge: Jason Atherton, Maze, London

Central region

Daniel Clifford, Midsummer House, Cambridge

Will Holland, La Becasse, Shropshire

Richard Bramble, Morston Hall, Norfolk

Judge: Glynn Purnell, Purnell's, Birmingham

NE region

Kenny Atkinson, Rockliffe Hall, Darlington

Lee Bennett, Le Pont de la Tour, London

Tim Bilton, Butchers Arms Hepworth, Yorkshire

Judge: Nigel Haworth, Northcote, Lancashire

Scotland

Alan Murchison, Paris House, Woburn

Tony Singh, Oloroso, Edinburgh

Michael Smith, The Three Chimneys, Isle of Skye

Judge: Jeremy Lee

Wales

James Sommerin, The Crown at Whitebrook, Monmouthshire

Aled Williams, Plas Bodegroes, Gwynedd

Richard Davies, Bybrook Restaurant, Manor House Hotel, Wiltshire

Judge: Stephen Terry, The Hardwick, Abergavenny

NW Region

Aiden Byrne, The Church Green, Lymm

Lisa Allen, Northcote, Lancashire

Johnnie Mountain, Mosaica Restaurant at the Factory, London

Judge: Marcus Wareing, Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, London

SW region

Nathan Outlaw, Nathan Outlaw Seafood and Grill at St Enodoc Hotel in Rock

Chef 2: TBC

Chef 3: TBC

Northern Ireland

Sorry, once again, no info on this as yet!

[david goodfellow]

Thanks Phil, there are a few names on there that I have not heard of, am really looking forward as always to seeing this series,especially the new guys.

[John Ferris]

I've heard that Niall McKenna of James Street South and Brian McCann of Shu are the two Northern Ireland entries.

[david goodfellow]

Well, its starting next week on BBC2.

Get your kilts on lads and lassies its the Scottish heat to kick off with.

I just can't wait for this to start

[Harters]

Anything that takes my mind off the dreary repetitive nonsense that is currently Masterchef is fine with me.

[Harters]

Off to a reasonably good start, I reckon.

[david goodfellow]

Some of the dishes were really very simple.

Still, serving them up to one hundred guests is no easy task, so simple perhaps needs to be the way forward.

The pie was ill conceived and by the sounds of it not at all up to the mark.

Alan Murchison is such a shy retiring type of guy is he not ?

[MaLO]

The biggest problem with this show is that it is almost imposible to watch with the sound on. I cant take Jennie Bonds voice over and it was even worse when she was in the kitchen! There must be someone less iritating, or a better script writer. It makes me want to vomit.

[hot trotter]

most of the food theese guys are serving is truly shocking...Dreadfull lets hope it gets better....

[Harters]

In the sheer awfulness that has been the Masterchef commentary, I'd forgotten how deeply irritating Jenny Bond is and how much repetetive padding out GBM has. I think I may start watching just the Friday programme. Otherwise it really is 60 minutes progamming dragged out to 150.

[hot trotter]

i think im only going to bother with the thursday/friday episodes after this week. I can also safely say i wont be visiting any of the restaurants there cooking at after this poor showing.|!!