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The Great British Menu returns for its seventh series, “The Olympic Feast” next week. The series will follow the same format as last year with three chefs from each region competing weekly to get their starter, fish course, main course or dessert selected to appear on the menu at an end of series banquet.

We spoke to judge Oliver Peyton to find out a little more about this years competition.

What do you think makes the Great British menu such a popular show?

What is brilliant about Great British Menu is that it is not about chefs who used to be on TV, chefs cooking Turbot in a classical way or terrines of foie gras; we are so far away from that.

It brings a lot of things to the fore – restaurants, chefs, suppliers, customers – and it all sort of gels. I think this competition has really helped define British cooking and a new generation of chefs.

How do you think this year’s show compares to last year?

I think it’s getting better and better. This year in particular I really felt that the chefs had lost the shackles of foreign influence. Genuinely for the first time I felt a sense of true independent thinking from the chefs in the competition. I think that it is a big turning point in British cookery because it means we can say there is now a modern indigenous cooking culture in the country which I didn’t see in previous competitions.

Something else that is really prevalent is healthy gastronomy – that is to say food that is not just based on butter and cream, or heavy eating. You can eat the food in this year’s competition without feeling you need to bring along your donor card.

Also, the type of ingredients chefs are choosing this year are perhaps not the kind of ingredients you’d expect to see – they are choosing the right ingredients rather than just choosing them because of the expense.

Do you think the show is representative of restaurants in the UK at the moment?

It is the tip of the iceberg. I feel over the next few years we have chefs in their early 20’s coming through and you are going to see a whole plethora of very interesting restaurants opening up. We’re the most creative country in the world – and when that translates in to food that’s great.

There is a generation of people becoming chefs who are doing it because they feel a genuine need and urge to be a chef – to express themselves through their cooking.

I think you have to go an awful long way to eat better than you do in Britain now, and I think that’s why this year’s show has been so great.

Some of last years chefs seemed to struggle a bit with the brief, did the looser brief this year help?

I got really excited by the sense of freedom I was getting from the chefs. For example, Phil Howard’s cooking in this competition – Philip you would describe as one of the old masters of classical British cooking in this country, and in this show you get a real sense of freedom from him. He was invigorated by working with the younger chefs, as if he’d thought “hang on I might have to get out of bed to win this”. I’m being facetious – but he did get out of bed and the results were amazing.

Do any dishes from last years show still stick in your mind?

Yes they do – but I’m not going to tell you which ones… But there are three dishes in this years competition which were moments in time where I thought ‘wow’ – those dishes were close to religious experiences.

Seven restaurants have been awarded three Rosettes by the AA today – marking them as “outstanding restaurants that achieve standards that demand national recognition well beyond their local area”.

In London, two restaurants received the award – contemporary Chinese restaurant, Hakkasan Mayfair has added to their recently awarded Michelin star and Simon Rogan’s two year pop-up Roganic has won it’s head chef, and rising star, Ben Spalding his first major award.

Outside the capital, another up and coming chef to receive the accolade is Paul Foster, winner of the 2011 Observer Food Monthly Awards “Young chef of the year”, at Suffolk hotel and restaurant Tuddenham Mill. The other hotel restaurants receiving the award this year are Gravetye Manor in East Grinstead, The Eighty Eight Room at Cotsworld 88 hotel and Derbyshire country hotel East Lodge who have moved up from two Rosettes to three.

One restaurant in Scotland was awarded three Rosettes – Mark Greenaway at No 12 Picardy Place - which only opened in early 2011.

AA Hotel Services manager Simon Numphud said “We are delighted to recognise seven new establishments with the achievement of three AA Rosettes. All have demonstrated a high level of consistency and accuracy in the overall cooking standards that our inspection team have experienced… I am delighted that these very deserving restaurants have been acknowledged for their efforts.”

The Wirral saw the opening of Brooklyn’s Restaurant at Marine Point on 2nd December. Owned by US-born restaurateur Keith Gurney, owner of the Tavern Co. Restaurants in nearby Liverpool, this New York themed restaurant provides diners with a real opportunity to take a small bite out of the Big Apple. As one would expect there is plenty of choice on the American inspired menu with pasta, pizza, a selection of grills and steaks as well as twelve different burgers. An alternative menu available between midday and 6pm also provides a choice of sandwiches and a range of “light bites”. Based at the Marine Point leisure development in New Brighton the restaurant overlooks the Marine Lake giving diners a feast for their eyes as well as their stomachs. Diners in other parts of the country may also get to experience Brooklyn’s as Keith is anticipating to turn it into a chain of restaurants.

Located on the first floor of the N20 building, N20 Restaurant & Bar describes itself as “a chic and exquisitely prepared dining experience”. Opened on 5th December by a trio of entrepreneurs, this venue is split into two main areas. Diners seeking modern European and British cuisine are able to select dishes such as goat’s cheese and beetroot ‘galette’ (£8), pressed chicken and duck terrine (£9) and assiette of duck (£21) from the a la carte menu, which also boasts a selection of 19 British cheeses for diners to create their own cheeseboards. The restaurant has a standard tasting menu (£75 per person) as well as seasonal Christmas and New Year menus (ranging between £40 and £95). Additionally private dining facilities for up to 300 people are offered. For a post-dinner drink head to the cocktail bar where you can choose to have it long, crushed, frozen, martini, or non alcoholic.

Spanish chef Jose Pizarro launched Pizarro, on London’s Bermondsey Street on 5th December. This follows the resounding success of José, a tapas and sherry bar opened earlier this year and located on the same street. The restaurant was opened with an aim to serve more substantial dishes in a more formal environment; however the dishes can still be shared between diners. Chef José finds inspiration from locally sourced ingredients, as well as traditional Spanish foodstuffs and his roots, and this is reflected throughout the menu. There are private dining facilities for 12 people, and the main restaurant seats up to 40 people with a no reservations policy in place. However, for those who just require a snack or less formal menu, small tapas dishes are also served at the front of the restaurant along a bar.

The Delaunay, launched on 5th December, is the long anticipated follow up to The Wolseley. On the corner of Aldwych and Drury Lane, this all day restaurant seats up to 150 people and is a short walk from Covent Garden. Arriving at The Delaunay first thing you can choose from a full English breakfast; freshly made pastries; a vast range of eggs as well as a more continental menu, served until 11.30am. Brunch is available on weekends and combines classic breakfast dishes with a full lunch menu. An all day a la carte menu is also available and serves modern European classics including a range of wieners, schnitzels, entrees such as Chucroute a l’Alsacienne (£16), Spatchcock Poussin (£14.25) and a “plat du jour” priced at £18.50 is served every day of the week. The Counter, a more casual way of dining with eat in and take out options available, will be opening soon.

Harrogate’s Empire Theatre has been given a new lease of life as Nick Rahman opened Cardamom Black on 1st December following extensive refurbishment. Nick is owner and manager of the restaurant and has brought his wealth of experience of Kashmiri restaurants into the business, resulting in an establishment serving high-end South Asian cuisine. As well as a main dining area offering dishes made from locally sourced ingredients, there is also an iced fish bar displaying fresh seafood available for consumption and a separate area dedicated to serving dishes from a grazing menu. Whilst diners feast on the restaurant’s edible offerings they can also feast their eyes and ears on the live entertainment, taking place on selected evenings on the grand stage area.

This week saw the much anticipated opening of Russell Norman’s latest eatery, Mishkin’s – described by the restaurateur as “a kind of Jewish deli with cocktails”. Group head chef Tom Oldroyd has created a menu reminiscent of the Jewish owned cafés of East London and delis found in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The menu is split in to four sections – sandwiches, meatballs, all day brunch and all day supper – along with a selection of sides, salads and puddings. Already receiving praise are the meatloaf which conceals a runny-yoked egg, the Reuben sandwich and cod cheek popcorn. Unlike other restaurants in the group, Mishkin’s accepts bookings.

Further south, Ed Wilson and Oli Barker (behind Terrirors and Brawn) have opened a third bar and restaurant, Soif in Battersea. Soif follows a similar format to the duo’s previous openings with a daily changing menu of small plates alongside a selection of carefully sourced charcuterie. There is a 150-bin wine list with a heavy bias towards natural wines. A fourth restaurant in the group is expected to open at St. Martin’s in early 2012.

Also in London, 34 restaurant – the latest offering from Caprice Holdings (Le Caprice, Scott’s and The Ivy amongst others) opened on Grosvenor Square. The menu here focuses on steaks – with rare-breed meat being brought in from across the UK and as far afield as Argentina and Australia. The kitchen will be lead by head chef Paul Brown who has worked with Caprice Holdings for many years. There is a sizeable wine list of around 130 bottles with a around a fifth of them being available by the glass.

Today also sees the opening of the country’s biggest restaurant, the 1000 seat “all you can eat” buffet restaurant, Za Za Bazaar in Bristol. The restaurant features six counters serving food from around the world, with every continent represented on the menus. Prices vary according to the time of the visit but are between £7 (weekday lunchtimes) and £16 (weekend evenings). The owners plan to open another seven of the “super restaurants” across the UK in the next 18 months.

This week has been a busy week for celebrity-owned restaurant openings; usually surrounded by hype and publicity – but some of this week’s were decidedly mute with no opening date announced in advance.

The Westbury Hotel’s restaurant, formerly Artisan, reopened on Saturday as Alyn Williams at the Westbury. The 45 cover restaurant serves a menu inspired by contemporary French cuisine, cooked using British ingredients. It is the chef’s first restaurant with his own name above the door, having previously been head chef at the two Michelin starred Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley.

Across town, the first of Jamie Oliver’s Union Jacks restaurants opened quietly in the new Central St Giles development on Wednesday. The new chain is a collaboration with American chef Chris Bianco, and serves the pairs’ own take on pizza – flatbreads topped with British sourced ingredients baked in a wood-fired oven. Puddings are inspired by British classics, with arctic roll and sticky treacle tart alongside some out of the ordinary ice cream flavours such as “bramble ripple eton mess” and “snickers bar”.

In Kent, Chef Omar Allibhoy had continued his mission to bring “proper Spanish food to the UK” with a second branch of Tapas Revolution opening in the Bluewater Shopping Centre just a year after their first at the Westfield shopping centre. The restaurant features an open plan kitchen surrounded by a 30 meter long pewter bar which allows diners to watch as the chefs preparing the food. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

On Monday, Australian chef Bill Granger, who moved to London in 2009 opened his first UK restaurant. Granger & Co. on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill is the sixth restaurant for the self taught chef (with three each in Australia and Japan) and comes following a long search for as suitable UK site. In keeping with his cafés abroad, Granger and Co. will provide an informal setting for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Despite the opening not being announced, locals were quick to discover the café and Granger was left seeking additional waiters by the end of the week to keep up with demand.

Further south, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall opened River Cottage Canteen and Deli in Plymouth on Tuesday. The restaurant is situated in a Grade I listed former brewhouse, itself converted from naval use. Head chef Joe Draper will stay true to the River Cottage way by creating a menu from seasonal, locally sourced produce, taking advantage restaurant’s coastal location to incorporate plenty of seafood in the menus. As well as the restaurant, a deli area will offer a selection of locally grown and produced food for customers to take home.

Opening soon

Caprice Holdings latest opening,  34 on Grosvenor Square will open on the 24th. The menu will centre around steaks, cooked on the kitchen’s custom-made parrilla grill and will also feature fish and game.

Details are also starting to emerge for The Delaunay, the latest London opening from Rex Restaurant’s team Chris Corbin and Jeremy King. The Delaunay will follow a similar format to the pair’s Picadilly restaurant The Wolseley with a menu “inspired by the great cafés of Europe”.

Outside London, Sheffield pub The Millhouses has also been developed after closing earlier this year. It will reopen serving a locally sourced menu alongside cask ales and fine wines on November 24th.

Mishkin’s in Covent Garden opens for previews from Friday 25th November.

Johnnie Mountain, competitor in the North West heat of Great British Menu 2011 and owner of The English Pig in Farringdon, presented his second solo venture to the public on 7th November 2011. The Atrium, once owned by Antony Worrall Thompson, has undergone major renovation this year though the establishment’s name has been retained. The restaurant is split into two separate dining areas with a central kitchen area where Johnnie and his team can see and be seen. The main atrium is occupied by a fine dining restaurant offering a set two course lunchtime menu priced at £25, and a four course dinner menu at £40. Meanwhile a bar and brasserie serving lighter dishes including soups, burgers, pastas and salads is also open to diners in a separate area.

Also in London, MEATLiquor opened its doors on 7th November, four days ahead of schedule. The West End site is the first permanent (and stationary) venue for The Meatwagon team and follows the resounding successes of #meateasy, a pop up restaurant in New Cross, and a mobile burger van visiting popular haunts in south east London. The American-themed menu is largely based on the burgers which made chef, Yianni Papoutsis, so popular in previous ventures. There is also a selection of other dishes including dirty fried chicken, kurrywurst and devilled eggs. Of course, cocktail experts and previous collaborators Soul Shakers also remain to provide customers with a post-dinner cocktail from their unique drinks menu.

Anthony’s Restaurant Ltd already has three Leeds based establishments under their belt. However endless planning recently came to fruition and there is now a fourth restaurant in town in the shape of Rib Shakk. Located in Leeds Corn Exchange, Rib Shakk opened at 11:11am on 11th November (a combination of numbers considered extremely lucky by some). American head chef Billy Bob and his team are responsible for creating food suitable to be served in the pit style barbecue surroundings. Diners can choose from four mopping sauces to go alongside their beef or pork ribs. Burgers are served containing meat taken straight from the rib, and the combo platters allow the opportunity for diners to sample various offerings on the menu. To spice up your dinner experience (in more ways than one) Rib Shakk also offers the “Wall of Flames” challenge.

Opening soon

Mishkin’s, self-described as “a kind of jewish deli with cocktails” is due to open in London’s west end at the end of November. This will be the fifth London based restaurant venture for Russell Norman and Richard Beatty. You can follow the restaurant’s progress on Twitter @MishkinsWC2. Meanwhile, Australian chef Bill Granger will be making his UK debut in West London’s Notting Hill later this month. The restaurant, rumoured to be called “Granger & Co”, is expected to have a similar format to that of his existing Mediterranean and Asian restaurants in Australia and Japan.

The Michelin Guide 2012 has been released today, listing all the star-holding restaurants in the UK which have increased from 143 in 2011 to 153 for 2012. The Michelin Guide reserves its three stars for those restaurants deemed “exceptional and worth making a special journey for.” As in 2011, no restaurants were given this accolade in the 2012 guide. However there have been a number of movers and shakers elsewhere.

Two restaurants were promoted from one to two stars, highlighting them as “worth a detour”. Restaurant Sat Bains gained their second star after celebrating the twelfth anniversary of the restaurant’s opening the day before. The Nottingham restaurant offers a choice of tasting menus. These include a unique opportunity for diners to have a personalised ten course tasting menu prepared for them by restaurant chefs based on ingredients selected from a list provided by the restaurant. Tom Kerridge’s Marlow pub The Hand & Flowers has become the first pub to receive two Michelin stars, seven years after opening and six after the pub received its first star. The chef, who now boasts the world’s only two Michelin starred fish & chips, enjoyed a surge in interest at the start of the year when his dish of roast hog with salt baked potatoes and apple sauce received praise from the judges on BBC2 show The Great British Menu. The dish now features on the menu at The Hand and Flowers.

In London, new openings Dinner By Heston and Pollen Street Social were awarded their first star along with North Road and Hakkasan, Mayfair. This joins the company of the group’s Hakkasan, Hanway Place restaurant which already holds a single star.

However, it was outside London where Michelin awarded most of their new stars. Seven establishments in the rest of England received a star, including The Curlew Restaurant in Bodiam, East Sussex, meaning that the county now boasts two Michelin starred restaurants. Three Scotland-based restaurants received their first star, including Edinburgh’s Castle Terrace and Martin Wishart at Loch Lomand. One restaurant in Wales also joined the Michelin elite, bringing the number of single star holding restaurants in the country to four.

The number of pubs holding a single star now totals thirteen following a further three awards this year. These include the York-based Black Swan at Oldstead which has been run by its current Yorkshire born and bred team for five years. Critically acclaimed The Sir Charles Napier in Chinnor, Oxon is another winner, and the small, two room public house and restaurant The Butchers Arms in Eldersfield, Gloucester is the third victor.

The 2012 Michelin Guide also lists restaurants which have dropped stars. These include London based Pied a Terre and Tom Aikens which both reverted back to one star from their former two. The guide also dropped their “rising star” category, which has previously recognised restaurants with the potential of going onto win stars in future years.

The 100th Guide Michelin Great Britain and Ireland 2012 can be bought here

This weekend, Leeds city centre hosts it’s sixth Leeds Loves Food festival celebrating food producers – and of course restaurants from Leeds and the surrounding areas.

This year’s is the biggest so far with demonstrations, stalls and other events in the Corn Exchange, Kirkgate Markets, The Merrion Centre, Victoria Quarter and many others. Millennium Square is hosting the main “Yorkshire Food and Drink” event, with a marketplace with over 100 stalls featuring local producers and restaurants from around Leeds. The event is free to attend and is open from 11 – 6 each day.

There are over 20 Leeds restaurants taking part.
 
Continue reading “Leeds Loves Food 2011″ …

The Restaurant Inspector begins tonight at 10pm on Channel 5. Following on from the success of The Hotel inspector, the series will follow a similar format with Fernando Peire, who is Director at world famous London restaurant The Ivy – a restaurant renowned for it’s good service – visiting six ailing restaurants and aiming to turn around their fortunes.

For more details and to view the trailer, click the ‘continue reading’ link below.

Continue reading “The Restaurant Inspector (Series 1)” …

Popular BBC Two show The Great British Menu returns on April 4th for it’s sixth series. This year, taking inspiration from The Big Lunch, the chefs will be asked to cook sharing platters to encourage people to come together and eat. Each week, regular judges Matthew Fort, Oliver Peyton and Prue Leith will be joined by a previous winner to help judge the heat.

Great British Menu Judges - Oliver Peyton, Prue Leith and Matthew Fort

Continue reading “The Great British Menu 2011″ …