This week it is the heats for the north east of England region. Competing for top spot are Danny Parker, head chef at Michelin-starred House of Tides in Newcastle, who is back to try his luck in the competition again after being knocked out in the regional heat last year following a tense tie-break.
He is taking on two newcomers – Dan Fletcher, protege of Phil Howard, and now head chef at Fenchurch in the City of London, and David Coulson, who runs Peace and Loaf in Newcastle, which boasts 2 AA rosettes.
Great British Menu episode 1 2018
After nerves are set on edge when they meet their surprise veteran judge, the chefs get their starters underway. Danny’s dish ‘My NHS: North Teas’ takes inspiration from the comfort provided at his local hospital with a restorative cup of tea, but can he elevate his humble set of ingredients? Dan too has been inspired by tea but is attempting to bring together the flavours of thirty different ingredients. David’s hoping his offal starter ‘I Signed Up Today, It Takes Two Minutes,’ will be a fitting tribute to the NHS’s life-saving organ donation scheme.
