Over eight weeks twenty four of the finest chefs in the country including many chefs from Great British Chefs site are competing in regional heats for the opportunity to create a four course menu for the D Day special banquet.
We're delighted to see Adam Simmonds making a welcome return to the show. He missed out on representing his region last year, so will be hoping his experience will give him a head start against the two newcomers to the show.
Adam has worked his way from a pot washer at a pub in Leighton Buzzard to top London hotels The Ritz, The Halkin and The Lanesborough before joining Marco Pierre White at Les Saveurs in London and then moving to Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, under the tutelage of Raymond Blanc. The revered chef made a lasting impression on Adam as when asked what his influences are, he said, ‘Raymond Blanc, and the seasons’.
Simmonds achieved his first Michelin star at Ynyshir Hall in Wales in 2006 before moving on to establish Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House as one of the country's finest restaurants, with a Michelin star, 4 AA rosettes and an 8/10 in the Good Food Guide (placing it at No.12 in the publication's list of top 50 restaurants for 2012); the Guide tipped Simmonds as one of its Chefs to Watch for this decade.
He is currently planning his own restaurant in London. For the brief on Great British Menu Adam's dishes play homage to the troops, significant wartime figures and those valiant members on the those on the home front.
The first of two newcomers to the show this week is Adam Byatt. Born in Essex, the son of a chef, Adam was brought up to value food and work hard. At 16, he won an apprentice chef placement at Claridge’s where – ever the grafter – he continued training whilst studying at Bournemouth’s ACA.
After a period at the Berkeley Hotel, Adam began a prosperous tenure with ‘chef’s chef’ Philip Howard at The Square. But it was Thyme, which Adam opened in 2001 in Clapham, south-west London, that gave him the kudos he deserved. After winning numerous awards, including Time Out's Restaurant of the Year 2003 and Winning the Remy Restaurant Awards 2004, his reputation was cast as one of London's most talented chefs.