Great British Menu 2016: Wales heat preview

Chef judge Phil Howard cast his expert eye over some pretty stunning plates of food from the likes of Matt Worswick, Adam Reid and Kim Woodward in last week’s North West heat, with Adam making it through to the next round thanks to his incredible Golden Empire dessert. This week it’s Wales’ turn, with three of the country’s best chefs cooking their hearts out for our viewing pleasure. Take a look at who’ll be appearing in the kitchen for round four.

Phil has been working with famed chef Jason Atherton for years, helping him open six different restaurants including Gordon Ramsay’s Maze, winning a Michelin star in the process. Now he’s executive chef of Berners Tavern in London, serving modern British dishes throughout the day.

With a classical cooking style, we’re looking forward to seeing how Phil adds all the pomp and theatre that seems to accompany every dish on Great British Menu. He appeared on last year’s series, and will be looking to improve his scores and hopefully go through to the final.

After training under Stephen Terry at the Michelin-starred The Hardwick and Lisa Allen at Northcote, Adam decided to open his own restaurant with fellow chef Chris Harris in 2014. Slice quickly became one of the most popular venues in Swansea, earning mentions in the Michelin Guide and Good Food Guide.

Adam was crowned Welsh champion in last year’s Great British Menu, beating Phil in the process, so we’ll be expecting some rivalry between the two.

Originally from Swansea, Andrew has spent his life working in kitchens across the UK – including York, the Isles of Scilly and Hampshire (where he was senior sous at the Michelin-starred Montague Arms) – but has now found a home in the foodie town of Ludlow, Shropshire, where he heads up the kitchen at Fishmore Hall. He’s no stranger to awards, winning Welsh Chef of the Year in 2004, Young Chef Apprentice of Europe in 2005 and reaching the finals of the Roux Scholarship in 2006 earlier on in his career, and will be looking to prove he’s still at the top of his game in the Great British Menu kitchen.