Great British Menu 2021: Central heat preview

Sabrina is back for a third crack at the competition. After being runner-up for the Central region three years ago, this time she is determined to go all the way. Whilst studying for a degree in Fashion PR, Wolverhampton-born Sabrina worked part-time in a café. After the chef there injured himself, she volunteered to finish the service and has never looked back. Despite having no formal training Sabrina has worked in the Dorchester and was twice a Roux Scholarship finalist in 2014 and 2015. She’s now executive chef at all-women’s member’s club The AllBright, which has outposts in London’s Mayfair, Fitzrovia and in West Hollywood Los Angeles.

Combining the eclectic flavours of her Punjabi heritage, British upbringing and her love of classical French and Italian influences, Sabrina’s menu celebrates her region’s most well-known scientists and inventions dear to her heart.

Lincolnshire-born Shannon is a newcomer to the competition who has trained under some of the best female chefs in the UK. The 27-year old worked for three years at Murano under Great British Menu veteran Angela Hartnett, training up in modern Italian cuisine. She then became head chef at Hicce in Coal Drops Yard, London, for Pip Lacey, who was starter course Banquet winner four years ago. Shannon oversees a modern British menu with a focus on woodfired cooking and has helped maintain Hicce’s Michelin plate rating.

Shannon’s culinary style is influenced by her travels as well as the restaurants where she’s worked. For the competition she’s drawing on her modern British style to celebrate significant women in science including Rosalind Franklin and her significant contribution to the molecular structure of DNA.

Staffordshire-born Stuart is new to the Great British Menu kitchen and, as chef patron of his own establishment, he’s fighting fit for the competition. 37-year old Stuart has worked under some of the biggest names in the industry. After a working-stage under Gary Rhodes at City Rhodes, he worked with Michael Caines at Gidleigh Park for over four years and then went onto Gordon Ramsay at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay for a year before being part of the brigade that helped set up Gordon’s New York restaurants, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Maze, where he became Gordon’s head chef.

He returned to the UK as Michael Caines’ executive chef for the Abode Hotel in Cheshire and then moved to Doha, Qatar to work on various restaurant concepts before returning back to the UK in 2017 to open his own restaurant – Docket No 33 in the market town of Whitchurch, Shropshire.

Stuart’s style of food is modern British using the best regional produce. His menu for the competition celebrates a broad range of scientific innovators from Stephen Hawking to Edgar Hooley, the man who invented tarmac.