Any Michelin-starred chef who enters Great British Menu probably feels the need to prove themselves; after all, the competition provides them with a platform to show why they represent the pinnacle of the industry. However, few will have been more determined than Alchemilla’s Alex Bond to get a course to the banquet this year. After failing to make it to the finals on his debut in 2020, the chef didn’t have to think twice about returning: ‘It was an easy decision to come back,’ he says. ‘It was never going to just end there last year. I had a point to prove.’ His decision to try again ended up being a very sensible one, as not only did he go one step further this year and make it to the final, but his starter has earnt a place at the prestigious banquet.
The Nottingham-based chef clearly learnt a lot from his experience the previous year and used that to his advantage. This showed in the regionals, where Alex achieved two eights, a nine and a ten from veteran judge Simon Rogan, who praised him for his bold flavours and strong links to the brief. ‘I think I felt much more confident in my understanding of the process this year, in terms of how long it takes to film and how little time you have to cook.’ That didn’t stop this year’s brief from being tricky to tackle, however. ‘Initially, I was very excited about the brief,’ Alex explains. ‘My mind leapt to inventions, science museums and props, but when it came to tying the ideas to dishes and actually showing the inspiration on the plate, it was a lot trickier. I definitely think last year was easier brief-wise.’
The link to the brief was certainly clear for all to see in Alex’s winning starter ‘The Founding Father’, which was inspired by Robert Edwards, a pioneer of IVF. The idea for this dish emerged after conversations the chef had with his restaurant manager, whose son was born through IVF. ‘It’s just such a life-changing thing,’ says Alex. ‘I felt like with some actual thought and delicacy, we could celebrate it beautifully. I didn’t want to use syringes or all the horrible sorts of things that jump to mind. I wanted to do it with real integrity.’