Great British Menu returns - Old Royal Naval College

Great British Menu returns with an Olympic Feast for 2012
Great British Menu returns to BBC Two in spring 2012 for a seventh
series - The Olympic Feast. This year’s challenge is to create a groundbreaking
menu fit for Olympic heroes; celebrating the arrival of the
London 2012 Olympics and demonstrating the extraordinary Olympian
heights the talented chefs can reach.
Twenty-four of the finest chefs in the country will compete in eight regional heats for the
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a world-beating four course menu at a prestigious
event at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. British Olympic legend Sir Steve
Redgrave will host the gala event with a glittering guest list of British sporting greats.
Three chefs from each region and nations will compete against each other preparing a
four course meal fit for an Olympian to secure a place in the national finals. The eight
regional winners will then battle it out to prepare one of the four courses of The Olympic
Feast.
In an added dimension for 2012, the chefs will also meet with British Olympians past and
present during the regional heats to share valuable lessons on how to succeed and strive
for perfection in their chosen field - and of course to cook for them! The featured
Olympians include four-time rowing gold medallist Sir Matthew Pinsent, world record
holding Paralympic discus thrower Daniel Greaves, London 2012 triathlon medal hopefuls
Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, gold medal-winning swimmer Duncan Goodhew,
European, Commonwealth and World Champion hurdler Dai Greene, British boxing silver
medallist Amir Khan, cycling gold medallist Geraint Thomas, Olympic diver Nick Robinson-
Baker, British javelin legend Steve Backley and Olympic gold medallist and Chair of the
London 2012 Organising Committee (Locog) Lord Sebastian Coe.
Prue Leith, Oliver Peyton and Matthew Fort return to judge the chefs’ culinary expertise,
assisted by regional judges and Great British Menu veterans Tom Kerridge, Nigel
Haworth, Jeremy Lee, Marcus Wareing, Glyn Purnell, Richard Corrigan, Angela Harnett
and Jason Atherton.
Great British Menu: The Olympic Feast is produced by Optomen Television for BBC Two.
Lindsay Bradbury, Executive Editor, BBC Daytime, says: “Great British Menu has secured
the biggest names in the British culinary world. Be prepared for an Olympian roller coaster
of a ride and ground breaking dishes which takes food to giddy new heights.”
Nicola Moody, Director of Factual Programmes, Optomen TV, says: “First class chefs and
Olympic athletes have lots in common. Olympians push every boundary of their sport to
become winners and chefs work just as hard at their art and are no less determined. Every
chef competing in Great British Menu wants to win and cooking a dish at the final banquet.
Doing so will be their Gold Medal.”
For all BBC Olympic related programming, news, general information visit bbc.co.uk/2012.
For more information please contact: Dominic Lobley, Publicist BBC London 2012
dominic.lobley@bbc.co.uk , 07714 957275

Notes to Editors
Regional Heats & Judges
South West Judged by Tom Kerridge
Paul Ainsworth Paul Ainsworth at Number Six, Padstow
Nathan Outlaw St Enodoc Hotel, Cornwall
Simon Hulstone The Elephant, Torquay
North East Judged by Nigel Haworth
Stephanie Moon Rudding Park, Harrogate
Colin McGurran Winteringham Fields, Scunthorpe
Charlie Larkin The Marquis, Kent
Scotland Judged by Jeremy Lee
Alan Murchison L’Ortolan
Mark Greenaway, Restaurant Mark Greenaway, No12 Picardy Place, Edinburgh
Colin Buchan York and Albany, London
North West Judged by Marcus Wareing
Johnnie Mountain The Atrium, Westminster
Aiden Byrne The Church Green, Cheshire
Simon Rogan L’Enclume, Cumbria
Central Judged by Glyn Purnell
Aktar Islam Lasan, Birmingham
Daniel Clifford Midsummer House, Cambridge
Paul Foster Tuddenham Mill, Suffolk
Northern Ireland Judged by Richard Corrigan
Chris Bell Galgorm resort, Ballymena (previously at The Longridge)
Chris Fearon Deanes at Queens, Belfast
Niall McKenna James St South, Belfast
Wales Judged by Angela Hartnett
Richard Davies The Manor House
James Sommerin The Crown at Whitebrook
Stephen Terry The Hardwick, Wales
London / South-East Judged by Jason Atherton
Graham Garrett The West House, Kent
Marcus McGuiness Hibiscus, London
Phil Howard The Square, London