The series starts tonight (31 October) and will see 110 of the UK’s top chefs competing.
The Good Food Guide has collaborated with the channel’s flagship daytime cookery show Britain’s Best Dish, which features amateurs, to create Britain’s Best Dish — The Chefs.
Pub chefs featuring in the show include Bruce Elsworth chef/director of the Angel at Hetton, North Yorkshire and Jean Philippe Bidart of the Millbrook Inn, Poole, Devon, who won the Publican’s Morning Advertiser’s Pub Chef of the Year award 2011.
The guide will publish a tie-in book called Britain’s Best Dish on 7 November (£20) featuring recipes from all 112 participating chefs, all of whom have been approved by the guide.
Featured dishes include pear & almond panna cotta with poached blackberries & nut crunch by Elsworth, apple & parsnip ‘gateau’ with candied walnuts & apple sorbet by Brittany Manning of the Red Lion, East Chisenbury, Wiltshire and Catalan fish stew with almonds and aïoli by Andres Alemany of the Purefoy Arms, Preston Candover, Hampshire.
Guide editor Elizabeth Carter and othwr team members will be involved in the judging stages of the programme. It will air over eight weeks this autumn with 40 one-hour shows presented by Mary Nightingale.
The first seven weeks follow regional heats around the country with the eighth week showing the quarter and semi finals, culminating in the final that will air on Friday 23 December.
“It’s an exciting extension to The Good Food Guide brand to be working with Britain’s Best Dish on this new show,” said Angela Newton, guide publisher. “Some fantastic chefs will be taking part and the accompanying book is set to be a real treat for amateur cooks wanting to recreate some fabulous professional dishes in the comfort of their own kitchens.”
Pub chefs competing:
Andres Alemany – Purefoy Arms, Preston Candover, Hampshire
Brittany Manning – Red Lion, East Chisenbury, Wiltshire
Bruce Elsworth - Angel Inn, Hetton, Yorkshire
Chris Gould - Hardwick, Abergavenny, Wales
Chris O’Halloran – Green Inn, Ballater, Aberdeenshire
Eddy Rains – Wheatsheaf, Combe Hay, Somerset
Frances Atkins – Yorke Inn, Ramsgill, Yorkshire
Gareth Johns – Wynnstay Arms Hotel, Machynlleth, Wales
Geoffrey Smeddle – Peat Inn, Cupar, Fife
Gwyn Roberts – Kinmel Arms, Abergele, Wales
Hefin Roberts – Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn, Beaumaris, Anglesey
Jean Philippe Bidart - Millbrook Inn, Kingsbridge, Devon
Jim Key – Church Green, Lymm, Cheshire
Jonathan Taylor – Pot Kiln, Frilsham, Berkshire
Jonny Davidson – Bay Tree, Holywood, N Ireland
Kevin Harris – Seagrave Arms, Weston Subedge, Gloustershire
Maciej Bilewski – Anchor Inn, Sutton Gault, Cambridgeshire
Matthew Mason – Jack in the Green, Rockbeare, Devon
Paul Bloxham – Tilbury, Datchworth, Herts
Ross Pike – British Larder, Woodbridge, Suffolk
Sean Le Roux – Five Horseshoes, Maidensgrove, Oxon
Tony Parkin – Wig & Pen, Sheffield