My dish won the Great British Menu, now let me cook up a storm for you
A North Lincolnshire chef has won a television cooking competition, despite almost being denied the chance to cook in the final.
Winteringham Fields chef and owner Colin McGurran, 35, entered the Great British Menu contest last year, to test his skills.
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Colin McGurran, head chef and owner of Winteringham Fields with the winning dish.
The competition saw 24 of the finest chefs in the country battle in eight regional heats for the opportunity to create a four course Olympic menu.
The winning menu was then served at a prestigious event at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, hosted by Sir Steve Redgrave.
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Colin said: "I did not get off to a good start in the regions but I worked hard and eventually finished top of the North East round."
Colin went through to the national finals, facing seven other chefs in front of five-and-a-half million television viewers.
But in a twist to the programme, only some chefs were allowed to cook in the final.
Judges told Colin he could only cook his starter if he made changes to it.
Colin said: "I spent a whole week experimenting with different flavours and testing them out on customers and my family to try and get the dish perfect."
He added three new elements to the dish – a crunchy pastry, black garlic and a miso glaze.
The judges agreed the changes were for the best and it made the dish unrecognisable.
Colin said: "It was very daunting being up against some of the best chefs in the country.
"There was good banter between us all and a mutual respect.
"But there were a lot of egos in the room.
"Because this was the first time I had been in the competition, I felt a bit on the side lines and a bit out of it.
"I was seen as the underdog as nobody had seen my food before.
"I think I took them all by surprise when I started scoring well for my dishes.
"Everybody kept calling me a dark horse."
The judges decided Colin's starter, Quail in the Woods, was the best starter for the Olympic banquet.
Colin said: "Cooking at the banquet was surreal and I was under a lot of pressure.
"I had some great feedback and it was amazing speaking to people like Dame Kelly Holmes about my cooking.
"She loved the dish and many other athletes congratulated me on my dish, which was amazing."
Comments
by gordonio
Thursday, June 14 2012, 10:07AM
“Well done Colin, a lot of hard work but it's paid off big style. I have to say nowadays it all seems to be about presentation, i.e. art on a plate. If my father had come home from a long, hard day at the steelworks and was presented with this for his evening meal, I think my mother would have been wearing it!”
by AnonTaxPayer
Thursday, June 14 2012, 9:43AM
“Enjoyed the programme but my word, yes, there were some big ego's.”