A new series of the mouth-watering BBC show Great British Menu gets underway on Tuesday night (February 1) and will feature two Nottinghamshire chefs vying to impress.
Series 17 of the hit BBC Two culinary masterclass show begins with the Central region heats, featuring four chefs who comprise a mix of exciting new talent and popular returners.
Nottinghamshire’s Sally Abé, currently chef consultant at The Pem, her new restaurant in London, is determined to give winning a place representing her region another try.
Liam Dillon is also returning, having the only three AA rosette restaurant in his home town of Lichfield.
There are also two new chefs on the block: the executive head chef of Gordon Ramsay’s Lucky Cat in London, Cambridge-born Ben Orpwood, and Nottingham's Harvey Perttola, head chef at Restaurant Six in Trent Bridge.
Presenter Andi Oliver welcomes them to the kitchen, where the theme for this year’s competition is a celebration of 100 years of British broadcasting.
One of the four must leave the competition at the end of the episode, to be decided by this week’s veteran judge - a previous winner who remains a surprise to the chefs until the moment they walk into the kitchen to taste their first course canapes.
Harvey Perttola
Newcomer Harvey Perttola is head chef at fine dining Restaurant Six, at Trent Bridge, the elevated dining room with stunning views that was set up by another Great British Menu alumnus, Tom Sellers.
Originally from Nottingham, Harvey's career in food started at the tender age of 14 when he was an apprentice chef at Opus in Birmingham, before moving to work at Hampton Manor.
He became Birmingham’s youngest head chef at the age of 24 at Maribel Restaurant and used to run Hill 101 but since filming he has moved to Restaurant Six in West Bridgford.
Harvey describes his food as modern British cuisine combined with classic French cookery. Inspired by his Punjabi background, he likes to use spices where he can within his dishes, giving a nod to his family and Birmingham’s curry culture.
Sally Abé
The second competitor with Nottinghamshire links is Sally Abé, who was born in Mansfield.
Sally, who has appeared on Great British Menu previously, is chef consultant at The Pem Restaurant in the Conrad London Hotel in St. James’s.
After training in Sheffield, she went to work at some of London's top hotels, The Savoy and then Claridge’s before she began a formative five years under Brett Graham at two Michelin-starred The Ledbury.
Sally opened The Pem in July 2021, the restaurant name inspired by suffragette Emily Wilding Davison, whose family used the pet name ‘Pem’ for her and celebrates generations of pioneering women leading from the front.
Named SquareMeal’s Female Chef of the Year in 2021, Sally's style of cooking is British, seasonal, with a touch of elegance and a fondness for game.
Her personal menu celebrates local produce and champions some of the UK’s most iconic programmes and landmark events.
The first episode kicks off on Tuesday February 1, airing weekly Tuesday to Thursday, at 8pm on BBC Two.
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