in my life. Everything that I do tends to be very collaborative, but it was nice to have that outlet and competitive streak.
Were there any negative parts to being on Great British Menu?
It sounds ridiculous, but I hate staying in hotels – just staying in an anonymous hotel is just a bit shit really. You finish up and go back to your hotel room and you are just ‘uurrggghhh! – now what am I going to do?!’. Plus, it was hard to get away from the restaurant.
How did you find the criticism and being judged?
I’ve got such respect for the judges that I was just very happy to receive that and that I agreed with the critique 100% - I had no issues with being judged. Being judged by a highly-acclaimed industry leader is much more valuable and something to really listen to. It was an amazing opportunity to have frank critique from respected people. That’s a gift.
Were you more nervous about being judged by the veteran chef or the judges?
I am not a nervous person – I will just try my best and see what happens. The most nerve-wracking thing is doing it publicly and being judged by your friends and peers. That to me is the most nerve-wracking part. It’s out there, people are going to watch this and if I make a total arse of myself – everyone is going to know.
Do you have any standout memories during your time on Great British Menu?
Licking Lorna’s plate! It was just so fucking delicious!
Would you take part in Great British Menu again?
If they asked back for sure – I loved it. Part of it is the cooking and part of it is the banter. It’s great. It’s fun to be around people who are trying their best who are your colleagues in one sense and your competitors in another. Regardless of how well you do, it’s just great to be up against your peers and have something to measure yourself against. It was just a wonderful experience. You are around people who are trying so hard and putting so much effort in.
Would you encourage your peers, colleagues and chef friends to take part in a competition like Great British Menu?
Absolutely, I think it’s just a great opportunity to compete with your peers and to be judged by people that you respect and to get some exposure – definitely!
