Meet the Great British Menu 2014 contestants for the North East; Colin McGurran, Paul Welburn and Frances Atkins.
Colin McGurran
Colin McGurran
Colin was born in Zambia to Irish and Scottish parents. His career has taken him around the world starting at Bournemouth College where he studied at catering, then on to the two Michelin-starred Domaines Haut de Loire in Onzain, France. He then went on to become banqueting manager at Rotana Hotels in Abhu Dhabi for the UAE Royal family.
The high standards imposed upon him in his career have definitely rubbed off on him. In 2001 he headed to West Yorkshire and took over The Woodpack Country Inn with his sister Alison.
Then in 2006 he bought Winteringham Fields with his wife Bex, who runs the small holdings farm onsite that supplies the restaurant with vegetables eggs and lamb. The restaurant currently holds five AA stars and three AA rosettes.
He earned Great British Menu success in 2012 with his famous dish ‘Quail in the Woods’, with which he was able to showcase his hard learned individual style, that combines his love of nature with his desire to innovate.
Frances Atkins
Frances Atkins
Frances and her husband, Bill, have co-owned The Yorke Arms near Harrogate for almost two decades. She started her first kitchen job at the Michelin-starred Box Tree in her native Ilkley. There she rose to the challenge of a male-dominated kitchen, and from there came stints at Dalhouse Castle, and Tate & Lyle.
A ten year hiatus followed at the insistence of her first husband, but when the pair split in 1984 she set up her own catering company, which afforded her enough to buy her first restaurant. At this time she would visit her mentor Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir whom she calls a great influence.
Frances and The Yorke Arms have gained many accolades including a Michelin star since 2003, Good Food Guides Restaurant of the Year 2008/9, Yorkshire Life Restaurant of the year 2012/13, and came in at number 3 in The Sunday Times Top 100 Restaurant 2013. She brings a no fuss feminine expertise to her kitchen.
Her dishes are uncomplicated but show her keen understanding of textures, flavours and her ingredients.
Paul Welburn
Paul Welburn
Paul was born in Scarborough where he attended the near-by catering college. He then moved to London and The Star Inn before continuing on to Rhodes in the Square under Michael James and Gary Rhodes.
He was then offered a job on a private yacht in Cannes where he worked for 6months, and felt that being able to flex his wings out of the cramped London kitchens, it gave him a whole new perspective on food. He returned to London where he was part of the original Gherkin team under Brian Hughson.
He then helped to open Rhodes W1 as sous chef, helping the restaurant gain its first Michelin star within months. He took over from Rhodes himself and retained the star as head chef for 5 years. Last year Searcys, the company behind Gherkin, won the contract for the restaurant of the newly refurbished Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Paul leads the kitchen of the Centenary Bar & Brasserie, which caters to theatre goers and diners of Birmingham.
The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.
Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.
A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.
Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.
