Spoiler alert: This article mentions dishes created in tonight’s heat of Great British Menu
Two Lake District chefs are competing in the new series of Great British Menu, which has started on BBC Two tonight.
Paul Leonard, of Forest Side in Grasmere and Jack Bond, of Cottage in the Wood in Whinlatter, near Keswick, are vying against two other chefs in the North West heats of the prestigious competition.
Also competing are Daniel Heffy from NORD in Liverpool and Exose Grant, of Exose at Home in Manchester, for the chance to show off their skills during finals week and ultimately cook at a banquet for Britain’s movie industry.
Tonight, Tuesday February 24, the chefs created canapes, starters and a fish course.
Tomorrow, Wednesday February 25, they will show off their main courses and desserts.
Spoiler alert – we spoke to Paul, who joined Forest Side seven years ago, about his dishes tonight and the inspiration behind them.
Canapé: Potato Rösti, Beef Tartare, Smoked Bone Marrow, Oscietra Caviar
What is your inspiration for this dish?
For me, a canapé should be a single, impactful bite that delivers maximum flavour and excitement.
With this dish I wanted to combine strong Cumbrian provenance with a sense of indulgence and decadence.
It is about that contrast between the humble potato and luxurious caviar and bone marrow, creating something that feels both grounded and celebratory.
Where are the ingredients from?
Provenance is key to this bite. The beef is sourced from Lakeland, reflecting the exceptional quality of meat we have on our doorstep.
The Oscietra caviar comes from King’s Caviar, while the oxalis and garden cresses are picked fresh from our kitchen garden at Forest Side.
Wherever possible we have rooted the dish in ingredients that reflect our region and our own growing.
How long did it take you to perfect the dish?
This is something we have been carefully refining over the past couple of months in the restaurant.
Like many of our snacks at Forest Side, it continues to evolve as we make small adjustments to sharpen the balance and clarity of flavour, so it benefits from constant attention rather than a single moment of completion.
Starter: Cracking Cabbage Gromit
What is your inspiration for this dish?
The dish is inspired by Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, particularly the Giant Vegetable Competition at Tottington Hall.
I loved the humour of it, and there’s a strong vegetable focus in the film, which naturally fits my produce-led style of cooking.
It also celebrates Nick Park, the creator of Wallace and Gromit, who was born in Preston. The dish is very much a tribute to great British animation and great British vegetables.
Where are the ingredients from?
The dish is deeply rooted in Cumbria. The hispi cabbage and brassicas come directly from our kitchen garden at Forest Side.
The seaweed used in the stock is hand-foraged from the Cumbrian coastline by our team.
The ancient grains are sourced from a respected local baker who grows, harvests and mills their own grain here in the county.
We also use pickled walnuts foraged from the woodland around the restaurant in 2021, alongside garden herbs and alliums, so it really reflects the landscape around us.
How long did it take you to perfect the dish?
This was a complex dish with lots of moving parts, and it went through several iterations.
I got it to a stage I was really pleased with for the competition, but it is the kind of plate that always invites further refinement.
Given more time there are always small details you would continue to polish, which is very much the nature of this style of cooking.
Fish: I’m Glad You Didn’t Bring a Sardine
What is your inspiration for this dish?
This dish is inspired by Ulverston’s Stan Laurel and a scene from the 1935 film Bonnie Scotland, where Stan famously cooks fish over a candle using bed springs as a grill.
I loved the theatricality and humour of that moment. The title references a line from the scene, and the dish is my way of celebrating one of Cumbria’s most iconic film figures through something that still feels true to my cooking style.
Where are the ingredients from?
As with all my cooking, the focus is firmly on exceptional local produce. The Morecambe Bay shrimp form the backbone of the sauce and are lightly smoked to deepen flavour.
Many of the coastal herbs and sea vegetables are foraged from the Cumbrian shoreline by our team, while the greens and herbs are picked fresh from the Forest Side garden.
The girolles are carefully sourced seasonally and the dish is tied together with seaweed elements that reflect our proximity to the coast.
How long did it take you to perfect the dish?
This dish developed organically through testing and refinement in the lead-up to the competition.
With something as delicate as Dover sole, it is about repeated small adjustments to texture, balance and sauce depth.
By the time we went into the kitchen I felt it was in a strong place while still leaving room for the kind of ongoing tweaks that naturally happen with precise, produce-led cooking.
Tomorrow, Paul will explain the inspiration behind his main course and dessert.
One of the four chefs will leave the competition tomorrow night – and the final three will go forward to the judging stage, which will be broadcast on Thursday.
The first episode is available on the iPlayer.
