Attwell to serve up a storm on Great British Menu

A Cavan chef is hoping to serve up a storm on the upcoming series of hit BBC show 'Great British Menu', when chefs from across the UK vie to cook at a banquet celebrating 140 years of the famous Wimbledon tennis tournament.

'Last year I was a bit of a rabbit in the headlights. This year I was a bit more readied for what it’s all about,' admits Armagh-native Eddie 'Ed' Attwell, head chef at St Kyrans Hotel and Restaurant near Virginia.
Formerly of Derry's Ardtara Country House and one of the star attractions at Taste of Cavan 2016, Eddie will face off against Tommy Heaney (The Great House, South Wales) and Netherlands-born Joery Castel (Spahyre, Belfast).
By his own admission, last series Eddie found it difficult against two giants of the game in Chris McGowan (Wine & Brine, Co Armagh) and Mark Abbott (Midsummer House, Cambridge), as he tried to impress for a place to cook at the 90th birthday banquet for Queen Elizabeth.
But amid the pressure, there were many positive signs from Eddie's cooking, with his invention on Starter and Main, separately utilising pig's head and venison, coming in for high praise.
'I know myself that last year wasn't a true reflection of what I'm capable of doing. I think they all knew that. So I was disappointed, yes,' Eddie tells The Anglo-Celt. 'Not to play on anything from last year, when they asked me what my theme was I told them 'Redemption'. I think that raised a few smiles,' he laughs.
Another year wise, each evening Eddie would turn off all the ovens to stave off the proverbial heat in the kitchen. The other element he was better equipped to cope with this time out was the narrative being spun by producers on show.
'You can hear them talking to the other guys, 'oh how's Eddie getting on there, ask him how's he getting on?' and then the focus is switched back on you. So I was more ready for that. The first year I was more worried about saying anything, which is not like me, whereas this time I was more up for the banter. If anything I had to bite my tongue a bit.'
Eddie, who is famed for his foraging forays and skill in crafting unique and delicious fine dining dishes, is bound to keep any outcome from GBM tightly under wraps.
Filmed earlier this year, the Northern Ireland competition will be broadcast last of the regional heats, with the first starting on May 1, BBC Two, at 7pm.
Sue Barker, Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski and Judy Murray have signed up to guest judge on GBM. Mansour Bahrami, known as tennis’s greatest entertainer will be on hand for the Northern Irish finale.
Whatever the outcome, Eddie tells the Celt that he and his fellow competitors hope to bring a little flavour of Centre Court back to Cavan and their respective restaurants.
'It’s a wee bit of craic and it’s great publicity for the province and for ourselves here at St Kyrans. It’s been a great year, with restaurant awards and all the rest,' says Eddie.
'There's a great buzz around the place and it'll be good maybe to bring an element of the show to the restaurant as well. That was one of the things all three of us said, I mean we don't get paid for doing GBM, so we might do a pop-up at each other's place.
It’s early days yet, we haven't quite figured the scenario but something is definitely on the cards,' he adds.