Wallington helps provide the right mix of ingredients for BBC Daytime’s Great British Menu

30th March 2010

TOP North East chef Kenny Atkinson is set to begin his latest TV battle against two Yorkshire culinary rivals to cook a meal fit for our future king.

And the 34-year-old will be championing top quality local ingredients from the National Trust’s Wallington estate in the heart of Northumberland as he fights for the honour to cook at a glittering banquet hosted by Prince Charles.

Kenny is hoping to be one of eight regional chefs to win through to the final round of this year’s Great British Menu, which begins its latest run on BBC Two Daytime on April 6.

This is the second time Kenny has appeared in the Great British Menu.

Last year the culinary genius who has just opened his own restaurant at the new luxury Rockcliffe Hotel near Darlington, County Durham, beat off tough competition from other rising UK chefs – including fellow North Eastener Ian Matfin -  to be on the final menu at a banquet for our troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

This year Kenny’s regional rivals will be Yorkshiremen Tim Bilton of the Butcher’s Arms at Hepworth near Holmfirth and Lee Bennett of London’s acclaimed Le Pont de la Tour.

All 24 chefs taking part in the 45 episode series have been charged with unearthing the very finest produce from the farms, gardens and neighbourhoods surrounding their local National Trust house or countryside location.

Kenny, who came to national attention after winning the Scilly Isles their first Michelin star in 2008 before moving to the White Room at Seaham Hall in County Durham and clinching another within months of taking over the reins, will be using rabbit and venison from the Wallington estate at Cambo as well as fresh produce from the property’s farm shop.

After putting their culinary skills to the test in the kitchen, each chef will be judged daily by a former Great British Menu champion.

But in a new twist, the chef with the least number of points on Thursday will be eliminated from the competition, with only two going through to the Friday cook-off for the Great British Menu judges, food experts Matthew Fort, Prue Leith and Oliver Peyton,

Then the eight regional winning chefs will compete in the final round to create a magnificent British meal the judges consider fitting for the finale banquet attended by long time local and seasonal food advocate Prince Charles, who will be joined by the Duchess of Cornwell as well as some of the nation’s finest local producers.

With over 200,000 hectares of farmland, the National Trust and National Trust for Scotland are the UK’s biggest farmers – providing access to a wealth of delicious local ingredients from growers, farmers and other producers linked to the estates.

Andrea Wealleans, Wallington farm shop manager, said: “We’re delighted that so many of our tenant farmers and other producers who often supply our own restaurants have been able to take part in the Great British Menu series.

“Many of the houses and countryside places we look after have historic links to food production stretching back many hundreds of years.

“It’s wonderful to see sustainable, locally-produced quality food being championed by programmes like Great British Menu, and also to see it increasingly becoming available and sought out by growing numbers of people throughout the country.”

Gary Broadhurst, Executive Producer at programme makers, Optomen, added: “This year’s series will be really exciting.  The added challenge of each chef having a National Trust property as a starting point for inspiration for their dishes, really forces them to step outside their comfort zone.

“They’ve had to unearth new suppliers and pull on all their creative talent to deliver a menu that is a true celebration of the very best local ingredients.  With three chefs battling it out for each region, the pressure is on and they are all determined to win and get a dish through to the final banquet.”