Lancashire Lass is Great British Chef
Northcote’s Head Chef Lisa Allen, crowned the winner for HRH!
Winning the honour of cooking for The Prince of Wales in the final of this year’s BBC series, Great British Menu, is an amazing achievement. What makes it all the more remarkable is that Lisa Allen is the only Female chef to do so.
Battling against the eight regional winning chefs to create a magnificent British meal fit for a Royal banquet, Lisa was voted through the rounds by Marcus Wareing, Pru Leith, Oliver Peyton and Matthew Fort. Selected alongside Lisa were fellow winners Tom Kerridge, Kenny Atkinson and Niall McKenna. Together their dishes will provide the four course menu that will represent the great seasonal produce we have at our disposal in the UK.
The nation’s long-time advocate of local, seasonal food and President of the National Trust, The Prince of Wales, will be joined by the Duchess of Cornwall for the banquet and the guest list will comprise of the nation’s best food producers, farmers and fishermen, the people who are responsible for putting the finest local British produce on the map.
Now in its fifth series, The Great British Menu has seen some of the UK’s finest chefs compete against each other over the years. 2010 has been no different, providing the backdrop to fierce competition for those who have taken part. Lisa Allen, representing the North West is the only woman to ever win their round and progress to the final, aired on Thursday 3rd June.
Lisa was challenged to source ingredients in and around the National Trust’s Sizergh Castle. Her winning dish, to be presented at the banquet is the starter of Wild rabbit & leek turnover with piccalilli.
On hearing the news that she’d won the opportunity to cook for HRH, Lisa declared the opportunity as ‘incredible, amazing and totally mind blowing!’.At 29, Lisa is one of the youngest chefs to compete in the Great British Menu and coupled with the fact that she is the only woman to ever win, the show will undoubtedly provide the springboard for a successful 2010.
The Great British Menu has been kind to Michelin Starred Northcote, with both Head Chef Lisa Allen and Chef Patron and Managing Director Nigel Haworth being crowned winner of the North West in consecutive years. Nigel won through to the final to cook for the British Army in 2009 with his famous Lancashire Hot Pot.
“To get my dish into the final banquet is a real honour, and is something I will never forget. I need to pay respect to the producers I used and to the excellent quality of rabbit from Leven’s Hall, which had real depth of flavour – they all helped me reach my dream of getting to the final.” Lisa Allen
“What a proud moment for me and for all at Northcote, for Lisa to make the final with this cracking dish is a testament to what a great chef she has become. It was an emotional moment for me to see her go all the way in this competition.” Nigel Haworth
“Homely, elegant and sophisticated at the same time. It is really clever to pull off what is basically a sausage roll with piccalilli and make it into such a banquet dish. A dish to lift your heart.” Prue Leith
“Its absolutely delicious. The amazing thing about this dish is the rabbit is so moist. It is elegant, beautiful, satisfying – my kind of cooking. This dish can easily be made for a large number of people.” Oliver Peyton
The final banquet will be aired on Friday 4th June.
Lisa’s winning menu is available now at Northcote. Click here for more information www.northcote.com
For more information about Northcote click here www.northcote.com