Two Borough Chefs take part in Great British Menu Season 16
18th March 2021
Copyright - Belfast Live, Great British Menu 2021 - Meet the 4 Northern Irish chefs taking part in this year's show by Peter McGoran: Full article can be found at Belfast Live website.
Culinary show Great British Menu is set to return to our screens this March, with its sixteenth series bringing more unique cooking, baking and food-making our way. This year’s roster of chefs spans the whole spectrum, from chefs that have already reached the heights of Michelin stardom to up-and-coming stars of the future. It also features a number of chefs from each region of the UK, including Northern Ireland. The theme for this series is inventors and invention.
This season will feature four Northern Irish chefs from across the country, who will be battling it out against each other to earn a place in the final, two of whom are from Ards and North Down.
28-year old Gemma Austin, who is originally from Carryduff, is one of them. A co-owner of Alexander's restaurant in Holywood, she has also made a name for herself for having set up her own pop-up, A Peculiar Tea.
27-year-old Andy Scollick is Bangor born and bred and the youngest competitor from Northern Ireland. Following in his father’s footsteps, Andy decided at a young age that he would train to be a chef. After a short stint at SERC studying Hospitality & Catering, Andy decided to concentrate full-time on cooking and started as a commis chef at The Salty Dog in Bangor, where he rose to the position of chef de partie. When his head chef Tim Brunton moved to take over the Boat House, Andy joined him as his sous chef. In 2019 Andy stepped up and took charge as head chef.
Having two Ards and North Down chefs selected to take part is testimony of the rich culinary scene of this region. Located just 15 minutes from Belfast City centre there it is a thriving foodie destination where local chefs and producers showcase the finest local ingredients.
The new series of Great British Menu will begin on March 24th on BBC Two at 8pm.
