Two chefs from Dundee and Angus will appear on TV screens across the UK as stars of next week’s Great British Menu show.
Dundee-born Adam Handling, who returns to the BBC Two programme for a third time, is hoping to take home the crown after missing out in the banquet finale last year.
He is joined by newcomer Mark McCabe who hails from Tannadice, just 20 miles north of Dundee and who is the head chef and owner of green Michelin recognised restaurant, The Ethicurean, in Somerset.
The duo will be joined by two other chefs in the Scottish heat which airs from Tuesday February 28 at 8pm.
They will have to battle between themselves in the kitchen to be in with a chance of making it to the final banquet cookoff.
The other Scottish chefs taking part include Aberdeen’s Kevin Dalgleish of Amuse and Nigerian-born Tunde “Abi” Abifarin, head chef at Farin Road in Edinburgh.
The competition will be judged by the same panel last year including Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge, restaurateur Nisha Katona and comedian Ed Gamble. A guest judge will join them each week. Andi Oliver will return as the show’s host.
Three’s a charm for Adam Handling
Adam is no stranger to the TV cooking competition and is ready to take on the 18th series. All he has to do to to be crowned the winner is beat the other three Scottish contestants and the eight regional champions.
The Dundonian started his career at the age of 16 and now has his own restaurant group. He’s cooked in top kitchens across the UK and achieved a Michelin star for his venue, Frog by Adam Handling, in London in 2022.
Sustainable British luxury is the ethos to Adam’s approach to food and he has even cooked for G7 Summit leaders when they were at the Carbis Bay Resort in Cornwall in 2021.
He started at The Gleneagles Hotel and during his early career he won several major awards including Scottish Chef of the Year and British Culinary Federation’s Chef of the Year.
To nod to this year’s theme, which highlights British animation and illustration from cartoons and comic books to video games, he has chosen Wind in the Willows, written by Edinburgh-born Kenneth Grahame, for inspiration for his menu.
Mark’s Great British Menu debut
Mark, who went to school in Kirriemuir where J M Barrie was born, is taking inspiration from illustrated works of Peter Pan for his menu to celebrate the author who holds a special place in his heart.
This is Mark’s first time in the TV kitchen and he says he was first inspired to get into cooking by his mum, who had previously owned a restaurant. Throughout his childhood Mark was always cooking or foraging for ingredients.
He has previously worked at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage before owning his own restaurant The Ethicurean in Somerset. Local produce and sustainability are at the forefront of Mark’s food having garnered a green Michelin star whilst leading the kitchen.
Who are the other chefs?
Kevin Dalgleish hails from Hawick but has called Aberdeen home for more than a decade.
He opened his first restaurant Amuse by Kevin Dalgleish just seven months ago and has already achieved a listing in the Michelin Guide.
Prior to opening his own venue in the Granite City he worked as the executive chef at The Chester Hotel in Aberdeen. There he helped create The Signature fine dining festival and hosted the likes of Phil Howard, Daniel Clifford, Roy Bret, Glynn Purnell and Richard Corrigan.
Kevin’s first venture into the GBM kitchen sees him cooking dishes based on Scottish comic strip Oor Wullie.
Nigerian born Abi has been living in the UK for the last 20 years and has been cooking since college, developing his craft at some of the best restaurants in Edinburgh. They include The Pompadour, Gordon Ramsay’s Restaurant, and 5-star hotels – Balmoral and Waldorf Astoria.
Whilst working in these kitchens he advocated for the propagation of African cuisine by adding native ingredients to many of his menus.
Staying true to his roots, Abi is prepared to bring something new and different to the Great British Menu kitchen with his African influence and big personality taking inspiration from Scottish cartoon Meow! In his menu.
The Great British Menu will be on BBC Two at 8pm on Tuesday February 28, Wednesday March 1 and Thursday March 2.
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