Cal Byerley, chef and co-owner of Michelin-starred Restaurant Pine in Northumberland, is set to appear on Great British Menu for a second time – with Solstice’s Scott John-Hodgson and two of Yorkshire’s best chefs also competing for a spot in finals week.
Cal is one of four chefs representing the North East of England in the regional heats – alongside Newcastle-based Scott John-Hodgson, head chef of Solstice; Samira Effa, head chef of EightyEight at Grantley Hall in Ripon; and Adam Degg, head chef of Horto Restaurant in Harrogate.
The North East heats begin on January 23, with three episodes set to be broadcast on BBC Two at 8pm during the week. All episodes will also be available on the BBC iPlayer.
This year’s theme is celebrating Britain’s success in the Olympics and Paralympics, with the final banquet set for an event hosted by the British ambassador to France for Team GB ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris.
Cal said: “I was pretty gutted at just missing out on securing a place for the regional cook offs for the banquet last year, which is why I took a bit of time to think about things. There wasn’t much in it, but on reflection there were a couple of things I could have done better, as a result here I am ready to give it another go. This year’s theme is pretty epic, so we’ll just have to see where I end up as I’m competing against some of the UK’s best chefs.”
