Lincs Pride JULY 228.qxp 10/06/2021 09:40 Page 52
THE GREAT BRITISH MENU
BEST of BRITISH As Pride goes to press, the BBC’s Great British Menu chefs will be presenting their season finalé banquet, the culmination of a tireless search to find the greatest chef in the UK for 2021. Representing Lincolnshire in the North East heat of the competition was Gareth Bartram, whose day job sees him heading up the kitchen of Winteringham Fields in North Lincolnshire... IF YOU CAN’T STAND THE HEAT, as the saying goes, stay out of the kitchen. If, on the other hand, you thrive on the buzz and the creative potential that producing cuttingedge dishes provides, the ideal kitchen to be in is that of the Great British Menu... just ask Gareth Bartram. Millions of people recently tuned in to the Great British Menu to see the North Lincolnshire chef compete in the North East regional heats of the BBC show, which is in its 16th series and has screened over 540 episodes. It’s not the first time that the Rag Doll studios in Stratford-upon-Avon had seen a Lincolnshire chef walk through the doors either. Indeed, Gareth’s employer Colin McGurran of Winteringham Fields has appeared on the show in 2012, 2013 and 2014, whilst Boston-born Jason Atherton has appeared as a judge in the series, too. “I grew up in Cleethorpes and worked in a number of restaurants around the area before leaving to work in Gordon Ramsay’s Boxwood Café in 2004. I returned to the area for a bit before working in the South
West in Bath and Bristol, returning to see family and meeting my future wife Lucy in the gym.”
“There are usually six of us in the kitchen but of course Covid has caused disruption across the industry.”
“Family brought me back to the area, and back in Lincolnshire there was only really one place I wanted to work; Winteringham Fields. I realised that if I wanted to work in a fine dining kitchen, that was the time and this was the place.”
“During lockdown I was able to watch the series just as a viewer would, instead of having to binge-watch it on a Sunday afternoon. I messaged the programme and received a call from the producer who set up a sort of screen test, via Skype.”
“Before working at ‘the Fields,’ I went for a meal there and I was really impressed. I passed my CV to the owner, Colin, and went for a trial in the kitchen to meet the team.”
There are four contestants in each episode, competing in seven different regions including the North East. Participants are asked to design a menu and filming for each region begins on a Monday morning with the task of creating an amuse bouche.
“He said that he’d keep my details on file and true to form, as soon as a vacancy arose he called me. He’s a really good employer and recognises the need to ensure that his staff are happy and that they aren’t worked into the ground, which is a progressive approach for the hospitality industry.” “I usually have a Sunday off to spend time with Lucy and my two children Ivy and Frances. Colin recognises enthusiasm and talent, too, and nurtures that, so it’s an environment which suits a chef who’s keen to develop and to progress their skills.”
Words: Rob Davis.
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“The day serves as a sort of introduction to filming too, and it’s when many of the in-between sequences are filmed so you’re not disturbed during the rest of the week when you’re trying to concentrate on the cooking.” “Tuesday is dedicated to preparing a starter course and a fish course; Wednesday is for preparing a main course, and a pre-dessert – which serves as a tie-breaker – then on Thursday you get to prepare a dessert.” >>
