The head chef of one of Bristol's top eateries will be competing in tonight's (Tuesday) episode of The Great British Menu. Fans of the show will now the South West heat has already been broadcast, but Bristol foodies will still want to tune into tonight's episode as there is a West Country link.
This week the BBC2 show will see four Scottish chefs battle it out, including Mark McCabe, the head chef and co-owner of prominent North Somerset restaurant The Ethicurean. The Wrington restaurant is just a half-hour drive from Bristol and holds a Michelin green star for its environmental commitments.
A promo for Tuesday's episode, the first of the Scottish round, shows Mike in the kitchen at The Ethicurean. The episode features canapes, starters and fish dishes inspired by animation and illustration celebrating Paddington’s 65th birthday. In the clip, Mark explains his restaurant's ethos: "The restaurant is about a connection with nature; we’re set in this beautiful walled garden.
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"I spent two and a half years at River Cottage, working under Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, I was really attracted to the way that every ingredient was treated with some sort of boyish love from Hugh."
Growing up in a small village called Tannadice, about 20 miles north of Dundee, Mark says he owes his love of cooking to his mum, who had previously owned a restaurant, and says that throughout his childhood, she was always cooking or foraging for ingredients. The show describes his cooking style as "incredibly creative, seeing food as a completely immersive experience - from garden to plate."
Mark attended school in Kirriemuir, where Peter Pan author J. M. Barrie was born. Illustrations from the classic tale of the boy who never grew up are the source of inspiration for Mark's menu.
In a statement about his time on the show, Mark said: “I’m delighted to have been asked to take part in Great British Menu and proud to be representing Scotland where I was born and brought up. I still can’t quite believe it!
"It’s my first year in the competition, and the theme of Animation and Illustration couldn’t have been better. I had so much fun coming up with dishes that reflected some of my favourite childhood stories.
"Having been Head Chef at The Ethicurean for 4 years now, I felt it was the right time to push myself a little further and see what I could achieve, but I couldn’t have done any of it without the support of the team at the restaurant and Matthew, my business partner who helped in any way they could.”
For viewers who fancy sampling some of Mark's concoctions at The Ethicurean, an informal set lunch is priced at £75 per person. Spread across two and a half hours, it includes freshly baked bread, ferments, multiple courses and sweet treats, such as duck with hedgerow berries and cabbage shiso leaf taco or pear pastille with candied beetroot.
First opened in 2010, The Ethicurean is known for its ethically conscious approach to food. Its produce is responsibly sourced, much of it from within its Victorian walled garden. The owners are also vocal about their commitment to being a Living Wage registered business, and in 2020, announced they would start charging people the full price for their meals when booking to give confidence to "generate the income to pay our staff and related costs".
Posting on Instagram, The Ethicurean said: "We are incredibly proud and delighted to announce that @mccabedoesstuff will be representing us on @greatbritishmenu this year, hosted by the lovely @andioliver. He’ll be competing in the Scottish heat against some amazing chefs in the famous kitchen, and we can’t wait for you to see it.
"The theme this year is ‘Illustration and Animation’ - we know Mark has some amazing ideas for his dishes. Tune in on Tuesday 28th Feb at 8pm on BBC2 to see how he gets on."
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