The Michelin-starred chef and broadcaster Tommy Banks is to become the latest to team up with Uber Eats to put on a special menu.
Banks, best known for his rural Yorkshire restaurant the Black Swan at Oldstead, is hoping to challenge negative preconceptions about British food with his delivery boxes, which sound a bargain at £40 for three courses.
Uber said British cuisine has been long dismissed on the world stage as “soggy sandwiches and beige buffets” and so has entrusted Banks with creating a menu that celebrates timeless classics.
The chef has delved into the archives to find a raft on traditional dishes, some of which date back to the 17th century.
Banks has sought inspiration from traditional, nostalgic foods such as pork scratchings, prawn cocktails, Glamorgan sausage and chicken tikka masala to create his menu, which will be available in London, Liverpool and Manchester next month.
A standout might be the 17th-century favourite pickled beef, an early version of corned beef where the meat is cured in salt brine.
“I’m incredibly excited to shine a spotlight on British classics, from regional favourites to nostalgic pub snacks and inventive twists on iconic dishes,” said Banks.
“This menu is all about celebrating the flavours that have shaped our culinary heritage, with a playful, contemporary edge.”
Banks went on: “Every dish tells a story, whether it’s a wartime workaround, a Victorian condiment, or a modern twist on a childhood favourite.
“Ultimately this is about making British classics accessible, exciting, and fun again. Whether you’re discovering a regional gem for the first time or revisiting a dish from your childhood, there’s a little bit of nostalgia, surprise, and joy in every dish.”
Banks follows chefs such as Simon Rogan, of L’Enclume, and Jeremy Chan from Ikoyi in launching a special one-off food box with Uber Eats. Brooklyn Beckham also created one.
Banks’ menu:
Bar snacks
- Season & Shake crisps, pork scratchings
Starters
- Venison faggot, Old Winchester polenta, Cumberland sauce
- Prawn and lobster cocktail, sungold tomato, nasturtium vinegar
- Glamorgan sausage, bean stew, Gorwydd Caerphilly
Main courses
- Pickled beef, bubble and squeak, braised red cabbage, beef quaver
- Chicken tikka masala pie, lovage yoghurt, tomato and chilli chutney, pilau rice
- Celeriac, truffle and Tunworth Wellington, roasted root vegetables, yeast butter sauce, chive oil
Desserts
- Autumn berry crumble, lemon verbena, woodruff whisky custard, berry kombucha gel
- Winter trifle, boozy damsons, caramelised custard
The menu will be available to order from 6-9pm in various locations (London is December 2-3), while stocks last. £40 per person.
