One of Wales’ top Michelin star chefs, Chris Harrod of The Whitebrook Restaurant with Rooms was among the four winners of Great British Menu last week. He won the final and was awarded with the honour of taking his show stopping dessert to the Great British Menu banquet at the Great Hall of St Bartholomew’s Hospital which will thank NHS heros from around the country.
Chris won the Wales regional heat to go through to represent Wales in the final. Chris’ main dish was the highest scoring dish of the series and Chris stayed consistently in the top 3 in the finals. Two of his stand out dishes are now featuring on The Whitebrook menu with his dessert coming soon:
Mugwort smoked beets, black pudding, caramelised onion, aromatic seeds & herb flowers
Huntsham Farm Suckling Pig, salt baked celeriac, pear, lamb’s sorrel
Chris, who was awarded a coveted 10/10 for his main course, suckling pig by notoriously tough critic, chef Paul Ainsworth in the heats, went on to be scored 10/10 in the finals but was pipped to the post when a fellow chef scored the same in the finals.
“The skill and execution of what I saw you cook today was phenomenal. I’ve got goose pimples telling you that right now… it was absolutely delicious… absolute perfection and that’s not a word that I say easily.” said The Great British Menu judge and Michelin star chef Paul Ainsworth.
Chris was one of 8 chefs competing to be part of the very special event in honour the NHS’s 70th anniversary. Chris who won a Michelin star within 11 months of launching his restaurant has been doing Wales proud by showcasing some of abundant produce available in the region where The Whitebrook is nestled in the rural backdrop of the Wye Valley. Famed for using the countryside as his larder, Chris forages locally, sources almost everything else from his doorstep and his cooking has been described as ‘the Wye Valley on a plate’.
