Michael Smith, Head Chef of the Three Chimneys Restaurant on Skye, will cook against the nation’s best chefs this week in the final of BBC Two’s Great British Menu competition.
After a week of high pressured cooking in the Great British Menu kitchen Michael knocked out his two renowned rivals Tony Singh, of Oloroso in Edinburgh, and Philip Carnegie, Head Chef at the one Michelin Star Inverlochy Castle in Fort William, to gain a place in the final.
Despite Tony Singh’s veteran status on the programme after previously competing, his gimick-laden dishes failed to impress the esteemed judges whilst Philip Carnegie’s restaurant stylefoodfell short ofthis year’s brief of sharing dishes to be served at a banquet for ‘the people’, leaving Michael Smith to represent Scotland in the final cook-offs this week.
Michael commented:
“It’s a great honour to represent Scotland on the final week of the Great British Menu. Scotland has the best produce in the world and I hope I’ll be able to do it justice. I will be going out of my way to reflect the ethos of The Three Chimneys by using the type of ingredients we source in the Isle of Skye.”
The winning chefs at theend of theweek will cook their dishes at a lavish banquet for 100 people to celebrate food bringing people together across Britain. Amongst the guests will be members of the public who are being honoured by the Great British Menu this series for their efforts in bringing their communities closer together through cooking.
Michael Smith is used to being seen on the small screen, however, as he features in Visit Scotland’s ‘Surprise Yourself’ advert which showcases the most surprising ways to see and experience Scotland.
In the advert Michael Smith focuses on the friendly neighbours who live opposite his restaurant, the’surprise’ being that’?it is, in his case,a colony of seals native to Skye who greet him every day.
Michael Smith’s success on The Great British Menu is made even more special as it coincides with the end of Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink.Theinitiative was launched by the
Chef Michael Smith outisde the Three Chimneys Restaurant where he is Head Chef
Scottish Governmentin May 2010 to celebrate the fresh, local produce that Scotland has to offer as a legacy of the 2009Homecoming celebrations.
Commenting on Michael Smith gaining a place in the Great British Menu final Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said:
“We’re absolutely thrilled that Michael has made it through to the latter stages of the competition.
“As a nation, we have some of the finest food and drink products in the world, and it is fitting that Michael is going to show these off to the nation, in what promises to be a visually stunning and surprising way.”
