Meet Dan McGeorge, Great British Menu’s Champion of Champions, who wowed the judges with his innovative dessert
Last week we saw eight chefs from across the UK battle it out in the hope of being one of four finalists to have the opportunity of cooking a dish at the banquet, and ultimately be in with a chance of being crowned this year’s Champion of Champions at the sixteenth series finale of BBC Two’s Great British Menu.
Competitors included Rothay Manor’s Dan McGeorge, Stuart Collins, Roberta Hall-McCarron, Oli Marlow, Hywel Griffith, Alex Bond, Phelim O’Hagan and Jude Kereama, who all won their respective regional qualifying rounds to make it through to finals week. The eight chefs battled it out each night as they cooked a single course for the judges in the hope of securing a place at Friday’s banquet, following in the footsteps of culinary heavyweights such as Marcus Wareing, Jason Atherton, Glynn Purnell and Tom Kerridge.
The starter was deservedly won by Alex Bond, with his dish ‘The Founding Father’ a tribute to Robert Edwards. The fish course was won by Roberta Hall-McCarron won with ‘Maxwell’s Colour Wheel’, her tribute to James Clerk Maxwell. The main course was won by Oli Marlow, with ‘Special Delivery’ - a tribute to the ingenuity of those working in the hospitality industry who rose to the challenges thrown at them by the pandemic.
However, Dan persevered, and won the last course at the banquet with his showstopping dessert, ‘Give a Dog a Bone.’ It consisted of a bone shaped milk chocolate mousse, with a miso caramel centre, sprayed in chocolate, served with a miso caramel sauce, salted caramel ice-cream, honeycomb miso tuille and yuzu gel and zest.
Dan’s dish was a celebration of the vital work of the Guide Dogs charity, founded in Merseyside in 1931. It was also a nod to Rothay Manor, the luxury boutique hotel where he is Head Chef, and where dogs are made just as welcome as their owners.
As a result of the pandemic, the series finale was itself a little unique, as viewers tuned in to witness GBM’s first ever socially distanced outdoor banquet, held at Jodrell Bank Observatory. Once the invited guests had finished dining they were asked to vote for their favourite dish, with Dan McGeorge’s dessert scooping up the ‘Champion of Champions’ award.
‘‘I still can’t quite believe that I’ve had the opportunity to represent the North West, my hometown of Liverpool and my adopted home, the Lake District on a show I’ve followed for years. It’s been a roller coaster journey, really exciting to be involved with but also pretty challenging, especially being on camera with so much going on while you’re trying to do your job and cook food to a really high standard. Having a camera on you all the time is a very different way of working that’s for sure,” Dan said.
“To be recognised as Champion of Champions is just mind blowing, especially after having cooked alongside some really amazing chefs who’ve produced some incredible food. It hasn’t sunk in really and won’t for a bit yet, but my family, my partner and daughter are over the moon for me and that means everything.’’
Rothay Manor co-owners, Jenna and Jamie Shail, said: “We’ve known there is something really special about Dan, he’s a brilliant chef and a rare talent – it’s so exciting to see him recognised on Great British Menu. We and all the team at Rothay Manor couldn’t be prouder of all he’s achieved.”
To celebrate his achievement, Dan has created a brand new tasting menu inspired by his win, for guests of Rothay Manor to enjoy.
Photo credit: Optomen Television © 2020. An all3media Company.
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