Local chef set for Centre Court next week

Seamus Enright

　

A Cavan chef will once again grace television screens as part of hit BBC show 'Great British Menu', vying for a coveted spot to cook at a banquet celebrating 140 years of the famous tennis tournament Wimbledon.

Head chef at the award-winning St Kyran's Hotel and Restaurant near Virginia, Armagh-native Eddie 'Ed' Attwell faces off against Tommy Heaney (The Great House, South Wales) and Netherlands-born Joery Castel (Spahyre, Belfast) in looking to represent Northern Ireland on the show.

Like last year, the Northern Ireland competition is the last of the regional heats, and is set to be broadcast dish by dish throughout the week, starting Monday June 19 on BBC Two, at 7.30pm.

Celebrity guest judge for the heat will be Mansour Bahrami, known as tennis’ greatest entertainer.

Whatever the outcome, Eddie, formerly of Derry's Ardtara Country House and one of the star attractions at last year's Taste of Cavan, says he intends to bring a flavour of the show back to home by replicating his special Great British Menu for local diners.

'It's a wee bit of craic, and it's great publicity for the province, and for ourselves here at St Kyran's. It's been a great year, with restaurants awards and all the rest,' Eddie told The Anglo-Celt. 'There's a great buzz around the place and it'll be good maybe to bring an element of the show to the restaurant as well.

'That was one of the things all three of us said, I mean we don't get paid for doing GBM, so we might do a pop-up at each other's place. It's early days yet, we haven't quite figured out the scenario but something is definitely on the cards,' he adds.

Helena Keenan, one half of the husband and wife team who own St Kyran's say the team there are looking forward to watching Eddie in action on the celebrated programme for the second year in a row.

'We're delighted and very proud of him. He has been a revelation since arriving here in Virginia, with his home grown ethos and foraging, it has been very exciting. He's a wonderful character, and to have someone like that on the show, coupled with the Irish Restaurant Awards for 'Best Hotel Restaurant', its another feather in the cap of what we're trying to achieve here,' says Helena.