East Lancs chef on TV tonight

8:23am Thursday 20th March 2008

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AN EAST Lancashire celebrity chef is to appear on television tonight as he bids to prove that Lancashire food is best.

Nigel Howarth, who owns Northcote Manor, Langho, and the Three Fishes at Mitton with business partner Craig Bancroft, will be on The Great British Menu on BBC 2 at 6.30pm.

Fourteen of Britain's top chefs are competing to prove who can cook the best modern British cuisine with locally-sourced produce.

Nigel starts off tonight in a regional heat.

If he wins through to the final seven, viewers will then vote for their favourite.

The winner will take the prize of cooking a four-course dinner in June, at the restaurant on the top of the iconic Gherkin building in London.

Heston Blumenthal, the celebrity chef who specialises in experimental recipes, will host the event which top chefs from around the world and celebrities will attend that function.

Entrants are tasked with sourcing the best ingredients from their local area to create a starter, fish course, meat course and dessert that they believe epitomises the very best of contemporary, cutting-edge British cooking.

Nigel has revealed part of his menu. He is to cook seared salmon, shrimps and samphire toast, cucumber and penny royal mayonnaise, followed by loin of Bowland hare, potato wrapped black pudding, lythe valley damson prunes and celeriac puree.

A spokesman for Northcote Manor said: "The judges are looking for a chef who sources the best ingredients from their local area and in the national finals will be asked to create a starter, a fish course, a meat course and a dessert that they believe truly epitomises the very best of contemporary, cutting edge British cooking - in our opinion - that can only be "yours truly - Mr Haworth!

"If Nigel is successful, he will then be featured in May in the national final."