Did Blackburn's Kirk Haworth make next stage of Great British Menu?

Kirk Haworth, a plant-based chef, went up against two other north west chefs in making a main and dessert, inspired by the Olympic and Paralympics – but did he make it to the next stage of the competition?

Kirk, who was an apprentice at the one Michelin-star restaurant in Northcote Manor alongside his dad Nigel Haworth, showed host Andi Oliver and judge Michael O'Hare that vegan dishes can deliver on flavour after impressing them with his cooking.

Kirk Haworth (middle) on Great British Menu (Image: BBC)He received a perfect score for both his main course and dessert.

The main course was called The Feast of Farah, inspired by athlete Mo Farah. It was a vegan take on a lasagne made with a bean mixture.

Praised for its appearance, it was served under a shoe box complete with the nutritional value of the meal on the side.

• READ MORE: Blackburn-born chef stars in the Great British Menu

On the show Kirk said: “I am doing a modern take on a lasagne with garlic bread and salad but also backing it up with a lot of nutritional food.

I am focusing on delicious, nostalgic and rich flavours.

“It is basically an urad bean and mung bean lasagne with salad and garlic bread.

“The inspiration behind the dish is Mo Farah, the incredible endurance athlete that he is.

“This has been analysed by nutritionists. This is quite high in carbs because they needs that for their long-endurance running.”

Kirk Haworth's Feast of Farah vegan lasagne (middle) on Great British Menu (Image: BBC)The dish received a perfect 10 out of 10 rating.

Michael said: “It’s got so much flavour and I don’t miss for a second the lack of dairy or the fact that it is plant-based.

“The presentation and link to the brief was excellent. I love the detail of the nutritional value on the box.

“The ragu was delicious and the sauce on the side had more flavour than any lasagne sauce I have ever tasted.

“This held together perfectly. I thought the garlic bread was crispy and delicious.”

Kirk also impressed with his dessert, called The Taste of Unity.

It paid homage to the Olympic rings, which he made by freezing a mix of cacao, cashew nuts and maple syrup in ring molds. Each ring represents flavours from a continent.

Kirk said he was overwhelmed to be given another 10 rating for his “world class” cooking.

Michael said: “The link to the brief was clever. It looked and tasted incredible.

"The cacoa cream was smooth and rich. The caramel sauce was brilliant.

"The texture never changed. The coconut blossom ice cream worked perfectly and paired well with the rest of the dessert.

“You have surprised me course after course, not because you are cooking plant-based food, it is because your food is world class irrespective of the reason you are cooking it.”

Kirk came out on top and progressed to the final of the north west heat of the competition, which airs tonight (February 29).

He said: “The feeling when he said another 10 was overwhelming.

"I am going to be going full power [in the next stage of the competition], really working on my dishes and trying to make them as perfect as possible.”

Kirk must now cook a six-course menu to impress a panel of exacting judges: Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge, chef and top restaurateur Nisha Katona, and comedian and food podcaster Ed Gamble.

The guest judge is Tokyo 2020 gold medal-winning wheelchair rugby champion Paralympian Stuart Robinson.

Only one of the chefs will triumph and go through to represent north west England at the national finals.

Great British Menu airs tonight, on BBC 2, at 7pm.