VIEWERS of culinary TV favourite, Great British Menu, will tonight see Newcastle man Colin McSherry competing for a top spot in the kitchen. The show, which is airing across several episodes this week on BBC Two, will see the talented local chef, who has amassed an impressive CV despite being just 39, bring an exciting approach to the competition. Colin moved to Belfast when he was 17 and then just four years later headed off to work in England, embarking on a career in some of the capital’s finest restaurants.
He says the support he has received since it was confirmed he was one of the four chefs taking part in the Northern Ireland heat has been “absolutely amazing”. He is no stranger to working in highly pressurised situations, so much so that his interview was carried out whilst he was completing a service. Colin was named in the prestigious Annual Murphia List as being one of the ‘most influential Irish people on the London food scene’ in 2019.
He has worked in some of the world’s top kitchens. Those that tune into the show will see him vying against fellow competition newcomers, Lottie Noren, head chef at Edo in Belfast, Antrim’s Niall Sarhan, whose first job was working in his dad’s kebab shop, and Melissa McCabe who, after travelling the world working in Michelin-starred restaurants, now runs a food truck and sees herself as the underdog. Having worked in top kitchens in and around London for 20 years, including The Fat Duck, viewers will learn how this local chef returned to Northern Ireland when the pandemic hit the hospitality industry. Prior to November 2022, this experienced and passionate chef, who has built a wealth of experience in various restaurant and company settings, worked as Executive Head Chef at the COMO Metropolitan Hotel in the capital. His other recent appointments saw him fulfilling the head chef role at a number of other leading eateries. Renowned Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett OBE, a protégée of Gordon Ramsay who has become well known in her own right, is one of the references on his CV.
The former St Malachy’ High School pupil is now recognised as a visionary chef, with knowledge of food trends and the ability to think outside the box when it comes to the creation of a menu. Continually striving to create mouth-watering dishes and attractive menus, Colin’s experience will be highlighted on TV this week. Viewers will see the show’s presenter Andi Oliver welcome the chefs to the kitchen, where the theme for this year’s competition is the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics in Paris, where the banquet will be held at the Ambassador’s Residence in the French capital.
