Ryan Simpson, head chef of Orwells to make TV debut

Ryan Simpson, the head chef and owner of Orwells restaurant in Shiplake, Oxfordshire, will make his debut TV appearance on a new BBC One series, Yes Chef, which airs next month.

The home cooks will be put through their paces in a series of challenges set by the chefs, with each day’s winner going forward to the final at the end of the week.

In the final, the four professional chefs will pair up with their winning home cook to go head-to-head in a professional-amateur cooking showdown.

The results each week will be judged by Pierre Koffmann, the head chef of Koffmann’s at the Berkeley hotel in London’s Knightsbridge.

Koffmann said: “The professional chefs are at the forefront of gastronomy in the UK. This is a chance for home cooks to learn from the best in the business.”

Simpson opened Orwells with partner Liam Trotman in 2010 after the pair quit the Michelin-starred Goose in Britwell Salome.

Their combined experience includes Winteringham Fields, Maison Troisgros, Bovey Castle, 60 Hope Street, Pierre Gagnaire, Guy Savoy, the Elephant and the Goose.

The Good Food Guide named Orwells the winner of its Readers’ Restaurant of the Year Award in 2011 and the restaurant has also been awarded three AA rosettes.

Orwells serves high quality food in a relaxed setting, with a focus on sustainability. The restaurant has its own small holding and apiary where most of its fruit, vegetables and honey are produced. It has also earned a three-star gold sustainability rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association.

Yes Chef was recorded on location at the Cheshire Cookery School in Altrincham.

Chefs taking part include:

• Aiden Byrne
• Atul Kochhar
• Bryn Williams
• Frances Atkins
• Galton Blackiston
• Luke Tipping
• Mary Ann Gilchrist
• Matt Gillan
• Michael O’Hare
• Nathan Outlaw
• Nigel Haworth
• Paul Ainsworth
• Rupert Rowley
• Ryan Simpson
• Stephen Terry
• Theo Randall

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