Tom Barnes to cook the main course at the 2020 Great British Menu banquet

Chef Tom Barnes, executive chef at two-Michelin-starred L’Enclume and one-Michelin-starred Rogan & Co, has made it through to the 2020 Great British Menu banquet with his winning main course.

His dish, ‘Beatrix Potter’s Herdwick lamb’, paying tribute to the Lake District children’s author, comprised of lamb mousse, crumpets topped with fennel pollen, lamb sauce and consommé and vegetable hot pot.

The judges praised the “sheer beauty of the cooking, the choice of ingredients and also the connection to the world of Beatrix Potter”, particularly the “extraordinary” consommé.

There was one point between him and joint second place chefs, starter winner Alex Greene from Deanes Eipic in Belfast and Hywel Griffith from Beach House near Swansea.

The theme of this year's competition is children's literature, to mark 150 years since the death of Charles Dickens, with judges Matthew Fort, Oliver Peyton and Andi Oliver joined by guest judge, Alex Rider author Anthony Horowitz.

2014 Roux Scholar Barnes joins Greene and fish course winner Niall Keating from Whatley Manor cooking at this year’s banquet.

Barnes began at Simon Rogan’s L'Enclume in Cartmel, Cumbria, as a chef de partie at the start of 2011 and worked his way up to become head chef by spring 2014. He left to spend a year at the three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Geranium in Copenhagen before rejoining Rogan’s brigade two years ago.

Niall Keating reaches Great British Menu 2020 banquet with fish course win >>

Alex Greene first chef through to 2020 Great British Menu banquet >>

Tom Barnes returns to Simon Rogan to head up Rogan & Co >>