Tommy Banks through to Great British Menu banquet

Tommy Banks, chef-proprietor of the Black Swan at Oldstead has won the chance to cook the fish course at the Great British Menu banquet celebrating 140 years of Wimbledon after beating seven other finalists on the BBC TV cookery competition.

Banks, who holds a Michelin star at the Yorkshire pub the Black Swan, won by one point over Tom Brown, head chef at Outlaw's at the Capital in London.

The judges Matthew Fort, Andi Oliver, and Oliver Peyton, chose Banks to go forward to cook his dish, Turbot With Strawberries & Cream at the banquet.

“Congratulations Tommy, you’ve done it again.” Oliver said. “We thought the concept of strawberries and cream was really clever. We were so taken with it and you executed everything completely perfectly today. It’s a stunning dish.” She continued.

The dish, Turbot With Strawberries & Cream, consists of red strawberries pickled with elderflower vinegar, fermented green strawberries and a creamy herb velouté. In the regional heats, veteran judge Jeremy Lee called it a “very accomplished dish.”

The finals, the culmination of an eight-week competition, continue during the rest of this week and will see the chefs compete for a place to cook the main course and dessert at the banquet.

The other finalists are: Ellis Barrie, co-owner of the Marram Grass on Anglesey (North West); Tommy Banks, head chef of the Black Swan at Oldstead (North East); Michael Bremner, head chef and owner of 64 Degrees in Brighton (Scotland); Phil Carmichael, executive chef at Berner’s Tavern in London (Wales); and Selin Kiazim, chef director at Oklava in London (London and the South East).

Acorn winners 2017: Tommy Banks >>

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