Norwich chef Richard Bainbridge dishes all on returning to the Great British Menu and reveals why the experience means so much to him...
This year sees the Great British Menu going into its 12th series. It's an amazing programme that to date has seen some really talented chefs getting involved, from Norfolk's Galton Blackiston to Jason Atherton and Tom Kerridge – the list is endless.
The premise of the show is that three chefs devise a four-course menu for a banquet that takes place the end. The chefs cook through the week, then on Thursday the one with the lowest score is sent home and the remaining two cook on Friday for the head judges. The aim is to win a space in the regionals and continue on to the finals and the big banquet.
Five years ago I was lucky enough to be asked to take part in the programme. I was only about 25 years old at the time and the theme was National Trust Properties. I had a big ego and a chip on my shoulder about who I was and where I was at the industry so I went in thinking I could be clever but I wasn't, I messed up and ended up going home early.
In 2013 I was asked to go on the Comic Relief version with Daniel Clifford and Will Holland, two chefs with big reputations and big personalities. It's fair to say I was very nervous.
That year I made a What Came First The Chicken Or The Egg dish, which featured a chicken cooked in an inflated cow's bladder, dyed it red. It all came out lovely and I thought for a while I had Daniel on the ropes, but he managed to edge me out at the last moment.
Amazingly they decided to have me back as a wild card in 2014, something they had never done before on the show, so I thought this was my chance but of course I messed it up and was sent home once again.
Despite the setbacks, there was something inside of me that knew I just needed one more chance to make it through and in 2015 I got that shot. I said to my wife: 'This is the last time I'm doing it, you know this is the fourth time, if I can't win it now I'm out.'
That series was about the WI, celebrating 100 years of the Women's Institute and the inspirational women in your life, for me this theme struck a chord.
I grew up in a single-parent family with my mother and my sister and my nanny was always hugely influential. I also have an amazing wife Katja and a beautiful baby girl, so I'm surrounded by inspirational women and found it really easy to connect with the brief.
I got to work, created my menu, and landed a place in the national finals. From there I managed to get two courses on the banquet – a starter and dessert.
Somehow I went from being the guy that rocked up to the Great British Menu and got nowhere to having two courses on one banquet, something that has only ever happened twice before on the show. It was mind-blowing.
For the starter I made a dish called We All Stand For Jerusalem, which was my interpretation of the hymn Jerusalem, a song that is sung at the beginning of each WI meeting, the dish features Jerusalem artichokes, lamb, egg yolk and truffle and I had a vision of having everyone stand and sing the hymn together as the starter came out. I still can't believe this became a reality.
The second course was a dessert, for this I served Nanny Bush's trifle, with a Sister B Victoria Sponge cocktail, creating a dish that was meant to reflect a cross between the old and new generations of WI.
The dessert was also a nice way to pay homage to my Nan who got me into cooking in the first place but sadly never got to see me open my own restaurant.
Last September out of the blue I got a phone call from the Great British Menu producers and my first thought was 'I'm not doing it again, I've got two courses, I don't need to tempt fate', but instead of asking me to compete, they offered me the chance to be a Veteran judge.
It's a dream come true, Great British Menu has been such an incredible journey for me and it's great to come full circle with it.
I jumped at the chance and back in November off I went to London. It was a surreal experience as I'm so used to going down to the show with props and produce and a full car, but this time I only took two chef jackets! Such an easy trip!
To have the chance to see things from the other side was incredible. Watching the participants who had spent months coming up with dishes, practising and putting their blood, sweat and tears into it all as I merely stood and observed from afar was such an interesting experience.
As someone who has been where they are, I appreciate how much work goes into the show and I know how great it can be for your career if you make it to the finals, so I took my role as a judge very seriously.
My week is coming up on June 12 and I'm super excited. The only worry I have is that I don't know how I'm going to come across on screen – will I seem grumpy, nice or supportive? Who knows... That's the magic of TV I guess.
• Catch Richard Bainbridge on the Great British Menu from Monday, June 12 at 7.30pm on BBC2
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