A chef from Cornwall has secured his place in the final of a BBC cooking competition he has dreamt of appearing on for almost 20 years.
Ben Palmer, of Looe, has beaten three other South West chefs to win the regionals and go through to the final of BBC’s Great British Menu.
Judges were wowed by Ben's starter, main, fish and pudding dishes, which left him standing head-to-head against three times regionalist Elly Wentworth.
Elly was just one point ahead on Wednesday evening before Ben powered through to the finals with a six-point lead at the end of judging.
Ben said he was ‘over the moon’ to be through to the finals and praised Elly. He said: “Elly was an incredible competitor and the dishes she created were just superb.
“I wish both of us could have how, but I am so grateful to have this opportunity.
“It was a high-pressure cook-off with the ice cream machine nearly devastating my dessert efforts, but I was blessed with a last-minute miracle and was able to achieve a perfect serve.”
Ben added that he was also ‘super proud’ to be representing the South West in the finals of the show – a show that Ben has been dreaming about appearing in for over 10 years.
Since the show began in 2006, Ben has dreamt of appearing on the show for nearly 20 years since its inception in 2006. He used to rush home from a kitchen shift to catch the programme in its earliest days and remembers vividly how much of an impact it had on him and spurred him on to strive for excellence.
“It was the first show of its kind that really showcased in-house chef talent on a nationwide platform – it was so exciting to see those who were working so hard in kitchens behind the scenes, who might ordinarily be a little overlooked, being elevated to celebrity status based on their talents alone.
“Just a very inspiring and exhilarating concept that amplified my natural desire to excel in the space, it added fuel to my fire and to be on the show is proof that if you work hard enough at something you can make great things happen.”
Ben opened his Looe-based restaurant The Sardine Factory 2018 where they received a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2019. In 2023, he then went on to open Yamas – a modern Greek restaurant in the same town.
As well as being a talented chef, and reaching the finals of the show, Ben is also a father to Molly, 13, Bobby, 10 and Loa and husband to business partner and wife Francesca.
The episode will be shown at 9pm on Monday (March 18) on BBC 2.
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