Derbyshire pub's chef patron shares experience of filming Great British Menu ahead of programme's broadcast

Mark Aisthorpe, of The Bulls Head, is among four chefs bidding to be crowned regional champion in the Great British Menu this week.

Ahead of tonight’s showing on BBC2, Mark said: “I didn’t sleep for a week before filming but the crew and the other chefs were all amazing and it was a pleasure and a great honour to be on the programme. We had no idea who else would be in the kitchen until we got there.”

When asked if he was nervous preparing food in front of a camera crew, he said: “Not so much regarding the crew but whole new kitchen and equipment and cooking for a veteran judge was terrifying.”

Over the next three nights, chefs will be whittled down to one regional champion to go through to the national final.

Mark, who will watch the programme with his partner Alex after work, said his customers had been very supportive: “They’re really hyped to watch,” he commented.

Even before tonight’s programme goes out, the chef patron has noticed a boost to his business.

Mark, 30, said: “We are usually fully booked anyway but the amount of extra bookings and traffic on our social media and website has been massive already, which is great and great for our local suppliers too.”

Mark, who worked at Cliveden House and Pétrus (2*) under Marcus Wareing, scraped together the money to buy The Bulls Head in 2016. He has used his passion and expertise to build up the food side of the business and loves being on the doorstep of some great producers and products. He said: “We’re so lucky to forage a lot of our products ourself, working with some amazing people and cooking some cracking food.”

Would he consider joining the ranks of television’s celebrity chefs? “As desirable as it is my main focus is on my restaurant and my team,” said Mark. “If there was an opportunity for it and it didn’t affect the restaurant then sure!”

The North East and Yorkshire round of the Great British Menu will be shown tonight at 8pm, tomorrow at 9pm and Thursday, March 10, at 8pm.