A Michelin-starred chef and owner of an Old Windsor restaurant has reached the finals of a BBC cooking competition show.

Award-winning chef and owner of The Loch & The Tyne in Old Windsor, Adam Handling, has won the Scottish heat in this year’s highly popular Great British Menu on BBC Two.

Adam will be representing Scotland in the finals, which will air on Monday, March 27.

This year, in honour of 65 years of Paddington Bear, the chefs’ brief was to celebrate the best of British animation and illustration.

Adam is passionate about British food, sustainability and fighting food waste. His dishes are based on classic and contemporary works, with links to his native Scotland.

His starter of red pepper custard, tom berry tomatoes and basil sorbet was inspired by an episode in the BBC’s Five Fables animated series, based on Aesop’s fables and narrated by Billy Connolly.

The inspiration for his fish course was Disney’s animation ‘Brave’, set in the Scottish Highlands. Named 'A Princess should not have weapons', his dish is barbequed salmon - as shot with bow and arrow by Princess Merida of the clan Dunbroch - served with wild garlic capers and a whey sauce.

Slough Observer:

‘The Wind in the Willows’ book by Kenneth Grahame sets the theme for Adam’s main course, 'Ratty's Picnic'. He adds a personal touch by serving his picnic with a bottle of ‘granny’s ginger beer’, which he made using his grandmother’s own recipe.

For dessert Adam was inspired by a ‘Food Fight’, to mark the 80th anniversary of the Beano and Dandy. With trifle being his favourite dessert, Adam recreated the chaos with his throwable custard, smashable cake and wobbly jelly.

Adam will be making these incredible dishes in the finals, in the hope of securing a place at the 2023 banquet.

Chef Adam is the Michelin-starred chef owner of the Adam Handling Restaurant Group. He operates venues across the country, including The Loch & The Tyne, Old Windsor; Ugly Butterfly, Cornwall; Frog by Adam Handling, London; and Eve Bar, London.

Adam has many impressive awards, including Scottish Chef of the Year, British Culinary Federation’s Chef of the Year, Chef of the Year in the Food & Travel Awards.

Voted for by both the public and a selection of esteemed industry judges, Adam was named Restaurateur of the Year in the British GQ Food and Drink Awards 2020, before earning his first Michelin star at his flagship restaurant, Frog by Adam Handling, in 2022.

He has made many TV appearances including Saturday Kitchen Live, Great British Menu and judging on amateur MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professional.