Pine chef serves up banquet first

A North East fine dining chef has secured a landmark national TV success after earning a place at a prestigious culinary banquet celebrating British film.

Cal Byerley, chef and co-owner of Michelin-starred Restaurant Pine in Northumberland, has become the first chef from the North East to cook the main course at the Great British Menu banquet. 

His achievement follows a dramatic journey through the BBC Two competition, where he initially missed out on winning his regional heat before returning as a wildcard contender.

Representing the North East, Cal competed against chefs from across Yorkshire and the wider region during the heats, which aired from late March. 

This year’s series centred on British film, with contestants tasked with creating dishes inspired by iconic movies and filmmakers connected to their regions.

The series was presented by Andi Oliver, with judging led by Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge, alongside Lorna McNee of Cail Bruich and comedian Phil Wang.

Although narrowly beaten to the regional title, Cal’s scores were high enough to earn him a second chance during finals week. 

Reintroduced to the competition as the highest-scoring runner-up, he was invited back to compete for a place at the banquet.

Cooking his main course, titled The Full Monty (shown below), Cal impressed the judges and secured his spot at the final event, held at St George’s Hall in Liverpool, which was used as Gotham City Hall in Batman.

The dish showcased technical precision and creativity, with guinea fowl carefully prepared in multiple forms, paired with truffle and a morel mushroom centre, alongside sweetcorn and complementary elements, all finished with a rich, well-balanced sauce.

Cal said: “This is my third year of competing, so the pressure was on. 

“I’ve come second three times by the narrowest of margins, so to be brought back as a wildcard to cook the main course was overwhelming and pretty intense, to be honest.

“I’m chuffed to say my dish hit all the right notes with the judges. 

“I’m the first chef from the region to secure the main course, and only the third chef to represent the North East at the banquet in 21 series of the show, the first since 2016. 

“It’s great to shine a light on the whole North East region, which often gets overlooked.

“Earning a place at the banquet is a significant honour, especially getting to cook the main course, which is the one every chef secretly wants. 

“I’m over the moon to have succeeded after lots of hard work, sleepless nights, and three years of competition.”

The Great British Menu has long been a platform for elevating chefs onto the national stage, and Cal’s success marks a significant milestone for both his career and the region’s culinary reputation.

Cal added: “I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me, those involved in the programme, my wife Sian, the team at Pine, and especially Ian Waller. 

“From here, I want to see Pine continue to grow and develop, and to support even more up-and-coming talent, both in the kitchen and front-of-house, as we play our part in putting the North East even more on the UK’s food map.”

Watch the full series on BBC iPlayer.

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