Chef Adam Handling is through to the final of Great British Menu on BBC Two

Chef Adam Handling, owner of the Adam Handling Restaurant Group which includes the popular Ugly Butterfly restaurant in St. Ives and The Loch & The Tyne in Windsor 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 be aired on Monday 27th March.

This year, in honour of 65 years of Paddington Bear, the chefs' brief was to celebrate the best of British animation and illustration. Adam's dishes are based on both classic and contemporary works, with deep-rooted links to his native Scotland. His starter of red pepper custard, tom berry tomatoes and basil sorbet was inspired by one of the episodes 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 Highlands. Named A Princess should not have weapons... it's a beautiful piece of barbecue salmon served with wild garlic capers and a whey sauce.

The Wind in the Willows book by Kenneth Grahame sets the theme for Adam's main course called Ratty's Picnic. Adam creates a delicious feast that evokes the excitement that Mole felt. He adds a real personal touch by serving his picnic with a bottle of 'granny's ginger beer', which he made using his grandmother's own recipe.

Adam will be making these incredible dishes in the finals, in the hope of securing a place at the 2023 banquet. To book one of Adam's restaurants, visit https://www.adamhandling.co.uk