One of Fermanagh's most talented chefs will be cooking up a storm this week when he appears in 'The Great British Menu' challenge on BBC Two. The heat started on Monday evening and runs all week to Friday 2nd May to reveal the winner who will go on to compete for the title of Great British Menu chef of 2008 serving up a selected menu from famous chefs from all over the world at the Gherkin in London.
Fourteen of the nation's top chefs will battle it out for the title all this week at 6.30pm on BBC Two.
A familiar face at Castle Leslie in county Monaghan, Noel McMeel has recently taken up a new post at the Lough Erne Golf Estate at Castle Hume.
From the earliest days of Noel's career the best, freshest, locally grown ingredients have been the cornerstone of his success. He carried this philosophy forward to tremendous critical acclaim at his own restaurant, Trompets, at Castle Leslie and now to the Lough Erne Golf Resort.
He has developed the skill of modern Irish cooking with the finest local foodstuffs to a fine art, attracting guests such as Paul McCartney, whose wedding was a vegetarian extravaganza masterminded by none other than Noel McMeel.
Indeed, it is Noel's commitment to culinary excellence – and his ability to carry that forward meal after meal, event after event and time after time – that has helped earn Castle Leslie its ranking among the Top Ten places in the world to stay. With a genuine understanding of food and commitment to local produce and ingredients, Noel McMeel has not only been the backbone of many an artisan food producer, but he has also brought the message firmly, strongly and in very practical ways to the public at large through his range of food products, the establishment of the Castle Leslie Cookery School and, of course, through the powerful medium of television programming.
All that tells you that Noel McMeel is an accomplished and visionary chef, but he is much more besides. He is a charismatic character with a passion for food and both the 'stage presence' and 'performance under pressure' capabilities that have already attracted culinary and television audiences. A regular chef demonstrator and senior judge at events all over Ireland, McMeel's easy stage manner and knowledgeable but informal style have earned him weekly slots on RTÉ's Afternoon Show, regular appearances on the Paul O'Grady Show, as well as judging the RTÉ televised Tesco Young Chef of the Year competition. .
When it comes to culinary credentials, Noel McMeel has cooking in his soul and qualifications in abundance. Noel grew up on a traditional Irish farm with a flourishing kitchen garden, giving him a strong grounding in good old-fashioned food and his latest move to Fermanagh will help to put the County on the culinary map.
To see Noel's talents at first-hand tune into 'The Great British Menu' all this week.
