Interview with Minal Patel representing North East on Great British Menu 2025 – Women In the Food Industry

Great British Menu (GBM) returned to our screens in January for season 20. The BBC2 show puts the nation’s most talented chefs to the test. At Women in the Food Industry we are continuing our series of interviews with the strong female line-up of chefs from across Britain competing to serve their dish at the final banquet. Our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, interviewed head chef of Prashad, Minal Patel. Prashad is a vegetarian Indian restaurant with 2 AA Rosettes, and a Michelin Bib Gourmand.

Originally from Gujarat in Western India, Minal is representing the North East.

How did you start working in the food world and where did you train to be a chef?

I started cooking with my mom from a young age, and then just building my interest working with her in the kitchen. Growing up I was very much into the food learning. Then I got married, I moved to the UK and we had a family business. So I started to cook with my in-laws in the kitchen. But I thought I need some professional training. So trained at The Bradford College in hospitality and catering for a few years.

This is your first time on Great British Menu, how did you get onto the show ?

I had a message on instagram from the producer . I thought wow, what a great opportunity. Then I got the call from production and I gave the interview. The interview went well and  a few weeks later I got the call that I was selected.

I was so happy as I always wanted to be in this competition. It’s a big opportunity for me.

How was it researching for the Great Britons theme?

I worked with my husband, Bobby, and we selected the people who really connected with me. For example I chose Leonora Cohen. She was one of the women fighting for women’s rights to vote in the UK.

Also I found out that Percy Shaw, the inventor of the cat’s eye was from my region.

I read a lot about both of them and what people of that time would have eaten. That’s how I connected the food and their story.

What was it like working under the cameras and with the crew at Great British Menu?

It was amazing experience. To start with, I was very nervous because of the people around me. I didn’t know them. I was mixing with top class chefs.  But once I made my canapes, I felt more comfortable. The crew and the people were so helpful and they helped me in every way. So it was fun at the  end of the day. Today still I miss the experience,  I loved it so much.

Which was the hardest course to prepare and research for?

For me, it was the dessert.  It as a bit challenging to connect with stories with the desserts. My dessert is obviously Indian vegetarian, which are  completely different to the British dessert.

Which chef that you have worked with has given you the most inspiration?

Angela Hartnett. I have worked with her in past and she’s a very warm lady. I would love to work with her again in the future. She’s my inspiration.

If you were marooned on a desert island, what was the one type of dish you could happily live on?

It’s my Indian dish. Rice, and vegetables, mixed together, cooked together. It’s a one pot curry dish and it’s very wholesome.

Finally, what do you know now that you wish you could have told your younger self when you were starting out?

I would have told my younger self to work hard. I would have definitely liked to work in a fine dining restaurant, to have got more experience of all the different techniques I could learn. I would like to obtain another rosette, and I am always striving for that level of perfection in my cooking.

Minal will be appearing on Great British Menu from Tuesday 18th February 2025 representing the North East.  Look out for more in our series of interviews with the great women chefs on Great British Menu 2025 – this page will be regularly updated.