Mark McCabe On His Great British Menu Experience

Green-minded Scottish chef Mark McCabe rose to fame during his stint as chef/owner of acclaimed Bristol restaurant The Ethicurean. It closed in 2023 after 13 years – but shortly after McCabe landed an exciting position as head chef at Simon Rogan’s Henrock in the Lake District. You may also recognise him from the screen: McCabe has starred on the BBC’s prestigious cooking competition Great British Menu twice, first in 2023 and again this year. During his first time, the chef narrowly missed out on making the finals, but in 2025 he soared through to the banquet at Blenheim Palace. His co-star Amber Francis took home the top gong, but McCabe impressed the judges nonetheless – he tells us more about his experience below.

Interview With Great British Menu Chef Mark McCabe

How did you find the experience of being on Great British Menu 2025?

Intense! I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself to get to the finals and I felt that during the heats. Finals week was amazing and I feel so lucky to have been part of it. 

What was your highlight?

Being part of the 20th anniversary banquet was an incredible experience, and such an honour too. To be part of that, and to be able to have my family there and Simon too, was so special.

Tell us about the dishes you created – where did the inspiration come from?

One of the lovely things about doing GBM is that it really allows you to deep dive in the brief a discover things you didn’t already know and this brief was no different. It was great to have the chance to think about unsung heroes from Scottish history and to realise how many amazing people have gone before us. One of my favourite authors and detective series growing up was Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes so to be able to recreate one of his books for my starter was really cool. Visually I think it was my strongest dish.

BBC / Optomen Television Limited / Kate Hollingsworth

Any funny stories from behind the scenes?

Oh there are many funny things that happen over the course of filming but not many I can mention here I suspect! Having my mum at the banquet definitely led to a few cringey/funny moments as she is at the age now where she has no filter. My veteran judge Aktar Islam was on the end of a few embarrassing remarks about his scoring of my dishes which I could definitely have done without.

Favourite fellow contestant?

I genuinely loved everyone I competed against in finals week. It was a really nice atmosphere. I’ve known Amber a really long time so it was amazing to be there with her and connecting with Jack [Bond] was great too as our restaurants are pretty close so we’ve been able to meet up a few times since. I also loved having Calum [Leslie] back as the wildcard and to be able to share a bit of that week with him. We had a lot of fun in the heats. They really all were a lovely bunch though.

How did this time compare to your 2023 experience?

As I said earlier, I definitely put more pressure on myself this time so it was a lot more intense for me, especially the regional heats. I’d say I didn’t enjoy that part quite so much compared to my first attempt. When you go back into that kitchen a second time, you have the benefit of knowing where everything is and how it all works but that definitely comes with an expectation that you’ll do better second time round. It is an amazing show to be part of though. For all the intensity and how it takes over your life for six months, I wouldn’t change it for anything.

What was the first dish you learnt to cook?

This is tough because I didn’t really have any interest in cooking as a child and only started cooking for myself when I went to university. I don’t think I learned to cook any one thing but I grew up watching River Cottage and still love Hugh’s ethos so it would have been something British and seasonal at the time.

Favourite seasonal ingredient right now and how are you cooking it?

It’s great to have all the spring growth finally appearing in the hedgerows and at Our Farm so it’s a really exciting time to be cooking. I love the shoots and tops of foraged garlic mustard or the kale tops that are around right now. These are things you can’t buy in the shops so you have to either know where to look or grow them yourself and that’s really special I think. We’re just grilling these shoots over the BBQ with a bit of salt and dressing with an infused vinegar once they have a light char on them. Really simple but totally delicious.

Least favourite ingredient?

I’m not sure I have one but I try really hard to avoid anything that is out of season or can’t be sourced sustainably so that impacts massively on how I eat at home or cook at the restaurant.

Biggest mistake you’ve made in the kitchen?

Too many to recall! Mistakes are made every day and for me it’s always just about how to deal with them and whether you learn from it. Whether that’s burning an expensive ingredient or just how I’ve handled a situation in the kitchen that I’m not particularly proud of, I think as long as you are aware of what went wrong and have the right attitude to learn from that then it’s always a chance to improve. 

Most memorable meal of all time?

Two stick out for me: I had the pleasure of eating at Faviken in northern Sweden before it closed and my first meal at L’Enclume in 2019. Both had a very formative impact on how I look at food. Both times took a real effort to get to the restaurants and it was at a time where I really had to save for meals like that so to experience cooking at that level and to feel the amazing hospitality at two star level was really special.

Have you ever sent something back in a restaurant?

I’ve never sent something back unless it was undercooked which has maybe happened once. I’m very conscious that someone has worked hard to get that food onto a plate so unless something was really bad I probably wouldn’t say anything.

Any unusual kitchen rules?

It’s not unusual but my main rule is that everyone has to act right. Whether that’s in how we work or how we interact with each other, it has to be respectful and kind. I do also hate the word soigné and don’t like it being used – so maybe that’s my most unusual rule!

Who would you most like to take out for dinner?

My favourite musician was a songwriter called Scott Hutchison from the band Frightened Rabbit. His music meant a huge amount to me and I would love to be able to take him out for a meal to say thank you for his craft. Unfortunately he passed away in 2018. My dad is also no longer with us and I would really love to have him at Henrock, to show him how far I’ve come and hopefully make him proud.

When you’re not in the kitchen, where are you?

In bed! Haha. No, you’ll often find me on a walk around the lakes or out running. It’s an incredibly beautiful part of the world and I’m still discovering and exploring it.

How did it feel to be asked to join Henrock and work alongside Simon Rogan?

It was a real ‘pinch me’ moment to be offered this job. Simon is a legend in the industry and given my humble beginnings in the kitchen, I never really thought I’d ever have the chance to work for someone like him. I’d say it took me a good six months to get used to the idea but even now, cooking for Simon is very surreal.

How is Henrock different from other restaurants?

We have the most incredible venue at Henrock. A big opulent dining room with the hotel looking down over Lake Windermere – it really is very special. I like to think that the food is very ‘us’ too. We work hard to make food that is interesting and delicious and hopefully that sets us apart a little.

How do you come up with dishes for the menu?

I always start with what’s available from the Farm at that moment and go from there. We are constantly preserving ingredients throughout the year by making miso with waste products or fermenting and preserving the seasons so there’s always something in the larder that will go well with a main ingredient and it just kind of goes from there. Once I have an idea I take it to Paul to see what he thinks and then we work on the dish for as long as it takes until he thinks it’s ready for Simon to try.

You created Henrock’s first tasting menu – what makes a good tasting menu?

A good tasting menu needs to flow well and find the right balance between enough food but not so much that you’re stuffed at the end of it. For me, I always like the dishes to have a story or a reason behind them too, something that you allows you to connect with the guest and make them feel part of what you are trying to do. There’s lots that can go wrong with a tasting menu but I certainly wouldn’t proclaim to have all the answers. What seems right for one chef might feel weird to another so as long as the guests and Simon are happy with my menus that’s all that matters to me!

Mark McCabe is a chef at Henrock