Big Chef Takes on Little Chef

2009 Ended Channel 4

Food

Little Chef is a British institution, with 180 roadside outlets all over the country. Olympic breakfasts and Jubilee pancakes loom large in the memories of many Brits. But the restaurant chain has been experiencing difficulties and in 2007 venture capitalists had to step in to save it from financial collapse. Now in its 50th year, Little Chef is in serious need of creative inspiration. Enter Heston Blumenthal, to take on an extraordinary culinary challenge. Heston has strong childhood memories of Little Chef, but can he work his food alchemy to breathe fresh life into the restaurant's menu and help restore it to former glories? Can a chef more used to serving up £200-a-head meals turn around the fortunes of a much loved but tired British institution?