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Heston Blumenthal returns to Little Chef in new TV show

Daniel Thomas
Friday 23 October 2009 15:45
Heston Blumenthal and Little Chef

Heston Blumenthal's revamp of Little Chef will be analysed in a new Channel 4 programme next week.

The three Michelin-starred chef was given a budget of £350,000 and six months to create a new menu and interior at the struggling roadside restaurant chain last year as part of the Big Chef Meets Little Chef programme on Channel 4. 

The new show, Did Heston Change Little Chef?, will see Blumenthal returning after nearly 12 months to see what progress has been made.

The first restaurant to benefit from the makeover was Little Chef in Popham, Hampshire, which re-opened in November 2008.

Little Chef said the restaurant saw a 500% increase in sales immediately after the programme and is now consistently up 150% year on year. It also received two stars in the Good Food Guide 2010.

The show, which airs on Wednesday at 9pm, will look at two other restaurants that were revamped, in York and Kettering. It will also reveal plans for the remaining 175 restaurants.

In an interview with Caterer in September, Blumenthal talked about the filming of the latest show.

“We went back to Popham and it's still storming,” he said. “I tried 10 dishes and I was pleasantly surprised that the standard has been kept up.” 

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Heston Blumenthal reveals the challenge of revitalising Little Chef >> 

More news, analysis and comment on Heston Blumenthal >> 

By Daniel Thomas

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