Big Chef Takes on Little Chef

Heston says he's honoured to have a hand in turning around the fortunes of an iconic British institution. But the Little Chef workers are less convinced by the partnership. Well those who've heard of him anyway. "He's a scientist chef that does experiments," offers a Geordie waiter. "Didn't he make ice cream out of bacon and eggs?" suggests another. And then there's the infamous snail porridge. "I'm not sure people are ready for snail porridge in Little Chef," muses one manager. "They weren't ready for muesli." Heston pops in for lunch to check out the food and isn't impressed with the massive menu. There's reference to Thailand, America... everywhere other than Britain," he chides. "This is the menu of a company in a panic." Heston opts for a selection of dishes but isn't impressed by anything on offer, apart, that is, from the eggs. "It doesn't taste of anything," he exclaims in amazement. "How do you do that?"

After sampling the current cuisine Heston travels to Sheffield to meet Managing Director, Ian Pegler, and suss out exactly what he's let himself in for. "I pose a risk for them as I'm going into the inner workings of the company," admits Heston, "and I want to see their figures." But the big boss greets him with open arms. "Heston I'm prepared for you to do anything you like," enthuses Ian. "Seriously, this is one of the most important things this brand has ever done." However, Ian is less open about his figures. "You'll need to re-think the quality of your ingredients," says Heston frankly. "What's your GP, your gross profit?" Ian refuses to tell him on screen, promising to email some figures over later and Heston leaves the meeting with more questions than answers.