BBC Two's Great British Menu paid tribute to the late Nell Gifford, co-founder of Gloucestershire's renowned Giffords Circus, as one of the competing chefs decided to honour her through their dish.
For its 20th series, top chefs from across the UK are vying for the chance to present exquisite dishes at a prestigious Blenheim Palace banquet.
Cheltenham-born-and-bred, chef Ashleigh Farrand chose to celebrate Nell's contributions to the arts, as well as her legacy in the south west.
Nell founded Giffords in 2000 with her then-husband, Toti and it quickly became much-loved institution. She passed away in December 2019 after a battle with breast cancer.
For the dessert course, Ashleigh created a circus themed dish, entitled 'Roll up! Roll up!', inspired by all the flavours of the circus; with a toffee apple donut, butter popcorn ice cream, a caramelised white chocolate crumb and a chocolate biscuit horse — all beautifully presented in a mini circus tent alongside a flourish of apple flavoured bubbles.
Ashleigh, who now serves as head chef at The Kingham Plough in the Cotswolds, served up food to comedian Ed Gamble, celebrity chef Tom Kerridge and former Great British Menu winner Lorna McNee.
No stranger to great food, Nell teamed up with the Circus Sauce head chef Ols Halas to release the Giffords Circus cookbook — which scooped a Guild of Food Writers award in 2021.
Back with a brand-new show in 2025, Giffords Circus welcomes back the county's favourite clown, Tweedy, for its Laguna Bay tour throughout Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and London.
And you can watch the full episode of Great British Menu to find out how Ashleigh fared on BBC iPlayer now.
