Screening as part of the Great British Food Fight, the first three programmes in this series see Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal apply his ingenious culinary techniques to try and restore the fortunes of one of Britain’s most conventional yet iconic food brands.  

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 brand? Can Heston Blumenthal make the British public fall in love all over again with Little Chef and with classic British food in the process?

Six months later Heston returns to see if the transformation it is still up to scratch and whether profits are up.  And in this fourth programme, called ‘Did Heston Change Little Chef?’, Heston finds out if his vision will be rolled out as a model for other restaurants.  Has there really been a revolution in Britain’s roadside eateries?

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