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After making the move backte his native North-east, Kenny Atkinson's work regaining Seaham Hairs Michelin star went largely unnoticed in the industry. But if that didn't bring him much attention, his turn on the TV programme Great British Menu will, writes Tom Vaughan
If you found time to catch a glimpse ofthe BBC's Great British Menu last week, then you might recognise diminutive Geordie chef Kenny Atkinson. In fact, more ardent Menuwatch readers might even recognise Atkinson as the runner-up in last year's Menu ofthe Year Catey, when he finished a close second to London restaurant Scotts.
But, six months after winning a Michelin star at Tean in the Isles of Scilly, Atkinson waved goodbye to the islands, taking over at the White Room in Seaham Hall in August last year, a move that took him closer to his spiritual home of Newcastle. "I always said that the only place that would have got me to leave the Scilly Isles for the North-east was Seaham Hall," Atkinson says. "It was a tough decision, but I've got a two-year-old son and it came down to putting his interests first."
The move away from Tean, where Atkinson left behind the star he had strived hard for, was vindicated in January this year, when he...