Unconventional chef to take on task of reviving fry-up chain

HESTON Blumenthal, the celebrity chef whose outlandish dishes include sardines-on-toast ice-cream, is attempting to turn around the fortunes of the Little Chef chain of roadside restaurants.

Little Chef, which was rescued from financial collapse by venture capitalists last year, is best known for its breakfast fry-ups.

But now the British chef, whose culinary creations also include snail porridge, is hoping to transform its fortunes in a new Channel 4 series.

The fate of Little Chef classics, such as the Olympic breakfast and the Jubilee pancake, could be under threat.

Sue Murphy, Channel 4's head of features, said Blumenthal would try to bring the chain of restaurants into the 21st century in the series, given the working title Big Chef, Little Chef.

She said: "Nothing is safe. It will be a complete opportunity for reinvention." Blumenthal was "personally quite nostalgic" for Little Chef's glory days and "wouldn't be coming at it from a sneering perspective".

Channel 4 has signed a two-year, exclusive deal with Blumenthal. Other programmes include Feast With Heston Blumenthal, in which the chef travels back in time to reinvent classic dishes.