THE head chef of an acclaimed five-star hotel and restaurant is to appear in one of TV’s most prestigious culinary competitions.
Daniel Ap Geraint of The Gunroom Restaurant at Plas Dinas Country House will represent Wales on the 20th series of Great British Menu.
This year’s theme is ‘Great Britons’ and the show itself is renowned for having made household names of some of the nation’s top chefs over the last two decades, including Marcus Wareing, Tom Kerridge, and Simon Rogan.
Daniel, from Prestatyn, has been a mainstay at the picturesque, 17th century Bontnewydd venue, near Caernarfon, since 2018, and looks forward to participating in the Welsh heats next week.
If successful, he will compete in the final against the ‘Best of British’ with the aim of preparing a dish for a banquet to be held at Blenheim Palace.
“I am honoured to be representing The Gunroom Restaurant and Wales in the 20th Anniversary series of Great British Menu, a programme that has showcased culinary excellence to the world for over 20 years,” he said.
“What an experience to be part of a programme that so many aspirational chefs hold in such high regard.”
Food was a huge part of Daniel’s upbringing, he was particularly influenced by his Nain, whose dishes were always “full of flavour and wholesome”.
Having left school to study Music, Theatre and Media, his future seemed to be in the creative industries, but after working in a kitchen during his university summer break, he realised his real passion was cooking.
Daniel went on to work at an award-winning gastro pub near Llandudno, before becoming head chef for the first time aged just 23. A few years later, he took the plunge and opened his own restaurant, which was quickly added to the Michelin Guide and The Good Food Guide.
He joined the team at The Gunroom seven years ago, with a view to developing its offering, changing the menu each month to reflect the most abundant seasonal produce from the local area, creating a unique nine-course hybrid taster menu and, due to its success and the reception from diners, receiving a number of awards and accolades.
The venue has since been added to the Michelin Guide in 2022, gaining two AA rosettes and winning the AA Wine List Award for Wales 2024/25.
Plas Dinas owners Daniel and Annie Perks are “incredibly proud” of his achievements and confident he will impress the show’s two million viewers with his culinary skill and vision.
Having acquired the historic former home of HRH Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon six years ago, they lovingly restored the building and raised the bar for hospitality in the region, securing numerous accolades along the way, including Hotel of the Year at the Go North Wales Tourism Awards four consecutive times, and Condé Nast Johansen’s Best Hotel for Romance in the UK Award 2025.
“Our vision was always to provide customers with special memories and high-quality food with the dream of one day achieving a Michelin Star,” said Daniel.
“We came here with a long-term view, to keep improving and to grow sustainably, there is no timeframe, it’s about the journey and moving forward together as a team, because that’s what we are.”
He added: “Daniel has been a driving force behind that, he is creative, ambitious, driven and so unbelievably talented, as well as being one of the nicest people you could meet.
“For him to appear on Great British Menu is fantastic, we are incredibly proud of him and know he will elevate his already brilliant reputation even further.”
