MasterChef Claire Lara goes back to her roots

Feb 2 2011 by Jade Wright, Birkenhead News

WHEN Wirral chef Claire Lara won MasterChef: The Professionals, every foodie worth their sea salt wanted to taste her final menu.

Now, after giving birth to baby George in November, Claire is back in the kitchen, recreating that signature menu for one night only.On Friday February 4, Claire will recreate her menu at Mere Brook House, in Thornton Hough.

Owner Lorna Tyson said: “It’s exciting for us to have Claire coming to cook for our fine dining evening,” says Lorna.

“When we opened two years ago, I dreamed of starting a Wirral dining club here, but it’s been so busy and the other events we’ve put on have been so popular I’ve just never had the time. It went on the back burner. Now, at last, this chance has come up, and it fits perfectly with what we do.”

As Wirral’s only Gold Award 5- star guest house, Mere Brook House seems the perfect place to start a dining club.

“We only have four bedrooms, and the dining rooms here don’t feel like a hotel,” explains Lorna. “It feels like a country house.

“I bought a large mahogany dining table which seats 28, so it feels more relaxed than a restaurant, but also very special.”