BBC2: The Restaurant Series 3
The Contestants: Frances & Lucy

Frances & Lucy

Frances and Lucy are from Gloucestershire.

They describe themselves as "country girls" who have been brought up on local produce and feel very strongly about incorporating this element into their restaurant model.

Their concept is for rustic, farmhouse dining with "a touch of modern elegance" using only locally-sourced food.

Currently studying biology, Frances spends her spare time working for a catering company and running a small catering business of her own with skills gleaned from a four-week intensive cookery course during her gap year. She also has silver-service waitress experience and never dines out without her notepad and pencil so she can record the pros and cons of each restaurant experience!

Young and ambitious, the girls have been firm friends since meeting at Cheltenham College in their teens.

Lucy would love to apply her strong marketing skills to the restaurant trade. No stranger to the front of house experience, she has worked as a waitress during holidays since the age of 16.

On their menu would be whole baked bream, herb-crusted rack of lamb and grilled rib eye steak, with an extensive wine list and staff fully briefed on which wines best accompany which dishes.

"Our concept is British contemporary food using locally produced seasonal ingredients. If it wasn't local it wouldn't go out," says Lucy.