| Director | James Hacking |
|---|
Chef Rob Haley is left grief-stricken after his wife Françoise is killed in a car accident. It was a senseless act, caused by her combined unsafe habits of using her mobile while driving at excessive speeds. So, he loses his passion for his work.
Once a coveted chef, a particularly bad review causes him to lose customers at his once successful restaurant. His friend Gordon Ramsay comes looking for him after seeing it, convincing him to pull himself out of his funk. So, Rob buys the pub his wife meant for their restaurant three years ago, and he relocates to the countryside with his daughter Michelle and some loyal members of his staff (Loz, Ingo and Shauna).
They plan to turn a local pub into a gastropub. When Rob first visits the location, an American woman rudely and dangerously overtakes him on the way. Then, as the crew are doing a little renovating, local homeowner Livingston and James Forester pass by, both slightly threatening, both mentioning Kate.
On the opening day of the restaurant, American food critic Kate Templeton arrives, narrowly missing Michelle with her jeep. Recognising her from when she rudely gestured at him before, her reckless driving results in an argument with Rob. Afterwards, by way of apology, he offers her lunch, under the condition that she not write a review.
Rob begrudgingly gives Kate the OK to write the review once he sees word of mouth is not bringing in enough customers. And, before they know it, the pub is fully booked for days. Kate stops by, and when she asks about the scalding review Rob has tacked on the wall, he explains it is what motivated him to get back into his cooking.
After Rob and Kate almost kiss, he gets motivated to say farewell to Françoise. He does so by watching the sunset and dispersing her ashes with a glass of red wine. Shortly thereafter, he and Kate finally connect intimately, as do Loz and Shauna.
Renowned food critic Guy Witherspoon on TV for Food for Thought shows up, offering to put Rob on the show, which his staff talk him into.
Some of the locals are content with the visitors that the restaurant is bringing to the area, whilst others, like Kate's father, want it closed down. He enlists Forester to get the restaurant shut down by the health inspector using rats. When Forester goes out of his way to deliver the notice, he tells Rob to stay away from Kate. He gives him her panties as proof of his connection with her and discloses it was Kate who wrote the article that shut down his other restaurant.
Confronting Kate, Rob tells her to get out. A day passes, and Guy's camera crew arrive to shoot his show. Having forgotten, Rob quickly assembles his crew and they assess their options. At first leaving Ingo in charge because of the hearing, Rob blows it off to prepare for Guy's program. Unbeknownst to him, Kate goes to speak for her father, withdrawing his complaints and for Rob, saying the others were completely fabricated.
Guy's visit results in an excellent report and ongoing success for the restaurant under Rob and Kate, who reconcile.