Anna spent the rest of the morning creating an advert that would interest every food lover in the land, then sent it off to the local paper. She hadn’t been so excited in ages. But now she was left with a problem. Anna needed competition – a Battle of the Chefs without any chefs would be no battle at all.
‘There are two that rival Madame Le Pig,’ whispered T. Bear. Even though Madame Le Pig was in the kitchen, the last thing he wanted was to enrage her even more, so he kept the volume down. ‘The Fat Cat Restaurant is world famous. Peston Crumbletart is more like an artist than a cook!’
‘Don’t forget Laurence Toot-Toot at the Glitz,’ added Lemmy. ‘I saw him on TV once. Toot-Toot is unforgettable.’
Anna’s face soured. ‘The Glitz?’
Owned by a lion called Mr Ruffian, the Glitz was Hotel Flamingo’s biggest competitor and a thorn in Anna’s side.
‘If you want this to be a proper competition,’ said T. Bear, ‘Toot-Toot’s one of the best.’
‘How will I get him to come?’ asked Anna.
‘You’ll have to go there and ask,’ said T. Bear.
‘I don’t know about that,’ said Anna. The Glitz was the last place she wanted to visit. ‘What if I bump into Mr Ruffian?’
‘I could come with you,’ said T. Bear. ‘It’s mighty quiet round here right now.’
Anna was already having to fight off her nerves at the prospect of seeing the lion, but she knew she had to be strong.
‘OK,’ she said. ‘If Lemmy can keep charge of the hotel without falling asleep?’
‘I wouldn’t dream of it,’ said Lemmy with a cheeky grin.
‘Then let’s get going.’
•
The Fat Cat Restaurant was situated in the bustling heart of the Le Chat Shopping Mall. Anna and T. Bear rang the bell and waited.
‘Prepare yourself,’ said T. Bear. ‘He’s won every award going and he’s known to be full of himself.’
A giant shadowy shape appeared behind the darkened window. The lock turned and the door opened. Peston Crumbletart, as big as his reputation, with thick ginger fur, fierce eyes and long twizzly whiskers, stood waiting.
‘What?’ he said. ‘We’re shut.’
‘Hello,’ said Anna. ‘I’m here from Hotel Flamingo.’
Peston growled a little. ‘That crumbling old hotel on Animal Boulevard?’ he said. ‘I’m surprised it’s not been shut down.’
‘That’s us,’ said Anna. ‘Can we come in? I have a proposition for you.’
‘I don’t let competitors inside,’ said the cat.
‘I think you’ll be interested in this,’ said Anna.
Peston twitched his nose and ushered them through with a flick of his paw.
The Fat Cat Restaurant looked every bit the fancy restaurant, with gleaming white tiles on the floor, expensive abstract paintings on every wall and crisp white tablecloths on the tables. Anna was in awe of how clean and tidy it was. Not even Hilary Hippo could get their hotel this tidy.
‘What are you after?’ asked Peston, twirling his whiskers.
‘We’re organising a competition,’ said Anna, ‘for all the best chefs on Animal Boulevard. We want to find out who is the greatest of all!’
‘I am the greatest chef on Animal Boulevard,’ said Peston. ‘There is no competition.’
‘Yes. While that may be true,’ said Anna, ‘Madame Le Pig believes that she is also the best.’
Peston hissed a laugh. ‘She’s dreaming,’ he said.
‘But she wants an opportunity to prove it,’ said Anna.
‘I don’t need to prove anything,’ said Peston. ‘I am the best.’
‘Wouldn’t you like the chance to be crowned the greatest chef on Animal Boulevard in front of an adoring audience?’ asked Anna.
Peston scratched his chin. ‘Perhaps,’ he said. ‘I do like winning things.’
Anna held out her hand for Peston to shake. ‘Do we have a deal?’ she said.
‘Yes,’ agreed the cat. ‘Now go away.’
‘I’ll send you the details once they’re agreed!’ said Anna, hurrying out past a shelf of medals and award statues.
‘You do that,’ growled Peston, starting to clean his ears.