Great British Menu 2022 chefs: Sam Lomas, North West heat

The Staff Canteen

26 year-old Head chef at Glebe House Devon Sam Lomas is one of four chefs representing the North West on Great British Menu 2022

Series 17 of the competition starts on February 1st 2022 on BBC Two at 8pm and will air at the same time every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for eight weeks.

The North West heat will take place on February 8th, 9th and 10th. Sam is facing chefs Caroline MartinsDave Critchley and Stevie Lamb

This is Sam's first appearance on the show. Before making it to the judge's chamber, the chefs' food is to be judged by veteran chefs Lisa Goodwin-Allen, who appeared on the show in series 5 back in 2010 and took a dish to the banquet, as well as Niall Keating, who competed in 2020 and was crowned the series' 'champion of champions.' 

As per the programme's new format which starts each heat with four chefs (as opposed to three, which was the case until series 15), Caroline was eliminated after the fish course. Stevie was the next to go, leaving Dave and Sam to face judges Tom Kerridge, Nisha Katona and Ed Gamble, as well as guest judge Sue Cleaver on Thursday, 10th February 2022.

After cooking for the judges, 26 year-old Head chef at Glebe House Devon Sam Lomas won the North West heat, giving him the opportunity to represent the region in the finals.

Biography

When Cheshire-born Sam left the Falibroome Academy high school, he took on an apprenticeship at Hugh-Fearnley Wittingstall's River Cottage chefs' school, where he won the Rising Star Award in 2013 before leaving to work at Flour, Water, Salt, an award-winning bakery in Macclesfield.

A short stint out of the kitchen saw him work for the Liberal Democrat party, but he couldn't stay away for long. He was offered a job at another of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's restaurants, Surf Tiree, this time on a Hebrides island off the coast of Scotland.

He returned to River Cottage to teach cookery classes, before moving to the Isle of Anglesea to head up the Tide Llanw Cafe at Halen Môn.

Sam, now 26, is the head chef at Glebe House Devon, a guesthouse, restaurant and 15 acre smallholding near Colyton, East Devon.

In keeping with this year's theme, Sam's dishes will champion radio legends and classic northern drama Happy Valley.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall  – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 30th March 2022

Great British Menu 2022 chefs: Sam Lomas, North West heat