Great British Menu 2023: Everything you need to know, which chefs are competing, who are the national finalists, when is the banquet and more

The Staff Canteen

Editor

Great British Menu 2023 theme is celebrating animation and illustration for 65 years of paddington. The panel of judges remains the same for series 18 of the competition and we start with the north east region.

For the third year running, former judge, chef, restaurateur and TV presenter Andi Oliver will host the show, which starts on Tuesday 31st January at 8pm on BBC, pitting 32 of the country's best chefs against each other for a chance to cook for some of the most celebrated names in British television.

All episodes of 2022's series 17 of the programme are available to watch on BBC iPlayer. We'll update this page with everything you need to know so scroll down to see more.

When does Great British Menu 2023 start?

Series 18 of Great British Meni starts on January 31st 2023 and will run for eight weeks, culminating in a banquet meal celebrating the theme, with a regional chef cooking each course and a champion of champions.

What channel will Great British Menu be on?

Great British Menu will be broadcast on BBC Two.

What is the Great British Menu 2023 theme?

Great British Menu contestants will create dishes for Paddington Bear's 65th birthday, the chefs will be taking inspiration from the best of British animation and illustration when creating their dishes, from cartoons to video games. Expect props a plenty and recognisable characters making appearances left, right and centre, as the chefs try to capture the imagination of the judges.

Who are the veteran judges?

While the veteran judges are revealed on a week-by-week basis, they usually include Angela Hartnett, Michael O'Hare, Paul Ainsworth and Richard Corrigan.

Who are the judges on the Great British Menu?

Returning for 2023 are judges Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge, chef and restaurateur Nisha Katona, and comedian and host of food podcast Off Menu, Ed Gamble.

How many heats / regions are there?

The show pits chefs from eight regions against each other, with four competing chefs from each location: Scotland, the South West, the North West, Wales, Central, the London South/East area, the North East and Northern Ireland.

One chef will be eliminated at the end of the first day of cooking each week, meaning they only have their canapés, starters and fish courses to prove themselves. Another chef will then leave the competition after their final score from the veteran judge, in the second episode of the week.

The final two chefs in each region to cook for the judges, who each week will be joined by a guest.

During finals week the eight regional finalists compete against each other, four of whom will cook a dish at the banquet, and an additional runner-up serving their canapés and pre-desserts at the banquet.

Who are the Great British Menu Chefs 2023?

North East Chefs: January 31st, 1st and 2nd

Cal Byerley, chef owner of Restaurant Pine

Will Lockwood, head chef, Roots

Gareth Bartram, chef director, Winteringham Fields

Rory Welch, chef owner, Träkol

Veteran judge

Angela Hartnett

South west Chefs: February 7th, 8th, 9th

Andrew Tuck, Head Chef, St Kew Inn

Nick Beardshaw, Head Chef, Kerridge's Bar & Grill

Amber Francis, Head Chef, The Zebra Riding Club

Charlotte Vincent, Head Chef, Hotel Meudon

North West Chefs: February 21th, 22nd, 23rd

László Nagy, Head Chef, Nags Head in Tarporley

Sam Grainger, Chef Owner, Belzan and Madre

Danielle Heron, Chef Owner, Osma

Caroline Martins, Chef Owner, The Sao Paulo Project

Veteran judge

Lisa Goodwin-Allen

Scotland Chefs: February 28th, March 1st, 2nd

Adam Handling, Chef Owner of Adam Handling Restaurant Group

Mark McCabe, Co-Owner of The Ethicurean

Tunde ‘Abi’ Abifarin, Chef-Founder of Farin Road

Kevin Dalgleish, Chef Owner of Amuse by Kevin Dalgleish

Veteran judge

Tom Aikens

London and South East Chefs: March 7th, 8th, 9th

Avinash Shashidhara, Head Chef, Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai

Robbie Lorraine, Chef Owner, Only Food and Courses

Ferdinand Montoya, Chef Owner, Sarap Restaurant

Brian Danclair, Chef Owner, Danclair’s Kitchen

Veteran judge

Tommy Banks

Northern Ireland Chefs: March 14th, 15th, 16th

Gemma Austin, Chef Patron of A Peculiar Tea

Matt Jordan, Head Chef of Shu Restaurant Belfast

Kerry Roper, Head Chef at Stix and Stones

John Hollywood, Freelance Development Chef

Veteran judge

Aktar Islam

Central Chefs: March 21st, 22nd, 23rd

Tom Shepherd , Chef Patron of Upstairs by Tom Shepherd

Marianne Lumb , Freelance Executive Chef

Kareem Roberts , Head Chef at Trinity

Thom Bateman, Chef Owner of The Flintlock at Cheddleton

Veteran judge

Paul Ainsworth

When is finals week? When is the GBM banquet?

Finals week will start on 27th March, with the banquet on 31st March.

Which chefs made it to the National Finals on Great British Menu 2023? Who are the final 8 chefs?

Will Lockwood, head chef, Roots

Nick Beardshaw, Head Chef, Kerridge's Bar & Grill

Mark Threadgill, Head Chef at Hotel Portmeirion

Danielle Heron, Chef Owner, Osma

Adam Handling, Chef Owner of Adam Handling Restaurant Group

Avinash Shashidhara, Head Chef, Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai

Gemma Austin, Chef Patron of A Peculiar Tea

Tom Shepherd , Chef Patron of Upstairs by Tom Shepherd

Who won the central heat?

Tom Shepherd , Chef Patron of Upstairs by Tom Shepherd

Who won the North West heat?

Danielle Heron, Chef Owner, Osma

Who won the Wales heat?

Mark Threadgill, Head Chef at Hotel Portmeirion

Who won the London and South East heat?

Avinash Shashidhara, Head Chef, Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai

Who won the Scotland heat?

Adam Handling, Chef Owner of Adam Handling Restaurant Group

Who won the Yorkshire and North East heat?

Will Lockwood, head chef, Roots

Who won the South West heat?

Nick Beardshaw, Head Chef, Kerridge's Bar & Grill

Who won the Northern Ireland heat?

Gemma Austin, Chef Patron of A Peculiar Tea

Who are the Great British Menu 2023 winners cooking at the banquet?

Starter

Avinash Shashidhara, Head Chef, Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai

Fish course

Nick Beardshaw, Head Chef, Kerridge's Bar & Grill

Main COurse

Tom Shepherd , Chef Patron of Upstairs by Tom Shepherd

Dessert Course

Adam Handling, Chef Owner of Adam Handling Restaurant Group

Who won Great British Menu 2023?

Adam Handling, Chef Owner of Adam Handling Restaurant Group, has been crowned the champion of champions and the winner of Great British Menu 2023.

Adam's dessert was inspired by Dundee publishers, DC Thomson, and marked the 80th anniversary of the Beano and Dandy, including throwable custard, smashable cake and jelly.

Who was crowned Champion Great British Menu 2022?

Spencer Metzger, head chef of The Ritz Hotel's one Michelin-starred restaurant, took home the title of champion with Tom Kerridge commenting: “It was a perfect banquet dish, and the room clearly loved it. Spencer, a fully deserved winner.”

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 and restrict access – 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 12 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 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, 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.