Great British Menu 2022 chefs: Mark Aisthorpe, North East and Yorkshire heat

Chef Patron of The Bulls Head in Holymoorside Mark Aisthorpe is one of four chefs representing the North East and Yorkshire on Great British Menu 2022

Series 17 of the competition starts on February 1st 2022 on BBC Two at 8pm and will air every Tuesday at 8pm, every Wednesday at 9pm (as of the week commencing March 7th) and Thursday at 8pm for eight weeks.

Mark is part of a whole new consortium of chefs to compete for the North East and Yorkshire, facing chefs Bobby Geetha, Liz Cottam and Luke French in a bid to cook at the final banquet.

Bobby was the first to leave the Great British Menu kitchen after serving his fish course, with veteran judge Michael O'Hare and host Andi Oliver citing the fact that he was called in to take part in the programme at a short notice, so lacked preparation.  Liz was then eliminated from the competition at the end of day 2 of the North East heat, leaving Mark and Luke to cook for the judges on Thursday 10th March at 8pm.

Despite a tight race, with both chefs earning some high scores for their dishes, Luke took the title to represent the North East and Yorkshire in the regional finals.

Biography

Having worked for the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing at Cliveden House and Petrus, Mark Aisthorpe opened The Bulls Head in Holymoorside, Derbyshire, in 2016. 

His food is hyper-seasonal, with menus often changed daily, and every ingredient purposefully sourced as locally as possible to the restaurant, whether foraged, from neighbouring farms or from the restaurant's own garden.

For Mark’s menu honouring 100 years of British broadcasting, the chef is looking to his local area for inspiration, too, preparing dishes inspired by Heartbeat and ChuckleVision.