Great British Menu winners offer advice to latest contestants

Great British Menu winners Amber Francis and Pip Lacey have offered advice to the show’s latest contestants, who are experiencing newfound fame and interest.

Last month saw Nikita Pathakji crowned Great British Menu 2026 champion of champions, cooking at the banquet alongside Orry Shand, Cal Byerley and Ciaran Brennan.

Corrin Harrison was due to cook at the banquet, but withdrew due to personal reasons, while fellow chefs Lawrence Barrow, Josh Hughes, Jamie Keeble and Jack Bond all reached finals week, battling through the initial field of 32 chefs.

The hit BBC show is said to draw around one million viewers during the latter stages, giving chefs an incredible platform for success after the show has finished.

But, as both Amber and Pip warned, it may not all come at once.

Amber Francis: ‘Soak it all in’

Asked for her advice for the 2026 cohort, Amber, who was crowned champion of champions in 2025, told The Staff Canteen: “Something that I really found was I didn't know who to get advice from in that situation.

“I would say, number one, soak it all in. That wave of attention and reward for all of your hard work doesn't come around that often in such a way.

“That can be quite overwhelming. So just take it all in, take a breather if you need to, before you take a step forward and see what opportunities come your way.

“Don't be surprised if nothing comes at first, because these things take time and also many people will assume that you're flooded with opportunities, so they'll hold back a little bit.

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“But sometimes everyone can then hold back a little bit. So don't get disheartened if nothing comes up straight away.

“Keep your opportunities open. But ultimately, just do things that you love and you're passionate about.

“Anyone that has success in a competition like that does it because they're passionate about it and they love it.

“Just keep sticking true to yourself and true to that and you can't go too far wrong.”

Pip Lacey: ‘Keep your head down’

Pip Lacey won the Central heat of Great British Menu in 2017 and went on to cook the starter at the banquet.

Having formerly headed up the kitchen of Angela Hartnett’s Murano, Pip is now executive chef of the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in London, which operates various restaurants.

Reflecting on her experiences of winning and what advice she would pass on, Pip said: “I was still with Angela then, and she’s a good person to put your feet on the ground!

“What might happen is people think that it could do more than it can.

“That’s the worry of people going, oh, well, that’s it, I’m off.

“Angela said to me, press is great and TV can do wonders, but it also can sometimes just do nothing.

“So just be careful. Keep your head down and keep doing what you’re doing.

“If you’ve got a restaurant and it helps put bums on seats, great. Take full advantage of that.

“Take advantage of engaging with those people and keep them coming back. Once you’ve got a clientele, you want to hold on to them in a restaurant.

“If you haven’t got a restaurant, just keep your head down and be proud. It’s a great achievement. It puts you up there with your peers and then just keep doing what you’re doing.

“It’s something you can be proud of and it’s an achievement, but you shouldn’t rest on it.”

What comes next for the 2026 banquet chefs?

Of this year’s four banquet chefs, two are in the process of opening their first solo restaurants.

Nikita Pathakji is launching neighbourhood restaurant Maai in Clapham, while Falls by Orry Shand is in the works in Aberdeenshire.

Ciaran Brennan is head chef at Michelin-starred Osip, while Cal Byerley has run his Northumberland Michelin-starred restaurant Pine since 2021.