Great British Menu 2023 Contestants, Judges, and Host
by Krishika M | Updated Feb 09, 2023
Great British Menu 2023
Great British Menu has now been on our screens for 17 years (we know, we can't be that old), with the first season airing in 2006, and has served as a springboard for some of the country's most successful chefs to go on to do some incredible things. Past competitors have included Jason Atherton, Nathan Outlaw, and Aktar Islam, to name a few, and you can bet that some of this year's competitors will go on to achieve similar success. Great British Menu 2023 started airing on January 31, 2023 at 8pm.
One of the things we love most about Great British Menu is that it features such a diverse range of chefs, so it's not uncommon to see an experimental youngster competing against an established Michelin-starred head chef. If you're as excited as we are about Great British Menu returning to our screens for an 18th season, you'll want to know everything from when it starts to who the contestants are. That's why we've answered all of your questions about Great British Menu 2023 below.
Great British Menu 2023 Contestants
This year, the team behind Great British Menu is shaking things up by releasing the chefs participating in each region week by week. This is in contrast to previous years, when the chef lineup was usually announced all at once. Throughout the series, 32 chefs will represent eight different regions of the United Kingdom.
Week 1 (North-East region)
- Gareth Bartram, Winteringham Fields' Head Chef
- Rory Welch, Träkol's Head Chef
- Will Lockwood, Roots' Head Chef - Cal Byerley, Pine's Head Patron
Week 2 (South-West region)
- Amber Francis, Zebra Riding Club's Head Chef - Charlotte Vincent, Restaurant Meudon's Head Chef
- Nicholas Bearshaw, Kerridge's Bar & Grill Head Chef
- Andrew Tuck, St Kew Inn's Head Chef
Great British Menu South West Contestants
Listed below are the South west contestants of Great British Menu. The crew includes Amber Francis, Charlotte Vincent, Nicholas Bearshaw, and Andrew Tuck.
Nicholas Bearshaw
Nick, a confident returner, is hoping to go all the way this time, having previously just missed out on Finals. Nick has been working with mentor Tom Kerridge for over ten years; he was part of the team when The Hand and Flowers was awarded a second Michelin star in 2011, and he was the Head Chef when The Coach (1*) in Marlow was awarded a star in 2017. In 2018, he became Head Chef at Tom Kerridge's first London restaurant, Kerridge's Bar and Grill, where he hopes to earn a Michelin star.
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Andrew Tuck
Andrew is a rising star on the Cornish food circuit, having had his cooking brought to a national level after appearing on Rick Stein's Cornwall. Andrew fell in love with food as a child while fishing with his father and has since had the opportunity to learn from chefs such as Ben Quinn and Simon Stallard, which has given him a passion for open fire cooking. He is currently the head chef at the award-winning St. Kew Inn, which was recently ranked 36th in the Estrella Dame Top 50 Gastro Pub list and is listed in the Michelin guide.
Charlotte Vincent
Charlotte Vincent, a native Devonian, is back for her second year - and another shot at victory. She is passionate about the local produce available to her in Devon, and describes her food as 'Modern British with a twist of Scandi influence and French technique'.
Charlotte, a latecomer to the world of gastronomy, earned a Masters in Psychology and Human Biology at the University of Plymouth before honing her culinary skills in the Royal Logistics Corps of the British Arm. She also worked as a pastry chef for Michael Caines at Gidleigh Park (2*) and The Royal Clarence Hotel for ten years.
Amber Francis
Amber, a determined newcomer, grew up in Bristol's countryside, and her interest in cooking began at a young age. She was doing stages at two-Michelin-starred restaurants, The Hand and Flowers and Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, by the age of sixteen.
Amber spent her formative years as a chef training at The Ritz, where she honed her classical technique while working in a variety of departments, including a year in pastry. She's worked in several of Robin Gill's restaurants, including The Dairy and Bermondsey Larder. She was named Head Chef at The Zebra Riding Club in the grounds of Hertfordshire's Birch Community in 2022.
Great British Menu 2023 Judges
The Great British Menu theme for 2023 is a tribute to Paddington Bear's 65th birthday. The chefs will compete to create dishes based on British animation and illustration, including cartoons, comic books, and video games. They can be as creative as they want, but we anticipate plenty of props and iconic characters appearing on plates.
The judging panel will be the same as last year, with Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge, restaurateur Nisha Katona (who runs the Mowgli restaurant chain), and comedian Ed Gamble (co-host of the Off-Menu podcast) returning to the show in 2023. They will judge the regional finals and finals week, and will be joined each week by a guest judge who is related to the theme of animation and illustration.
Great British Menu 2023 Host
Great British Menu 2023 is hosted by Andi Oliver. ANDI Oliver is a London-based chef and the Great British Menu host. Andi, 59, is a London-based chef who is frequently seen hosting food-related TV and radio shows. The actress is said to have had a lifelong obsession with delicious food and would host her own dinner parties as early as the age of 12. Because of her father's RAF career, she travelled extensively as a child, giving her a diverse palate with influences from all over the world. She co-owns Andi's Restaurant in London with Kelly Miles when she is not broadcasting.
Great British Menu 2023 Contestants - FAQs
Great British Menu is a BBC television show in which top British chefs compete to cook one course of a four-course banquet.
Great British Menu has now been on our screens for 17 years with the first season airing in 2006.
The judging panel will be the same as last year, with Tom Kerridge, Nisha Katona, and Ed Gamble.
This season is hosted by Andi Oliver.
The Great British Menu theme for 2023 is a tribute to Paddington Bear's 65th birthday.