Great British Menu to return on 1 February

Great British Menu is to return for 2022 with a new judging panel and theme next month.

 

Andi Oliver will remain as host but this year sees some changes to the long-standing judging panel, which now comprises chef Tom Kerridge, restaurateur Nisha Katona and Ed Gamble, comedian and host of the Off Menu food podcast.

 

Kerridge, who competed and won the main course round in 2010 and 2011, before returning in 2012 as a mentor, said: “I’ve been involved with the show in some respect now for 12/13 years and I know how much it means, not just to the chefs that compete, but also the British food scene in general.

 

“It has been hugely influential, in terms of letting everybody know how great chefs and cooking is up and down the country, in all the nations and regions.”

 

Chefs will compete to win the chance to serve their dish at a banquet at Alexandra Palace in north London attended by famous faces from television and radio.

 

When is Great British Menu on?

 

Great British Menu’s 17th series will air on 1 February at 8pm on BBC Two. There will be three episodes per week for eight weeks, finishing with a grand final banquet.

 

In weeks one to eight, four chefs representing a nation or region will compete against each other each week to cook canapés, starters, fish dishes, main courses, pre-desserts and desserts.

 

One chef is eliminated at the end of the first episode each week after cooking the fish course.

 

Another chef leaves the competition at the end of desserts, which is the second episode of the week. This leaves only the two chefs with the highest scores who must cook their entire menu for the judges in the final episode of the week.

 

The judges must then choose one winner to represent their nation or region. Each week the regular judges are joined by a fourth guest judge, connected to the theme.

 

During finals week, the eight finalists compete against each other. One winner will be chosen each day to cook either their starter, fish course, main course or dessert.

 

The highest scoring runner up not to have won either of the four courses, gets to cook the canapé and pre-dessert at the banquet.

 

What is the theme of Great British Menu 2022?

 

This year’s theme celebrates 100 Years of Great British Broadcasting, marking the centenary of the BBC’s first radio broadcast in 1922.

 

A total of 32 chefs will represent eight different regions or nations, designing dishes to celebrate the history of UK broadcasting across the BBC and other channels.

 

Though details of the full chef line-up are being kept under wraps, there will be dishes paying homage to programmes such as Fawlty Towers, Monty Python, Eastenders and Desert Island Discs.

 

Who won the 2021 series of Great British Menu?

 

The 2021 series of Great British Menu was themed around British innovation and invention.

 

Those cooking at the banquet included Alex Bond (North East), Roberta Hall-McCarron (Scotland), Oli Marlow (London and the South East), Dan McGeorge (North West), and Jude Kereama (South West). For more information on their dishes click here.