Great British Menu to return later this month with new judge

Great British Menu will return to BBC Two for its 20th series on 28 January, this time with new judge Lorna McNee.

McNee is a former Great British Menu champion of champions and chef director at Glasgow’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Cail Bruich.

She is the only female chef in Scotland to hold a Michelin star and replaces Nisha Katona, founder of Mowgli Street Food restaurants, who is moving on from the show after three years as a judge.

Chef Tom Kerridge and comedian Ed Gamble will remain on the judging panel to taste dishes fitting this season’s theme of “Great Britons”.

Participating chefs will be asked to draw inspiration from important people across ancient and modern history when developing their menus, the best of which will be showcased at a banquet at Blenheim Palace.

Each episode will feature a guest judge with a strong connection to the region, starting with Paul Ainsworth of the Michelin-starred Number 6 in Padstow, Cornwall, who will be overseeing north-west England.

The first episode is due to feature four chefs cooking the likes of a scouse pie in honour of Anne Williams and her campaign to obtain justice for those who died in the Hillsborough disaster, as well as a Wordsworth-inspired confit trout with sauce barigoule, marigold oil, nasturtiums and a butterfly tuile.

The guest judge for Scotland will be Ben Thomas, an RNLI volunteer and firefighter who won ‘Special Recognition’ at the 2024 Pride of Scotland awards.

McNee said: “Winning Great British Menu back in 2018 made a huge difference to my career as a chef and was partly behind me becoming chef director at Cail Bruich, so I know just how much the competition means to Britain’s chefs.

“Being invited to join the judges this year was a total surprise but a delight, and I’m loving the chance to help choose this year’s banquet finalists. Tom, Ed and Andi have made me feel very welcome, and I’m also meeting some amazing guest judges every week – each of whom has been invited to help us choose the dishes representing their areas to go with this year’s theme.”

Andi Oliver, host and mentor of the show since 2017, added: “It is an honour and continues to be a huge privilege to mentor Britain’s top chefs through the process of competing on Great British Menu, and it’s incredible to think the series is now in its 20th year."

Head judge Kerridge said: “As a fellow chef, I am very pleased to see a recent champion of champions and leading Great British Menu chef mentor join myself and Ed in the judging chamber. Her experience and wealth of knowledge will bring huge gravitas to judging day, and no doubt give the competing chefs another butterfly in their stomach.”