Great British Menu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Great British Menu
Genre	Cooking game show
Presented by	Jennie Bond Susan Calman Andi Oliver
Judges	Matthew Fort Oliver Peyton Prue Leith Andi Oliver Rachel Khoo Tom Kerridge Nisha Katona Ed Gamble
Voices of	Jennie Bond Mark Bazeley Wendy Lloyd
Theme music composer	Daniel Pemberton
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	16
No. of episodes	544
Production
Running time	30–60 minutes
Production company(s)	Optomen
Distributor	All3Media
Release
Original network	BBC Two BBC One (Specials)
Picture format	16:9
Original release	10 April 2006 (2006-04-10) – present

Great British Menu is a fun BBC TV show where some of Britain's best chefs compete. Their goal? To win the chance to cook one special dish for a fancy four-course meal, called a banquet!

How the Show Works

The show has changed a bit over the years, but the main idea is always the same: talented chefs battle it out in the kitchen!

At first, Jennie Bond was the presenter. Later, the show had different narrators and no presenter for a while. Now, Andi Oliver is the presenter, and Susan Calman also hosted for a time.

The Judges

The chefs' dishes are tasted and scored by a panel of expert judges. For a long time, the main judges were Matthew Fort, Prue Leith, and Oliver Peyton.

Over the years, new judges have joined the team. Andi Oliver became a judge before becoming the presenter. Later, Rachel Khoo joined. Most recently, the judging panel changed completely to include former Great British Menu winner Tom Kerridge, chef Nisha Katona, and comedian Ed Gamble.

The Competition

Each week, chefs from a certain region of the UK compete. They create different dishes for the starter, fish course, main course, and dessert.

In the early series, the public would vote for their favourite dishes. But from series five onwards, a fourth judge was added instead of the public vote. This judge is often a famous chef or someone special related to the week's theme.

The best chefs from each region go through to the final week. Here, they cook their dishes again for the judges. The goal is to have one of their dishes chosen to be part of the final banquet menu.

Past Series Highlights

Each series of Great British Menu has a special theme for the banquet. Chefs create dishes that fit this theme, making the competition even more exciting!

Series 1 (2006): The Queen's Birthday

The very first series celebrated the Queen's 80th birthday. Chefs created dishes suitable for a summer banquet for 300 people!

• Starter: Richard Corrigan – Smoked salmon with Irish soda bread.
• Fish: Bryn Williams – Pan-fried turbot with cockles and oxtail.
• Main: Nick Nairn – Loin of roe venison.
• Dessert: Marcus Wareing – Custard tart with Garibaldi biscuits.

Great British Christmas Menu (2006)

This special series had winning chefs create a Christmas dinner that viewers could make at home.

• Richard Corrigan was crowned the winner.

Series 2 (2007): British Embassy in Paris

The winning chefs from this series got to cook their menu at the British Embassy in Paris for an Ambassadors' Dinner.

• Starter: Sat Bains – Ham, egg and peas.
• Fish: Richard Corrigan – Whole poached wild salmon.
• Main: Mark Hix – Rabbit and crayfish stargazy pie.
• Dessert: Mark Hix – Perry jelly and summer fruits.

Series 3 (2008): The Gherkin Building

Chefs competed to cook a dinner at the top of London's famous "Gherkin" building.

• Starter: Jason Atherton – Bacon, lettuce and tomato with croque monsieur.
• Fish: Stephen Terry – Organic salmon and smoked salmon with crab fritters.
• Main: Jason Atherton – Dexter beef fillet, ox cheek.
• Dessert: Glynn Purnell – Strawberries with tarragon and black pepper honeycomb.

Series 4 (2009): Honoring Service Personnel

This series was all about cooking a meal for British service members returning from Afghanistan.

• Starter: Kenny Atkinson – Salad of Aberdeen Angus beef.
• Fish: Glynn Purnell – Masala spiced monkfish.
• Main: Nigel Haworth – Lonk lamb Lancashire hotpot.
• Dessert: Shaun Rankin – Treacle tart with Jersey clotted cream.

Series 5 (2010): Celebrating British Food Producers

Chefs had to find new food producers and use local ingredients, often from National Trust properties. The banquet honored British food producers, with The Prince of Wales as a special guest.

• Starter: Lisa Allen – Wild rabbit and leek turnover.
• Fish: Kenny Atkinson – Mackerel with gooseberries.
• Main: Tom Kerridge – Slow-cooked Aylesbury duck with duck fat chips.
• Dessert: Niall McKenna – Poached rhubarb with strawberry jelly.

Great British Waste Menu (2010)

This special show focused on stopping food waste. Chefs created a menu from food that would normally be thrown away.

• Starter: Samosa canapes (Simon Rimmer)
• Fish: Fresh Kent fish (Richard Corrigan)
• Main: British beef (Matt Tebutt)
• Dessert: Ginger floating island (Angela Hartnett)

Series 6 (2011): Sharing and Communities

The theme for this series was about bringing people together through food.

• Starter: Chris Fearon – "Season, Shake and Curry On" coronation chicken.
• Fish: Aktar Islam – "Sea bass with battered soft shell crab".
• Main: Tom Kerridge – "Hog roast".
• Dessert: Paul Ainsworth – "Taste of the Fairground".

Tom Kerridge became the first chef to win the main course twice!

Series 7 (2012): The Olympics

To celebrate the Olympic Games coming to London, chefs created dishes inspired by the Olympic spirit.

• Starter: Colin McGurran – "Quails in the Wood".
• Fish: Phil Howard – Cornish mackerel with oysters.
• Main: Daniel Clifford – Slow poached chicken.
• Dessert: Simon Rogan – Poached pears.

Series 8 (2013): Comic Relief

This series, called Great British Menu Does Comic Relief, had chefs cook for people involved with the Comic Relief charity.

• Starter: Tom Aikens – "Chicken Egg, Egg Chicken".
• Fish: Aiden Byrne – "Prawn Cocktail".
• Main: Michael Smith – "I Love Kids, But I Couldn't Eat a Whole One".
• Dessert: Richard Davies and Daniel Clifford – "Strawberries and Cream" and "Going Out With A Bang".

Series 9 (2014): D-Day Banquet

This series, Great British Menu: The D-Day Banquet, honored those who fought on D-Day for its 70th anniversary.

• Starter: Adam Simmonds – "Your Share".
• Fish: Emily Watkins – "We Shall Fight Them On The Beaches".
• Main: James Durrant – "Blitz Spirit".
• Dessert: Colin McGurran – "Homage To The Dickin Medal".

Series 10 (2015): Women's Institute Centenary

Chefs cooked to celebrate 100 years of the Women's Institute.

• Starter: Rich Bainbridge – "We All Stand For Jerusa-lamb".
• Fish: Michael O'Hare – "Emancipation".
• Main: Matt Gillan – "Teaching And Preaching".
• Dessert: Rich Bainbridge – "Inspiring Women".

Series 11 (2016): Great Britons

This series celebrated "Great Britons" during the reign of Elizabeth II.

• Starter: Mark Abbott – "Ordinary To Extraordinary".
• Fish: Tommy Banks – "Preserving The Future".
• Main: Mark Froydenlund – "A Celebration Of Rose Veal".
• Dessert: Adam Reid – "Golden Empire".

Series 12 (2017): Wimbledon Anniversary

Chefs cooked for a banquet celebrating 140 years of Wimbledon. This was the first series with Andi Oliver as a judge.

• Starter: Pip Lacey – "Whatever The Weather".
• Fish: Tommy Banks – "Turbot With Strawberries & Cream".
• Main: Michael Bremner – "The Grass Is Greener".
• Dessert: Selin Kiazim – "Honouring Venus Rosewater Champions".

Series 13 (2018): NHS 70th Anniversary

The 2018 series celebrated 70 years of the National Health Service (NHS) with a banquet to thank NHS staff. For the first time, guests at the banquet voted for their favourite dish to crown a "Champion of Champions."

• Starter: James Cochran – "Cep-tional".
• Fish: Ellis Barrie – "Bun in the Oven".
• Main: Tom Brown – "Poor Man's Goose".
• Dessert: Chris Harrod – "Tea and Cake".
• Champion of Champions: James Cochran

Series 14 (2019): The Beatles at Abbey Road

Chefs competed to serve a course at Abbey Road Studios for the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' last performance together.

• Starter: Luke Selby – "The British Invasion".
• Fish: Tom Anglesea – "Lost Souls in a Fish Bowl".
• Main: Adam Reid – "Comfort Food 'Sounds' Good".
• Dessert: Lorna McNee – "Lime and Sunshine, There's Enough for Everyone".
• Champion of Champions: Lorna McNee

Series 15 (2020): Children's Literature

This series had some big changes! Susan Calman became the host, and each region had four chefs instead of three. Chefs cooked six courses, including an amuse-bouche (a tiny bite before the meal) and a pre-dessert palate cleanser. The theme was children's literature.

• Amuse-bouche: Ruth Hansom – "Golden Snitch".
• Starter: Alex Greene – "The Potato, The Onion, The Cheese and The Wardrobe".
• Fish: Niall Keating – "Witches of the Northern Lights".
• Main: Tom Barnes – "Beatrix Potter's Herdwick Lamb".
• Pre-dessert: Kerth Gumbs – "Snozzcumbers and Frobscottle".
• Dessert: Alex Greene – "The Incredible Edible Book".
• Champion of Champions: Niall Keating

Great British Christmas Menu (2020)

This special Christmas series saw Andi Oliver become the presenter, and twelve past winners competed. Due to the pandemic, the main banquet was changed to smaller gatherings.

• Canapé: James Cochran, Alex Greene, Lisa Goodwin-Allen.
• Starter: Alex Greene – "Not Mushroom under this Tree".
• Fish: Tom Barnes – "Smoked Salmon Over Pine".
• Main course: Lisa Goodwin-Allen – "Christmas Fallow Deer Feast".
• Dessert: Lisa Goodwin-Allen – "Christmas Snowglobe (Thank You)".
• Petit four: Tommy Banks – "The Night Before Christmas".

Series 16 (2021): Innovation

The theme for this series was innovation, celebrating 30 years since the creation of the World Wide Web. Rachel Khoo joined as a new judge.

• Starter: Alex Bond – "The Founding Father".
• Palate cleanser: Jude Kereama – "Double Dose Palate Booster".
• Fish: Roberta Hall-McCarron – "Maxwell's Colour Wheel".
• Main: Oli Marlow – "Special Delivery".
• Dessert: Dan McGeorge – "Give A Dog A Bone".
• Petit four: Jude Kereama – "Planetary Petit Four".
• Champion of Champions: Dan McGeorge

Series 17 (2022): British Broadcasting

This series celebrated 100 years of the BBC's radio broadcasts. A brand new judging panel was introduced: Ed Gamble, Nisha Katona, and Tom Kerridge.

• Canapé: Sally Abé – (Tarlet of whipped chicken).
• Starter: Nathan Davies – "Merlin's Potion".
• Fish: Spencer Metzger – "Be Careful What You Fish For".
• Main: Spencer Metzger – "First Impressions".
• Pre-dessert: Sally Abé – (Yoghurt sorbet ice lolly).
• Dessert: Chris McClurg – "A 'Trifle' Derry Girls".
• Champion of Champions: Spencer Metzger ("Be Careful What You Fish For")

Show Dates

Here's a quick look at when each series of Great British Menu aired: