It seems like no time at all since the last series, but it's already time for a fresh edition of Great British Menu and we certainly aren't complaining.

An all-new series of the ultimate TV cookery show is set to hit screens at the end of January, providing a spark of light amidst a rather cold and gloomy winter. The good news is you can expect the same judges, presenter and format as last year to make a return, albeit with a few exciting changes in place as well. The team behind the cooking show will be releasing details about the competing chefs a little differently this year, and stay tuned to find out what the theme of Great British Menu is for 2023.

Great British Menu has now been on our screens for 17 years (we know, we can't be that old either), with the first season having been screened in 2006, and over the years has been a springboard for some of the nation's now most successful chefs to go on to do some amazing things. Past contestants include Jason Atherton, Nathan Outlaw and Aktar Islam to name a few, and you can be sure that some of this year's competitors will go on to become equally as successful themselves. One of the things that we particularly love about Great British Menu is the fact that such a range of different chefs take part, so it's not unlikely that you'll have an experimental youngster competing against an established Michelin-starred head chef.

If you're as excited as we are about Great British Menu being back on our screens for an 18th series, you'll want to be in the know, from when it starts to who the contestants are. That's why below we've answered all the questions you might have about Great British Menu 2023.

Watch this space - we'll be updating it regularly to keep you in the loop!

Everything you need to know about Great British Menu 2023

As another year kicks off, we can't wait to see what's in store for the hopeful chefs. We've tried to answer some of the biggest questions you might have below and will be regularly updating this page with the latest information.

When is Great British Menu on?

The first episode of the Great British Menu 2023 will air on Tuesday 31 January at 8pm. As usual, there will be three one-hour episodes screened each week, for nine weeks straight. Episodes will air on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

With this in mind we expect there to be 27 episodes in total.

What channel will Great British Menu be on?

Great British Menu will be broadcast on BBC Two.

Who are the Great British Menu chefs this year?

The team behind Great British Menu are shaking things up this year, and will be releasing the chefs taking part for each region week by week. This is different from previous years, with the chef line-up usually announced all at once. Over the course of the whole series, 32 chefs will represent eight different regions across the UK. 

Week 1 (North-East)

- Gareth Bartram, Head Chef at Winteringham Fields
- Rory Welch, Head Chef at Träkol
- Will Lockwood, Head Chef at Roots
- Cal Byerley, Head Patron of Pine

Week 2 (South-West)

- Amber Francis, Head Chef at Zebra Riding Club
- Charlotte Vincent, Head Chef at Restaurant Meudon
- Nicholas Bearshaw, Head Chef at Kerridge's Bar & Grill
- Andrew Tuck, Head Chef at St Kew Inn

Week 3 (Wales)

- Tom Westerland, Head Chef at Knipe Grill at Gilpin Lake House
- Simmie Vedi, Head Chef at Bully's Cardiff
- Mark Threadgill, Head Chef at Hotel Portmeirion
- Georgia Sommerin, Sous Chef at Home at Penarth

Week 4 (North-West)

- Sam Grainger, Owner and Head Chef at Belzan
- Danielle Heron, Head Chef at OSMA
- Laszlo Nagy, Chef at The Nag's Head
- Caroline Martins, Head Chef at Sao Paulo by Caroline Martins

Week 5 (Scotland)

- Tunde Abifarin, Head Chef at Farin Road
- Kevin Dalgleish, Head Chef at Amuse by Kevin Dalgleish
- Adam Handling, Chef Patron of Frog, The Loch at The Tyne, Ugly Butterfly and Eve Bar
- Mark McCabe, Head Chef and Co-owner of The Ethicurean

Week 6 (London and South East)

- Budgie Montoya, Founder and Head Chef at Sarap 
- Robbie Lorraine, Founder and Head Chef at Only Food and Courses
- Brian Danclair, Head Chef at Danclair's Kitchen
- Avi Shashidhara, Chef at Pahli Hill

Week 7 (Northern Ireland)

- Gemma Austin, Chef Patron at A Peculiar Tea
- John Hollywood, Head Chef at The Boat House
- Kerry Roper, Executive Chef at Stix & Stones
- Matt Jordan, Head Chef at SHU Restaurant

Week 8 (Central)

- Kareem Roberts, Head Chef at Restaurant Trinity
- Tom Shepherd, Chef Patron of Upstairs by Tom Shepherd
- Marianne Lumb, Private Chef
- Thom Bateman, Chef Patron of The Flintlock at Cheddleton

Who is in the final of Great British Menu 2023?

Week nine of the competition will see eight regional finalists cooking to win a place at the Great British Menu banquet 2023. Every contestant will cook a starter, fish course, main course and dessert on each night of the week (Monday-Thursday), before going on to compete in the final Banquet on Friday. Find a full list of who's cooking to win below:

Finalist: Will Lockwood
Role: Head Chef at Roots
Region: North East

Finalist: Nicholas Bearshaw
Role: Head Chef at Kerridge's Bar & Grill
Region: South West

Finalist: Mark Threadgill
Role: Head Chef at Hotel Portmeirion
Region: Wales

Finalist: Danielle Heron
Role: Head Chef at OSMA
Region: North West

Finalist: Adam Handling
Role: Chef Patron of Frog, The Loch at The Tyne, Ugly Butterfly and Eve Bar
Region: Scotland

Finalist: Avi Shashidhara
Role: Chef at Pahli Hill
Region: London and South East

Finalist: Gemma Austin
Role: Chef Patron at A Peculiar Tea
Region: Northern Ireland

Finalist: Tom Shepherd
Role: Chef Patron of Upstairs by Tom Shepherd
Region: Central England

Who won Great British Menu 2023?

The winner of Great British Menu 2023 was Adam Handling. Adam is the chef/owner of the Adam Handling Restaurant Group which includes Frog by Adam Handling, The Loch & The Tyne, Ugly Butterfly and Eve Bar. 

This is the third time the Scottish chef has competed on the show, including in 2016 and 2022.

Adam impressed the judges in the final banquet with his Beano-themed dessert, which ultimately led him to be crowned Champion of Champions. 

What is the theme of the new season?

The Great British Menu 2023 theme is an ode to Paddington Bear’s 65th birthday. The chefs will go head-to-head to create dishes inspired by British animation and illustration, from cartoons and comic books to video games. They can be as creative as they like, but we imagine plenty of props and iconic characters to make an appearance on plates.

Who are the new Great British Menu 2023 judges?

The judging panel is set to 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) making a return to TV screens for 2023. They will judge the regional finals and finals week, while being joined by a guest judge each week who is connected to the theme of animation and illustration.

Who is the Great British Menu presenter?

Andi Oliver will continue to host the Great British Menu for another year.

What is the format of Great British Menu 2023?

The format of Great British Menu is similar to previous series, with chefs from eight different regions of the UK taking part. Each week is dedicated to a different region with four chefs cooking innovative dishes, based on the brief, for a veteran judge who will score each course out of ten. The lowest scoring chef after the starters and main courses will leave the competition, and then another chef will leave after all four dishes have been cooked. The remaining two chefs will then cook all four of their dishes for the panel of judges, who will then decide which competitor has won the region.

In finals week the winners of all eight regions will then cook off one last time against each other in a last bid to win a place at the prestigious Great British Menu banquet, with the judges making the final decision.

Do Great British Menu chefs get paid?

GBM contestants aren't paid to take part in the show. In fact, the restaurants they represent have to supply a budget, although they more than make the money back in exposure we'd imagine. 

Who won Great Britsh Menu last year?

Spencer Metzger, head chef at The Ritz, was the winner of Great British Menu 2022. 

He was one of only a handful of chefs to win two dishes at the banquet, including a fish dish named, 'be careful what you fish for', inspired by Sherlock Holmes and another 'first impressions' dish inspired by Pride and Prejudice.

Who were the other Great British Menu chefs last year?

Here is the full list of every chef who competed in Great British Menu 2022. 

Chefs from the central region

Sally Abé - Chef Consultant at The Pem and winner of SquareMeal's 2021 Female Chef of the Year award (through to the final)
Harvey Perttola - Head chef at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, Nottingham
Ben Orpwood - Executive chef at Lucky Cat, London
Liam Dillon - Owner at The Boat Inn, Lichfield

Chefs from the north west

Sam Lomas - Head chef at Glebe House, Devon (through to the final)
Stevie Lamb - Head chef at The Orangery, Darlington
Dave Critchley - Executive chef at Lu Ban, Liverpool
Caroline Martins - Runs Sao Paulo Project, Manchester

Chefs from Wales

Nathan Davies - Chef patron at SY23, Aberystwyth (through to the final) 
Mark Threadgill - Head chef at Portmeirion Hotel, Penrhyndeudraeth
Larkin Cen - Director of Woky Ko, various locations
Tom Phillips - Head chef at Restaurant Story, London

Chefs from London and the south east

Spencer Metzger - Head chef at The Ritz, London (through to the final)
Robbie Lorraine - Head chef and founder at Only Foods and Courses, Brixton
Tony Parkin - Head chef at Tony Parkin at The Tudor Room, Surrey
Angelo Sato - Head chef and founder at Humble Chicken, London

Chefs from Scotland

Adam Handling - Chef/owner of Frog, Covent Garden (through to the final)
Calum Montgomery - Chef patron at Edinbane Lodge, Skye 
Stuart Ralston - Founder at Aizle, Edinburgh
Fraser Smith - Head chef at Angels with Bagpipes, Edinburgh

Chefs from the north east and Yorkshire

Luke French - Chef director at Jöro, Sheffield (through to the final)
Mark Aisthorpe - Head chef and owner at The Bulls Head, Holymoorside
Elizabeth Cottam - Head chef and owner at Home, Leeds
Bobby Geetha - Chef at Fleur Cafe, Casa Peri Peri, Leeds

Chefs from the south west

Olivia Barry - Chef/owner at Adelina Yard, Bristol (through to the final)
Nat Tallents - Head of hospitality and development chef at The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall
Elly Wentworth - Head chef at The Angel, Dartmouth
Charlotte Vincent - Head chef at The Five Bells, Devon

Chefs from Northern Ireland

Chris McClurg - Chef de cuisine at No. 6, Padstow (through to the final)
Gemma Austin - Chef patron at A Peculiar Tea, Belfast
Marty McAdam - Chef patron at Paget Lane, Enniskillen
Stephen Hope - Chef patron at Dawsons, Castledawson

Who are the Great British Menu 2023 veterans?

The BBC hasn't confirmed the full line-up of veteran judges for the 2023 series yet, but we imagine it'll be a combination of familiar faces such as Tom Aikens, Richard Corrigan, and Michael O'Hare, with some of last year's winners. 

Fancy treating yourself to a top-notch meal cooked by the country's greatest chefs? Check out SquareMeal's top 100 restaurants in the UK.