Entertainment
Ed Gamble joins Great British Menu as judging panel gets revamp for series 13
Great British Menu is getting a revamp (Picture: BBC/Optomen Television Ltd/Ashleigh Brown)
The Great British Menu line-up has been revamped, with Ed Gamble, Tom Kerridge and Nisha Katona joining the judging panel.
Matthew Fort and Oliver Peyton have been judges from the first series in 2006, with cook and writer Rachel Khoo joining the line-up this year.
However, Matthew, Oliver and Rachel have all left the panel, with a brand new line-up for series 13.
Comedian Ed Gamble is known for his love of food from co-hosting the podcast Off Menu with James Acaster, and said it is a ‘great honour’ to join the show.
The 35-year-old featured as a guest judge in series 12, as he helped decided on the banquet dessert.
He said: ‘It’s a great honour to be asked to judge on this shining jewel in the BBC’s crown. I’ve been in strict training for the show by eating full meals every hour. Good news: I love food. Bad news: I eat with my mouth open.’
Ed Gamble said the job is an ‘honour’ (Picture: Roberto Ricciuti/Getty Images)
Tom Kerridge won the show twice (Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse)
Great British Menu alumni Tom Kerridge will also be bringing his expertise to the show, having made it to the series five banquet with his main of slow-cooked Aylesbury duck with duck fat chips and gravy, and the series six banquet with his hog roast main.
Sorry, we’re salivating.
He has since returned as a judge on the show.
Tom, 48, said: ‘I am so thrilled to be judging Great British Menu, it holds such a special place in my heart having cooked at the banquet twice. I’ve been through it, I know the pressure, the highs and the lows, which is what makes it such a brilliant competition and a great show.
‘I can’t wait to meet the chefs and see some of the UK’s finest talent shine.’
Finally, chef and restaurateur Nisha Katona rounds out the judging panel.
The 49-year-old is the founder of the restaurant chain Mowgli Street Food, and has appeared on shows like This Morning and Interior Design Masters.
Nisha knows her stuff (Picture: Getty Images)
She said: ‘What an absolutely delicious privilege it is to make the ranks of judge on the Great British Menu! As a chef with restaurants across the country I have always been so invested in the sublime skills of our culinary regions.
‘Their virtuosity and artistry has always blown me away and to join the happy GBM tribe is nothing less than a dream come true. Pass me a fork!’
Andi Oliver will return to host Great British Menu, having replaced Susan Calman as host during the Christmas 2020 special after she replaced Prue Leith as judge in 2017.
Julie Shaw, Commissioning Editor for Great British Menu says: ‘I am very excited that Tom, Nisha and Ed will be joining the next series of Great British Menu, between them they bring a huge wealth of knowledge and experience of the UK’s contemporary restaurant and food industry, and we can’t wait for them to get started.
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‘I would also like to thank Matthew and Oliver for their incredible contribution to Great British Menu over many years, and Rachel for her role last year. They have been a big part of the show’s success, and we wish them all the best for the future.’
The Great British Menu sees chefs from around the United Kingdom compete in regional heats to make it to the final banquet.
Series 13’s banquet will celebrate British creativity through 100 years of television broadcasting to mark the BBC’s centenary.
Great British Menu will air on BBC Two in early 2022.
