The BEST episodes of Great British Menu season 12
Every episode of Great British Menu season 12, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Great British Menu season 12!
Britain's top chefs compete for the chance to cook at a celebratory four-course banquet.
#1 - Northern Ireland Starter
Season 12 - Episode 36 - Aired 6/19/2017
Great British Menu continues as the nation's top chefs compete for a chance to show off their culinary skills at the Taste of Summer banquet honouring 140 years of the iconic Wimbledon Championships. There is only one spot left in the national finals and it is the turn of the chefs from Northern Ireland to battle it out. Returning chef Eddie Attwell, who cooks at St Kyrans Country House, Country Cavan, competed in 2016 but failed to make it through to cook the judges on Friday. He is taking on two newcomers - experimental chef Joery Castel, originally from Holland but now working in Belfast, and Tommy Heaney, who has cooked for some of the country's biggest chefs and now cooks at The Great House Hotel in Bridgend. The chefs meet their surprise veteran judge and cook their starters. Eddie is hoping to do better than last year and starts the week with his Wombles Common, using a number of modern techniques - but will his earthy flavours hit the summer brief? Joery is hoping to impress with a tribute to Richard Krajicek, the only Dutchman to win the Wimbledon Men's Singles title, and is combing cheese with sweet elements including carrot meringues. Tommy is creating a warm salad - but will his unusual pigeon presentation be too much for the veteran judge?
#2 - Scotland Dessert
Season 12 - Episode 24 - Aired 6/1/2017
Dessert is the last chance for the chefs to secure a place cooking for the judges and the pressure in the kitchen is intense. Angela Malik is cooking a technically challenging dessert. For it to succeed she must complete each element with upmost precision and exact timing. Ally McGrath starts the round with confidence, but a series of errors leave him worried about completing it on time. Michael Bremner is pushing himself with a dish in tribute to Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, but with lots of complex elements to complete, has he given himself too much to do? Only the two highest scorers will go through to cook for the judges tomorrow.
#3 - Scotland Judging
Season 12 - Episode 25 - Aired 6/2/2017
Today the two Scottish chefs must cook their entire taste of summer menus again. They are hoping to impress the formidable panel of judges - Oliver Peyton, Matthew Fort and broadcaster and restaurateur Andi Oliver. They are joined by guest judge Gary Parsons, Wimbledon's executive chef, who is in charge of feeding everybody at the tournament from the players to royalty. Both chefs raise their game and impress the judges with their inventive dishes, but only one can go through to represent Scotland in the national finals.
#4 - Wales Starter
Season 12 - Episode 26 - Aired 6/5/2017
This week is the Wales regional heat and two determined newcomers, Paul Croasdale and Nick Brodie, take on returning chef to the competition Phil Carmichael for a place in the national finals. It is Phil's third time in the competition and this year he is determined to make it to the banquet. Today they are cooking their starters for this week's veteran judge. Phil, executive chef at Berners Tavern in London, is under pressure to impress as he is competing against his former head chef Paul. The three chefs are all producing complex starters with many elements that they need to execute perfectly. Both Paul and Phil are championing the tomato, creating technically challenging consommes, whilst Nick hopes his rabbit and carrot dish will have the edge over the other two. Who will succeed in impressing the veteran and who will crumble under the pressure of the Great British Menu kitchen?
#5 - Wales Fish
Season 12 - Episode 27 - Aired 6/6/2017
Today the pressure in the kitchen is high as the chefs prepare their fish courses. Paul Croasdale, who previously worked as Phil's head chef, is trying to recreate the elegance of Wimbledon with luxury ingredients such as king crab and scallops. Phil and Nick are both preparing dishes using humble mackerel which they hope they can elevate for the exacting standards of Wimbledon. Phil is using the flavours of summer cup cocktail to enhance his dish, while Nick hopes his elegant mackerel with nectarine will have the edge.
#6 - Wales Main
Season 12 - Episode 28 - Aired 6/7/2017
For the main course, all three chefs are cooking Welsh lamb in the hope of impressing this week's veteran judge. Nick Brodie, head chef at Llangoed Hall in the Brecon Beacons, is known for his use of local Welsh produce. He is using summer lamb to produce a modern update of a classic dish which he hopes will triumph over the other two. Phil is taking a risk with barbecued lamb and in an attempt to elevate a humble barbecue to banquet level, he is serving it with many accompaniments. But will he be able to bring everything this together and cook his lamb to perfection? Paul surprises the veteran chef with a number of unusual ingredients to accompany his lamb. Will Paul be able to pull off these unusual flavour combinations and find himself at the top of the scoreboard?
#7 - Wales Dessert
Season 12 - Episode 29 - Aired 6/8/2017
It's the dessert course and the last chance for the chefs to secure a place cooking for the judges, so all three chefs are feeling the pressure. Phil Carmichael creates a tennis ball dessert that combines two British classics - Eton mess and trifle. Stepping away from tradition, Paul Croasdale creates an inventive dessert that includes basil pesto, tomato seeds and peach. They both have a number of technical elements to complete and fear they have given themselves too much to do. Nick Brodie has his work cut out persuading the veteran that his technically challenging caramel apple dessert fits the taste of summer brief. Each chef is giving everything they have got in the hope of being put through to cook for the judges tomorrow.
#8 - Wales Judging
Season 12 - Episode 30 - Aired 6/9/2017
Today the two winning chefs from the Wales region cook their entire taste of summer menus again. They are hoping to impress the formidable panel of judges - Oliver Peyton, Matthew Fort and broadcaster and restaurateur Andi Oliver. They are joined by guest judge Dan Bloxham, Wimbledon's Master of Ceremonies, who is responsible for presenting the trophy to the Wimbledon champions. Both chefs raise their game and impress the judges with their inventive dishes but only one can go through to represent Wales in the national finals.
#9 - Central Starter
Season 12 - Episode 31 - Aired 6/12/2017
Pip Lacey's starter is a humorous take on the unpredictable British weather and features an unusual presentation. Ryan Simpson's dish represents an allotment complete with soil, while Nick Deverell-Smith's creation is a tribute to the precision cutting of Wimbledon's grass.
#10 - Central Main
Season 12 - Episode 33 - Aired 6/14/2017
Ryan Simpson hopes to elevate a ploughman's lunch into a gourmet affair, Pip Lacey pays tribute to an unusual Wimbledon icon, while Nick Deverell-Smith looks to celebrate a meat which he thinks is underused - venison.
#11 - Central Dessert
Season 12 - Episode 34 - Aired 6/15/2017
Pip Lacey's pineapple dessert, in reference to the pineapple on the top of the Wimbledon men's singles trophy, features a strong second ingredient - coriander. Nick Deverell-Smith is also paying tribute to the pineapple, creating a layered dessert featuring an unusual rice pudding made with couscous. Ryan Simpson is hoping to celebrate summer nostalgia with his dish recalling an ice-cream van and featuring a number of complex technical elements.
#12 - Central Judging
Season 12 - Episode 35 - Aired 6/16/2017
The two chefs who have made it through cook their four courses again, attempting to impress judges Oliver Peyton, Matthew Fort, Andi Oliver and guest judge Jordanne Whiley, Britain's most successful wheelchair tennis player.
#13 - Scotland Main
Season 12 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/31/2017
Angela Malik is in her element, cooking a tiffin box that includes a summer biriyani, a quail scotch egg and spiced quail breasts based on memories of summer picnics. Michael Bremner is taking a huge risk, using ox tongue as the centrepiece of his main - this is the first time in Great British Menu history that has chef has prepared an entirely offal main course. He worries that it will not be well received by the banquet guests and struggles to get it cooked in the time. Ally is desperate to get through to cook for the judges on Friday. He's creating an inventive dish based on a summer barbeque, using an exciting new method of cooking potatoes to recreate the coals. But can he elevate his dish to the standards required for the Wimbledon banquet?
#14 - Northern Ireland Fish
Season 12 - Episode 37 - Aired 6/20/2017
Joery Castel is looking to triumph by combing mackerel and cucumber in his dish Who Remembers 2nd, while Tommy Heaney hopes his Murray Mound is a fitting tribute to Andy Murray's apparent love of sushi. Eddie Attwell is pushing the boat out, creating five different strawberry elements to accompany the scallops in his dish.
#15 - Northern Ireland Main
Season 12 - Episode 38 - Aired 6/21/2017
The chefs are cooking their main courses and the heat is on as two of the chefs are using BBQs. Tommy Heaney's BBQ dish is a surf and turf combination - but will serving lamb with cockles bring him a ten? Joery Castel is aiming to recreate a more American-style BBQ, complete with corn bread and kohlrabi coleslaw to accompany his pork. Eddie Attwell is taking a risk with an unusual meat - water buffalo - which he is serving both as a rib eye steak and also in a quiche. But will the picnic-style dish be up to banquet standards?
#16 - Northern Ireland Dessert
Season 12 - Episode 39 - Aired 6/22/2017
Dessert is the last chance for the chefs to secure a place in the regional final. Both Eddie Attwell and Tommy Heaney are attempting technical desserts which feature edible white chocolate tennis balls, while Joery Castel is cooking poffertjes, a traditional Dutch pancake. Only the two highest scorers go through to cook for the judges tomorrow.
#17 - Northern Ireland Judging
Season 12 - Episode 40 - Aired 6/23/2017
The two chefs who have made it through cook their four courses again. They are hoping to impress the formidable panel of judges - Oliver Peyton, Matthew Fort and Andi Oliver, who are joined this week by tennis's greatest entertainer, Mansour Bahrami. It is a rollercoaster of a day but only one can go through to the national finals.
#18 - Final Starter
Season 12 - Episode 41 - Aired 6/26/2017
It is finals week and the competition reaches its thrilling climax. The eight winning regional chefs now battle it out for the honour of a spot on this year's banquet menu, celebrating 140 years of the iconic Wimbledon Championships. The regional champions now face each other for the first time in the kitchen. Each day, they cook one of their courses for the discerning panel of judges - Matthew Fort, Andi Oliver and Oliver Peyton. They are joined by a host of guest judges who know what it takes to be a Wimbledon champion. The chefs need to convince the judges that their dish is worthy of a place on the final menu and that they have listened to any feedback the judges gave them in the regional heats. At the end of each round, when all the dishes have been cooked, the points are added together and the highest scoring chef wins the honour of cooking that course at the Wimbledon banquet. With finals week ahead of them, judge Andi Oliver first summons the chefs to Wimbledon to take a look at where they could be cooking if they win. Back in the kitchen, it is down to the chefs to prepare their starters. With three returning finalists, including former banquet winner Tommy Banks, taking on a host of chefs who have made it this far for the first time, the competition is fierce. The judges are joined by guest judge Sue Barker, host of the BBC's Wimbledon coverage for more than 20 years and a former British number one.
#19 - Final Fish
Season 12 - Episode 42 - Aired 6/27/2017
The chefs need to convince the judges that their dish is worthy of a place on the final menu and that they have listened to any feedback the judges gave them in the regional heats. At the end of each round, when all the dishes have been cooked, the points are added together and the highest scoring chef wins the honour of cooking that course at the Wimbledon banquet. Today the chefs cook their fish courses but with some exceptionally high scoring dishes in the regional heats, each chef needs to deliver perfection in order to see off the competition. The judges are joined by guest judge Tim Henman, former British number one, who competed in Wimbledon's semi-final on four separate occasions and now commentates for the BBC.
#20 - Final Main
Season 12 - Episode 43 - Aired 6/28/2017
The chefs need to convince the judges that their dish is worthy of a place on the final menu and that they have listened to any feedback the judges gave them in the regional heats. At the end of each round, when all the dishes have been cooked, the points are added together and the highest scoring chef wins the honour of cooking that course at the Wimbledon banquet. It is main course day and with only two spots remaining on the banquet menu, the competition is fierce. As the barbecues are fired up, all eight chefs are feeling the heat. The judges are joined by guest judge Gordon Reid, Paralympic gold medallist and winner of the first ever men's singles wheelchair event at Wimbledon.
#21 - Final Dessert
Season 12 - Episode 44 - Aired 6/29/2017
The chefs need to convince the judges that their dish is worthy of a place on the final menu and that they have listened to any feedback the judges gave them in the regional heats. At the end of each round, when all the dishes have been cooked, the points are added together and the highest scoring chef wins the honour of cooking that course at the Wimbledon banquet. It is dessert day and with just one place remaining at the Wimbledon banquet, each chef is giving everything they have got. With three completely new desserts in contention, whose dish will triumph? The judges are joined by guest judge Annabel Croft, former British number one and Junior Wimbledon champion.
#22 - Banquet
Season 12 - Episode 45 - Aired 6/30/2017
It is the grand finale of Great British Menu and the winning chefs must now cook their dishes at the incredible Taste of Summer banquet. On arriving at Wimbledon, they are greeted by master of ceremonies Dan Bloxham, who gives them an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour. Once in the kitchen, the chefs face the huge challenge of scaling up their dishes. They must prepare the winning menu for the banquet guests including Wimbledon players and champions as well as those who work behind the scenes to deliver the Championships. From Tim Henman to Judy Murray, the guests are all expecting perfection. Determined to do their absolute best for the celebrations, the chefs are feeling the nerves in the kitchen. Will they be able to deliver?
#23 - Central Fish
Season 12 - Episode 32 - Aired 6/13/2017
Pip Lacey is combining lobster with strawberry in tribute to the classic Wimbledon strawberries and cream. Ryan Simpson is also using lobster in his recreation of a barbecue and has invented a special technique to create his unique chips. Meanwhile, Nick Deverell-Smith is focusing on crab to make a savoury cream tea.
#24 - North West Fish
Season 12 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/16/2017
Today is the fish course and the atmosphere in the kitchen gets even more tense as the three newcomers begin to understand the perfection and skill veteran chef Daniel Clifford demands. Ellis Barrie, head chef at The Marram Grass in Anglesey, attempts to create the flavour of a summer barbecue without actually using one. Tom Parker and Paul Askew are both using luxury fish to try and meet the exacting standards of Wimbledon. Tom serves oysters and langoustines with a risky champagne sauce that combines both traditional British and Asian flavours. Paul is cooking turbot and oysters. Will his traditional cooking be distinctive enough to get him to the highest score?
#25 - London & South East Fish
Season 12 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/2/2017
The chefs do battle for the fish course. An unusual amberjack dish takes on barbecued octopus and a more traditional butter poached trout. Today the atmosphere in the kitchen gets even more intense as all the chefs take risks with their dishes. Mike Reid, executive chef at M Restaurants in London, shocks when he pairs his fish with some highly unusual flavours - white chocolate and strawberry. Selin's dish pays tribute to the notorious 2008 Wimbledon final between Federer and Nadal, using barbecued octopus and potato rostis as the central elements. Tom Kemble creates a more traditional dish, inspired by the classic summer picnic, but will his refined poached buttered trout be enough to impress the esteemed Great British Menu veteran chef?