The BEST episodes of Great British Menu season 13
Every episode of Great British Menu season 13, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Great British Menu season 13!
Britain's top chefs compete for the chance to cook at a celebratory four-course banquet.
#1 - North West - Judging
Season 13 - Episode 35 - Aired 9/28/2018
It is the penultimate regional final as the two highest scoring chefs from the week return to cook their menus again. Judging them are Matthew Fort, Oliver Peyton and Andi Oliver, who are joined by Dr Jake Dunning MBE, an infectious disease specialist who has been recognised for his work during the West Africa Ebola epidemic. After an intense week, both chefs do all they can in a bid to score tens across the board - with surprising results.
#2 - Wales - Dessert
Season 13 - Episode 24 - Aired 9/13/2018
It is the dessert course and the last opportunity for the chefs to impress. Chris is hoping to triumph with another dish which showcases the foraged ingredients available around his restaurant, while Jason attempts a technical feat in his dessert inspired by a childhood hospital stay and Andrew is inspired by a dish by his great grandmother used to cook. Which two will make it through to the judging chamber?
#3 - Wales - Judging
Season 13 - Episode 25 - Aired 9/14/2018
It is the Wales regional final as the two remaining chefs do everything they can to impress the judging panel of Andi Oliver, Matthew Fort and Oliver Peyton. After tensions ran high in the week, the chefs are under pressure to deliver perfection. The judges are joined by Aneira Thomas, the first baby born on the NHS, who is named in tribute to the service's founder Aneurin Bevan and who went on to dedicate her life to the service. Who will win a place in the national finals?
#4 - South West - Starter
Season 13 - Episode 26 - Aired 9/17/2018
The competition continues as the nation's top professional chefs compete to cook at a banquet celebrating the heroes of the NHS. This week it is the turn of three chefs representing the south west, including two who have competed before but meet in the kitchen this week for the very first time. First up is Jude Kereama, who competed in 2015 and 2016, and is back for a third bite of the cherry. New Zealand-born Jude moved to the UK 22 years ago eventually settling in Porthleven, Cornwall, where he runs Kota restaurant, which boasts two AA rosettes and a Michelin bib gourmand. He goes up against last year's regional champion Tom Brown, a protege of Nathan Outlaw who has just launched his own restaurant Cornerstone in London's East End, and Olivia Barry, who trained under Michelin-starred Angela Hartnett before opening Adelina Yard in Bristol, which has earned two AA rosettes. Today the three chefs meet their surprise veteran judge and cook their celebratory starters. Jude is combining classic and international ingredients to create a playful savoury version of jelly and ice cream. Tom Brown is hoping to transform a historical dish served to patients in pre-NHS hospitals into a modern masterpiece by using Japanese flavours. And Olivia Barry is creating a technically ambitious starter that puts her stamp on a British staple.
#5 - South West - Fish
Season 13 - Episode 27 - Aired 9/18/2018
It is the fish course and with Tom renowned as a fish specialist, all eyes are on him. He is cooking his take on a classic British fish supper in tribute to a charity which looks after the health of local fishermen. Jude is attempting a complex fusion dish featuring four different fish and an unusual x-ray-themed presentation, while Olivia is paying tribute to the staff who looked after her during the birth of her first son with her take on curried monkfish. With the veteran judge a former fish course banquet winner, the pressure is on.
#6 - South West - Main
Season 13 - Episode 28 - Aired 9/19/2018
It is the main course and two of the chefs are hoping duck will win the day. Tom is preparing a technically challenging duck dish steeped in NHS history, while Jude is making a multi-element Chinese duck dish inspired by his mum. Olivia is hoping her dish, using two unusual cuts of beef, will score top points. Olivia also visits her local children's hospital, home of the second busiest paediatric A&E in the country.
#7 - South West - Dessert
Season 13 - Episode 29 - Aired 9/20/2018
With just one more chance to impress their veteran judge, the chefs are all hoping to use their pastry skills to deliver technically complex desserts. Tom's cooking an Invalid Fruit Tart, inspired by a 1950s recipe, while Jude is making six different apple elements for his An Apple a Day. Olivia is using stout in reference to an outdated old wives' tale which suggested the drink was a healthy source of iron during pregnancy.
#8 - South West - Judging
Season 13 - Episode 30 - Aired 9/21/2018
It is time for the two remaining chefs representing the south west to go head to head as they cook their menus again for the exacting panel of Andi Oliver, Matthew Fort and Oliver Peyton. With a spot in the national finals at stake, both are aiming for perfection as they bid for glory. The judges are joined by Barbara Childs, a matron in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital, who isn't afraid to speak her mind in the chamber. Which chef will triumph?
#9 - North West - Starter
Season 13 - Episode 31 - Aired 9/24/2018
It is the penultimate regional heat as the nation's top professional chefs compete to cook at a banquet celebrating the heroes of the NHS. This week three chefs take to the kitchen in a bid to represent the north west in the national final. They are last year's regional champion Ellis Barrie, from the award-winning Marram Grass in Anglesey, who as a new dad is desperate to win a place at this year's banquet to celebrate the staff of the NHS, newcomer Liam Simpson-Trotman, an accomplished pastry chef and co-owner of the 4 AA rosette Orwell's in Oxfordshire and whose husband Ryan was a fellow competitor in the central region, and first timer Craig Sherrington, who sharpened his skills working under top names including Eric Chavot and is now chef patron of Virginia House in Cumbria, which boasts 2 AA rosettes. After the surprise of meeting their veteran judge, it is time to cook their starters. Ellis is paying tribute to the founder of the NHS with his re-imagining of a traditional Welsh breakfast. Newcomer Liam is hoping to prove himself with his creative take on a time-honoured supposedly healing dish: chicken soup. And Craig is creating a uniquely flavoured chicken curry ready meal, dedicated to his wife who worked nightshifts at an NHS pathology unit for 12 years.
#10 - North West - Fish
Season 13 - Episode 32 - Aired 9/25/2018
It is the fish course and the chefs are all gunning for tens. Craig pays tribute to a friend who has revolutionised hospital food in Morecambe Bay, while Liam is inspired by health advice his grandma gave him, and Ellis is dedicating his dish to the staff who delivered his son Albert. With cod, mackerel, shrimp and cockles on the menu, which of the chefs will score highly today?
#11 - North West - Main
Season 13 - Episode 33 - Aired 9/26/2018
Time for the chefs to cook their mains and after Tuesday's scores, the pressure is on. Craig is hoping to impress using two cuts of Dexter beef, while Liam prepares his take on a Bajan lamb stew and Ellis prepares four cuts of suckling pig. Liam meets his personal hero, Nola Ishmael OBE, who became the UK's first ever black director of nursing.
#12 - North West - Dessert
Season 13 - Episode 34 - Aired 9/27/2018
It is the dessert course and the last chance for the north west chefs to impress in a bid to make it through to the regional final. Liam is cooking 'Not So Hot Toddy' in honour of a friend who works nightshifts in the NHS, while Ellis's 'Worth Their Weight in Gold' is dedicated to the staff who saved his brother's life. Craig's dish 'The Missed Celebration' pays tribute to his wife with an unusual Christmas concept. Who will be sent home?
#13 - Wales - Main
Season 13 - Episode 23 - Aired 9/12/2018
The chefs are pulling out all the stops in a bid for big scores with their mains. All three dishes pay tribute to the founder of the NHS Aneurin Bevan - Chris's Everything but the Squeal is an ambitious pork sharing platter, while Jason's For the Rich and the Poor showcases lamb, and Andrew is hoping to impress with Aneurin Bevan for Better Steak.
#14 - Northern Ireland Starter
Season 13 - Episode 36 - Aired 10/1/2018
It is the final regional heat and the nation's top professional chefs compete to cook at a banquet celebrating the heroes of the NHS. This week three chefs are doing battle to represent Northern Ireland. Tommy Heaney, last year's regional winner and head chef at the award-winning Great House Hotel in south Wales, is taken on by two newcomers - Shauna Froydenlund, chef patron at Marcus Waring's two-Michelin-starred restaurant, and James Devine, the 2017 National Chef of the Year. After meeting their surprise veteran judge, the chefs get on with cooking their starters. Tommy Heaney is hoping to elevate a breakfast to fine-dining standards with his tribute to NHS nightshift workers. James Devine is also attempting an unusual breakfast-themed dish, transforming tea and toast into a banquet-worthy feast. And Shauna is breaking away from her classical roots with her take on a potato curry, dedicated to NHS staff who come from overseas.
#15 - Northern Ireland Fish
Season 13 - Episode 37 - Aired 10/2/2018
After a tense starter course, the chefs return to the kitchen to cook their fish dishes. James is making his elevated take on a fried chicken takeaway as a tribute to the NHS staff who care for his sister. Shauna is also taking inspiration from a personal connection with a tribute to staff from a facility in her hometown of Londonderry. Last year's Northern Ireland champion Tommy is hoping to impress with a dish dedicated to the discovery of DNA. With each of the chefs keen to impress, who will net a high score from the veteran judge?
#16 - Northern Ireland Main
Season 13 - Episode 38 - Aired 10/3/2018
With two courses down, it is time for the chefs to cook their main courses. It is the battle of beef with each using the same meat in their innovative creations. Tommy also meets the first baby ever born on the NHS. Following the fish scores it is tense in the kitchen as the chefs do everything they can to impress the veteran judge.
#17 - Northern Ireland Dessert
Season 13 - Episode 39 - Aired 10/4/2018
It is the dessert course and the final chance for the chefs to impress. After such a tightly fought battle all week, each chef is hoping to deliver a technically perfect dessert. Tommy and James are both using passionfruit in their complex dishes while Shauna is hoping to use her pastry chef training to score full marks. James also travels to Belfast to find out about the work of the ambulance emergency call centre. Which two will make it through to the regional final?
#18 - Northern Ireland Judging
Season 13 - Episode 40 - Aired 10/5/2018
It is the last regional final of the series as the two chefs representing Northern Ireland go head to head. Judging as ever are Oliver Peyton, Matthew Fort and Andi Oliver, who are joined this week by Shehan Hettiaratchy, lead trauma surgeon at St Mary's Hospital who helped treat victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. Both chefs are hoping to impress with some unusual takes on the brief on the day's menu. Who will go through to complete the line up for next week's national final?
#19 - Finals - Starter
Season 13 - Episode 41 - Aired 10/8/2018
It is finals week on Great British Menu as the competition reaches its thrilling climax. The winning chefs from all eight regions now battle it out for the honour of a spot on this year's 'Feast To Say Thank You' banquet menu, celebrating 70 years of the NHS, one of Britain's most prized institutions. Each day the regional champions cook one of their courses again for the discerning panel of judges - food writer Matthew Fort, restaurateur Oliver Peyton and broadcaster and cook Andi Oliver. They are joined by a host of guest judges - torchbearers from the NHS, who have changed the lives of thousands through their tireless dedication to the job. 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 given to them in the regional heats. At the end of each course, after all the dishes have been tasted, the judges' points are added together and the highest-scoring chef will win the honour of cooking their dish for the heroes of the NHS at the banquet held at the magnificent St Bartholomew's Great Hall, part of the oldest working hospital in the UK. Today, it is the starter course and as the chefs arrive in the kitchen and size up their rivals for the first time, they discover the competition is stiffer than any of them had imagined. Whether they have made it this far before or are first-time finalists, each is gunning to make it on to the final menu. As the cooking of their starters gets underway, nerves are tangible and several of the chefs struggle with some of their more complex elements. The judges are joined by guest judge GP, author and presenter Dr Rangan Chatterjee, whose work with the public, including on TV series Doctor in the House, provides life-changing care for families across the country. Who will win the first coveted spot on the final banquet menu?
#20 - Finals - Fish
Season 13 - Episode 42 - Aired 10/9/2018
Today the chefs must cook their fish courses but after some exceptionally high-scoring dishes in the starter round, everyone is desperate to deliver perfection in order to see off the competition. Once again the chefs present their innovative, witty or heartwarming creations, with lobster, mackerel, John Dory, turbot and hake among the dishes being scrutinized. The judges are joined by guest judge Chris Ogden, a revolutionary pioneer of robotic surgery. Specialising in prostate cancer, Chris is the most prolific prostate robotic surgeon at London's Royal Marsden hospital, performing up to 200 operations a year.
#21 - Finals - Main
Season 13 - Episode 43 - Aired 10/10/2018
It is main course day and with only two spots remaining on the banquet menu, the competition is fierce. Both chefs and judges alike are amazed at the high standard of cooking and an incredible number of tens are dished out as the chefs serve up venison, rabbit, duck, beef, lamb and pork for scrutiny. The judges are joined by guest judge Tom Lynch MBE - a former BMX world champion turned healthcare hero who founded the Ambulance Cycle Response Unit. As a trained paramedic Tom pioneered a groundbreaking scheme that uses bicycles to respond to medical emergencies and is believed to have helped over 76,000 patients.
#22 - Finals - Dessert
Season 13 - Episode 44 - Aired 10/11/2018
It is dessert day and with just one place remaining at this year's banquet feast, each chef is giving everything they have got for a chance to say thank you to the heroic NHS staff. All the chefs have significantly reworked or reinvented their desserts since the regional heats, proving that they will do everything they can in a bid for that final winning spot. The judges are joined by guest judge Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, head of maternity, children and young people for NHS England. Having been a midwife for over 30 years, she has overseen the safe delivery of thousands of babies and has received an OBE for her dedication to the profession. After the fourth and final spot on the banquet menu has been awarded, there is a surprising announcement for the chefs who have made it through.
#23 - Banquet
Season 13 - Episode 45 - Aired 10/12/2018
It is the grand finale of Great British Menu as the winning chefs cook their dishes at a banquet for the heroes of the NHS. Having arrived at St Bartholomew's Hospital, the chefs are shown the incredible location for the following night's event - the almost 300-year-old Great Hall. But there is a shock in store as Oliver reveals that it is the banquet guests who will be voting for their favourite dish on the menu to elect an overall Champion of Champions. The chefs waste no time in getting down to business, helping transform a temporary marquee into a field kitchen and beginning the mountain of prep needed to deliver their dishes to the diners. They even do the ward rounds with a selection of cakes for the hospital's night shift. The next morning, with just hours to go, the chefs are up against it but as they continue their cooking disaster strikes for some. The pressure only intensifies as the guests arrive, including NHS Heroes from across the country, guest judges who helped select the menu and banquet host, actor Jenny Agutter. With the guests seated it is time for the chefs to pull together and deliver their dishes. The evening reaches an emotional climax as one chef is crowned Champion of Champions.
#24 - Scotland - Fish
Season 13 - Episode 12 - Aired 8/28/2018
It is the fish course and the chefs are all out to impress. Ross is hoping to snatch victory with his dish Lobster Aid. Lorna's Live Well, Live Very Well features only three elements - each of which she needs to deliver perfection. Ben has yet again set himself a mammoth task with his dish, The Multicultural Lobster, which features an unconventional array of international ingredients. Ross also visits a family member who works for the NHS to learn more about her work.
#25 - North East - Fish
Season 13 - Episode 2 - Aired 8/14/2018
This week it is the heats for the north east of England region. Competing for top spot are Danny Parker, Dan Fletcher and David Coulson. David celebrates a personal connection to the brief with his dish 'My Cod I Bet Me Ma'am Has Seen Some Trotters', a tribute to his mum who has worked as a chiropodist for the NHS for 25 years.