The BEST episodes of Great British Menu season 16

#1 - South West Judging

Season 16 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/14/2021

Who will be judged the winner for the south west of England with innovative dishes inspired by the region’s inventions? The judges, including a modern-day madcap inventor, must decide.

#2 - Wales Judging

Season 16 - Episode 12 - Aired 4/16/2021

Two top chefs from Wales go head-to-head with dishes celebrating Welsh produce, Welsh entrepreneurs and pioneers in their fields. But who will come out on top?

#3 - North West Starters

Season 16 - Episode 19 - Aired 5/5/2021

Four chefs compete for the North West of England with canapés, starters and fish dishes inspired by British invention and innovation.

#4 - South West Mains

Season 16 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/13/2021

The remaining chefs compete over dishes inspired by science and innovation from the south west of England, but who will win and who must go home?

#5 - North East, Yorkshire and Humber Judging

Season 16 - Episode 15 - Aired 4/23/2021

#6 - London and the South East Judges

Season 16 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/9/2021

Today the two highest scoring chefs from the London and the South East region must go head to head and cook their six-course menus again. But will they take on board their veteran's advice as they serve both the panel of judges and one of Britain's foremost geologists? The chefs need to impress the formidable judges, food writer Matthew Fort, restauranteur Oliver Peyton and broadcaster and food creative Rachel Khoo, as well as a guest judge. In this episode, it's Professor Chris Jackson, a geologist and intrepid adventurer. He judges dishes celebrating British science and innovation, including a lobster dish inspired by a computer algorithm celebrating Ada Lovelace and a dessert paying homage to the discovery of DNA.

#7 - North West Main and Dessert

Season 16 - Episode 20 - Aired 5/6/2021

The remaining chefs compete with dishes inspired by British invention and innovation, but which two chefs will go through to the judges’ chamber and who must go home?

#8 - London and South East Mains and Desserts

Season 16 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/8/2021

The three chefs are halfway through their heat and the pressure is mounting. Once again, they each serve a unique take on the brief celebrating British invention and innovation. Whose inventions in the kitchen will veteran judge Paul Ainsworth consider the best? Only two will proceed to Friday's judging and have a chance to represent the London and the South East region at the regional finals.

#9 - Central Starter and Fish Courses

Season 16 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/24/2021

Four chefs compete for the central region with canapes, starters and fish dishes inspired by British invention and innovation. With a surprise extra judge, who will be eliminated?

#10 - North West Judging

Season 16 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/7/2021

Who will be judged the winner of the North West of England with delicious dishes celebrating invention? The judges, including one of Britain’s best loved designers, must decide.

#11 - Banquet Special

Season 16 - Episode 29 - Aired 5/21/2021

Andi Oliver presents the series finale – an outdoor banquet celebrating British innovation and invention. The star-studded guests must vote for the overall winning chef.

#12 - Wales Mains and Dessert

Season 16 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/15/2021

The remaining chefs compete over dishes inspired by science and innovation but when two chefs go head to head with lamb dishes – who will win and who must go home?

#13 - The Finals: Dessert

Season 16 - Episode 28 - Aired 5/20/2021

The eight regional champions cook their desserts in a bid to secure a place on the menu of a banquet celebrating British innovation. Comedian Ed Gamble is the guest judge.

#14 - North East, Yorkshire and Humber Main and Dessert

Season 16 - Episode 14 - Aired 4/22/2021

#15 - The Finals: Fish Course

Season 16 - Episode 26 - Aired 5/18/2021

The eight regional champions cook their fish courses to win a place on the menu of a banquet celebrating British innovation. Engineer and TV presenter Zoe Laughlin is guest judge.

#16 - The Finals: Starter

Season 16 - Episode 25 - Aired 5/17/2021

The eight regional champions cook their starter courses in a bid to secure a place on the menu of a banquet celebrating British innovation. Comedian Phill Wang is the guest judge.

#17 - South West Starter

Season 16 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/12/2021

Four chefs from the south west of England compete, with canapes, starters and fish dishes inspired by British invention and innovation. Who will be eliminated?

#18 - North East, Yorkshire and Humber Starter and Fish Courses

Season 16 - Episode 13 - Aired 4/21/2021

Four chefs compete for the North East, Yorkshire and Humber region with canapes, starters and fish dishes inspired by British invention and innovation.

#19 - Northern Ireland Mains and Dessert

Season 16 - Episode 17 - Aired 4/29/2021

The remaining chefs compete over dishes inspired by science and innovation, drawing especially from Northern Ireland’s legacy of inventions. But who will win and who must go home?

#20 - Northern Ireland Judging

Season 16 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/30/2021

Guest judge and legendary designer Thomas Heatherwick helps decide the winner from the two remaining chefs. Both have pioneering dishes, but whose will rocket them to success?

#21 - Northern Ireland Starters

Season 16 - Episode 16 - Aired 4/28/2021

It's the Northern Ireland heats, and competing for the top spot are four chefs: one returner and three new to the competition. Paul Cunningham has a point to prove, having left the competition after the fish course last year. He’s up against newbies Phelim O’Hagan from Londonderry and Gemma Austin and Andy Scollick from Belfast. Presenter Andi Oliver welcomes them to the kitchen, where the theme for this year’s competition is a celebration of British invention and innovation. Given Belfast’s renowned connection with the Titanic, there is much luxury maritime inspiration to be drawn, but the chefs also plunder Northern Ireland’s other varied inventions for inspiration. One of the four must leave the competition at the end of the episode. Which one that is will be decided by the veteran judge of this week’s competition, a previous winner who remains a surprise to the chefs until the moment they walk into the kitchen to taste their first course, canapes.

#22 - The Finals: Main Course

Season 16 - Episode 27 - Aired 5/19/2021

The eight regional champions cook their main courses in a bid to secure a place on the menu of a banquet celebrating British innovation. Carol Vorderman is the guest judge.

#23 - London and the South East Starter

Season 16 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/7/2021

Four top chefs compete for the ultra-competitive London and the South East region with canapes, starters and fish dishes. All four are newcomers in the GBM kitchen, representing some of the most exciting new talents in the UK today. Presenter Andi Oliver welcomes them to the kitchen, where the theme for this year's competition is a celebration of British invention and innovation. One of the four must leave the competition at the end of the episode, as decided by this week's veteran judge.

#24 - Scotland Starter and Fish

Season 16 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/31/2021

Competing for the top spot are four chefs, three of them all known to each other as they all have their own restaurants in Edinburgh. There is a reigning champion from last year for Scotland, Roberta Hall, and she is joined by fellow capital chefs Stuart Ralson and Scott Smith. The fourth competitor is returner Amy Elles, who has a seafood restaurant by the coast in Fife. She lost out to Roberta in last year's Scotland final. Presenter Andi Oliver welcomes them to the kitchen, where the theme for this year's competition is a celebration of British invention and innovation. Given Scotland's historic success with scientific discovery, the chefs have plenty of inspiration to draw upon, from the invention of television and toasters to penicillin. One of the four must leave the competition at the end of the episode. Which one that is will be decided by the veteran judge of this week's competition, a previous winner who remains a surprise to the chefs until the moment they walk into the kitchen to taste their first course: canapes. Veteran and Michelin-starred Tom Brown, a seafood specialist, tastes their canapes, which range from a cheese tart to a duck liver parfait. The starter dishes draw upon Scotland's proud history of medical discovery and innovation, with a crispy shredded beef and Lanark blue cheese dish presented in a dish shaped like a giant petri dish to celebrate Alexander Fleming's invention of antibiotics, and another a homage to the 'Edinburgh Seven', the first women medical students at Edinburgh University. The other two starters both take as their inspiration the invention of 'family planning'. One, 'the birds and the bees', is a quail and honey dish, while the other uses aphrodisiac ingredients. But which will Tom score highest? Then it is on to the fish course, veteran judge Tom's specialty. He has a traditional Cullen Skink soup served with turbot to try from Roberta, on a dish celebrating the work of Edinburgh born physicist James Maxw

#25 - Scotland Main and Dessert

Season 16 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/1/2021

The three chefs are halfway through their heat and the pressure is mounting. Each one wants to represent Scotland at a banquet celebrating British invention and innovation. For mains, one chef honours Logie Baird's invention of television with a very upmarket take on a TV dinner, and another celebrates Scotland's successful cloning of Dolly The Sheep. A third chef cooks an ambitious multi-layered pie of beef and chicken with a beef consomme, in homage to the Scottish inventions of Bovril and the hip flask. But whose inventions in the kitchen will veteran judge Tom Brown score highest? Next, presenter Andi Oliver asks the chefs to prepare a pre-dessert or palate cleanser. Veteran judge Tom must blind taste and rank them as they will be used in the event of a tie to decide who goes home. There is a yogurt and berry sorbet coloured to look like a child's toy, and a celebration of Scotland's invention of the first commercial marmalade among the mini dishes to choose from. After a surprise turn in fortunes on the first test of pudding skills, it is on to desserts, often laced with alcohol flavourings. One chef is celebrating a modern-day hero of the Scottish brewery industry with a chocolate and whiskey dessert, while another is celebrating Alexander Fleming's invention of penicillin with a cocktail and ginger cake shaped as individual giant pills. But which chef will prove they have the winning formula to get the top marks? And who will go home? Only two will proceed to Friday's judging and have a chance to represent Scotland at the regional finals.