Great British Menu 2024 returns with new theme - full details of when and where to watch

The new BBC2 series of the Great British Menu

As 2024 begins to get under way it means a run of whole new TV series and with it comes the Great British Menu. The cookery show sees some of the country’s top chefs battling it out to cook a themed meal at a banquet for dozens of key guests.

After competing in a gruelling week of heats the four top dishes will be served in a luxurious setting. The guests will then vote for their champion of champions as they decide which is the overall winner of the title for 2024.

The show is back this week for its 19th series. This is what you need to know – including which region is kicking it off.

What is the Great British Menu?

The Great British Menu sees chefs from eight different parts of the UK competing over nine weeks to cook at a themed banquet on the final night. Chefs are divided into their different regions with one area competing each week.

They will cook off against each other over three nights, designing a four-course menu plus canape and pre-dessert. By the end of the week there will be a winner for each course who will each go forward to represent their region in finals week.

Finals week sees each region’s winner cooking against the others until the best starter, fish course, main and dessert are decided – not to mention the canape and pre-dessert. The last show covers the banquet when the champion of champions will be decided.

What is the Great British Menu 2024 theme?

Every year the show celebrates a different group of people or occasion. The menu dishes are all designed to a related theme with guests for the final banquet being invited from across the field which is being honoured.

This year the chefs will celebrate the Olympics and Paralympics. The final banquet will wish the Team GB athletes good luck ahead of this year’s Paris Olympics.

Who are the Great British Menu judges in 2024?

The daily heats are judged by different leading veteran chefs each week. While their identity is unveiled on the opening night of each week past veterans have included Richard Corrigan, Michael O’Hare, Angela Hartnett and Tommy Banks.

The heats finals judging panel, which decides who goes on to finals week, remains the same as in recent years with Tom Kerridge, Ed Gamble and Nisha Katona. As usual they will be joined each week by a guest judge with a connection to the theme. Andi Oliver will continue to be the show host.

Which region kicks off Great British Menu 2024?

The North-east will battle it out for the first show of the series for the second year in a row. The North-east line-up includes returning chefs Cal Byerley from Restaurant Pine in Northumberland, who is back for the second time and Samira Effa, of EightyEight at Grantley Hall in North Yorkshire, who is hoping it is third time lucky.

Newcomers this year are Teessider Scott John-Hodgson of Solstice in Newcastle and Adam Degg, of Horto restaurant in Harrogate.

Who won Great British Menu 2023?

Last year, the starter course was won by Avinash Shashidhara, the fish course by Nick Beardshaw, the main by Tom Shepherd, and the dessert by Adam Handling. The champion of champions was Adam Handling with his Beano-inspired dessert.

When does Great British Menu 2024 start

The Great British Menu 2024 starts on Tuesday January 23 at 8pm on BBC2. It will show three episodes a week for the first eight weeks with a five-episode finals week. It will run for nine weeks ending in March.