BBC Two's Great British Menu to kick off 2024 series with two 'passionate' Yorkshire chefs

Two chefs from Yorkshire will feature in the line-up kicking off the new series of BBC Two’s The Great British Menu, heading to TV screens on Tuesday (Jan 23).

The first episode of the show will be the North East and Yorkshire heat with two chefs from Yorkshire and two Geordie chefs battling out with their culinary skills.

This year, as part of the competition, chefs have to devise dishes for a good luck banquet for the British athletes competing later this year in both the Olympics and Paralympics in Paris 2024.

Returning to give the competition one more go, is Yorkshire’s Samira Effa, Head Chef at EightyEight, an Asian fusion restaurant at Grantley Hall in North Yorkshire. Born in Huddersfield she’s determined to get to the banquet with her unique culinary influences from Nigeria and Persia.

The second Yorkshire chef is the newcomer Adam Degg, who has made Yorkshire his home with his family – he is head chef at Horto restaurant in Harrogate, with three rosettes, and he also has a Green Michelin star there for sustainable cooking.

Also returning is Cal Byerley from Northumberland, the creative, seasonal chef behind Pine with two stars to his name - a Michelin star and a green star for sustainability.

Newcastle’s Scott John-Hodgson is the other new kid on the block – he is the head chef at the one Michelin-starred Solstice by Kenny Atkinson.

Andi Oliver, the host of Great British Menu sid: “This year promises to be our most exciting yet as the chefs are competing to cook at a finale set in Paris hosted by the British Ambassador.

"The chefs for Yorkshire and the northeast are passionate chefs with brilliant creativity and I loved tasting their food and hearing their ideas.”

This year’s praise for the chefs from Yorkshire and North East, comes after last year’s competition saw a young chef from York, Will Lockwood – executive chef at Yorkshire’s Michelin starred, Roots owned by Tommy Banks – got to the final banquet episode with his dishes.

Lead Judge, Tom Kerridge praised his “punchy, brave flavours” all through the competition.