33-year-old Scott is originally from Aberdeen and is now chef owner of Fhior in Edinburgh. After starting out as pot wash at a young age, he took a job with Eddie McDonald who had previously run the highly regarded Marcliffe Hotel in Aberdeen – he trained him up and helped set him on his way. Scott then became a protégé of chef proprietor Geoffrey Smeddle at The Peat Inn near St Andrews, which is a landmark for modern Scottish cookery.

In 2018 Scott opened Fhior as chef patron with his wife Laura. Fhior won Restaurant of the Year at the Edinburgh Restaurant Awards in 2019 and the same year Scott was voted The Scotsman's Chef of the Year. He has now opened a second site with farmland so he can grow and cook heritage Scottish vegetables for the restaurant.

Scott’s creative modern cooking showcases Scottish produce including foraged and home-preserved ingredients. For the competition, he is celebrating key Scottish pioneers including Sir Alexander Fleming and John Logie Baird.

Returner Paul hails from Newcastle in Northern Ireland and is back for another shot at the competition. He was inspired from a very early age by his grandfather who always took him foraging and it’s this passion for local, seasonal, fresh produce which informs his ingredients-led cuisine today.

Self-taught Paul is head chef anddirector at Brunels, an award-winning restaurant in Newcastle, Northern Ireland. Local ingredients are the most important thing to Paul who sources about eighty percent of his produce from a thirty-mile radius of his restaurant. His cooking style is led by local and foraged ingredients – he champions strong, wild flavours underpinned by modern cookery techniques.

His menu reflects his locality and passion for pioneers in his region including Belfast-born Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s refloating of the SS Great Britain in Dundrum Bay.

28-year-old Gemma is Carryduff born and bred and ready for her first time in the GBM kitchen. She owes her love of food to her mother, who was a chef in a local Belfast restaurant.

Gemma went into cheffing aged twenty-one, taking her first job at Slims Kitchen on the Lisburn Road where she cut her teeth for a year while doing a Culinary Masters Course. For four years Gemma continued studying and working full-time at a variety of great establishments and rose through the ranks from commis chef to sous chef of a two AA Rosette kitchen. Gemma worked at the Fitzwilliam hotel in Belfast where she rose to head pastry chef, before moving to luxury hotel The Old Inn, Crawfordsburn where she worked all the sections and eventually became sous chef.

In 2019 she set up A Peculiar Tea which is a pop-up that does themed dinners, teas and events. She is also co-owner and executive chef of Alexander's in Holywood where she has been for over a year. Gemma loves bringing her imagination to dishes and will be drawing on this for the science and innovation brief this year.

Londonderry lad Phelim is very competitive and wants to keep Northern Ireland at the Banquet.

Phelim started out as a pot wash at the age of fourteen and has never looked back. As a chef he has worked at House which is the Michelin-starred restaurant at the Cliff House Hotel in Ireland, and then at Restaurant Andrew Fairley in Gleneagles. For the last six years, he has worked at Browns Bonds Hill in Londonderry as the head chef under chef patron and former GBM competitor Ian Orr.

Phelim would describe his cooking style as modern Irish using modern techniques with the best produce that Northern Ireland has to offer. His menu is inspired by the pride of scientific advances in his home country.

27-year-old Andy is Bangor born and bred and the youngest competitor from Northern Ireland. Following in his father’s footsteps, Andy decided at a young age that he would train to be a chef. After a short stint at SERC studying Hospitality & Catering, Andy decided to concentrate full-time on cooking and started as a commis chef at The Salty Dog in Bangor, where he rose to the position of chef de partie. When his head chef Tim Brunton moved to take over the Boat House, Andy joined him as his sous chef. In 2019 Andy stepped up and took charge as head chef.

Andy is passionate about local produce and likes to create dishes that challenge people’s perceptions and expectations – he likes using techniques such as dehydration and spherification to intensify flavours and change textures.

Blackburn-born Kirk is the first plant-based chef to ever compete on the Great British Menu. While growing up Kirk was influenced by his father, Nigel Haworth, who was chef patron of Northcote Manor in Lancashire. He won North West Young Chef of the Year at seventeen and kickstarted his career working with his dad at Northcote as an apprentice.

Kirk then went on to work at other leading Michelin-starred restaurants including The French Laundry, Restaurant Sat Bains, Sydney’s The Quay and The Square under Phil Howard. With his Michelin training under his belt, in 2016 Kirk was diagnosed with Lyme disease, which led him to overhaul his lifestyle and explore a plant-based diet. After discovering that removing meat, gluten, refined sugar and dairy reduced the intensity of his symptoms, he created his own ethos for his plant- based restaurant, Plates, in London, with his sister managing front of house.

Kirk’s culinary style is modern, plant-based food, delivered with high-end execution and a focus on sustainability and wellbeing. His menu is inspired by innovations in the North West such as Vimto popular in his childhood as well as the vegetarian movement.

30-year-old Liverpudlian Dan is new to Great British Menu and thrives in a competitive environment, having been semi-finalist twice in National Chef of the Year. After studying for a law degree, in 2011 Dan decided to attend Liverpool Community College and develop his passion for cooking.

Dan has worked in several high-profile kitchens including The Bath Priory under exec chef Sam Moody and under Ben Mounsey at modern European restaurant The Lawns at Thornton Hall Hotel and Spa. For over three years, Dan has been head chef at Rothay Manor in Ambleside, a boutique hotel and restaurant in the heart of the Lake District and in that time, he has earned the restaurant 3 AA Rosettes. Dan also recently received a 2020 Acorn Award which recognizes the brightest stars in hospitality under thirty.

Dan’s culinary style uses the finest regional produce and his menu is inspired by local pioneering ventures such as George Garrett’s early submarine, launched in Birkenhead.

Proud Liverpudlian Dave has been in kitchens since he was fifteen, although he trained at university as a graphic designer and children’s book illustrator. After university, Dave felt that cheffing was for him and he trained on the job.

Dave ran some of Liverpool’s and the North West’s flagship restaurants including Alma de Cuba, The Noble House and Australasia, and became executive head chef at The London Carriage Works. In 2019 Dave took a different direction and was selected as the last ever apprentice of a world-famous Chinese chef, Master Wu, and spent time in China exploring traditional Chinese cookery. He is the executive chef of Liverpool’s Lu Ban, a fine dining Chinese restaurant inspired by the region of Tianjin.

Dave’s eclectic menu celebrates his personal love for his home city’s innovators and free thinkers with nods to all of his culinary experiences so far.

Originally from Shimla in northern India, Ashwani is a newcomer to the competition and has been in the kitchen since his teenage years.Ashwani was mentored in north west frontier cuisine at the Bukhara restaurant in Agra and Delhi before working at Kebabs and Kurries Restaurant in Hotel ITC Gardenia, Bangaluru, under chef Imtiaz Qureshi, who is known as the grand master chef of Indian cuisine in India. He was then headhunted to run Asha’s restaurant in Manchester. He has won multiple food awards such as City Restaurant of the Year 2017, Best Indian Restaurant in Manchester and in 2018 he won Best in North West Asian Curry Awards at Asha’s.

Ashwani is currently exec chef at Gupshup Restaurant in Altrincham and his style of food is pan-Asian with modern British influences. He brings his Indian heritage to his menu and celebrates important Manchester based scientists, notably Alan Turing OBE.

Jude is returning to the Great British Menu kitchen for the fourth time determined to go all the way. Born in New Zealand, Jude has lived in the UK for over twenty-four years. He runs Kota and its sister restaurant Kota Kai in the fishing village of Porthleven, Cornwall.

After training under acclaimed chef and fellow kiwi Simon Gault, Jude spent many years working in London at a number of top restaurants. His last position was with Antony Worrall Thompson – it was there he met his late wife Jane and together they decided to make the move to Cornwall. 'Kota' is Maori for shellfish and Jude’s take on classic seafood with a twist has resulted in 3 AA Rosettes and a Michelin Bib Gourmand. The restaurant was also named in the Top 50 Summer Restaurants in Britain and Patron chef Jude has been awarded ‘Chef of the Year’ in the 2019 Trencherman’s Guide Awards.

Jude’s cooking style is influenced by his Maori, Chinese and Malaysian heritage and inspired by Cornwall’s finest produce. He is celebrating innovations from his beloved region including Cornishman Henry Trengrouse’s safety rocket line that saved countless lives at sea.

28-year-old Elly grew up in the South West and has been cooking since she was thirteen. No stranger to competitions, she took part in the prestigious Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and was one of four chefs to receive an Award of Excellence. She has worked at some of the best restaurants in the South West: at the 3 AA Rosette Tanners Restaurant in Plymouth under Chris Tanner and James Tanner and then in three Michelin-starred kitchens: The Elephant under Simon Hulstone, The Bybrook at the Manor House under Richard Davies and Restaurant Hywell Jones at Lucknam Park.

For the last two years, Elly has been head chef at The Angel in Dartmouth where she has gained a Michelin plate in the guide, 2 AA rosettes and Taste of the West’s Best Fine Dining Restaurant 2021. Elly’s menu showcases the best local ingredients in a modern style with inspirations including Dorset -born William Henry Fox Talbot and his pioneering paper photography methods.

37-year-old Nick is originally from Somerset and is determined to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Tom Kerridge, to get to the Banquet.Nick has worked with Tom for almost ten years and is the head chef that launched The Coach in Marlow, which won a Michelin star in 2017. In 2018 he moved to Tom Kerridge’s first London restaurant as head chef at Kerridge’s Bar and Grill, where he has ambitions to get another Michelin star. Prior to being with Tom, Nick worked with Daniel Clifford at Midsummer House.

Nick is classically trained and prides himself on making sure every dish is packed with flavour and showcases the best regional and seasonal produce. His menu for the competition is creative and celebrates South West pioneers from Ida Mary Roper to Christopher Merrett, who put the sparkle in sparkling wine.

Newcomer Nat is from Oldham originally but proudly calls the South West home after spending seven years here. She is the executive chef of The Box Kitchen & Bar which is a new museum and arts centre in the heart of Plymouth. Previously she was exec chef for The Lewinnick Lodge and The Plume of Feathers in Mitchell, Newquay.

Nat was a semi-finalist in National Chef of the Year in 2019 and 2021. She would describe her food as ingredient-led and visually exciting. Her menu for the competition pays homage to female scientists and innovators such as botanist Mary Ida Roper and fossil hunter Mary Anning.

Returning to light up the Great British Menu kitchen is patriotic Welsh speaker Hywel who narrowly missed getting to the Banquet last year. Hywel grew up in North Wales and has been a chef since he was seventeen. He honed his craft at Coleg Menai in Bangor before graduating to the Lanesborough Hotel in London and The Chester Grosvenor before returning to Wales as sous chef at Ynyshir. During his time there the restaurant achieved three AA Rosettes and a Michelin star. He then opened his own restaurant Beach House in Oxwich Bay in 2016 which has won several awards including a Michelin star.

Hywel’s cooking style is modern Welsh and champions all Welsh produce. For his menu, he draws on bold inspirations linked to Wales from the discovery of our nearest galaxy, Andromeda, to Martha Hughes Cannon, a pioneer in medicine and sanitation.

30-year-old Welsh speaker Nathan has lived in Wales since he was six – his father and grandfather are Welsh Italians. Having worked at some of Wales’s finest restaurants, including with Steven Terry at The Hardwick in Abergavenny and as head chef at Ynyshir under Gareth Ward for four years, he has a huge amount of experience behind him.

In 2019 Nathan opened SY23 in Aberystwyth with an ethos of using the finest local and foraged produce cooked simply over a fire. Nathan takes regional produce very seriously, trying to source a lot of his ingredients from the SY23 postcode – from meat to flour to the wood he puts on the fire to cook with.

Nathan’s style of cooking takes inspiration from San Sebastian, Scandinavia and Japan. His menu for Great British Menu is inspired by Welsh pioneers linked to forestry and meteorology.

Originally from Anglesey in Wales, newcomer Ali believes Wales has the best larder in the world and is out to prove it in his menu. Ali has spent the last ten years in London working in some top kitchens with a range of cuisines including French restaurant Le Pont de la Tour, Anna Hansen’s The Modern Pantry, Jinjuu with its unique Korean dining, and as head chef and co-owner of Smoking Goat in Shoreditch. Ali is currently the head chef of Nutbourne Restaurant in Battersea, London, which is part of the Gladwin Brothers, and focuses on local and wild cookery. Ali’s food inspiration comes from his travels to Australia, South East Asia, and Malaysia. He is a firm believer in using the whole of the animal and likes to combine British ingredients with Thai flavours. His menu for the competition is eclectic with inspirations such as Enigma codebreaker Mair Russell Jones and the first suspension bridge which was in Anglesey.

36-year-old Chris is originally from Cardiff and works in Bath at The Olive Tree restaurant at The Queensberry Hotel. Before that, he worked at The Crown with James Sommerin, at Gidleigh Park under Michael Caines, at The Fat Duck and with Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House. Chris has been head chef at the Olive Tree for eight years. He has held a Michelin star since 2018.

Chris describes his food style as modern European and for his menu he has drawn inspiration from notable Welsh pioneers including Anne Maclaren’s IVF research and Pembrokeshire-born mathematician Robert Recorde.

Proud Yorkshireman Alex is returning after coming a close runner-up in the regional finals last year – this time he is determined to get to the Banquet. Alex has been a chef for over twenty years and has worked at many prestigious Michelin-starred restaurants such as 42 The Calls, Anthony’s, Restaurant Sat Bains, Auberge du Lac, Turners and The Wild Rabbit. In 2019 Alex was awarded a Michelin star for his restaurant Alchemilla in Nottingham, along with four AA Rosettes in February 2020 and a place in the Good Food Guide's Top 50 for The Good Food Guide.

Alex believes in using the best produce available and backing it up with depth of flavour. He has been inspired by the scientific pioneers of the North East and presents dishes with wit and playfulness.

Darlington-born 25-year old Ruth was a finalist in last year’s competition cooking the amuse bouche; this time she is hoping to go one better and become the first woman to cook at two Banquets. She’s won a plethora of awards and as the first woman to win the Young Chef of the Year Award in 2017, she prides herself on staying calm under pressure.

Ruth moved to London to pursue her love of cooking aged just fifteen and has been unwavering in her pursuit of success. She trained at Westminster College Kingsway and was mentored by Master of the Culinary Arts Frederick Forster. She worked at the Boundary Restaurant for a year before securing a position at The Ritz where she remained for five years and rose to chef de partie. Whilst working at The Ritz and winning the Young Chef of the Year award, The Ritz won its first Michelin Star in its 110-year history.

In 2020 Ruth became head chef at The Princess of Shoreditch in London. Ruth’s style is modern British underpinned by a classical French training. Her menu for the competition embraces regional produce and scientific breakthroughs significant in the North East.

Proud North Yorkshireman Tom is competing for the first time and up for the challenge. He has an impressive pedigree, having worked for Sat Bains at Restaurant Sat Bains during the time when it received its second star, and was head chef at Typing Room under Lee Westcott where he held four AA rosettes in London. Tom then went to work for James Knappett at Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs in London and in 2018 became his head chef. Kitchen Table offers diners an immersive experience and a daily changing menu of twenty courses – their modern British cuisine was awarded its second Michelin star in 2019.

Tom would describe his food as modern British with a desire to evoke memories. His menu for the competition is packed with creativity, flavour and pays homage to early inventions such as the first steam locomotive.

Hailing from Grimsby, Gareth is a newcomer to the Great British Menu kitchen and is here to compete. He fell in love with food working in a local butcher’s shop aged sixteen with his mother and hasn’t looked back since.

Gareth studied at catering college in Grimsby and then landed a job in London at Gordon Ramsay’s Boxwood Café at the age of nineteen. He went on to work for three years at Jack’s Restaurant in Corsham, Bath under Jamie Hirst and then moved to North Lincolnshire to work for Colin McGurran at Winteringham Fields. Over the last six years he worked his way up to head chef and in 2019 the team won a Michelin star.

Gareth’s culinary style embraces local, seasonal produce and champions use of the whole animal. His menu takes inspiration from great pioneers such as British Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole.