School Chef crowned champion of champions on Top TV Cooking Show

When: The Dessert Episode and Banquet Episode are available to watch on the iPlayer now.

School Head Chef Amber Francis cooks for thousands of pupils and staff at Christ’s College Finchley, a popular co-educational secondary school in North Finchley, but out of hours she’s become a Great British Menu Champion of Champions.

The Head Chef and Senior Food Educator clinched the accolade after competing in the 20th anniversary series, with her dessert: ‘Books, the Mind’s Food,’ being voted the favourite dish of this year’s show.  Amber, who hails from Bristol and represented the South West region, swapped crowd pleasing school lunches, like Beef Short Rib Pie, Falafel Plates and Harissa Baked Fish with jewelled couscous for an intricate dessert of hay infused set cream, fermented strawberries, strawberry gel and tempered white chocolate disc.

The dessert triumphed, scoring full marks in the South West heats and going on to win Amber the title of Champion of Champions after being served at a magnificent historical banquet at Blenheim Palace.

The theme for this series was ‘Great Britons’ and Amber’s dessert was a nod to her roots in education, inspired by her primary school’s namesake Hannah More. She also featured pupils from Christ’s College Finchley in the serving of her menu, using a musical performance as the soundtrack to her main course. These pupils as well as Headteacher, Dr Ruth Hill were delighted to be invited to be guests at the Banquet and enjoyed Amber’s winning dessert alongside the other exceptional courses. 

Amber said: “I feel unbelievably proud and never dreamt of winning Champion of Champions - it has been a remarkable journey! While the dishes I served on the show were different to what I serve to students, the aim is the same - to create enjoyment and spark curiosity or conversations about food.”  
 
An ambitious chef from a young age, Amber started her career in fine dining, winning awards for her food and appearing on an earlier series of Great British Menu. However, in 2023 she made the bold move to more closely align her work with her community values, becoming a school chef.

Supported by Chefs in Schools, a charity on a mission to serve up innovative, fresh school food that educates children and improves their health, Amber took on the role of school chef at Christ’s College and retrained the existing kitchen team, introducing new menus and food education initiatives at the school.

Every week, Amber now serves up Try Something New Tuesday - unusual ingredients, such as badger flame beetroot or chanterelle mushrooms, free of charge, to encourage pupils to sample different flavours. Amber and her team also make all dishes from scratch, with fresh ingredients, and have plans to grow produce onsite, putting food at the heart of the school.

Amber said: “I love the creativity and intricacy of fine dining but cooking for young people represents a chance to give something back. We should all care about the food children are eating in school and it should be fresh, interesting and nutritious. Dining halls offer an incredible opportunity to showcase an exciting range of foods that staff and pupils may not have tried before, all it requires is to support kitchen teams with relevant training and for people to be open to change.

“Chefs should be aware that there are so many different avenues that can be followed in this industry. By working in a school, you get the reward of educating children too and encouraging them to try your food.” 

During the competition, rather than winning over teenagers, it was the likes of Tom Kerridge, Ed Gamble and Lorna McNee that Amber had to impress, and her efforts paid off, making the school and charity incredibly proud.

Nicole Pisani, co-founder of Chefs in Schools and former Head Chef at Ottolenghi’s NOPI, said: “To see Amber on our screens, cooking such beautiful food and showcasing the creativity within the school food community is a proud moment. School kitchens are full of creative chefs who are providing future generations with a good meal. And we offer training to chefs who want to be more creative. We hope Amber’s story inspires other schools and chefs to join the school food revolution.”

Dr Ruth Hill, Headteacher at Christ’s College said: “The entire Christ's College Finchley community is incredibly proud of Amber. She has always been a champion in our eyes for her dedication to producing exceptional dishes at our school each and every day and for her commitment to educating our pupils on the importance of nutrition. It was very emotional to watch her accept the prize for Champion of Champions. We are delighted for her and look forward to celebrating.”