School Chef Takes on Top TV Cooking Show

February 2025: When: Tuesday 4th February, 8pm on BBC Two and iPlayer

Amber Francis, Head Chef and Senior Educator at Christ's College Finchley, is set to make history next week becoming the first school chef to compete on the BBC’s Great British Menu.

After much secrecy, it can now be revealed that Amber will compete in the much-loved cooking competition – Great British Menu – which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Amber will take part in the South West heats which will broadcast from Tuesday 4th February at 8pm on BBC Two and iPlayer.

Amber will be taking on top talent from the UK’s restaurants in a bid to advance through Great British Menu, a competition which sees chefs compete for the chance to cook one course of a four-course banquet. The theme for this series is ‘Great Britons’, with the winning dishes due to be served at a magnificent historical banquet at Blenheim Palace.

Having grown up in Bristol, Amber will, once again, represent the South West region, but this time while working as a school chef. Rather than feeding up to 1,000 students and staff a day, Amber will be serving food to the likes of Tom Kerridge, Ed Gamble and Lorna McNee. Amber will be motivated by figures in education, as well as the students and staff to inspire her work in this series.

An ambitious chef from a young age, Amber has taken part in, and won, numerous competitions and awards. Whilst working as a restaurant chef, Amber read about Chefs in Schools, a charity which serves up creative and innovative, fresh meals and snacks in dining halls across England – all with the aim of transforming child health and wellbeing.

In late 2023, Amber joined Christ’s College Finchley as Head Chef and Senior Food Educator and, together with the charity and the school’s support, retrained the kitchen team, introducing new menus and food education initiatives.

Amber said: “I loved working in fine dining, but I wanted a job that gives something back and invested in future generations, something that is very close to my heart. I wanted to use my skills to give back to communities and to do something that more closely aligned with my ethos.

“I feel privileged to be able to show that school chefs can be highly skilled and capable of creating top-level food by appearing on the Great British Menu. I am constantly learning in every role that I have taken and being a school chef is no different. Feeding hundreds of teenagers every day has given me a new appreciation and different perspective on food, creativity and nutrition - all of which I’ll be putting to good use in this competition.”

An ever-growing number of restaurant chefs have made the move into school food, working with the charity to train up kitchen teams to a brigade style system. The underlying aim is to show innovative food, that fuels and educates children while benefiting their health, is possible within school budgets.

Thomasina Miers, food writer and Chefs in Schools trustee, said: “We’ll all be rooting for Amber to do well in this competition, not only is she showcasing her incredible talent for crafting beautiful food but she’s highlighting that school food is a career any chef should consider. Not only are Amber and her school making a difference to children’s lives by feeding and educating them about varied, exciting diets, they’re also being sustainable and reducing waste. We need more chefs like Amber and more schools like the brilliant Christ’s College Finchley to sign up for the school food revolution and unleash the superpower that can be school food.”

Headteacher of Christ’s College Finchley, Dr Ruth Hill, said: “The work of Amber and her team has been transformative. Every day up to 1000 pupils are treated to food made from scratch and within school budgets, with exciting dishes such as aubergine curry with pilaf rice, fresh fish – prepped and breaded in house, and homemade pizza. Every week there’s Try Something New Tuesday - where ingredients like badger flame beetroot or chanterelle mushrooms are free of charge - all part of a quest to introduce varied diets built around fresh produce. There are exciting plans to grow more fruit and vegetables on site and to take food education outside of the dining hall. Food is a key part of the school day here at CCF and the research is clear: if the food improves, the attainment, wellbeing and health of our students and staff also improve. 

“We are so proud of everything that Amber has achieved at CCF and as a school we are beyond excited for her. When Amber appears on the screen, I know that the whole school will be rooting for her, as will the Chefs in Schools community. We wish her the very best of luck.”

Photo credit: Optomen television Ltd

To find out more about the school food revolution, visit: www.chefsinschools.org.uk

Notes to Editors:

About Amber Francis
Amber Francis is a Private Chef and the School Head Chef, Food Educator at Christ’s College Finchley, based in East End Road, London, N2 0SE. To learn more about the school, email info@ccfplus.com or visit: christscollegefinchley.org.uk

Born and raised in the Bristol countryside, Amber returns to the Great British Menu kitchen after just missing out on the judges’ chamber in series 18. 

Amber’s formative years as a chef were spent training at The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and working at The Ritz, where she developed in classical technique. She has worked in many of Robin Gill’s kitchens including The Dairy, and Bermondsey Larder. In 2022, she was appointed Head Chef at The Zebra Riding Club, in the grounds of Hertfordshire’s Birch Community.

In 2023, she sought to pursue a role that closely aligned with her ethos and supported local communities. She now works in education, as head chef and food educator at a secondary school, developing a love for nutritious, sustainable food and ensuring that education doesn't stop when students leave the classroom. 

About Chefs in Schools.

Chefs in Schools was established in June 2018 with the aim of transforming food, food culture and food education in schools through training, guidance and support. 

The charity works hands-on in schools in London, the Southwest and Yorkshire, targeting areas with high levels of socio-economic deprivation, aiming to improve child health. 

Chefs in Schools has shown it’s possible to make exciting, creative school meals for as little as 75p in primary schools and 90p in secondary schools.

The charity was co-founded by Henry Dimbleby - co-author of the School Food Plan and author of the National Food Strategy, Nicole Pisani - former Head Chef at NOPI, and Louise Nichols - Executive Head Teacher of the Leap Federation of Schools.