A Bristol chef is appearing on the BBC’s Great British Menu tonight. Amber Francis, who is head chef and senior educator at Christ’s College Finchley, will be the first school chef to compete on the TV programme.
Amber, an ambassador for the school food charity Chefs in Schools, will take on top talent in the South West heats. The competition 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 banquet at Blenheim Palace.
Having grown up in Bristol, Amber will, 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 top chef Tom Kerridge, comedian Ed Gamble and new judge and former GBM winner Lorna McNee.
Amber will compete against Nicholas Balfe, chef director at Holm in South Petherton, Somerset, Ashleigh Farrand of the Kingham Plough in the Cotswolds and Joe Fallowfield, of the Housel Bay Hotel in Cornwall.
While working as a restaurant chef, Amber read about Chefs in Schools, a charity that 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 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.”