Great British Menu is returning to screens today (January 28) for its landmark 20th series, with a fresh face joining the judging panel.
Lorna McNee, former Great British Menu champion and one of the UK’s most acclaimed chefs, will join Tom Kerridge, Andi Oliver and Ed Gamble in the search to find a rising star in British cuisine.
Lorna will take over from Nisha Katona, who has moved on from the show after serving as a judge for three years. Ahead of her judging stint on the show, here is everything you need to know about the Scottish chef.
Lorna was born and raised in Forres, Scotland. She studied at Moray College, before spending two weeks working at Gordon Ramsey’s Claridge’s restaurant in Mayfair, London.
“It felt like the first time that I had been encouraged and told I was good at something. It made me want to be better and I started to absolutely love it,” Lorna previously explained.
The cooking star then began work experience at Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland, where she later served as the sous-chef.
She notably won Game Chef of the Year in 2016, as well as National Scottish Chef of the Year in 2017.
Lorna appeared on the 14th series of Great British Menu in 2019, where she competed to serve a course at Abbey Road Studios for the 50th anniversary of the last time that The Beatles played together.
In the final week, Lorna impressed with her banquet-winning dessert, which earned her the title of Champion of Champions.
After winning the show, Lorna became the head chef of Glasgow restaurant Cail Bruich in August 2020. It won a Michelin Star in January 2021, becoming the first Glaswegian Michelin Star restaurant in 18 years.
“It was honestly such a surprise, as we’d only been properly open for three months. I’d always said to myself that I wanted to be the first woman in Scotland to win a star, so it felt amazing when they told me on the phone,” Lorna said.
Speaking about her upcoming stint on Great British Menu, Lorna shared in a statement: “Winning Great British Menu back in 2018 made a huge difference to my career as a chef and was partly behind me becoming Chef Director at Cail Bruich, so I know just how much the competition means to Britain’s chefs.
“Being invited to join the judges this year was a total surprise but a delight, and I’m loving the chance to help choose this year’s banquet finalists. Tom, Ed, and Andi have made me feel very welcome, and I’m also meeting some amazing guest judges every week – each of whom has been invited to help us choose the dishes representing their areas to go with this year’s theme of UK Heroes.”
Great British Menu airs on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer