breaking news!
School chef Amber takes on Great British Menu
We’ve been keeping a secret…Amber Francis will soon compete in Great British Menu!
The programme 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, who is is also an ambassador for our charity, will be taking on top talent from the UK’s restaurants in a bid to advance through to the final. The BBC’s Great British Menu 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 the magnificent Blenheim Palace!
Having grown up in Bristol, Amber will represent the South West, but this time while working as a school chef. Rather than her usual day job of feeding up to 1,000 students and staff a day (wow), Amber will serve her food to the likes of Tom Kerridge, Ed Gamble and Lorna McNee.
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, and wanted to get involved.
So, in late 2023, Amber joined Christ’s College Finchley as Head Chef and Senior Food Educator and, together with support from us and the school, retrained the kitchen team, introducing new menus and food education work. 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 us transform school food and food education for the better. The aim is to show that 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.”
Meet and learn a bit more about this star school food chef here.
If you’re a chef, have been inspired by Amber’s story and want to get involved like she did, head to the chefs’ section now to learn more about how you could join the school food revolution.
Any schools keen to serve a daily food education to their pupils get in touch now by heading here.
You can learn more about Great British Menu here, and visit Christ’s College Finchley’s webpage too.