It’s almost that time of year again, when Great British Menu hits our screens!

We’re huge fans of GBM, having interviewed several of the chefs from last year’s show and, in the case of Matt Worswick, having tasted the resulting GBM-themed menus at their amazing restaurants (more on that here).

This year, the banquet, designed to celebrate Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II’s ‘Great Britons’ (ordinary, everyday people who have been recognised on the Queen’s birthday and New Year’s honours lists over the years), will be held in the House of Commons Members’ Dining Room. The chefs taking part this year will need to cook to a challenging brief: creating dishes which could be a fitting legacy for our Modern Elizabethan Age.

This year’s renewal of GBM follows the same format as previous incarnations, and, as usual, there is plenty to look forward to this year for those with an interest in British food and the talented chefs plying their trade around the country.

Here are a few chefs and judges we’re particularly looking forward to seeing on our screens once Great British Menu 2016 kicks off:

The return of Matt Worswick to the GBM kitchen. Now at The Latymer, Pennyhill Park, Matt always brings something exciting to the kitchen

Tommy Banks from The Black Swan at Oldstead, a North Yorkshire Michelin starred gem of a restaurant

Michael O’Hare, one of the undisputed stars of last year’s show, and now the holder of a Michelin-star at his Leeds restaurant, returning as a GBM veteran judging this year’s crop of chefs

Stay tuned to the blog for more GBM interviews from this year’s crop, weekly round-ups, and our thoughts on who might make it through to the banquet this year.