How to Watch Great British Menu 2023 Online for Free from Anywhere

Great British Menu is back for Season 18 with a brand-new theme. Here's everything you need to know about Great British Menu 2023, including the premiere date, cast, and theme. Plus, the best part is that you'll be able to stream the episodes online for free from anywhere you may be, even on the go or while traveling abroad.

This year, to celebrate Paddington Bear's 65th birthday, the chefs will be taking inspiration from the best of British animation and illustration when creating their dishes, from cartoons to video games. Expect props aplenty and recognizable characters making appearances left, right, and center, as the chefs try to capture the imagination of the judges.

This year's starter is a vegan course, and dishes are brilliant takes on the brief with an interpretation of the stop-motion animation classic The Clangers, involving a watercress velouté to conjure up the nourishing green soup of the Soup Dragons.

Other dishes include a mushroom course inspired by northeast author-illustrator Kylie Dixon and her magical mushroom adventure series, a potato and truffle spiral with Jerusalem artichoke puree as a tribute to The Cribs' animated music video Mirror Kissers, and a course celebrating Hartlepool cartoonist Reg Smythe's Andy Capp.

Entering her second year as the Great British Menu host is TV chef and broadcaster Andi Oliver. As in previous years, there will be eight weeks of regional heats, followed by a finals week and the all-important banquet. So, let's see where, when, and how to watch Great British Menu 2023 online.

When and Where to Watch Great British Menu 2023

Great British Menu Season 18 premiered in the UK on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, on BBC Two, at 8 pm local time.

Season 18 will have 24 episodes, which will air on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for the following nine weeks, and you'll be able to stream them via the BBC iPlayer service (only available in the UK) for free soon after the broadcast concludes.

Coming up next: Great British Menu 2023 Episode 18: London and South East: Judging, on March 9, 2023.

How to Watch Great British Menu 2023 Online for Free from Anywhere

The live TV and streaming services that help you watch your favorite titles online in your home country are geo-restricted. The BBC iPlayer platform is only available in the UK and has the same blockades, meaning you won't be able to access it while abroad. However, there is a way around geo-restrictions by using a tool to change your IP address to a UK one. Using a VPN subscription to watch Great British Menu 2023 online is what will help you achieve that.

ExpressVPN is the best VPN on the market right now and puts thousands of servers at your disposal to help you unblock lots of streaming services, including BBC iPlayer, All4, My5, ITVX, Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video, and more. This tool offers great encryption protocols, high speeds, unlimited bandwidth, stable connections, and 24/7 chat support, among others. You can even try ExpressVPN RISK-FREE for 30 days via the money-back guarantee.

To get started, create an account on the company's website. You can also save money if you go with the annual plan when you subscribe to ExpressVPN (49% discount & get 3 months FREE). First, fill in the required info and pay. Next, follow the instructions you get over email to download and install the native app for your device. Next, launch the app and run it via a server from a UK area where there are no geo-restrictions. Lastly, load iPlayer to watch Great British Menu Season 18 online.

How to Watch Great British Menu 2023 Online for Free in the UK

The show airs on BBC Two, and that means you can also stream Great British Menu Season 18 online for free via BBC's iPlayer service. The library also includes fan-favorite BBC shows on this platform, such as MasterChef, Peaky Blinders, Shetland, Gentleman Jack, Call the Midwife, and Eastenders, and you only need to create a free account with the service and then log in to unlock it.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted and will block your access while outside the UK. However, you will be able to go around the blockades using a good VPN app running in the background via a server located back home before accessing the streaming service.

How to Watch Great British Menu 2023 Online in the US, Canada, and Australia

Unfortunately, BBC content does not make it abroad so often, and you cannot stream Great British Menu 2023 online in the US, Canada, and Australia at the moment. However, you can still access this title for free with a secure and competent VPN app that can unblock BBC iPlayer abroad. Just set it to a UK server placed in a region where there are no geo-restrictions.

Great British Menu 2023 Judges

On the judging panel for Great British Menu this year is chef and TV presenter Tom Kerridge, who has appeared on MasterChef and Saturday Kitchen and hosted various shows.

He'll be joined by CEO, executive chef, and development chief at Mowgli Street Food restaurants Nisha Katona and comedian Ed Gamble, who returns as a permanent judge and was a guest judge on Great British Menu in 2021 for The Finals: Dessert round.

Great British Menu 2023 Contestants

1. Gareth Bartram from Grimsby, head chef at one Michelin-starred Winteringham Fields in Scunthorpe
2. Yorkshireman Will Lockwood, head chef at one Michelin-starred Roots in York
3. Northumberland’s Cal Byerley, the creative, seasonal chef behind Pine with two stars to his name - a Michelin star and a green star
4. Newcastle’s Rory Welch, head chef at Tra¨kol in the city, with a Michelin plate

Great British Menu 2023 Episode Guide and Release Schedule

• Season 18, Episode 1: North East Starter and Fish (January 31, 2023)
  Four chefs from the northeast of England compete with canapés, starters, and fish dishes inspired by animation and illustration to celebrate Paddington’s 65th birthday. Competing for the top spot are four chefs who are a mix of exciting new talent and one popular returner – all with top industry accolades to their names.
• Season 18, Episode 2: North East Mains and Dessert (February 1, 2023)
  For mains, one chef is taking inspiration from the Terrible Tudors and Horrible Histories written by Sunderland’s Terry Deary and illustrated by Martin Brow. This comes with a Tudor-style mulled wine jelly castle. Another is paying homage to the graphic novel series Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, and there is a Funnybones dish, inspired by the Ahlberg illustrations, with parkin wishbone.
• Season 18, Episode 3: North East Judging (February 2, 2023)
  Guest judge Joe Sugg helps choose the winner from the two highest-scoring chefs from the northeast who must go head-to-head and cook their six-course menus again. There are dishes celebrating Paddington, James and the Giant Peach, and the Clangers.
• Season 18, Episode 4: South West England: Starter and Fish (February 7, 2023)
  Four chefs compete for southwest England with canapes, starters, and fish dishes inspired by animation and illustration celebrating Paddington.
• Season 18, Episode 5: South West England: Mains and Dessert (February 8, 2023)
  The remaining chefs from southwest England compete over dishes inspired by British animation and illustration and Paddington’s 65th birthday, including dishes inspired by Aardman and Mr. Benn.
• Season 18, Episode 6: South West England: Judging (February 9, 2023)
  The two highest-scoring chefs from southwest England must go head-to-head and cook their six-course menus again to impress Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing, chef and restaurateur Nisha Katona, and comedian and food podcaster Ed Gamble. There’s also the guest judge, Oscar-winning animator Susie Templeton, who created the stunning stop-motion picture Peter and the Wolf.
• Season 18, Episode 7: Wales: Starter and Fish (February 14, 2023)
  Four chefs compete for Wales with canapes, starters and fish dishes inspired by animation and illustration celebrating Paddington’s 65th birthday. Who will be eliminated?
• Season 18, Episode 8: Wales: Mains and Puddings (February 15, 2023)
  The remaining chefs from Wales compete over dishes inspired by British animation and illustration and Paddington’s 65th birthday, including dishes based on Fantastic Mr Fox and the Mabinogion.
• Season 18, Episode 9: Wales: Judging (February 16, 2023)
  The guest judge, TV presenter Gethin Jones, helps the judging panel decide the winner for Wales.
• Season 18, Episode 10: North West England: Starter and Fish (February 21, 2023)
  Four chefs compete for North West England with canapes, starters and fish dishes inspired by animation and illustration celebrating Paddington’s 65th birthday. Who will be eliminated?
• Season 18, Episode 11: North West England: Mains and Puddings (February 22, 2023)
  The remaining chefs from North West England compete over dishes inspired by British animation and illustration and Paddington’s 65th birthday, including a dish based on the Mad Hatter's tea party.
• Season 18, Episode 12: North West England: Judging (February 23, 2023)
  The guest judge, actress Jane Horrocks, helps the judging panel decide the winner for North West England. There are dishes celebrating Paddington, Bob the Builder, and Jack and Jill.
• Season 18, Episode 13: Scotland: Starter and Fish (February 28, 2023)
  Four chefs compete for Scotland with canapes, starters and fish dishes inspired by animation and illustration celebrating Paddington’s 65th birthday. Who will be eliminated?
• Season 18, Episode 14: Scotland: Mains and Puddings (March 1, 2023)
  The remaining Scottish chefs compete over dishes inspired by British animation and illustration and Paddington’s 65th birthday, including a dish based on the Mad Hatter's tea party.
• Season 18, Episode 15: Scotland: Judging (March 2, 2023)
  The guest judge, comic book artist Frank Quitely, helps decide the winner for Scotland. There are dishes celebrating the Beano and The Wind in the Willows.
• Season 18, Episode 16: London and South East: Starter and Fish (March 7, 2023)
  Four of London and the south east’s most talented chefs compete to stay in the competition over canapés, starters and fish dishes celebrating British animation and illustration.
• Season 18, Episode 17: London and South East: Mains and Puddings (March 8, 2023)
  The remaining London and south east chefs compete over dishes inspired by British animation and illustration and Paddington’s 65th birthday – who will win and who must go home?
• Season 18, Episode 18: London and South East: Judging (March 9, 2023)
  Guest judge Dapo Adeola helps decide the winner from the two remaining London and south east chefs. There are dishes celebrating The Gruffalo and Paddington.