Where Does Amber From Great British Menu Work?

Four finalists cooked up a storm in a banquet at Blenheim Palace in this weekend’s finale of Great British Menu, but it was school chef Amber Francis who was named Champion of Champions for 2025. She impressed the judges with a dessert linked to her education background, beating Sally Abé, Jean Delport and Mark McCabe for the crown. But where does Francis work now?

Amber Francis Wins Great British Menu 2025

Amber Francis was named Champion of Champions in Great British Menu 2025, after cooking for a dinner of 90 guests. Her winning dessert was called ‘Books, the mind’s food’, made with hay-infused set cream, fermented strawberries and a white chocolate disc, served with honey parfait and a sable biscuit sandwich.

The pudding was inspired by writer and philanthropist Hannah More, who founded schools in the late 18th century. Francis used More’s silhouette on the biscuit, and presented the dish on a wooden school desk with a lifting lid – complete with a photograph of herself as a child in school uniform. ‘I absolutely love the flavours,’ says chef Tom Kerridge. ‘The hay-infused cream is delicious and the fermented strawberries are outstandingly good.’

The judges were also wowed by Delport’s fish course (barbecued sole Veronique) and meat course (roasted goat rack) but ultimately Francis received the highest score when it came to voting.

‘It came as quite a shock,’ said Francis. ‘It was amazing, I’m very privileged. What an experience it was cooking for those amazing people.’

BBC / Optomen Television Limited / Kate Hollingsworth

Where Does Amber Francis Work?

Originally from Bristol, Francis has over a decade of experience in the culinary industry. She began her career working with pastry chef Abby Moule at Chez Bruce in London, going on to cook in a series of prestigious kitchens around the country including The Ritz London, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire, and The Hand & Flowers in Marlow. After a stint as head chef at the now-closed Birch hotel in Hertfordshire, she starred on Great British Menu in 2023 for the first time. 

Shortly after, Francis opened her first solo venture: Maene in London’s Spitalfields. It was a success and secured a listing in the Michelin Guide, but not long after the opening Francis decided to leave to pursue her dream of working in schools (Maene went on to close in 2024). Since then, Francis has worked as head chef and senior food educator at Christ’s College Finchley in north London as part of the Chefs in Schools charity programme. 

‘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,’ she said. ‘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.’