Caroline is back in the GBM kitchen, with a hunger to prove she has what it takes. Having missed out on cooking her whole menu last year, she wants to go all the way to the banquet this time round.

Born in Brazil, Caroline studied at London’s Le Cordon Bleu and has worked in many prestigious restaurants, such as Galvin La Chappelle (1*), Pied a Terre (1*) and Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs (2*).Caroline lives in Manchester, where she runs her fine dining pop-up Sao Paulo Project showcasing Brazilian/British fusion. She also owns a more casual concept: Sao Paulo Bistro. Her cuisine brings together Brazilian flavours and culinary techniques with the best of local British ingredients, in a unique fusion. She likes to bring colour and visual flair to represent her Brazilian roots.

To celebrate the theme, she is creating imaginative plates based on her favourite British animations, Postman Pat and Wallace and Gromit.

Manchester born newcomer, Danielle, is excited to take on the GBM competition, and is hoping her creative menu will take her all the way to the Banquet.

Having learnt her craft in the UK, Danielle went on to work in some of the world’s top restaurants. She worked at L'Enclume (3*) in Cartmel in the pastry section for two years, before moving on to work at Maaemo (3*) in Oslo.

In 2020 Danielle opened Osma in Prestwich, a Scandinavian inspired, relaxed eatery. She changes her menu weekly as she doesn’t like repetition, and loves a new challenge. Danielle’s food is healthy and tasty, taking heavy influence from her time in Oslo and travelling the world. Creativity is at the forefront of everything she creates.

Danielle hopes to make her family and friends proud with dishes inspired by British animations, Bob the Builder and The Wombles.

A born and bred scouser, Sam Grainger started working in kitchens at a very young age. His love for food stemmed from living with his West Indian grandfather, who taught him the fundamentals of cooking. He then travelled worldwide, including to Australia and Asia, where he learnt his craft.

Sam’s cooking style is super seasonal and always has an Asian influence in his dishes. He focuses on using British produce, interwoven with Japanese and European ingredients and techniques. Sam owns several restaurants, including Belzan (his flagship restaurant in Liverpool), Madre an authentic Mexican taqueria residing in the Royal Albert Dock, and a street food Mexican and chicken restaurant based in 'Escape to Freight Island' in Manchester.

His menu for this year’s competition has him paying homage to Beano comic Dennis the Menace, and children’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Born in Hungary, newcomer Laszlo got his passion for cooking from his great-grandmother, who taught him as a child to respect ingredients, and where they come from. Classically trained in French cuisine, Laszlo spent the beginning of his career working on cruise ships before making the leap of faith to move to London, where he was privileged to work under Chef Robert Reid at the famous Balthazar restaurant in Covent Garden.

Meat-eater Laszlo wanted to challenge himself by becoming a zero-waste plant-based chef, and that’s exactly what he did in 2021 when he became the head chef at Chester based Hypha. Since he began running the kitchen, the restaurant has gained a green star and 2 AA rosettes amongst its accolades.

Lazlo is ridiculously competitive, and is over the moon representing the North West. He hopes his creative menu - inspired by the Buttercup Farm comic - will take him all the way to the Banquet.