Great British Menu 2022 chefs: Stephen Hope, Northern Ireland heat

chef patron of Dawsons Restaurant in Castledawson Stephen Hope is one of four chefs competing for Northern Ireland on Great British Menu 2022

Series 17 of the competition starts on February 1st 2022 on BBC Two at 8pm and will air every Tuesday at 8pm, every Wednesday at 9pm (as of the week commencing March 7th) and Thursday at 8pm for eight weeks.

Stephen is going head to head with chefs Chris McClurg, Gemma Austin and Marty McAdam in a bid to represent Northern Ireland in the regional finals, and ultimately cook a dish at the final banquet on Friday 1st April at 7:30pm. This is Marty's first time on Great British Menu.This is Stephen's first time on Great British Menu.

As per the programme's format, one chef is eliminated from the competition after cooking their starter and fish course, and Marty was the first to go. Despite a tight race between Gemma and Stephen for mains and dessert, Stephen fell behind, leaving Gemma and Chris to cook for the judge's chamber on Thursday, 24th March.

Biography

Born in Belfast, Stephen worked at The Merchant Hotel when, aged 21, he won the 2008 Gordon Ramsay Scholarship - a programme which ran between 2001 and 2009, the winners of which received a host of prizes including £5,000, a new car and a £10,000 oven. 

The following year, the chef moved to Michelin-starred Deanes Eipic, and was named Northern Ireland's youngest National Chef of the Year.

At the time, he said that he would be disappointed if he didn't have his own restaurant by the time he was 30 - and his wish came true with Dawsons, a modern British restaurant in Castledawson, Londonderry. The chef reportedly has plans to open a second restaurant, this time specialising in fire-cooking and BBQ.