Great British Menu 2023 chefs: Tom Westerland, Wales Heat

Tom Westerland, Head Chef of Knipe Grill at Gilpin Lake house, is one of four chefs competing for the Wales region  on Great British Menu 2023.

Series 18 of the competition starts on January 31 2023 on BBC Two at 8pm and will air for eight weeks.

Tom is going head to head with chefs Georgia Sommerin, Mark Threadgill and Simmie Vedi in a bid to represent the Wales in the regional finals, and ultimately cook a dish at the final banquet.

This is Tom's second apperance on Great British Menu after taking part in the competition in 2019.

Biography

Tom 'Westy' Westerland is the Head Chef of Knipe Grill at Gilpin Lake House. 

After spending years working in traditional fine dining restaurants, Tom Westerland realised what he really wanted to do was cook with fire.

Before taking on his current role, Tom was head chef of Ember at Crockers in Henley-on-Thames. Before then he was the head chef of the Brasserie at Lucknam Park in Wiltshire, where he became the second of executive chef Hywel Jones' proteges to take the National Chef of Wales title. 

Knipe Grill at Gilpin Lake house

Knipe Grill at Gilpin Lake House provides with an extraordinary location that offers panoramic views of the hotel's lake.

Knipe Grill offers a menu that is fun, entertaining, nostalgic and taps into a sense of playfulness that creates memorable, talk-worthy dishes, with head chef Tom taking inspiration from household products, such as his signature Branston pickle butter, which is both fun and sublime.