The Great Cookbook Challenge with Jamie Oliver: final six cooks revealed

15 February 2022

The final six cooks competing to win a publishing deal on Channel 4’s The Great Cookbook Challenge with Jamie Oliver have been revealed.

Eighteen cooks from all walks of life started the competition to find the next best-selling cookbook author and now, just six talented chefs remain. All are hoping their cookbook concept will impress the judges and secure them a deal with Penguin Michael Joseph to publish their very own cookbook.

The final six cooks are:

• Calum a 22-year-old content creator from Bromley whose quick, easy and healthy vegan cooking is more at home with social media. He hopes his idea for 20-minute vegan meals will help people make simple vegan meals in a flash.

• Rex, 28, a talented professional chef from South London who uses cooking to connect to his heritage and wants to introduce the UK to Filipino food.

• Dominique, a 43-year-old mum and small business owner from North London who draws on the influences of her Thai mother to bring easy Asian-inspired recipes to the busy home cook.

• Sarah, 25, a junior doctor from Scotland who came by her cookbook idea accidentally and now wants to create a collection of lasagnes for every occasion.

• Ian, a 47-year-old roofer from Leicester who’s got a passion for cooking and wants to share banging food on a budget, with easy-to-follow recipes accessible for everyone.

• Zena, 28, from London has a love of travel and food and is passionate about authentic food from around the globe. She wants to celebrate authentic recipes with her own twist.

In the first knock-out round of the series to air on Monday 21st February, Jamie Oliver supports the cooks as they create two dishes to try and impress the judges - Louise Moore, MD of Penguin Michael Joseph, restaurant critic and food writer, Jimi Famurewa, and award-winning recipe writer and author, Georgie Hayden - and prove their cookbook idea has a clear ‘voice’.

Their first challenge is to cook a weeknight meal, a staple of most cookbooks. These have to be quick and simple to make but will the judges be impressed as a chicken tikka lasagne battles it out against a Filipino stew, a chilli tofu stir-fry, a vegan take on beef noodles, a creamy coconut dahl and a chicken and black bean stir-fry?

After an intense first challenge, our cooks must create their biggest dish yet, a weekend feast. The family-sized meals created by the finalists include a roast pork dinner, lemongrass lamb chops and a venison and fig pasta-free lasagne.

As well as being judged by our experts, the dishes will undergo further scrutiny in a twist that leaves the cooks shocked. It’s then up to Louise, Jimi and Georgie to decide which of the six cooks will be eliminated from the competition.

The Great Cookbook Challenge with Jamie Oliver airs on Mondays at 8pm on Channel 4 and All 4. Catch up with the series so far on All 4.