A bar, a barbie and new show – lockdown layoff was handy for Great British Menu judge, Andi Oliver

After four series as a Great British Menu judge, Andi Oliver has a new role.

The broadcaster and chef, 56, is hosting the upcoming Christmas special of the BBC 2 cooking competition, which will take place over seven episodes.

Although she’s been practicing presenting, Andi hasn’t let her own cooking skills wither during lockdown, saying she’s been doing it “all the time”.

“It’s a really lovely thing for my mental health,” she said. “It’s a really important form of creativity for me, my cooking.

“In April my daughter (TV and radio presenter, Miquita Oliver) and I started an Instagram series called, What’s For Dinner, Mummy? It’s us cooking and dancing and playing music.

“It was like a little window into our family life. And then we decided to do a pop-up restaurant, at the top of my road; it was really odd suddenly having this time on my hands, and I’m not good at sitting on my hands.

“I’ve got five or six big Weber barbecue things, and my friend’s got a pub at the top of my road, so we wheeled them up and set it all up in his pub garden, and we did a Caribbean barbecue takeaway, and a little takeaway bar.

“We had the time of our lives! And everybody in our neighbourhood absolutely loved it.”

Summer barbecues couldn’t be further from what Andi is doing on the Great British Christmas Menu.

She is hosting the upcoming Christmas special, which will take place over seven episodes.

The series’ theme is supporting key workers, and this time the judges will decide which culinary titans get to serve up their creative dishes as part of a six-course festive feast – and it’s over to Oliver in the event of a tie.

Her new role sees her be a bit softer with the competing chefs, and Andi will continue that in the new series of Great British Menu next year, too.

“I’m like the kitchen shrink!” she said. “We’ve started filming the new, main series as well now; some of them have been here before, but most of them are brand new to the competition – they don’t even know what to expect.

“And even the ones who have been before and are now coming again, they know what to expect, but they all say that it’s not any easier.

“Knowing what to expect can make it even more stressful because you know how hard it is and you know the peaks and the troughs in the week ahead.

“It’s like if you go back out with a boyfriend you’ve been out with before!”