Episode 11 Country Show Cook Off

The nation's best-loved chefs are hitting the road...

This is not Italy.

..to compete in some traditional country shows.

And I'm hoping to win one of those rosettes.

On the way, they'll meet some of Britain's best local food producers...

Why would you ever eat a cupcake when you have parkin?

..before competing head to head with each other...

-It's only a competition.

-It's only a show.

..and the great British Public.

I thought the competition was big enough.

Our chef's are at the mercy of the harshest food critics

in the land - the beady-eyed country show judges.

We don't like odd ones.

It's a competition and I'm taking it very seriously.

Hold onto your aprons, it's Country Show Cook Off.

This week, top chefs Theo Randall and Rachel Allen hit the tarmac

to compete in the most traditional country shows in the land.

These guys know the judges really well.

They know exactly what they want, so being outsiders,

we could be in trouble.

They'll be devising dishes for a variety of strict

show cooking categories, on a route that stretches from

the West of Scotland to Ludlow in Shropshire.

The beautiful Island of Bute nestles off the west coast of Scotland

and is known as the jewel in the Clyde.

The picturesque town of Rothesay makes this a tourist hotspot -

and farming and food production are big business.

Theo and Rachel are visiting a country show that's dear to

the hearts of an island people.

We come every year. My young niece is a highland dancer.

I have to say she's very good.

Bute Agricultural Society's summer show began life in 1806

when local farmers met for ploughing competitions.

Competitive produce categories have been a key feature of show life

since 1825.

I've won the cup twice.

Our chefs will enter Class Eight in the domestic section,

quiche - own choice

under the close scrutiny of judge Mrs MacLachlan,

professional baker and veteran country show prize-winner.

Well, this is the syllabus for the show

and it states what they want, how they want it presented usually.

You're looking at your presentation, you're looking at your texture.

Taste is a big thing. How does it taste?

They'll be up against the best bakers of Bute -

accomplished home cooks with years of show experience.

This is quite a tricky show.

A lot of people have been baking for years. High standards.

It's going to be one heck of a foodie face-off.

-Oh! My finger went through it.

-Get out of it!

Theo's passion for food began as a child on holiday in Italy.

As a chef, he won a Michelin star for the ground-breaking

River Cafe in London, before opening his own restaurant in the capital's

swanky Mayfair, recently judged Italian Restaurant of the Year.

I'm a winner.

Professional cook Rachel Allen is a teacher at the prestigious

Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland and a best-selling culinary author.

A mother of three, Rachel is passionate about creating

simple, yet delicious, family recipes.

Oh, that's really quite nice.

Later, our two cooking colossi will square up at

the country show cook off, where the winner takes it all

in the quiche category.

Before they leave the mainland and catch the ferry to beautiful Bute,

they've just got time to visit a food destination, which has really

put the area on the seafood map.

Loch Fyne's saltwater depths have drawn local

fisherman for hundreds of years,

and now these shores play host to seafood business Loch Fyne Oysters.

First set up in 1978, the company ships its seafood to

customers around the globe - up to half a million Pacific

or rock oysters are grown each year in the clear waters of Loch Fyne.

Oyster farm manager Andre Hughes is a keen cook, often to be

found in the staff kitchen knocking up a feast for colleagues.

So this is our oyster beds here,

and this is how we grow all of our oysters at the moment.

They're grown in trestles, as you can see,

just about half a metre off the ground.

It's funny, it's not actually that many oysters in each bag.

No, you've got to allow for growth

and you've got to allow for the water to get through the bag.

You don't want the oysters pressed tight together or then

they won't be able to open and filter feed,

you want to give them plenty of room.

So there's room for them feeding as well.

And do you love eating oysters yourself?

Aw, I absolutely adore oysters, yeah.

What do you like doing with them?

My favourite way is just as they are.

I wouldn't even put lemon juice, I wouldn't even put Tabasco sauce.

I just think the natural taste of the oyster is

so good that it doesn't need anything else, really.

Our busy times, we're talking Mother's Day, Valentine's Day,

-about 80...

-Of course, Valentine's Day.

-Valentine's Day, yeah.

-Yeah, of course.

-..about 80,000 a week.

-Aphrodisiac.

So they say, yeah. I've got eight children.

THEY ALL LAUGH

I'll have what he's having.

Time to see if Andre's appeal rubs off in the kitchen.

Now, the way we'd open an oyster is,

you've got the round bit there little pointed hinge.

Now, hold the oyster steady and go down with the knife.

Don't go across with the knife or you'll go in your hand,

which I have managed to do before, but just go down.

-Have you?

-Yeah.

Once it's in the oyster. just give it a little twist

and then just work under.

Now then what you would do,

is you would then go round the underside of the oyster.

You just loosen that off and then that oyster's good to go then.

Can I? Can I have one?

Yeah, of course you can, yeah there's plenty. 20,000.

Mm. Yum! Lovely.

Goodness, is it getting hot there?

Thanks very much!

Just test that bit to make sure it's OK.

Oh, yum!

Cold shower for Rachel!

Right, enough tasting and on with the cooking, you've a ferry to catch

and Andre is looking to impress with his tempura oyster dish.

The important thing with making a tempura batter is having

ice cold water, getting the water as cold as you can possibly have.

That's what makes the batter nice and crispy.

And then just a case of adding the water a little at a time.

Are you the cook at home?

I do a lot of cooking at home, yeah. I absolutely love cooking.

So what are you looking for?

I just want it just to coat the back,

probably just a little bit thinner.

What I'm just going to do is just add a little bit of lemon juice

to that as well.

Yep, and that's more or less good to go.

I've pre-heated some oil here.

The oysters there, I've just shucked them and just put them

on absorbent paper just to take any excess liquid off them.

-You're a very natural cook.

-Yeah.

You've a lovely, lovely way about you.

Would you take him on in your kitchen, Theo?

I think I might do.

The thing about this is, don't try and do too many oysters

at the same time, because if you do, it'll cool down the fat, then

you'll end up with a soggy batter instead of a nice crispy batter.

They'll probably take, not long, about two or three minutes

and that'll be them good to go.

They're just about ready now.

Ah-h! Serve with a simple chilli dipping sauce and scoff!

Andre, thank you so much, it's absolutely delicious,

it's been really, really fun.

Glad you enjoyed it. It's been a pleasure.

Absolutely delicious, thank you very much.

-Really good.

-I can't stop eating them.

-Yeah, I know.

I've got to stop now.

Yeah. Enough eating, more cooking!

It's time for our chefs to focus on the quiche category

for the country show ahead.

The judges are going to be looking for something quite traditional.

That's exactly what I thought.

-I've done the kind of traditional route of a quiche Lorraine.

-Me too.

Yeah, and I think you'll win on the quality of the pastry

and how it tastes and not so much about the quirkiness.

More about what the true flavours are.

Exactly. There's not point trying to re-invent the wheel.

Let's hope the judge doesn't mark them down

for their lack of adventure.

Although the Isle of Bute is only five miles across,

it's stuffed with beautiful locations,

ideal for our chefs' alfresco kitchen.

But you've got to go somewhere, so our chefs establish camp

near the magnificent Gothic towers of Mount Stuart House.

-This is OK, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's nice.

This vintage van contains a dinky kitchen with everything

a chef could want.

Ta-da!

-Great! Oh, fabulous!

-Good, eh?

This splendid ancestral home hides a bountiful kitchen garden

packed with ingredients so fresh they're still growing!

So the category is quiche - own choice.

-Now what is the prize...

-For the?

-..if we win?

Prize money. First - £1. Second prize - 75p.

And third prize - 50p.

What are you going to do with your money if you win?

I'll put it towards a nice Scotch whisky to

have at the end of the day.

What are you going to do with your money?

Well, we could club together and share one.

THEY LAUGH

A bit previous - you've got to win first!

When I was about ten, I entered into

the Sutton Mandeville Horticultural Show, the flower show,

and me, my dad and my grandfather all entered into

the apple pie competition, and I won.

I came first, my dad came third and my grandfather came last.

I'm a...I'm a winner.

Apple pie, schmapple pie!

This quiche gig is all about eggs, Theo, not apples. Come on, chefs!

Less chatting, more chopping. Time to get cooking!

Theo needs to produce something very special out of his chef's hat today

if he's to beat master-baker Rachel.

Now the secret of a good quiche Lorraine is the pastry.

The pastry has to be really kind of crisp and dry.

We've got some plain flour here so we're just going to put

it into a large bowl and we've got some unsalted butter.

Just using your fingertips and just sort of break up the butter,

so it just sort of breaks into little pieces.

Pinch of salt.

And then break an egg add that, then just bring it all together.

And that is a really lovely short-crust pastry. In clingfilm.

If you don't wrap it in clingfilm and you put it in the fridge,

the fridge will evaporate the moisture

and you end up with a really sort of dry pastry.

Theo pops the pastry in the fridge to cool.

So we're just going to get some flour and...I don't like these things.

We get some flour.

Put that on top,

then we're just going to make sure there's enough flour on the board,

and then using our rolling pin, we'll just start rolling it gently.

Just to start ourselves off.

Just keep turning it around so we keep that round shape.

Be quite forceful.

Uh-oh.

The pastry's gone, it's just gone, it's just gone too dry.

Looks like Theo's pastry hasn't come up to scratch. Oh, dear!

As Theo goes off to contemplate his problem pastry,

Rachel's keen to get cracking in our camp kitchen with her version

of a classic quiche.

I want to have the shortcrust pastry really lovely and short and crumbly.

Short means that it's crumbly, buttery, delicious.

So just over half the amount of butter to flour.

Wow, this is quite amazing. The smell of the sea air.

I don't often get to make shortcrust pastry in front

of a neogothic house, on Bute.

So once it comes together, stop kneading it and flatten it out,

because if I flatten it out a bit, then it's going to chill

faster than if it's in one big ball.

Rachel's left her pastry to chill for 30 minutes.

This is a good tip. If your pastry is lovely and chilled,

you can roll it out between two sheets of clingfilm.

You don't have to add extra flour, so you're keeping

the butter/flour ratio just as it was when you made the pastry.

So roll out the pastry, and you see when you've got it covered in

clingfilm on both sides, you can just toss it over like this.

It's not going to stick to the worktop or your rolling pin.

I feel there should be a little string quartet

playing in the background.

Would be quite fitting, so, OK,

one more roll just for luck, and now time to line the tin.

Take off the top layer of clingfilm and then lift it up from under

the clingfilm and you see, this way is really easy.

Then you just tip it into the tin, and now just push it into the edges

and now I can remove the clingfilm and cut the pastry to fit the tin.

And you can just cut it with your thumb like this,

giving you a really lovely neat edge. OK.

If I put the filling into the pastry base now

and bake it in the oven, the base is going to be really soggy,

so I need to bake it blind, that is to cook the pastry first.

We have to improvise because we don't have ceramic baking beans.

I've got some pebbles from the little gravel path here

that I'm going to use.

How inventive!

Time for the quiche filling.

This is actually what I want, I want the slightly fatty bit.

I need about 175 grams for this recipe.

Don't have a clue how much that is in weight

but I'd say that could be close to it.

Oh, look, I may as well just use all this.

Hopefully, the judges will like lots of bacon in their quiche.

Do I have enough bacon, actually?

Oh, do you know what? I'm just going to cook a tiny bit more.

I love it. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling VERY peckish!

You know, I think something as simple as the quiche Lorraine,

the simpler a dish is,

the even more reliant you are on the quality of the ingredients.

You know what? This will be fine,

I can just put some parchment paper over the onions,

that'll keep the steam in and allow them to sweat a little bit.

Into this bowl, I'm going to put two eggs.

One and two, plus two egg yolks.

I've got 300ml of cream, double cream.

If you're going to make a quiche, do it properly. Use cream.

Don't use milk, it's just going to be quite watery.

So into the cream and the eggs I'm going to grate the cheese.

I've got Gruyere and cheddar.

It's time to bring all the filling together.

There isn't a huge amount of bacon fat in there so, you know what,

it's all going to go in.

Followed by the onions, ooh, they smell great.

Now bring all this together.

And the pastry case is perfect first time for the queen of Irish cooking!

Yum. And chive flowers.

This isn't part of the recipe but I think they're quite pretty.

Hopefully the judges will agree.

Maybe I should have waited

until the quiche was cooked to scatter with chive flowers?

Oh, well, anyway. Too late now. OK.

So...there it is. Just set in the centre.

Lovely, that's it. That's my quiche Lorraine.

It's a fantastic dish from Rachel.

And an action replay for Theo's pastry.

I'm going to start rolling the pastry, gently.

Can Theo recover from his previous pastry-based bungle?

Very gently, and just push right to the edge.

OK, so that's our pastry shell made.

Looks like Theo has gone for a more, how shall we say, rustic look?

Theo dives straight in with his quiche filling - chopped bacon.

Quite a lot of it. Nothing like the sound or the smell of fried bacon.

Onion and garlic from the historic kitchen garden.

Very, very fresh. Just been picked a few minutes ago.

Two pans of bacon? What's going on? Two whole eggs.

Two yolks.

250ml of single cream.

So I've got this lovely bit of Mull of Kintyre Cheddar.

Oh, and more bacon!

This isn't the healthiest dish in the world but it tastes good.

So what I'm going to do is, we're going to sort of build this up

so a little bit of cheddar cheese and a little bit of bacon.

We want to kind of build the layers up.

Cheese, the rest of the bacon,

then we're going to get our mixture of cream and eggs, right to the end.

A little bit more of our cheddar, so when it cooks,

you'll get a lovely melted cheese, sort of brown cheese on top.

Well, you can't have enough bacon in a quiche.

Sprinkle that last bacon on.

Or perhaps you can. Anyway!

And that...is my winning quiche.

Steady as she goes.

So that's going to go in the oven, quite a low oven,

for about 25, 30 minutes and then just let that set, really.

Now here is a problem you don't get at

Theo Randall's Mayfair restaurant - wonky wheels.

So there she is, my quiche.

The only problem is, we're in the van and we're at a bit

of an angle so all the filling has gone down one side.

Let's just hope the judges taste this bit first.

NARRATOR LAUGHS

Don't worry, Theo, the judging is strictly on a level playing field.

Both chefs have produced markedly different

versions of the classic quiche Lorraine.

Baker Rachel's delicate quiche is made with eggs, cream,

bacon and Gruyere cheese.

Theo's gone for a distinctly un-cheffy farmhouse kitchen quiche,

using Mull of Kintyre Cheddar and plenty of smoked bacon.

Will either of our cooks' quiches be cream of the crop

at tomorrow's Bute Show?

In case you're wondering, Theo will trim that pastry before the show.

Yes, that one. Get trimming.

I'll tell you what's in season at the moment and that's midges.

-They are just everywhere.

-They're absolutely horrible.

Oh, my goodness.

They can probably smell those delicious award-winning quiches.

-Well, let's hope so.

-Well?

-Here's to tomorrow.

It's the day of the Bute Agricultural summer show!

These kind of summer shows,

you know, people have entering these for years.

These guys know the judges really well, they know exactly what they

expect and what they want, so being outsiders we could be in trouble.

We really are. I'm quite nervous.

So we'd like to welcome you all here to Bute Agricultural Society's

annual show, here at the showground in Rothesay.

The show has been at the heart of this farming community for over

two centuries and today there are over 200 competitive

categories open to the public, all with strict judging criteria.

This is a child's Arran jumper.

I'm looking for the tension, the finish,

the complexity of the design.

I'd better get my knitting needles out, then.

The show is a chance for farmers to display the best of their breeds

and features nine classes for highland cattle

and over 40 categories for sheep.

Quiche judge Mrs MacLachlan trained as a pastry chef

and now runs a luxury home-made cake business.

She's a seasoned winner,

having bagged over 20 prizes on the Bute and Argyll show circuit.

Well, this is the syllabus for the show

and it states what each section has.

It states what they want, how they want it presented usually.

You're looking at your presentation, you're looking at your texture.

Taste is a big thing. How does it taste?

Theo and Rachel have only 30 minutes to get their quiches

shipshape before the tent closes.

Oooh, that looks lovely. Can I have a little feel?

-Oop, my finger went through it!

-Get out of it. Is that a fly?

No. It's a chive flower.

THEY LAUGH

-Get away.

-I'll just test the pastry.

Oh. Very nice actually.

If I drop this now, I really will cry.

SHE LAUGHS

Urrgh! He's breathing all over it! Stop it!

Might get marked down for crumbs.

Or spit!

OK. Actually, I'll just put mine down for one second.

-Oh, don't do that!

-Sorry.

Oh, my God, this is, like, really dangerous.

Aargh!

HE LAUGHS

I've got it, I've got it.

That looks pretty traditional. Yours is beautiful.

-That looks lovely.

-Look at yours.

-Shall we go?

Let's go. I'm not wearing wellingtons, I'm going to slip.

Competition in the show tent is extremely stiff.

Other quiche category contestants

have decades of show experience under their belts.

This is quite a tricky show. A lot of high standards here.

A lot of people have been baking for years.

High standards.

Baker Alison from Bute's capital Rothesay has been entering

the show for 40 years.

That big humungous one.

She has previously won first prize for her quiche.

Just basically cottage cheese, eggs, bacon, onions, cream, etc.

Fellow contestant Jacqui is a former city girl turned farmer's wife.

She has entered 12 competitions in the show this year, including

apple pie, empire biscuits and, you've guessed it, quiche.

I'm no' a baker. I just do it for the show.

The show's important to the community

because if nobody enters into it, then the show will no' continue.

We just do it to take part. I don't do it to win anything.

There's a huge amount of skill crammed into this tent.

Theo and Rachel are truly taking on the matriarchs of British baking.

Be good now.

Rachel presents a classic quiche using eggs, cream and bacon.

Chive flowers are a nice decorative touch.

Theo's quiche has scrubbed up well.

He's opted for a good Scottish cheddar to make a good,

homely-looking quiche.

Now I wonder if anyone's baked theirs this morning,

shall we have a quick little feel?

They're just so much nicer when they're a bit warm.

Yeah, that's a six o'clock in the morning one.

That's a six o'clock in the morning job.

Right, ladies. It's time to go. It's ten o'clock, ready for judging.

Thank you.

-That's light.

-Put it down! It's not...they haven't judged it yet.

Oh, sorry.

Yes, come on. Stop fiddling. Time for the chefs to get out.

Judge MacLachlan is about to pass verdict on which of her

entrants to crown king or queen of quiches.

First to be judged is a previous double winner of the Dunlop trophy -

awarded to the best in the baking section.

That's still quite soft in the middle

and the pastry's really brittle, really brittle.

It's quite well-fired as well.

And now Jacqui who has 12 entries in competition today.

Presentation's quite nice on the plate. It's quite evenly fired.

Quite a lot of flavour to that one. It's quite nice.

Next up, Alison, who first won at the Bute Show aged just seven.

Not a lot of filling in it but the pastry's nice.

The next contestant has four entries in the show today.

Peppers are very hard. It's hardly cooked at all.

And there's not an awful lot of filling in it at all.

OK, next under Judge MacLachlan's beady eye is Theo's quiche.

Will he ever be able to show his face in his London restaurant again?

It's nice.

It's more like a quiche Lorraine, there's bacon, there's onions.

It's quite well set.

Em, pastry's not too bad on the bottom.

Seems to be well cooked on the bottom of it.

Praise indeed! But is Theo's quiche good enough to bag a prize?

As the drama unfolds in the produce tent,

our chefs distract themselves from the imminent verdict.

COCKEREL CROWS

Have you seen his teeth?

All fun and games, but have our chefs taken on more than

they can chew with the contenders in the quiche category?

Rachel's reputation as a baker is in jeopardy.

Her quiche is next in line for judgment.

Pastry's nice and light.

There's lovely flavour to it and it's set really nicely.

There's a nice even colour even though it's set.

There's quite reasonable colour through it.

The presentation's lovely as well.

There's a lovely golden colour to this one. It's nice.

Oooh, promising.

There was a good variety of entries. All of them very good. Uh-huh.

I was quite pleased with them today.

Judge MacLachlan deliberates

and the hopes of all the quiche contenders hang in the balance.

It's nearly the moment of truth when we'll find out if our

Michelin-starred chef Theo or the best baker in the west, Rachel,

have held their own against the finest cooks

Bute Country Show has to offer.

The tent is open to the public and our chefs face the music.

OK, Theo. It's the moment of truth.

You won first prize.

SHE SQUEALS

I won nothing.

I'm really, really quite honoured. I'm thrilled.

I think mine was a bit salty. I was a bit worried about my bacon.

I don't... I don't think it was.

Rachel sweeps the board. That's just £1 in prize money

but a priceless achievement at the Bute Summer Show.

Second prize goes to Alison's humungous quiche,

and Jacqui scoops third.

Winning a prize at the Bute show is a big achievement.

That's my yoghurt loaf.

Contenders prepare for competition weeks in advance

and Rachel was up against steep local competition.

But don't feel too sorry for the runner-up,

Jacqui did go on to scoop just a few other prizes.

Third prize in sultana cake.

Second for that. Egg sponge.

Second prize for floral arrangement in a teacup and a baby card,

and first in corsage and peppermint creams.

She did bomb out on the apple pie, though. Bad luck, Jacqui!

Top restaurant chef Theo has completely wiped out

at the Bute show. What on earth went wrong?!

I think I put a bit too much bacon in there

and I probably should have reduced the bacon

because the temptation is to add more to make it really tasty.

I don't think Theo's was too salty.

I think he's being a bit hard on himself.

He thinks it was a bit too salty.

Well, I was a bit disappointed because I thought the pastry

I did was really nice and crisp and the filling was quite high.

I thought I'd at least get a third for that.

I mean, it was pretty... it was pretty good.

Our chefs are awarded points for a successful dish.

-Well done, you got first prize.

-Thank you!

-Congratulations.

Three for first prize, two for second and one for third.

You've even got a wee envelope with £1 in it.

I even have a wee envelope with £1 in it. Thank you.

So Rachel steams ahead today with three points for her

first-class quiche.

Next time on Country Show Cook Off,

our battling bakers head for the Highlands.

They'll be strapping on their aprons

and squaring up to see who can bake the best chocolate cake

at the Aberfeldy Highland Games in Perth and Kinross.

I can't wait!

-All right. Calm down, calm down.

-It's only a competition.

It's only a show.

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