Episode 12 Country Show Cook Off

The nation's best loved chef's 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 chefs 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 road from Bute to Ludlow.

-Come on baby, we can do it!

-Come on!

So far, Theo's got nil points in their cheffing showdown,

as his baking efforts crumbled in the quiche cook-off.

-I won nothing!

-Aw!

But our queen baker, Rachel, swiped a first place prize in Bute.

Yay!

Today the pair's culinary road trip brings them

tootling along 100 miles northeast of yesterday's cook-off in

the Isle of Bute to a country show in the Perthshire town of Aberfeldy.

Oh, this is beautiful.

First made famous by Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns,

it's home to Perthshire's highest mountain

and Scotland's longest river. But have our chefs come prepared?

I haven't got my kilt.

I was looking forward to seeing your legs! Ha ha ha!

Kilt or not, they'll be cooking up a storm

to compete at the Atholl and Breadalbane Agricultural show,

known by the locals as the Aberfeldy Show.

It has a traditional Scottish twist,

and has been at the heart of the community for the last 66 years.

And our professional chefs have been given special permission

to enter in the single chocolate sponge with butter icing category,

against the titans of baking - the Scottish Women's Rural Institute.

I'm entering baking, preserves, knitting and sewing today.

-Dundee cake.

-Rum truffles.

-Chocolate sponge.

-Cupcakes, which I love.

-Bread.

-Peppermint creams.

-Wholemeal scones.

-Oh, a toffee apple!

Three fruit marmalade and raspberry jam.

I think that's about it!

They may not be professional chefs, but between them

they've been perfecting homemade recipes for decades.

Competition is very fierce and everyone is excellent bakers.

Competition here at the Aberfeldy show couldn't be steeper.

And they're judged by some pretty tough cookies,

like Kate Imlay and Jeannie Black.

But what do they want from a sponge?

A chocolate sponge is a light, fluffy thing,

and something that tastes the best and looks the best.

Any tips for our chefs, girls?

Just read the schedule!

If they're not meeting the requirements,

they do have to be disqualified.

As Rachel's the queen of cake-making,

author of best-selling baking books, and cooking teacher

at the world-famous Ballymaloe Cookery School,

if SHE doesn't do well in this cook-off,

there's something seriously wrong.

Mmm, that smells good.

And even though chef and restaurant owner Theo specialises

in Italian cuisine, surely he'll find this challenge a piece of cake?

Ha ha ha!

Our chefs are in such an amazing part of Scotland.

Here, the peaty uplands allows ling heather to thrive,

so they're going to see where this natural resource

becomes dripping deliciousness

at Perthshire's prized Heather Hills Honey farm, founded in 1945.

Home to 1,300 beehives, swarming with 52 million honey bees,

the farm's a family affair.

Mark Noonan is one of two brothers who's been making

the award-winning champagne of honeys for over 12 years.

And this is what's so special about Scotland, all this heather.

And this is what the bees feed off?

Yes, there's very little choice!

That's amazing. So it's actually true heather honey. Can we have a look?

This may be one small step for a seasoned beekeeper,

but it's one giant leap for chefkind!

Bees can get angry when disturbed, so smoke's used to calm them down.

You can hear them already.

LOUD BUZZING

Wow!

That's a full hive!

Hello, clever little bees!

And there we have some honey at the top there.

-And they seal it off with wax.

-It's extraordinary.

They have a different stomach for everything.

One stomach makes the wax, one stomach produces honey.

Makes you realise how precious honey is.

This is the main hive down here, that's where the queen

lays the eggs.

-She's about one and a half times the size of an ordinary bee.

-OK.

Some of ours are marked for ease of finding her.

Oh, there! Oh, my goodness, with the blue dot! Wow!

There can only be one queen bee per hive.

There can only be?

If there is more than one queen, there's either a battle,

or one has to leave.

I hope you two are as determined in your cook-off!

So there we are, you can take that. Just shake them off.

I don't want to hurt them.

You've just crushed one!

THEY LAUGH

Don't worry, no bees... OK, one bee was slightly hurt

during the making of this honey, but it's fine now.

And in the kitchen of the nearby and stunning Dalmunzie castle,

Mark's going to show our chefs how the scrummy honey

can beautifully enhance the dessert, cranachan.

I'm going to show you a very simple traditional Scottish recipe.

The cranachan is normally eaten at harvest time in the old days,

but now it's become a lot more popular for weddings

and other occasions.

Mark's already whipped some double cream.

We're going to fold in some beautiful Scottish berries

from down the hill in Blairgowrie, which are the best in the world,

Scottish raspberries. If you could chop some of the hazelnuts,

it does give it a bit of crunch.

Keep the raspberries whole if you can,

-we don't want any juice to make it slushy.

-OK.

And the great thing about this recipe is you can add

as much of each ingredient as you want.

-Now, if you want to add some of that oatmeal.

-OK.

So this is toasted for, what, about five or ten minutes?

-Five to ten minutes.

-In the oven.

-Until golden brown, don't burn it.

-Oh, yum!

-Just going to add the nuts, that's fine.

And now the piece de resistance, a few tablespoons

of some of that divine honey.

Now that's going to help bind it all together and give it the extra zing.

And heather honey and raspberries are just a fantastic combination.

Oooh!

Oh, no, it's not finished yet!

-Theo's dying to add some whiskey.

-Ooh! Have a sniff.

Oooh, should we just test it and see if it's OK?

Ha ha! When in Scotland...

-Cheers.

-Cheers! Slainte!

-Oh, that's lovely.

-Oh, wow, that's lovely. Mmm!

Steady on! We need sober chefs!

-It's almost like a Scottish Eton Mess.

-Yes.

-Let's have a bit of this.

-That's mine!

THEY LAUGH

The decoration goes on top.

Oh, my God, that's so good.

Looks delicious and all, but you both have a single chocolate sponge

with butter icing to make for tomorrow's show in Aberfeldy.

There may not be written rules, but the show schedule clearly states

the category, just hope our chefs have read it carefully!

And is yours a traditional Victoria sponge with cocoa in it?

No, I thought about doing that, but I just felt

that's what everyone else is going to be doing.

-That's exactly what I thought.

-Really?

-Yeah.

I just thought I should do something that sort of stands out.

My only concern is that it might just be a little bit too wacky

and I'm not doing as I'm told.

Yes! Not making traditional sponge in a sponge category?

Interesting tactic, but I'm not sure the judges will appreciate it.

Ha ha! This is great!

Just don't go over the edge, Theo, please!

Wow!

That is spectacular. What a day to be cooking!

-What a place to be cooking!

-Exactly.

It may be a beautiful spot, but there is the added pressure

of cooking al fresco and from the quaint, but fully functional

kitchen of their vintage van.

Now as these two are entering a chocolate sponge making category,

you, me, and tomorrow's SWRI judges would imagine a light, airy classic.

Yes? I'm sure. But what exactly does our foodie pair have in mind?

I'm slightly, you know, going off piste a little bit.

Mine isn't a traditional sponge, it's not a chocolate sponge,

it's actually quite a rich chocolate cake.

The rules say make a sponge!

I'm thinking that if I add just a subtle little drop

of Scotch whiskey, the judges might like that.

This might even give me a little edge over Theo's cake.

I wonder if he's thought of that!

As Mr Randall's already trailing behind in the competition,

how's he going to ensure a triumph?

The pressure's on because Rachel's obviously a very good baker.

The sponge cake I'm making is actually more of a batter cake,

it's quite kind of wet.

The only problem is, you know, will it be classed as a sponge cake?

Oh, no! Not you as well!

I'm adding a bit of coffee. When they eat it,

it's going to be really more-ish and delicious.

It might make the judges sort of notice a bit more.

A few risky moves here, but let's just hope it works.

Ho, ho, ho! So do I, Theo!

It's time to dust off the oven gloves and get cooking.

Baking aficionado Rachel's up first and as the category

is a single chocolate sponge with butter icing, the traditional

recipe is to blend butter with sugar, whisk eggs and sift flour.

Right? Let's see what she's going to do.

This has got to be the most stunning location I've ever cooked.

Absolutely amazing. But the heat is incredible!

Ho, ho! Better get a wriggle on then!

I've got a bain marie here, a saucepan of simmering water

over which I'm going to place this bowl and put in the butter.

I've got 210 grams of butter, it's melting already,

and 250 grams of caster sugar.

250 grams of dark chocolate.

It's so rich, it's almost like a chocolate torte.

Oooh, so, maybe NOT a sponge, then?

It's your reputation as a world class baker, Rachel!

Oops! Everything's at a bit of a tilt!

And it's just suddenly melting very quickly now,

what with the heat coming from under it and this amazingly,

apparently unusually hot sun.

I think the weather must be like this all the time,

and they don't let on. It's just incredible.

I'll have just a quick little soaking up of some sun

while my chocolate and my butter melts. Mmm, that smells good.

If you want to add other flavours you can, you could add

a little cinnamon or some chilli. But I think that's going

really too far off piste for this competition.

I think I'm taking enough risk as it is by not making a classic sponge.

Yes, I quite agree.

I'm now going to add five eggs.

Oh, double yolk, maybe that's lucky!

Anyone who says, "I can't make a cake, it just never works out."

Well, this is the one to try.

I'm using just 75 grams of ground almonds.

I could use flour, but I love what ground almonds bring to a cake.

They bring a certain richness, obviously a nuttiness,

and really good moistness from the oils in the nuts.

And no flour actually makes this cake gluten-free!

Yum, yum!

Hey presto! Into the oven at 160 degrees for 45 minutes

should do the trick nicely.

Now time for Rachel to make her butter icing.

OK, so while the cake is cooking in the oven,

I'm going to make the chocolate glaze very quickly.

Eh? It says in the rules butter icing!

Oh my goodness, the chocolate has completely melted in the sun!

Pour your chocolate in! That's how hot it is here in Scotland!

Don't knock a good thing!

Into the 200 grams of dark chocolate, goes 75 grams of butter.

I hope that'll be OK for a butter icing,

because there is butter in it, so technically it is a butter icing.

Hope the SWRI agree! But surely Rachel knows what she's doing,

deviating from the show schedule.

Some milk, but I want to make up some of the liquid measurement

with my secret ingredient, some local whiskey.

Not too much, I don't want it to be overpowering,

I want it to be quite subtle, refined.

Hmm, where's the rest gone? I like your style!

Give it a little taste, very important.

Need a little bit more.

Tiny bit more?

I think, yeah.

Good plan, get the judges tipsy!

Mmm, mmm, mmm! OK, that's the glaze ready.

While Rachel's been building up a sweat, Theo's been keeping his cool.

I wonder if you know there's a secret ingredient in there?

A wee dram of whiskey?

-Ah! How did you guess?

-Is it my turn?

-Yes!

I was just about to doze off!

All right, then! Oooh!

Not exactly springing into action, Mr Randall's up.

He's also gone all cheffy with his recipe!

It's absolutely baking here, I don't even need the oven.

Now for the cake, we need to melt 250 grams of really good 70% chocolate,

250 grams of unsalted butter and the secret ingredient, coffee.

So that's all stirred together.

Unlike Rachel's lack of flour, Theo's using 150 grams each

of plain and self-raising.

We're on a hill here, keep sliding back.

YOU parked the van!

Add a half teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, loads of cocoa,

this is going to be really chocolaty, 500 grams of sugar.

So there's quite a lot of ingredients in this recipe.

I think Rachel's is a little simpler so I may live to regret it.

OK, so four eggs. Whoops, a bit of eggshell, we don't want that.

OK, then mix this all together.

We're going to make a little well here, like we're making cement.

Mmm, tantalising!

Into the dry mix, he juices it up with the eggs, sunflower oil,

and 125 mils of milk.

This essentially is a batter cake so it's going to be quite a wet cake.

So NOT a light, airy sponge from you either, then? Why's that?

In goes the chocolate, and I'm hoping the judge

is going to go, "Cor, that chocolate cake with the coffee was so good."

And they'll remember it.

That's as rich as it gets. I'm salivating at the thought of it.

I'll leave that to Rachel to lick. She'll quite enjoy that.

Fast work.

That goes in for about an hour at 170 degrees.

Let's see what happens.

And Rachel's quick to sample her rival's dregs.

Darn, that's quite good. I mean it's OK, it's fine.

It's really good.

Oi, you've got cake on my shirt!

It took me ages to make this cake without getting any chocolate on me.

I'm sorry!

She's not! Shouldn't the baking queen check HER concoction?

It's at a complete slant.

It's a bit like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, actually. It's completely uneven.

Perhaps that was the slanty hill you've been cooking on.

Didn't this happen yesterday with the quiche?!

The SWRI will probably just laugh me out of the show

if I come along with a completely lopsided cake.

So I'm going to make it again. That's it, I'm going to make it again.

At least she's taking the competition seriously.

Cake, take two!

I don't have to often redo a whole cake,

but then I'm not often perched on the side of a hill.

Rachel's cleverly made a wedge of tin foil

to even the angle of the van.

Wish me luck!

I thought a good chef didn't rely on luck?

And Theo's spotted Rachel's first reject cake.

Well... Waste not, want not.

Hold on, what happens if the other cake burns and I have to use that one?

We'll just make another one, won't we? I'll give you a hand next time.

It's very, very good. Mine's chocolatey but this is really chocolatey.

I'm a bit worried now.

Well, enough sitting around. Theo gets onto making his icing.

Very, very simple.

50 grams of butter, icing sugar - there she goes -

double cream, and last of all some chocolate.

Very rich. Make sure you stir this around, because it's very important

the icing sugar actually melts.

What happens with this, the sugar will give it a lovely sheen.

Mmm, delicious.

Bob's your uncle, Theo.

And Rachel's pleased with her cake numero deux.

Nice, gentle little spring.

It's level.

Yeah, that's what I need.

Being the best cake maker I know, can you just check my cake?

Eh? She had to make hers twice!

Start again?

Shut up, you.

I think you should take it out now before it dries out too much on top.

You think so?

Yeah.

Good tip, Rachel.

BLEEP

Ooh, perhaps a little too late.

Theo's cake has completely collapsed.

Let's make it again.

This is turning into an absolute disaster.

I could press the cake, I could put a weight on it.

It's still quite warm. Flip it over and then butter ice it.

Yeah.

Has Theo lost his mind?

The cake's cooked but lost its shape,

so he's going to compress it with...

A kettle?!

If you win...

Where there's a will, there's a way.

So let's just leave that.

Rachel's whipped up a delicious-looking almond cake,

and rival Theo's created a yummy coffee-flavoured recipe.

But they've both departed from the Aberfeldy Show schedule.

The clear instruction states to bake a sponge.

-Great.

-Like a cup of tea?

I'd love one. But we don't have a kettle.

Oh.

After the day you two've had,

I think you need something a little stronger.

Don't stay up too late. Tomorrow's going to be a big day.

It's the day of the country show cook off at The Aberfeldy Show.

A record 3,800 people have turned out in their finest garb...

Some in the hope that their fluffy

and feathered friends will bag them a trophy.

But it's also an event of heavyweight proportions,

celebrating Scottish heritage with Highland games,

attracting young and old from near and far.

I really love coming to these shows

because it gets me to try things that I've never tried before.

You meet lots of people and it's really quite enjoyable.

And it's here that our chefs need to impress -

the Scottish Women's Rural Institute Industrial tent,

where, apart from one "open to everyone" category,

all entrants are SWRI members.

It's not the taking part that counts, it's the winning.

The SWRI was set up 95 years ago

to kick-start a social life for farmers' wives.

For years, these hardy women have learnt to make a little go a long way,

becoming skilled crafters and cooks.

Today the local entrants are out in force,

and they know how high expectations are.

It's very, very strict here,

but it's nice that you know the standards you do.

Ooh, very strict and the judges' decisions are final.

As newcomers, our chefs obviously don't realise

a sponge means a sponge.

But they'd better get a wriggle on as they only have an hour

to plate up alongside their competitors

or they won't be judged.

And they still need to put the icing on the cake - literally.

Oh, my goodness, my icing! Oh, shoot.

All right, calm down!

It's only a competition!

It's only a show! You're a maniac.

She really wants to win this.

Oh, darn, yours is perfect.

Quick thinking required.

Ah, yeah. I thought the cake was going to be the easiest thing.

It kind of should've been for you.

That's looking a bit more like it.

THEO LAUGHS

Sorry.

-Sorry?

-Nothing.

-Do you have a problem?

That's looking great.

It's got a good edge, hasn't it?

Right, that's it.

Oop.

Oh, you joker!

They may not be laughing for long,

as they're about to see how stiff the competition is,

including Bridget Black, who's been entering these shows for 30 years.

She's tipped as a hot favourite in the single sponge category,

and is modest to boot.

But her fellow competitors acknowledge her skills.

Bridget, oh, yes, she's a great baker.

And even though this is only Carol Middlemas's second year

entering the baking section, she's made a strong sponge contender.

I'm quite pleased with it.

How's she done it?

Buy the best ingredients that you can

and your chocolate cake is bound to turn out well.

Don't be fooled by the sweet exterior.

It's fearsome competitors like these that our chefs have to beat,

and all under the intense scrutiny of the SWRI judges.

Kate Imlay's been judging for 20 years,

having passed all her proficiency tests and judging exams.

Today she's paired up with Jeannie Black,

who's an old hand at judging here at The Aberfeldy Show.

And they have some strong words of wisdom for competitors.

You can go all wrong sometimes

if you don't read the schedule properly.

Uh oh! This may not bode well for Theo and Rachel.

Single chocolate sponge, here we go.

Standard's very high. I've never had less chance of winning.

They are all classic chocolate sponges with butter icing.

Funny, that.

I'm slightly optimistic.

Are you?

The clock's ticking and the hatches are battened down

for the judging of our chefs' unconventional recipes.

As first prize wins one pound,

second 70 pence, and third 50p,

there may not be big bucks at stake,

but both their professional reputations are.

So, whilst they anxiously wait,

Theo and Rachel soak up the atmosphere.

Wow, their socks look so warm.

Kate and Jeannie are poised, ready to judge the 11 entries

in the single chocolate sponge with butter icing category.

And they know exactly what they're looking for.

If you're going to enter a competition,

you've got to give it your best shot.

Maybe this person was just in a hurry.

Theo's rustic effort's made a bad first impression.

It's supposed to a single sponge.

Oh, black mark one. His cake's too big!

But is it delicious?

Don't know what that is. Oh, dear.

No, I'm sorry but that's not even a sponge.

-It's more like a pudding, like a torte or something.

-Yes.

I'm just going to put that one back.

Not according to schedule. It's not a sponge.

Ouch! Theo's going to be pretty deflated.

They won't even taste it.

others are prettier and pleasing to the palate,

like Bridget's, but she's entered a dozen categories.

Think it might have the edge for flavour, that one.

Rachel's now up for scrutiny.

It's pretty solid.

I don't think I would even like to try and lift it up.

Quite a dark, bitter flavour, that one.

It's just very wet and heavy.

We're looking for something lighter and more airy.

I can't get it to clean off my knife.

Not a resounding success for our so-called baking queen.

Is she still in with a chance to win?

Only time will tell.

Rather a messy class.

Hope I haven't got it all over my face as well.

Judging over, the tent reopens.

It's time for our chefs to face their fate.

Oh, mine hasn't won anything.

But did our queen baker scoop a prize?

First prize, second prize, third prize.

That'll be a no, then.

I think our plan backfired big time.

Rachel's lost for words.

-We had a nice day.

-We had a great time.

Judging by this, we got it wrong.

-I should've been able to handle the cake!

-I know, I know.

Rachel didn't stand a chance.

First place prize was snapped up by Mary Buchanan,

an enigmatic baking veteran

who's been entering these shows for 25 years.

And Bridget not only placed in nine of the 12 categories she's entered this year,

but also scooped second prize for her single chocolate sponge.

She's happy to share her secret.

It said single chocolate sponge.

It did.

So when we think of a sponge, we think of something being

-light and feathery...

-Ah.

Not an almondy torte.

Yes, I'm sad to say.

Time for Bridget to break the news that Theo's wasn't even tasted.

It was quite heavy-looking,

so it wouldn't have perhaps been tasted.

You can always tell the ones that have been tasted.

They have a little V cut out.

Do you know Mrs Buchanan?

I do know Mrs Buchanan, Mary,

she's a super baker and has won lots of prizes here today.

We are not worthy, Mary!

I'm in awe of Mary Buchanan.

So you should be.

She wiped the floor with you so-called professionals.

Our chefs' cakes may have been flops,

but there are lots of local winners here.

Ooh, second prize!

That one at the back is the champion.

I've never won anything! I'm so proud.

Carol didn't place in the sponge category,

but won this year's trophy for the most points,

with an impressive eight firsts.

But Rachel and Theo leave with their tails between their legs.

I'm not in my comfort zone, in a way,

sort of baking a show like this.

They didn't even taste my cake.

The problem was you get lost in what you're supposed to be making.

I thought I'd make a kind of spongey chocolate cake,

but it didn't work out as a sponge.

Rachel's cake WAS more of a sponge,

but the best-known baker in the business is devastated

to be going home empty-handed.

I definitely should be able to make a cake!

We should have listened. It was a sponge. SPONGE.

So we've learnt a lesson, and the one that won

was absolutely worthy of winning.

Mary Buchanan made a fine cake.

So, next time, make sure you make exactly what they're asking for.

Two competitions down.

Rachel's still edging it with three points,

but Theo is trailing in her wake with a big fat zero.

Come on, Theo!

But there's still plenty of time for him to claw his way back.

Next time on Country Show Cook Off,

our foodie road trip takes our chefs north, to Keith, in Banffshire,

for a stuffed mushroom competition.

But it's not without its stuff-ups. See you then.

Oh, sugar!

They're stuck to the tin!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd