Episode 13 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...

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-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 supreme chefs Theo Randall and Rachel Allen

are travelling far and wide to compete at some of Britain's best country shows.

Another sunny day in Scotland.

They'll be cooking up an assortment of dishes for a range of competitions,

taking them from northern Scotland to Shropshire.

Today their trip takes them from Aberfeldy to Keith.

So far, Rachel's ahead by three points to nil in this five-day culinary cook-off...

So, there it is.

..proving she's queen of quiche after her victory

at the Bute country show...

-You won first prize.

-Oh!

..whilst Theo had two devastating defeats with his quiche Lorraine

and chocolate sponge

when both our chefs ignored the strict show schedule,

disappointing the judges at the Aberfeldy show.

I'm sorry but that's not even a sponge.

Our chefs had underestimated the importance of following rules...

Not according to schedule, it's not a sponge.

..so Theo's entry wasn't even judged.

Just read the schedule.

THEY LAUGH

Judging by this, we got it wrong.

Today our foodie rivals are heading to Keith,

a charming town in the Highlands, halfway between Inverness and Aberdeen.

Nestled in the Isla valley, the town is divided into old and new Keith,

with the older part dating back to the 12th century.

Rachel and Theo are competing in a 140-year-old country show

with deep roots in the local community.

No sign of bulbing at the base, they should be straight.

That's a lovely collection of vegetables. I'm quite happy.

First held in 1872,

the Keith Country Show keeps up its longstanding traditions.

The two-day event boasts oodles of stalls, tents, entertainment

and competitions. It draws in crowds of around 14,000 each year.

We've been doing it for over 20 years now.

Haven't we?

Over 20 years you've been showing?

Each of our chefs is about to face one of the most crucial competitions of their careers,

making two stuffed mushrooms for the produce category.

They're facing Mrs Pat Shaw.

She's a seasoned judge with over 50 years' experience,

entering hundreds of competitions, and the knives are coming out.

Well, that one's out it's no' right down.

I think it's fish that's in this one.

And our chefs must try and outclass the toughest of Keith's competitors.

The last two days have been spent solidly cooking.

It will be a competition cook-off like never before.

Oh, sugar.

They've stuck to the tin!

Professional cook Rachel Allen is a mum-of-three

who's based her best-selling books on her passion for creating simple,

tasty recipes for busy people.

Her attention to detail helps her stand out from the crowd.

I've got milk, which I'm hoping will give me

a bit of an edge, flavour-wise, over other mushrooms in the category.

Theo Randall's not only earned Michelin-star status

whilst at the River Cafe,

he's opened his own award-winning Italian restaurant.

Wow!

It's a messy job but, boy, is it worth it?

Later, our duelling duo will whip up their stuffed mushrooms

for the Keith Show cook-off.

Historically, Keith was a centre for cattle trade.

The town then diversified into textiles

and now it's known for it's four whisky distilleries.

One family who have put their farm to an alternative use

is mother-and-daughter team Linda and Nicola

who run Nicola's Homebakes.

They supply shops all over the north-east of Scotland.

Linda first set up the business in the early 1990s

in her farmhouse kitchen.

Now with demand so high, they've taken on more staff

and ploughed their profits into a state-of-the-art workshop.

They make hundreds of homemade cakes and over 50,000 biscuits every week,

all using traditional recipes.

One of their most popular biscuits is also one of the nation's favourites,

the marvellous custard creams. Oh, yes! Where's me tea?

When did you actually start the business?

-20 years ago.

-20 years ago?

Yeah, we started from the farmhouse.

We were using up four rooms in the house and it was a bit...

We were going in and out of doors and stuff, so not much use.

Flour and sugar everywhere?

Everywhere, everywhere, exactly.

That's beating up fine.

I suppose it's the custard powder and all that icing sugar

-that gives the custard creams that lovely crumbliness.

-Yes, it is.

It's the raw mixture I love.

Mmm...

Mmm!

I'll lick that.

We spend around £1.4 billion on biscuits each year,

with the average household munching their way through 103 packets.

How many custard creams do you normally make at once?

I fill 17 of these trays, all at once.

17 trays!

I'll maybe give you a job.

SHE LAUGHS

I'd be a disaster working for you, I'd eat all the biscuits all day.

Oh, never, you'd be too busy!

Yeah!

And Linda's piping skills are second to none.

Look at that for speed. I love it!

Can I have a go?

Yes, you can.

I can't do it as fast as you can.

Or as well, either.

Excuse me! I don't know if you'd be able to sell mine.

I might just have to eat them!

This family-run bakery is at the heart of the community,

often trading cakes for ingredients, like eggs, from local farmers.

Then we just put them on top.

Fabulous. Oh, my goodness.

-Oh...

-Do you like that?

-They are delicious.

-Lovely, thank you very much.

Thank you.

Oh, there's nothing like a nibble!

Theo's not one to miss out on sampling the local delicacies.

Mmm, smells delicious.

-Oh, my God.

-How's that?

-That's seriously delicious. It's very sweet.

-Yes.

-But very moreish.

But that's enough scoffing, those mushrooms won't stuff themselves.

And Rachel and Theo are desperate to not only win a prize card

but also to regain some culinary credibility.

-So Keith is our next show we're going to.

-Yeah.

That's in the Moray region,

-entering the stuffed mushroom competition.

-We're in the stuffed mushroom category.

This time, the rules are simple.

The brief just says two stuffed mushrooms,

which must be placed on paper plates provided at the show.

So, as long as they are stuffed and they are on two plates, what could go wrong?

I think they like quite traditional things.

I think we're learning when they say something, they really mean it.

It's absolutely has to be spot-on and they have a certain standard

and if it doesn't fit the criteria they want, then it's out.

The vintage van is our culinary couple's travelling kitchen.

Where better to cook al fresco than Britain's best picnic spot?

Loch an Eilein, Gaelic for loch of the island,

beats most kitchen views!

The van's kitted out with the latest equipment, so our chefs

should have everything they need to stuff their two mushrooms.

Last time, Theo forgot competition rule number one,

always follow the brief,

so this time he's not taking any chances as he's determined to come first.

I'm going to do it a very traditional way.

I'm going to stuff them and use breadcrumbs with some bacon

and cheese and, I think, the reason why breadcrumbs

and mushrooms are always quite traditional is because

they taste really good because the breadcrumbs soak up the juice of the mushroom.

I'm going to try and get this one spot-on.

Spot-on?

If Theo wants to win, his dish must be out of this world

as Rachel's tactic is creating an ambitious cheesy four-layered stuffed mushroom.

The category simply states two stuffed mushrooms,

so you really can go to town on it.

I'm going to make a mushroom filled with quite a garlicky,

nutmeggy mushroomy filling, then cover that with cheese sauce

and then cheesy buttered crumbs.

Pity the judges don't give points for effort!

First up, Theo's creating his creamy, bacon

and breadcrumb stuffed mushroom.

So I'm going to cook two stuffed mushrooms.

I've got some Manchego cheese, a nice sort of creamy cheese,

smoked bacon, onions, and thyme and loads of parsley

in the breadcrumbs, really garlicky breadcrumbs.

After trimming the stalks, the two mushrooms are salted,

then placed cap side down in oil.

Theo chops up the stalks and a sneaky third mushroom.

Half an onion, not too much. I don't want a strong flavour of onion.

I want the mushroom to have its own sort of flavour.

If you have too many things like garlic and onions, it's going to be just too overpowering.

We're going to add five rashers of bacon.

We're going to cut along

to get these lovely matchsticks of bacon.

You can use smoked or unsmoked, but smoked gives it that lovely

smoky flavour which goes really well with mushrooms.

Add the bacon to the onions,

just mix them around a bit.

Then add a little bit of thyme,

thyme is the best herb to go with mushrooms.

So lovely fresh thyme here.

I'm cheating by taking the tops of the leaves off.

When the leaves are soft like this you can use a fair amount of it,

when the leaves are very hard, use less.

Theo's hoping his soft thyme will save him from a hard time

with tomorrow's judges.

It's quite nice to pack the breadcrumbs in the mushrooms

because the thing about mushrooms is they're pretty much all water

so if you put the breadcrumbs in, when they cook,

all that moisture absorbs into the breadcrumbs and makes them really tasty.

So, we're going to get some parsley, some curly parsley.

It's almost slightly sweeter than flat leaf parsley.

And then we're going to add some garlic.

What I'm going to do with the garlic is I'm going to crush the garlic with salt

because I want the garlic to be completely absorbed into the breadcrumbs,

Chop it up.

Then using a bit of salt.

Just use the salt like an abrasive. So put the salt on

and then using the tip of the knife,

you just pull the knife towards you

with the garlic to make this kind of paste

and this is a fantastic thing to do if you're making a sauce,

like a fresh tomato sauce and the garlic cooks instantly,

so you get the full garlic taste without the garlic bits.

So nice and smooth.

Oh, the sun's coming out. Isn't that lovely?

Time to get a tan! Theo mixes the garlic paste into the breadcrumbs

with oil, black pepper and lemon zest.

You want it to be soft, to the touch.

Push it down, it's almost like touching a steak.

The aroma of the thyme, garlic and onions

is really coming out.

A couple of minutes on this side now.

The mushroom's started to break down

and the water's really coming out.

I'm just going to put them on some paper.

Add a bit of lemon juice.

Lemon and mushroom are a really lovely combination.

OK, so now we're going to grate our Manchego cheese.

Manchego is a Spanish cheese, this is quite a light cheese,

it's a sheep's cheese and will go really nicely.

It'll melt slowly with the mushrooms,

it won't split too quickly.

It's very, very soft.

You just want to eat it all the time, it's so good.

It's really delicious, really sort of sweet.

Save some for the judges, Theo!

Theo then piles on what's left of the cheese, around 100 grams.

Make a little mound in the middle.

Just push that mushroom, bacon,

onion thyme and garlic really into the mushroom

as much as you can.

Try not to get any spillage on the outsides because, remember,

it's going to go in a hot oven

and if you've got too much round the edge it's going to burn.

The important thing is that the mushroom tastes good

because the thing about baked mushrooms, they can be slightly bland,

if you're not careful, so the fact I've cooked it off

and we've got lots of seasoning in there

and the mushroom's been cooked, as well, it should have a lovely flavour.

Pre-cooking the mushrooms is a major difference to Rachel's methods,

which could give Theo an edge.

It's a messy job but, boy, is it worth it?

Theo's going to finish off his mushrooms in the oven tomorrow morning.

As dusk nears, it's time for Rachel's mushrooms to get stuffed.

# One, two, three, four

# Tell me that you love me more

# Sleepless, long nights... #

In the booklet for the Keith country show,

it says two stuffed mushrooms.

I love the way they're always so specific,

not three, not one but two. So two is what I have.

To try and snatch a second victory, Rachel's attempting

an ambitious mushroom, breadcrumb and herb filling topped with

a cheesy sauce and a final coating of cheesy buttered crumbs.

First on her chopping board list are the mushroom stalks.

There's just as much flavour in the stalks

so I don't want to waste the stalks.

There we go.

Right. So I'm going to make the filling.

I need a very small clove of garlic.

I'm going to chop it finely and then I'm going to crush it.

This is the most incredible evening after a really, really sunny day.

It's really absolutely amazing here.

Rachel adds a tablespoon of melted butter, an egg yolk,

breadcrumbs and around two teaspoons each of chives,

parsley and thyme. Mmm...

You know I think I'm going to need just a little bit more mushroom

so I'll take one of these Chinese mushrooms.

Someone once said that life is too short to stuff a mushroom.

It's so not true.

I'm going to chop the mushroom finely as I'm not cooking it first.

It's going to bake in the oven at the same time

as the whole mushroom.

So chop it really nice and finely.

Right, that can go in.

I want it to be perfectly seasoned for when the judge tastes it.

Next it's a pinch of nutmeg.

Whoops! I think I'd be disqualified.

And this is going to get coated with a layer of cheese sauce

and then a lovely, crisp topping

of crunchy, cheesy, buttered crumbs.

OK, looks good.

Not too thick a layer.

Just like that.

OK.

Topping two is the sauce,

starting with 15 grams of melted butter.

I'm going to add in 15 grams of flour

and that's making just a basic roux, which is a sauce thickener.

And just whisk the flour into the butter for about a minute

until you cook out the raw flavour of the flour.

Now what I've got here in this saucepan, is I've got milk

that I'd just brought up to the boil earlier

with some carrots, some onion, a few peppercorns

and some herbs, which I'm hoping will give me

a bit of an edge, flavour-wise, over other mushrooms in the category.

Including Theo's, hey, Rachel?

Next, 200 mls of milk make up a bechamel sauce,

before adding cheddar and some Parmesan.

So this is turning it from a bechamel into a mornay sauce,

a really great cheese sauce.

I'm going to put some mustard in.

Mustard does something extraordinary to cheese sauce.

It just gives that gorgeous depth of flavour.

Rachel and Theo may be professionals,

but that doesn't mean they take their competition lightly.

It needs a little bit more Parmesan, I think.

I really wonder what everyone else's stuffed mushroom will be like.

I wonder if it's going to be a really popular category?

Right, that's it.

And now what I'm going to do is

just pour over the mushroom.

I think that's good. I think that's going to be a good amount.

For the final topping, Rachel's using 25 grams of butter

and 50 grams of breadcrumbs.

OK, the butter's melted,

turn off the heat and add in the breadcrumbs.

I'm going to add

a little bit of Parmesan cheese into the crumbs,

a little bit of pepper

and scatter the crumbs over the mushrooms.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to put these mushrooms into the oven,

the top will be golden, crunchy,

the cheese sauce will be bubbling.

It will all be, hopefully, absolutely divine.

Fingers crossed!

Rachel's cheesy four-layered mushroom

will join Theo's creamy bacon and breadcrumb version

in the fridge overnight, ready to be baked in the morning.

Now all our chefs can do is rest up as tomorrow is judgment day.

It's 8.15 on the morning of the Keith Country Show cook-off.

After a long night, Rachel and Theo have just 45 minutes

to set up, bake and present their two stuffed mushrooms, ready for judging.

-Let's get this show on the road, shall we?

-Yes.

-Cook our mushrooms.

There's not mush-room in here.

You're a really fun-gi!

THEY LAUGH

Both our cooking challengers pop their creations into the oven

at 200 degrees for around 15 minutes.

In Keith, entry applications aren't submitted in advance.

No-one knows how many other stuffers are taking part.

So Rachel and Theo are keen to check out the opposition.

-I think someone's actually putting a stuffed mushroom down.

-No, I think it's a quiche.

Yeah, she looks like a keen cook too.

We do need some competition because it'll be kind of embarrassing

-to get a prize...

-The box is empty.

-..only because no-one else has entered.

-Yeah, exactly.

And competition at this show is fierce,

with people entering year after year

Keith care worker Fiona's so keen for a prize card,

she's got her fingers in lots of pies. How surprising, eh?

Today I've entered 21 categories in all sorts of sections.

This is about my fourth or fifth year.

And David from the Isle of Harris is a veteran when it comes to crooks.

Last year, I won the best stick in the show,

won the shield so I'm trying to win it again,

you could say, but you just don't know because

there's some good stick makers in the area.

So there could be some expert mushroom stuffers, too.

How are they? How are they?

That's a ploy, isn't it?

To keep me chatting while my mushrooms are burning.

-Oh, Theo.

-Yeah, that's good.

-Oh!

-Don't do that because I was going to catch it.

They look pretty good. They've got a nice, even crispiness.

Oh, sugar!

They've stuck to the tin!

The breadcrumbs have gone so crispy.

Wow, actually, they're looking really nice.

-Breakfast.

-Mmm.

Mmm...

-Yeah, mine are cooked.

-There you go.

-Thank you.

Oh, I was laughing at you!

Oh, dear! Are yours stuck?

-Oh, they're bubbling and cheesy.

-Let's go and bench our mushrooms.

Let's bench our mushrooms.

And, just in time, they've only five minutes before entries are closed.

With around 250 country shows all over Britain,

the Keith Show doesn't disappoint.

Since its traditional roots, crowds have been entertained whilst

spirited competitors race for the first prize

and it's just as crucial to the local community now, as it was then.

It is actually very important to the area

and has been over the years,

a shop window for our produce.

The industrial tent plays host to a plethora of produce competitions

from food and drink to crafts and flowers.

Many come from far and wide to fight it out in over 200 categories.

This year almost 600 entries are vying for judges' approval,

including fancy wood sticks and a plate of five potatoes.

Is that the right number?

-93.

-OK.

Nicole's hoping the fruits of her labour will pay off.

I made a Highland cow and I used

parsley for his hair and lemons for his ears

and for the ring on his nose.

Aw, how sweet!

But impressing the judges won't be easy.

That's unfortunate,

it's just not 100%.

Rachel and Theo are in the hands of Mrs Pat Shaw.

She's been judging baking and produce for over ten years

so she'll know the level of opponents our chefs could face.

Yes, there's quite a high standard.

Our contenders enter the competition ring.

After being baked under the table by the locals last time,

they're both in-tent on winning a prize today.

Look at those.

They've both gone all out.

After putting in so much effort, Rachel and Theo are the only two entries.

Between them, they've spent hours stuffing their mushrooms but the

Keith community must have thought life's too short for stuffing.

Yes, exactly.

It might be a relief they're not facing the local competition pros,

but each of them are still up against the toughest of challengers.

One's a professional cook who's already baked her way to one first prize

and the other is a Michelin-star chef who's hungry for a victory.

OK.

Let's go.

It could be a rumble in the Highlands

and this round is all to play for.

BELL RINGS

Presenting. Rachel 'Professional Baker' Allen

versus Theo 'Michelin-star' Randall.

MUSIC: "Eye Of The Tiger" by Survivor

9am, the tent closes and judging begins.

Our chefs have a three-hour wait,

whilst their judge, Pat, works her way through her long line of produce.

Oh, that's nice.

I was just different from just the plain.

Real men might not eat quiche but tough cookie Pat won't eat big ones.

It says a mini quiche,

-that's a bit big for a mini.

-Aye.

Finally, Category 14, two stuffed mushrooms.

This time they've both stuck to the brief,

so Pat's other judging criteria are taste and appearance.

There's not much between the two...

..for presentation.

So now it's down to how yummy they are and she begins with Rachel's.

It's nice tasting.

Cheese.

I think they've got some mushroom chopped up inside.

It's nice and creamy, as well.

I'm almost scared to say it,

could there be a gold and silver between us?

A gold and a silver?

That's very Olympic. Olympic style - I don't think we could quite measure a gold and a silver medal.

I think we could get a first and a second.

-Well, we can't not get a first and a second...

-Unless we're disqualified!

Theo's is next and he's got a high benchmark to beat.

The breadcrumbs on the top are crispy.

I think it's got some ham inside that...

..and mushroom and some onion.

They're both very nice.

But there can only be one winner of the £2 prize.

I think this one, actually.

With judging finished, the suspense is over as the tent reopens.

First and second!

-Well done, Theo.

-They do look good, I must say.

It's his first win of the week and a huge relief!

Oh, my goodness.

I didn't get disqualified!

You came first.

That is fabulous

-and she had a nice big munch of yours.

-She ate half the thing.

The fact that there were only two entrants is...

Well, it doesn't matter, we won't tell anyone else.

-We came first and second, that's most important.

-Yes!

And you've won £2!

But you can't put a price on the prestige of beating a professional baker.

Theo and Rachel aren't the only ones to pick up prize cards.

-Did you win?

-Yeah.

-Well done. Are you pleased?

-Yeah, I'm really pleased.

-Well done. It's really lovely.

-Thanks.

And Nicole's fruity Highland cow also moo-ved the judges,

giving her first place.

David's canes must have taken some beating

as he's got a whopping 18 prize cards

and out of Fiona's 21 entries,

she bagged herself five firsts, nine seconds and five thirds.

So for our professionals' scores so far...

Theo's just picked up three points for a first

and Rachel's got two points for second.

So at the end of Day 3, Rachel's still in the lead

with five points with Theo lagging behind on three.

What an exciting result because you do,

you really get into all this and it's quite easy to get,

a little bit, you know, sad when you don't win anything.

I feel great, it was really nice to finally win something.

I felt, having failed on two of the dishes, winning something felt pretty good.

Next time, we're heading south to the Kington Show in Herefordshire,

where our chefs are hoping their open fruit flan competition

will be as easy as pie.

I'll be delighted if you come first. I'll be...

I'd be surprised, actually.

..happyish if I came second.

THEY LAUGH

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd