Episode 3 The Big Family Cooking Showdown

The British family kitchen. Whether it's where you love to eat...

This is where we have our family feasts.

..or where you love to cook....

Yes!

..it's where we all learn to love food.

I've tasted the food of many chefs

in many different restaurants all over the world.

But family cooking...

This one's puffing up.

..this is where real food comes from.

Home cooking does something that fine dining does not.

It creates the heart within the home...

She's eating all the ingredients.

..bringing the family together.

We're searching for Britain's best family of cooks.

Over the next few weeks, 16 families will go head-to-head.

Teenagers and grandparents, brothers and sisters,

all cooking their very best family food in their own homes...

-The judges are going to love it.

-They will.

..and here in our kitchen.

Oh, that smell.

That is delicious.

I'm shaking so much.

Judging their efforts every step of the way...

Drama!

..renowned cookery teacher Rosemary Shrager...

I'm looking for a family who are going to blow me away

with the understanding of flavour, texture,

and altogether gorgeousness.

..and top Michelin-starred chef...

Hi, Giorgio.

..Giorgio Locatelli.

The food that I want to see is of course very tasty and beautiful,

but the most important thing is to see them cooking with joy.

That's what home cooking's all about.

These are the families who make ordinary food extraordinary.

Utterly delicious!

I learned something today.

The judges have made a decision.

This is The Big Family Cooking Showdown.

Today, another two families go head-to-head -

here in our kitchen and in their own homes.

They'll be tested over three challenging rounds,

after which the judges will decide

who to put through to the semifinals.

Oh, wow.

-NADIYA:

-Today's families bring very different dynamics to the kitchen.

The Hilliards...

I think I'm the director.

-Yeah.

-I'm like the creative director.

And Mum's the doer.

Look at that, then.

..are up against the Pigott brothers.

-Our strategy is to wing it and see what happens.

-Play it cool

-and confident and hope that the food comes out all right.

-Yeah.

And both families have been given time to practise and prepare.

Welcome, families, to our barn. The Hilliards and the Pigotts.

Please meet your judges, Rosemary and Giorgio,

who are going to be making tough demands of you

over the next three rounds of cooking.

First, it's the £10 challenge.

Today, our judges want to see your vision of a veggie feast

that can satisfy a family of four for a tenner.

An hour and 15 minutes is all you've got.

Time starts...now.

Right. Come on, then, let's do it.

Do you know what you're doing?

Shall we get the oil in the pan?

When you're doing vegetarian food, it's got to be really tasty.

I love beans, I love vegetables. It can be very exciting.

-Do you want another baking tray?

-Would you mind whacking me one out?

-GIORGIO:

-To have a perfect vegetarian feast,

you really need to go deep on the flavour.

More of an effort must be made on consistency, on texture, on variety.

This was for the chilli, so what have you taken an onion from?

-I took one from there.

-So use the other half an onion,

and the other half is not to be used.

I said Mum would go rogue and we'd have to keep our eye on her.

The Hilliards from Essex are represented by mum Jeanie,

and two of her daughters, Charlotte and Katie.

We're making veggie chilli. All of our family like chilli.

-Yeah.

-We're big fans of it.

We can handle the heat, definitely.

In addition to a veggie chilli,

they're serving mini tacos with a spicy bean topping, guacamole,

and tortilla chips. All for under £10.

This one is going to be perfect.

A perfect balance of spice and flavour.

We need to put some stock in.

Not yet, Mum, just brown the vegetables off

and then the spices go in.

What I'm looking forward for a very good vegetable chilli

will be that it's not too strong on the chilli,

and it allows the flavour of the other vegetables to come through.

Can I have a taste?

Do you like to sweat when you eat...?

-No, I don't.

-No, I don't even. I don't sweat...

-Maybe you'll tell me...

-It's not spicy.

-No, it's...

-SHE COUGHS

-It's still cooking down a bit.

-No, it's cooking, it's there.

It's all right, I think they can handle it.

Do you really love cooking with your sister and your mum?

Food is the centre of our lives, really.

Every year, we have the Hilliard barbecue. It starts the day before,

we start marinating meat and we make loads of salad.

My mum makes these stuffed jacket potatoes which are immense.

-It sounds like quite an occasion.

-It is.

-It takes me two days to cook.

-Really? Quite an event, that is.

-And then you wake up and you're,

-like, treading over bodies the next day as well.

-That's a party.

-It is.

I think the Hilliard family revolves a lot around food.

Everything is involved around food, everything.

-Whoo!

-It wasn't even that much.

Where it really sparked was eight to ten years ago,

I was diagnosed with cancer and was fighting it.

And I found out that one of the things that would help it

would be to cut out all processed foods.

That's probably where my love of cooking really came from,

because I had to start from scratch with every meal that I did.

We then we all got more involved with food.

-I'll do the cream.

-I'm doing the cream cos I'm making the dessert,

but I need three egg whites.

When we cook together and the pressure gets going,

me and Charlotte have a tendency to freak out a bit

but Mum is completely calm.

In general, I'm a calm cook.

She's had three children, she knows how to handle pressure!

THEY LAUGH

-So, how much chilli have we put in there, Mum?

-We've put...

-No, we should put the rest of that in.

-Really?

-Yeah.

How many types of chilli are you using?

We've got paprika, chilli powder,

there's some cinnamon in there which adds a little bit of heat.

We've got Tabasco sauce and actual chilli.

-So there's a good kick.

-OK.

Matt, is anything else that goes in this tomato sauce right now

-that I can dice, like coriander?

-We need all the coriander chopped.

I'll do that.

The Pigotts from Oxfordshire are elder brother Matt,

middle brother Ed and youngest Sam.

-Shall I chop up the herbs, you do the other...?

-I'll do the herbs.

Cos you two know what you're doing with the other...

For their £10, the Pigotts are doing a Mexican veggie feast,

including fried savoury corn cakes called gorditas,

served with roasted aubergine in tomato sauce,

a spicy chipotle sauce, and refried beans.

I'm making the gorditas.

It's made out of tortilla flour.

And it's kind of bit like a Scotch pancake. It's fried,

so it's crispy on the top then supposed to be nice and fluffy

in the middle.

I'm a bit worried about the gorditas.

It has to be the right temperature of oil,

the right thickness. If it's too thick, it doesn't puff up enough,

so you can easily go wrong with those.

Matt, three brothers in the kitchen,

you seem to be working beautifully together, I like it.

Yeah. We never fall out.

I don't believe that at all.

-Yeah, don't.

-Are you used to cooking on a budget?

Yeah, I mean, we've all been students in our time, haven't we?

So you can't spend too much on food.

They've got some great markets in Birmingham where you can buy

fresh scallops and meat and things like that. If you go at the end

-of the day, you get what they've got left.

-That's a good trick.

I worry about going at the end of the day

that they're not as fresh, but you're getting them cheaper.

Well, no-one has been ill yet.

I am going to smash you.

My money's on Matt. My money's definitely on Matt.

I'd say I'm the intelligence, Ed's probably the looks,

he's got dazzling looks. And Sam's... Sam's the wit.

He's a fun one - you might say he's the "chef de partay".

-Ha!

-I'll take that.

You've been thinking about that, haven't you?

I would say we're different from a lot of other trios

in that I think we get on better than a lot of siblings do.

If you ever have something to say, you always look to the other two

to see if you're going to get backed up or not, and you win instantly

if you get the back up or you don't win.

I would say I'm the best cook, and I think you'd both back me up on that.

-I'd say Sam was the best cook.

-I'd say I'm the best cook.

Definitely Sam.

-8-5.

-Were you hustling me?

-I've turned on my A game.

I think it's all about pride to try and win,

cos we think we are good cooks.

We want to demonstrate to people that we are good cooks.

Right, not too much chilli, then.

No, I've done just this tiny bit, look.

Youngest brother Sam starts on the chipotle sauce.

These are chipotle chillies, and they are so smoky.

They've got a really intense smoky flavour.

-You can smell it all over this barn, can't you?

-Yeah.

So this is oregano going in here with some thyme, some bay leaves,

and some onion, blended up with those then added to it.

When we practised it, it was painfully spicy.

Yeah, you couldn't eat the one we made the other day.

The chipotle sauce is very, very important.

I know that in South America, that's part of their DNA.

Each one has got its own little secret.

They're using some smoked chilli.

So I'm really looking forward to getting the smokiness in my nose.

The chipotle sauce will be used in both the refried beans

and the aubergine and tomato sauce.

Those chipotle chillies, are you putting a few more of them in?

-I'm going to wait until I taste that.

-OK.

Cos it seems quite spicy already, so I might be careful with it.

These are very, very strong ingredients,

so they have to be really, really careful

because it could become a symphony or it could be a car crash.

I'm going to add the chilli sauce into the tomato sauce.

-Are we ready to add the aubergine yet?

-Not quite.

The others are using chipotle chillies -

we need to put a whole chilli in.

Don't worry about what the other team are doing.

No, you're too high, it's burning, Mum.

-What's that?

-It's actually burning! Mum!

-SHE GROANS

-Oh, Mummy.

Can you fill that with hot water, please?

Fill it?

Just, no, to, like, 150ml.

That's too much. Mum...! Oh, my God.

When you're at home,

if you're a family in the kitchen, cooking together,

the one thing, it's all about camaraderie, right?

-Yeah.

-There seemed to be a little bit of conflict going on,

and that's not a good thing cos the conflict overtakes the process.

There's a little bit of, um...

Something boiling underneath.

Exactly, which could affect the food.

-I said 150ml, Mother.

-Katie...

You carry on chopping the coriander, let me sort this out.

..it's just a half an onion in the guacamole, isn't it?

Yeah, half an onion. Sorry, Mum!

So going for the gorditas now.

-NADIYA:

-Back with the Pigotts,

middle brother Ed's ready to fry the gorditas.

Tell me what is the most important thing with them?

-I'm not going to tell you, you tell me.

-Oh, God, do you know?

Um... To cook them well.

-That's a good answer.

-Do you think so?

I tell you what's the best thing about the gorditas,

-is to get them nice and puffy.

-That's what you need to do.

Ssh!

-You all right?

-Yeah, just difficult to know how hot it is.

That's odd, it doesn't seem very hot.

Lovely families, you have ten minutes.

-How long?

-Just ten minutes.

-Keep going.

-Mum, you need to do the nachos, now.

Mum, why don't you focus on the nachos?

Will you chop some coriander stalks for me, Charlotte?

Mum, you just do the nachos.

-What am I going to do the nachos on?

-Get a board.

-OK.

-That's nice. Really spicy, but nice.

-Really spicy?

Very spicy, but it's a strong, smoky flavour, though.

So we're going to hold back on the chilli on everything else.

That guacamole looks quite thin.

Do you need lime for your little tacos?

Katie tops her tacos with the spicy beans and cheese

and then adds avocado and sour cream.

Mum, I need to come to the grill.

Shall I put the bowls out so that we can count what we've got?

Yeah, that's not a bad shout.

The boys are plating up, guys, just to let you know.

Mmm. Banging.

Lift it up a bit. No, lift it up, in height. That's it.

-Like this?

-Yeah.

-Higher.

Oh, that is so organic.

Oh, I need the sour cream,

I need a teaspoon cos I need to put a little bit on the tacos.

That's it, guys, time's up.

Oh, just a big sigh of relief cos I'm so happy! We did it!

And well done, Mummy, and well done,

when things went wrong, you didn't crack.

Oh, God, I'm hot.

Rosemary and Giorgio challenged both families

to create a delicious vegetarian feast for under a tenner.

The Hilliards are serving veggie chilli, mini tacos,

tortilla chips and guacamole.

It's plentiful, it's very colourful.

There's a good variety.

It looks a wonderful sort of symphony of flavours, too.

I'd like to taste the chilli veg first.

Ooh! Sorry.

Oh, no, too much.

That is...

so strong.

The chilli is sticking in my throat really badly.

-Oh, no!

-That is... It's really strong.

-OK.

Did you have chilli in the beans?

Then you have chilli that you add,

so I think the sum of that just went a bit out of control.

-OK.

-Right.

We're going to take the tacos, here.

That's actually very good.

I'm going to have another bite.

I can taste that little bit of cheese, it softens it up.

The beans are really nice.

It works.

I'm going to move on to your guacamole.

-So we're going to take these. So you deep-fried these?

-Mm-hm.

It's just a pureed avocado.

-A pureed avocado.

-OK.

It's not... It doesn't elevate itself.

-Is that the way you like it, soft like that?

-That's the way I do it.

So I normally do it with a fork.

OK.

Saying all this, I do think you've got a lovely hearty meal here,

you wouldn't go hungry after eating this, so well done.

The Pigotts are up next with a Mexican veggie feast,

including roasted aubergine in tomato sauce, refried beans,

a spicy chipotle sauce and fried savoury corn cakes called gorditas.

I think it looks magnificent.

The whole thing looks full of lovely colours.

So I'm going to start with the chipotle.

Brilliant.

Not too hot, absolutely fantastic.

Texture - really delicious and, you know,

you've got it absolutely perfectly balanced.

Because of the lovely flavours behind it,

it's softening the heat up.

-Clever.

-Dammit!

-The smokiness comes through the nose.

-I salute you with that.

We were very surprised about the gorditas.

We were expecting something a little bit more puffy.

It's not quite cooked. But the corn, I love that corn coming through.

But if it was properly cooked

-you would have tasted the corn even better.

-Oh, absolutely.

So fried beans.

Those are nice, they're very nice.

That is delicious.

That is very, very, very competent.

And I salute you with the beans.

-Two salutes.

-Salute with that and salute with the beans.

Yes, well played, guys.

For the next challenge,

both families will cook their family favourites for Rosemary and Giorgio

back at home in their own kitchens.

Their first destination will be Birmingham,

home to Ed, middle brother of the Pigotts.

I think it'll be really exciting to have Nadiya, Giorgio and Rosemary

in my quite tiny flat.

Matt and Sam came up last night, decided who's going to do what.

But I'm not sure how we're all going to fit

into our quite small kitchen and cook.

What are we going to do with all this food?

-Have you got all the stuff for your jerk in there?

-Er, yes.

Ed went a little bit overboard and managed to order,

I think it was about 100 cardboard kebab boxes.

We've got enough to start a small food festival.

-Scotch bonnets.

-No.

-Come here.

-No, no, I'm not nibbling it.

Come on, do it, just a little taste.

Aww!

-Yeah, spicy. Spicy, that.

-THEY LAUGH

The feedback from the judges last time seemed to go really well,

so if we get anything like even half the praise that we got last time,

it should be absolutely fine.

-Hello.

-Hello! How are you?

-Good.

-Come in, come in.

-Hi, guys, how are you?

-Yeah, not too bad, how are you doing?

-Good.

-Hello.

-What lovely views!

-This is my flat.

-So you live here?

-I live here, yeah.

-Ah.

You've got to tell me about this sombrero, guys.

We held a Mexican-themed murder mystery evening,

and we all had sombreros and fake moustaches on.

-You putting it on?

-Yeah, I'll put it on.

-Maybe you could dance around...

-Leave him alone, he doesn't have to...

-I could salsa.

-Don't dance around.

-That looks smart.

-Do you know what? That looks like a good night.

-Yeah.

As you know, the judges would like you to cook your family favourites.

You've got one hour and 30 minutes.

-Off you go.

-Come on then, kids.

Sam, you need to get that onion going.

Sam and Matt are both responsible for the main course -

jerk chicken kebabs

served with pickled red onions, charred pineapple,

spicy rice and flatbreads.

Please tell me you're not using all of those.

They're not that hot if you deseed them.

This is typical of three brothers cos it's like sort of man food.

And it's telling me a lot about them as people.

I hope it's going to be an enjoyable experience,

cos that is what street food is.

You just get that jerk going quick.

Sam's responsible for the all-important jerk sauce.

-What's going in there, Sam?

-Almost everything you could think of.

That's the plan, right?

Allspice, sugar, coriander, Scotch bonnets, garlic, ginger.

I think that might be everything.

-One, two, three, four, five Scotch bonnets.

-Five Scotch bonnets.

Obviously, when you do jerk chicken,

the most important thing is to get the right balance between the spices

and the heat of the chilli.

Then it's not overpowering every other flavour.

You can taste the sweetness of the chicken

and the chilli is not overpowering.

-Strong, isn't it?

-Mmm. That smells really good.

As well as marinating the chicken,

the jerk sauce will be added to the spicy rice and the pineapple.

Matt, that jerk is really spicy.

-OK.

-Really spicy.

-Sam, did you just taste his jerk?

-I tried the jerk, it's bordering...

It's almost... It's spicy, certainly.

-Do I sense a slight worry in your...?

-No, complete calm.

Can I have a spoon please, in here?

Sam, get your hands in there.

-I'm going to.

-Just don't scratch your eyes.

-Yeah...

-Or anything else.

-Anything else more...

Does anyone know where the measuring jug is?

-You'll have to ask Matt.

-Yeah, I used it.

Don't really want vinegar in my cake, do I?

Middle brother Ed's in charge of pudding -

pistachio and olive oil cake, served with raspberry coulis,

cream and a sugar shard.

I blitzed the pistachios up as fine as I can get them.

I'm worried about the cake.

Cos it has to be light, it can't be too heavy.

So this is going to be quite a dense cake.

Yeah, then it gets a lot of olive oil and melted butter

and it's quite dense, it's not kind of spongy.

It's very, very risky to make a cake with nuts and olive oil.

Because the whole thing can become very, very oily.

-Right, so the cake's now going in the oven.

-Nice.

That is a very wet batter.

-Your batter. Are you happy?

-I think so. That should come out OK.

-There's no reason why it wouldn't.

-It's meant to be like that?

Yeah. Now I'm going to get my raspberry coulis on.

So who taught you guys to cook?

We've always just been quite keen to do it,

and I think from teenager time we'd come home from school

and cook something. And it's kind of just gone from there.

So who's the better cook, your mum?

Mum's a good cook, Dad is not a good cook.

Claims he can cook, cannot cook.

HE LAUGHS

Right, Sam, that chicken needs to go on, doesn't it?

We're only going to be able to do four of these

cos we haven't got room for more.

Matt, how long are you cooking the chicken for?

-About 40 minutes?

-Is it going in the oven?

-It would go in the oven

-if we had space, but we don't so we'll put a bit of foil over it.

-OK.

-That looks really good. Well done.

-Nine's your maximum?

Yeah. It's on eight.

Oh...

-Sorry, that's the vinegar, lads.

-That's intense over there.

-Are you at university at the moment?

-Yes.

And do you do lots of cooking?

I do, I still cook every night at uni.

Yeah? Does that make you popular with the girls?

It doesn't harm my reputation.

Yes, this is good!

-What's, like, your favourite thing to cook?

-Kebabs.

Right, does anyone have a second to kind of tidy up?

-Not this second, but...

-No, I think we will in a minute.

While Ed makes a start on the sugar shards...

Matt works on the refried spicy rice.

Whenever we make a paste, we normally try and put it in

-a few things cos you always make too much, don't you?

-Yeah.

So we're using the jerk paste in the rice,

which will just give it more flavour than bland white rice, really.

So that's butter, onions, jerk...

-all in a pan.

-Yeah. And some beans in there as well.

-OK!

Guys, you've got five minutes.

-OK.

-OK, cool.

The judges are on their way.

Oh, Jeez.

-Perfect.

-Yay!

Right, the cake has worked.

NADIYA APPLAUDS

Hey.

Chicken...? Sam, chicken, how's that doing?

The chicken is fine, it's really moist on the centre.

-Do you reckon just, like, tear it up a bit?

-That's fine.

No, that'll work, there'll be a sugar shard in there.

-OK. Pineapple...

-Guys, you've got two minutes left.

-OK.

-Two minutes, guys!

OK, last bit of plating up. That looks good, Ed... Get it done.

Quenelling!

Great quenelle! Well played, Edward!

OK, let's tidy up, quick. Wipe down, wipe down.

-No... No!

-It's all right, it's all right.

Shards, please.

-Where's the pistachios?

-They were by the...

-Guys, you're out of time.

-Cool!

Argh!

-Oh, that's annoying!

-Right at the last.

That really is right at the end.

Maybe Rosemary really likes coulis, and we'll give her that one.

-Well, things will go wrong, so... That's not the end of the world.

-No.

The first dish to be tasted by Rosemary and Giorgio

is the Pigotts' main course.

They've made a jerk chicken kebab with flatbreads,

charred pineapple and spicy rice.

The presentation is very good.

This is exactly what I'd expect if I was getting some street food,

with all the different ingredients, and I hope they marry together.

Shall we go for it?

Have you got a napkin?

No.

I've got...loo roll.

I don't mind a bit of loo roll. Remember to get some in, will you,

-next time?

-Yes.

It does actually deliver a very good flavour altogether.

The marinade has a very good influence on the chicken.

Really delivers a very good taste

without taking over the flavour of the chicken itself,

which is very important, you know?

I must admit, I'm not a great lover of pineapple.

But in this case,

the sweetness of the pineapple really balances the whole thing.

So I really like that.

I cannot say the same about the rice.

It's all broken. What do you do...?

-We refried it.

-You refried it.

So you cooked it not very good at the start,

and then refrying it breaks it down.

Yeah. I think the jerk is incredibly well-balanced.

It's got chilli, it's got all those lovely flavours coming through.

I would pay for this wrap.

Next, it's pudding -

a pistachio and olive oil cake with raspberry coulis,

cream and a sugar shard.

Very interesting presentation.

I'm so sad about this.

Unfortunately, the texture is wrong in the mouth.

It's too oily.

So it's not a very pleasant thing to eat.

You're putting oily nuts plus an oil and then the butter...

And the sugar snaps are...

..very, very thick.

I think you achieved a really good flavour with your wrap.

Not very good with the rice,

and some improvement needs to be done with this cake.

OK! How are you feeling?

-I think mixed bag.

-Mixed emotions.

The wrap did seem to go well, which is good.

Considering how difficult it was to cook in this kitchen.

Trying to cook a pudding in this kitchen, with us two taking up all the hobs...

Are you going to do some practising?

-I think we might have to!

-Might have to practise.

Now to Haywards Heath in West Sussex,

home to Katie, of the Hilliards.

For today's challenge,

she's joined by mum Jeannie and younger sister Charlotte.

Charlotte? So there's knives here...

Last night, we were talking a lot about the challenge today.

I think particularly me and Charlotte are quite nervous.

So this is the recipe and the time plan.

Right, that needs to change...

to 2:30.

I'm in charge of the main elements of the main course, yeah.

Which is probably why I'm a little bit nervous.

Even in your own kitchen, with things you've practised

a million times, it can still go wrong.

So, you know, fingers crossed that it won't.

Hello, my darling, how are you?

-Welcome to my house.

-Exciting.

-Shall I take my shoes off?

-Yeah. Come on.

-ZOE GASPS Is that a rabbit?

-It is, yeah.

-That's Buddy.

-Hello, Buddy.

Oh, my goodness me, he's so cute.

-This is my kitchen.

-Ah-ha!

Look, you've got Nemos!

Yes.

Everything in this house is super-sized -

massive rabbit cages, huge fish tank.

THEY LAUGH

How are you feeling about today's challenge?

I think Mum's really confident and we're both bricking it.

-Is this true, Jeannie?

-I'll be OK once I've started.

Right, OK. As you know, the judges have set you a challenge.

It's to cook family favourites, a main course, and a dessert,

-in 90 minutes.

-Yep.

Off you go.

-I feel pressured.

-SHE LAUGHS NERVOUSLY

-Katie...

-Yeah?

..did we think it was a good idea to stick the rosemary into the lamb?

-Yes, we did.

-OK. Not just rub?

-Rub and stick it.

-Yeah, OK.

Charlotte's in charge of the main course -

a roasted rack of lamb served with mint sauce,

roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, red cabbage, and a red wine jus.

I think it's perfect.

A good family meal, sitting round, roast lamb, roast potatoes,

Yorkshire pudding. I mean...lovely.

Roast lamb is a British family favourite.

You must get it right.

The lamb has just got to be beautifully cooked.

Pink and tender.

It's got to be absolutely delicious.

OK, Katie, can you put the lamb in the pan?

The lamb in the pan. Is it hot?

-Wait, let me put all the juices on it.

-Yeah.

Nearly poured it all over the floor instead, then!

Meanwhile, mum Jeannie starts on the mint sauce.

But this is no ordinary recipe.

This comes from my dad, their grandad.

I think he just devised it up himself.

But whenever anyone comes over for dinner and we make lamb,

-they all want the recipe.

-What is the recipe, then?

Red onion, radish...

cucumber, vinegar, sugar and that's it, basically.

-No mint?

-Oh, yeah, sorry. And the mint.

THEY LAUGH

OK, lovely ladies, you've had half an hour.

Oh, God, I haven't even put the potatoes on.

I forgot to turn the hob on.

Why are you so flustered, Charlotte?

One, I'm very hot. It's very warm in here.

And, two, I'm in charge of probably the most important elements

of the dish - the lamb, the potatoes, the Yorkshire pudding.

-OK.

-Whaa!

-Yeah, no need to panic.

-Mum, have you finished with the scales?

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

This is so wonderful.

-Charlotte.

-Yes?

-You've got to tell me about this. It's amazing.

-So we made this for Mum and Dad's 60th birthdays last year.

-OK.

Jeannie, you look gorgeous!

Look at her. That is good hair.

So here are your food pages.

-Yorkshire puddings.

-Oh, yes, Grandad's Yorkshire pudding recipe.

And there it is. "Best cheesecake ever."

Katie's responsible for today's pudding -

a family favourite of cheesecake with white chocolate topping,

amaretto-soaked raspberries, and an amaretti biscuit base.

White chocolate cheesecake? I like the sound of that.

White chocolate can be really heavy, so it has to be lightened up a bit.

So I hope they get that right.

-What's going on here?

-So these are amaretti biscuits.

-Yeah.

Made with amaretto because we love amaretto in our family.

They look quite easy to make.

They're really hard and it takes a lot of skill to make them.

No, they're pretty easy. They're ground almonds with caster sugar,

egg white, and vanilla.

And then we've got amaretto in ours as well.

Amaretti are a real representation of Italy.

I expect them to be absolutely beautiful in colour,

really crunchy on the outside

and really soft and gluey on the inside.

Happy baking, amaretto biscuits.

Just taken the lamb out, resting it.

Going in the oven!

Next, Katie makes a start on the white chocolate topping.

This is made of whipping cream, cream cheese,

which is obviously the cheesecake element bit of it, white chocolate,

vanilla, and sugar.

-So, really healthy!

-Yeah.

All those ingredients are only going to make something incredible,

aren't they, really?

I'm doing the Yorkshire puddings now.

-Quite loose.

-Is that with the egg?

-No.

-She thinks it's "too loose".

-Definitely.

Mum, that's the thickness that I have Yorkshire puddings.

-That's pancake batter.

-Mum says it needs to be thicker.

Just make sure you sift the flour in, though. As we're whisking.

Look, it made it lumpy.

Mum, does this meet with your approval?

Still a bit thin.

Oh, they've got to go in, sorry.

-Go, go, go. Bottom.

-Bottom.

Ten minutes to go, girls.

I'm getting all, like... I'm all, like, "Whaa!"

I need to, like, calm down.

Oh, the amaretti biscuits.

Caught the edge of a couple of them.

They look different every time I do them, to be honest!

It's a little bit difficult to tell.

-Quite rare...

-Isn't it?

-I don't think that's done.

-Quick.

-Can you do this?

That looks a little bit rare, I think.

-I mean, I would eat it, but...

-Just put it back in the oven.

It's only the end pieces.

Just to remind you, the judges are on their way.

Get it on the plate now.

Time's nearly up, girls.

Well done, girls.

Right, I can tell you the judges are here.

So, breathe in. Best of British.

THEY LAUGH

-It's completely stressful.

-Really stressful.

The Hilliards are serving roasted lack of lamb with mint sauce,

goose fat roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings,

red cabbage and a red wine jus.

I love the colour on here.

It feels inviting, which is really important.

It looks really beautiful. I'm intrigued to taste.

That is...

beautifully cooked.

-Yes!

-Yay! Thank you!

-I couldn't do better myself.

-Aww!

Pink, it's succulent, it's lovely.

The mint...

The idea of having this on top is a lovely idea.

But, for me, too much onion.

The lamb is perfectly cooked.

It's very tender.

Mint sauce, a bit overpowering but delicious. I like it.

Overall, a great sensation in my mouth.

Right, the potatoes.

They're excellent! They're not greasy, they're fluffy,

they're a good little roasted potato.

These are as good as my mother-in-law's potatoes.

THEY LAUGH

Yay!

I'm a Yorkshire pudding lady.

You're not there.

The batter has to be light.

Problem is, because it was a bit thick, it's not crispy.

-All right?

-Annoyingly, we put more flour in it.

Someone told me it needed to be thicker.

What do Italian boys know about Yorkshire pudding

when you've got the Queen of Yorkshire pudding here? So...

You see, I like it.

THEY LAUGH

Yay!

I like it a little bit soft like that.

-The overall flavour of the dish is delicious.

-OK.

To follow, the Hilliard white chocolate cheesecake,

with amaretto-soaked raspberries, and an amaretti biscuit base.

You know what's wrong with this, don't you?

The amaretti biscuits.

The amaretti biscuits should be crunchy on the outside,

-and really nice and soft on the inside.

-That's what they WERE!

Saying that, when I had a spoonful

of the cracked amaretti, the raspberry and the mousse together,

it's actually very nice.

I think the combination of the raspberry,

the chocolate cheesecake and the biscuit work really well together.

But I must just tell you,

-it's a bit of a shame cos I have a film of fat in my mouth.

-Mm-hm.

And that's from...

It's very high in fat.

The flavour is good.

-The texture is wrong.

-OK.

Well done, well done! Group hug, group hug, come on.

Well done, well done.

-How do you feel?

-I think that went better than the first challenge.

I mean, there was a lot of positive about it, and less negative.

-Much better than the first challenge.

-Definitely a step up,

she wasn't coughing when she ate it this time, which is good.

Ready for challenge three?

Oh...

-Quick lie down first.

-God! I think I need a sleep, yeah.

-Yeah.

-And a regroup.

Here we go. Let's do it. I'm pretty excited this time.

Still fairly nervous, though.

Our two families have returned to the Kent countryside.

We're back!

Today, the Pigotts and the Hilliards

will take on their third and final challenge,

after which our judges will decide who to send home,

and who to put through to the semifinals.

-You ready for this?

-I'm very nervous now we've actually got here.

I think hopefully the practice will pay off.

These boys, it's so lovely to watch them -

three brothers, cooking together and loving every minute of it.

But in challenge two, that dessert was not good.

But, you know, they understand flavours, they understand seasoning.

If they're going to get through,

they're going to have to really deliver.

The Pigotts are very confident cooks.

But they tried to be a little bit too cocky

and experimental on certain things.

So I hope today they pull everything together,

otherwise there is a possibility for them to go home.

We've got to remember everything we're doing today.

-We don't want to mess it up.

-Try not to have a go...

If I'm horrible, it's only because I'm stressed, it's not because I don't love you.

The Hilliards. These ladies know how to cook,

but they seem to get a little bit flustered under pressure.

So if they keep their cool heads today, and they get on as a team,

I think they've got a very good chance to get through.

The first challenge...

you know, that chilli blew me away. Literally - it was so hot.

But for the second challenge, that lamb was absolutely delicious.

Now, if they continue to cook like that, they're in for a chance.

What a treat to see you all back in the barn.

It's the final challenge, and the judges are ready to be wowed.

It's the "impress your neighbours" challenge.

You'll be cooking up two courses, in two hours and 15 minutes.

-Let's get cooking.

-Right, the timer is on.

Right. I need these.

Oh, I'm shaking, I'm so nervous.

Both families must make a starter and a main course.

So let's get this all sorted out.

Ed, we need another chopping board over here so we've both got one.

And once again, they've been given time to practise and prepare.

I like it when we've got boys versus girls!

Do you feel any kind of loyalty to one side?

-Cos you've been to the Pigotts' house. They're my ladies.

-Yeah.

Of course, I am completely impartial.

Exactly. So, no, I'm not in any way swayed by anybody.

Come on, the girls!

Oh! You're grating into my hair!

The Hilliards' starter is a pesto, Parmesan and tomato tart,

with a walnut topping and frisee side salad.

For their main course, they're serving guinea fowl,

with dauphinoise potatoes, roasted carrots, apricot stuffing,

crispy skin and a Madeira sauce.

These thighs are way smaller than we've been practising with.

Katie's responsible for the guinea fowl.

So this is the thighs and the legs,

which are going to be slowly cooked in a load of duck fat,

which I'm going to try and pack down cos, once it melts,

I want it to be underneath all the meat.

It's very rich, it's very luxurious.

The guinea fowl - very difficult birds to cook, very lean cut meat,

so it can be really dry.

So this is just confiting nicely. Nice low heat.

They're also serving a roasted guinea fowl breast.

-The crown is going in...

-Now, yeah, now.

-Yeah, so I need to put this...

-So can you prep it,

-put butter on it and stuff?

-Yep, yep.

-This is to keep the bird moist.

The best way to do that is to add liquid,

and that's what this butter's going to do.

The problem, through this whole meal, they can overkill it with fat.

If they get it right, it'll be perfect, because it will be tasty.

If they get it wrong, and too much, it will be too rich.

Are you more nervous today than on the other challenges?

Well, beforehand, I would have said no, I wasn't more nervous,

but now that I've started, I think the pressure is,

you know, it's on, isn't it?

What do you do when you put on an impressive spread?

Every year, we get together and I cook a big, sort of,

tasting menu style dinner, and I love having my friends over.

How impressed are the neighbours - ahem - the judges, going to be?

Hopefully, very impressed! I feel like we've pushed the boat out,

-so I'm really hoping that that shows.

-Well, good luck.

-Thank you.

Good luck today, I hope the nerves settle.

-Is the guinea crown in?

-Yeah.

-OK, good.

Can I come back in? I need that top left hob again.

Are those onions working now?

-Ooh, that's strong!

-I need garam masala as well.

-Yeah, I've got it here.

-OK.

For their starter, the Pigotts are making curried scallops

with a spiced cauliflower puree,

and charred cauliflower florets.

Their main course is a dry spiced venison loin,

served with wild mushrooms and spinach, Bombay boulangere potatoes,

and a venison samosa.

I'm cutting up the venison,

and then I'm going to put the dry rub on it in the moment,

then we just leave it to marinade for a while.

It's pungent!

The boys are upping their game for their neighbours here.

Two different textures of venison, very interesting to see,

with this little taste of India in it.

This is the difficult one, the fillet of venison,

so I've got to try and get this right.

So I'm a little bit stressed about it.

It's a very lean meat, so you have to be really particular

on the cooking, because you can just go over very fast.

Not having any fat doesn't help you.

-That looks nice, Sam.

-Should be all right,

I'll taste it in a second and see what's going on.

Sam is responsible for the venison samosa,

made with a spiced pastry and slow-cooked venison filling.

I'm just browning the venison in some spiced butter

to seal it on all sides, and then I'm just going to put it

in the oven for about an hour and a half.

I'm hoping it will be soft enough to then either finely dice it,

or, potentially, shred it,

because that's what will go into the samosa filling.

They're doing samosas with venison, and they're spicing it up,

obviously, to impress the neighbours.

They're actually making a sort of Indian twist - cumin, ginger -

they're creating lots of very strong flavours.

Will it work?

I don't know.

You guys have loads of kind of technical bits going on.

Yeah, we've only potentially got one more day in this competition,

so we thought, "Push ourselves, show what we can do."

And how many times have you practised with the venison?

The venison, it's been practised a few times, it's Matt's dish.

-So if it goes wrong, we can blame Matt?

-If it goes wrong...

He's setting me up early, here.

How are you feeling about your other neighbours, by the way?

What they are cooking looks very good.

I think they've given themselves a lot to do.

We're fine, don't you worry!

-They're very organised.

-They are very organised.

-Fighting talk, guys, come on!

-We're confident, we're confident.

-Yes.

-Tell me what's an urgent priority.

-You're doing the stuffing, yeah?

Yeah, but they're not in the oven yet.

No, stuffing doesn't need to be in the oven for another...

20 minutes.

You've got a lot to do.

We have given ourselves a lot to do, but we wanted to push ourselves,

we wanted to impress you.

And this is your time schedule?

This is our point of no return sheet.

THEY LAUGH

These elements have to be done by this time...

-By this time?

-..at the very latest.

The most difficult thing is to get it all together.

-Timing is so important for you to assemble it, yeah?

-Yes.

-Are you all right, Mum?

-I just caught the edge of the pastry.

-Did you season that pesto?

-I did, lots.

Mum Jeannie is in charge

of the pesto, Parmesan and tomato tart starter.

How can I put this into the tarts without making a mess?

Put it in a jug. There, that jug, or that jug you just had.

I want the tomatoes to show through.

Anyway, they're going in the oven.

The tarts, I want a crispy pastry, I want a really tasty filling.

Mostly important, I don't want it like rubber.

-Can you open the oven?

-I don't want it overcooked,

I want it to be nice and creamy.

No, Mum, it's cooking, it can't go in!

-Have they gone wrong?

-What did you forget to do?

Mum forgot to put the Parmesan in the tart mixture,

and they're Parmesan tarts, so it's quite important!

THEY LAUGH

Have you gone wrong?

-No, it's meant to happen!

-THEY LAUGH

Tell me how you propose to do it?

Well, it'll just melt into it.

-You just want to sprinkle it on top?

-Yeah.

-OK, all right.

-Have you got it?

-Yeah. Put it here.

-No.

-Just put some foil on, if you want to do that.

-Oh, it's not my day.

-Ed, is everything going OK?

-Yep, fine.

In the Pigotts' kitchen,

Ed is working on the starter of curried scallops,

with charred cauliflower florets, and a spiced cauliflower puree.

It's got onion with just a little bit of garlic, some ginger,

and then turmeric, coriander, cumin,

a little bit of chilli powder in there, as well.

It's a little bit busy, but it should all meld together

into a, er...seamless finish.

I like the combination of the scallops with the cauliflower.

To have two different textures,

and two different flavours of cauliflower... Let's hope it works.

-Nice.

-Could someone check the list, please?

I just have, we're on track with everything.

You need to get the potatoes in in the next five, ten minutes,

-but that should be OK.

-Is the cheese grated?

-I'm doing it.

-Thank you, sorry.

Charlotte's responsible for the dauphinoise potatoes.

Right, I'm smooshing them down, aren't I? I'm smooshing.

Just laying them nice and flat.

I'm laying them flat, and I'm not putting too much liquid in

-cos we don't want it to be too wet.

-Did you season?

No, I haven't got to the seasoning of this layer yet,

but I seasoned the layer before.

OK! I'm just checking we've got season!

-Right, nearly got your potatoes for you.

-Oh, wow, you've done it really quick.

Matt and Ed are working on the boulangere,

a French dish of layered potato and onion cooked in stock,

and they're adding an Indian twist.

I've just finished layering up the potatoes for the Bombay boulangere.

I've then got some spiced butter here. We've kept the potatoes...

I would say they're thin, they're not thick at all.

They're fine, they're the perfect thickness.

-The boulangere, I liked the look of that, didn't you?

-Yeah.

The potato is far more finely cut, whereas I noticed that they're...

-Thickly cut, yeah.

-Thickly cut, yes!

Guys, have you seen what they're doing yet?

-Oh, are they doing dauphinoise potatoes?

-Yeah.

Battle's on!

OK, families, you have half an hour left.

-That's all.

-Right, I need stock. Where's...?

-Has someone taken my thingy?

-Mum, you're leaving mess everywhere, Mum.

-Yeah, Mum, you're a really messy cook!

-It's so, like...!

The meat's coming out now. Oh, that's steamy.

I'm hoping that it's soft enough, just not chewy.

Yay!

Right, I feel like we're a bit behind, people.

-Yeah.

-We were, like, way ahead and now we're way behind.

It's all starting to heat up in the Hilliards' kitchen.

-Check the onions, check the carrot.

-Oh!

-Get the guinea fowl out!

-Have you reached the point of no return yet?

-Yes.

-Oh, no!

Thank God you've got a sheet!

Is everything else all right, Char?

I'm just going to get the dauphinoise out.

They're not in the mood!

They're not! They're not in the mood for fun, are they?

I personally find this folding and sealing process the hardest bit.

Which is why I'm concentrating more than I have ever on anything.

-Is that the right temp?

-Yeah.

Make sure you sear it really, really hot.

We're a little bit stressed about the venison,

so we're just trying to get it done.

I'm just warning you, I REALLY know my venison.

-That's made me feel way better, I don't know about you!

-That's it.

Oh, my God, we're not going to plate this up. I'm shaking so much.

Yep, get them all like that.

-That's really good.

-Whoa, what's with the tarts?

Oh, my God!

We've just got to get it on the plate now,

I don't even think it really matters what it looks like.

-The little thingy legs...

-Oh, they haven't been pan-fried.

OK, OK, let me get a pan.

Oh, what do you reckon? Take it out, leave it, see if it rests up to it?

I can't get them out!

-Lift it up, lift it up. Are we just putting it on whole, Mum?

-Yeah.

Ugh!

-Oh, God, oh, God! Oh, God, what's happened?

-Oh, Katie, don't stress!

Don't stress, Katie, it's all right!

Yeah, I would say this is the colour we were going for.

OK, families, you've got 30 seconds.

-No, let me lift it up.

-No, we've got 30 seconds!

What's not on that plate? What's not on that plate?

Guys, time's up!

-Step away.

-Oh, my God!

-Step away.

-Oh, my God...

Ah, come in here.

-Oh, no!

-What?

The confit legs are still in the pan!

-We just found the legs in the pan.

-Oh, dear.

For both families, this is their last chance to impress the judges.

After this, one will leave the competition.

The Pigotts have made a start of curried scallops,

served with a spiced cauliflower puree,

and charred cauliflower florets.

Beautiful colours, very nice composition.

It's got depth, it's got colour,

so I'm actually looking forward to tasting them.

Right, the scallop.

They are beautifully cooked.

All the flavours of those spices come through.

The puree is extremely good as well.

It is the right texture, and it has a very good, subtle flavour.

That's a very good dish.

The flavours working together.

The sweetness of the scallop really stands up,

because you cooked it properly.

If I was your neighbour and had this, I would be pretty impressed.

Well, you're welcome round whenever you like.

Next, a main course of dry spiced venison loin,

Bombay boulangere potatoes, and a slow-cooked venison samosa.

It's very good.

It's nicely cooked, and it's got a good flavour on the outside.

The cooking of the venison is perfect, for me,

and I think then when the spice of the potato comes together with that,

it just comes perfect.

I love the little touch of the onions on top.

That gives you another consistency.

That is well seasoned,

it's really spicy,

and it's really tasty!

You've done a fantastic job.

Nice and spicy, and the idea to cook the same piece of meat

in a different way, that was really good.

Clever cooking, very balanced, very well done.

The Hilliards' starter is a pesto, Parmesan and tomato tart

with a walnut topping.

It looked a little bit more...

like you were trying to scare your neighbours.

If I came into your house,

and there's that level of stress in the kitchen,

-I don't think it's going to be a good party!

-Yeah.

-You know?

But I'm going to taste it.

It doesn't deliver the flavour I was expecting.

I was expecting a punch, you know, from that,

and it's just a little bit underwhelming.

But the consistency's not right, as well.

It's slightly too eggy, and it's got a little grain to it.

Egg's quite a tricky thing to cook, and what can happen is,

if you cook something too quickly, it turns it grainy,

-you get the wrong texture.

-Yeah.

-Cook it sort of slower.

Treat it like something you nurture.

For their main course,

they're serving roast breast of guinea fowl with roasted carrots,

apricot stuffing and dauphinoise potatoes.

It's colourful and joyful,

but there is something missing there.

-The confit legs.

-And why are they not there?

-We just forgot about them in the pan.

-Ran out of time.

It was actually ready, as well.

That's disappointing, huh?

What stands out is the cooking of the guinea fowl,

which you got perfect.

Which is very, very difficult. Very, very well done.

I love the fact you cooked it on the bone, because if you hadn't,

it wouldn't have been so succulent, really.

The taste is really good, as well.

I like it very, very much indeed.

The dauphinoise are delicious.

I think the potatoes are superb, perfectly seasoned, perfectly done.

I would like to taste the legs,

because I think they would have been a great addition to the dish.

Overambitious, in this case.

But you've shown us you're cooks, that's the thing.

-Ah, fresh air!

-Nailed it!

Crunch time. We have to take a decision on this one.

I was a bit disappointed with the Hilliards with the first challenge.

That vegetable chilli was a bit disappointing.

The second challenge, I thought the lamb was really well done.

The lamb was delicious, but they're overstretching themselves.

Especially in the last challenge.

But I do admire their ambition,

I admire the fact they're pushing themselves.

They want this very badly.

I think the boys did very well from the start.

They've showed us they had big flavours.

And on the second challenge, the chicken was delicious.

A bit let down by their cake.

I think it's something that we have to really take in consideration.

THEY CHATTER

-Oh...

-Good luck.

The judges have thought long and hard,

and they have come to a decision.

Only one family can go through to the semifinal,

so one family will be going home.

It has been wonderful having you here in the barn,

and a treat being welcomed into your homes.

So this is it.

The family going through to the semifinal are...

It's the Pigotts.

-Ah, well done!

-Well done, guys!

-Congratulations.

-Well done.

-You totally deserve it, absolutely deserve it. Well done.

-Well done.

-I think, naturally, we're disappointed.

-Yeah.

But it's been a good experience, you know, we've learned a lot.

I thought some of the things

didn't come together on the day for us, so...

But, yeah... You know, I'm proud of what we put up, so...

-No, yeah, me too.

-Very proud of both of you.

-Aw, thank you.

-Aw, Mum!

-Yeah, we're really happy, aren't we?

-Really happy!

We tried our hardest, we cooked well and it came through for us.

Bring on the semifinals!

-Bring on the semifinals.

-Yes, best think up some new recipes!

-Yeah!

-Let's not think about that!

I'm very happy with the decision,

but it's always sad to let somebody go.

But I think the boys were better.

Both families are tremendous cooks.

But, at the end of the day, the boys had the edge.

-Confident?

-Confident.

Any man would be confident with a rolling pin that size!

LAUGHTER

Stop, honestly, it's enough, it'll end up splitting.

We are doing a lot today.

Your eyes are bigger than your stomachs.

I don't think so - our stomachs are pretty big!

You've got the spicy lamb, chicken, sweet potato, dips!

Whoo-hoo-hoo!