Episode 4 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.

-Course 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're going to blow me away

with the understanding of flavour, texture

and, all together, 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 learnt something today.

The judges have made a decision.

This is The Big Family Cooking Showdown.

The search for Britain's best family of home cooks continues.

Today, another two families go head-to-head

over three challenging rounds -

here, in our kitchen, and in their own homes.

Only one can go through to the semifinals.

Cooking today are the Gangotras.

-Do we have a leader?

-Do we have a leader?

-No?

-Sorry, what?

No. Lorna's definitely the leader.

It's teamwork, we're in it together.

-But, yeah.

-But really, our cooking style

-is what Lorna says our cooking style is.

-No, it's not!

They're up against the Massaccesis.

Up until this point, it was a bit of fun,

but now that we've arrived, the realisation is

that we're actually in a competition,

we're up against somebody else, and that's a little bit scary.

Welcome to our two families, the Massaccesis and the Gangotras.

Please meet our judges, Rosemary and Giorgio.

Looking forward to some exceptional cooking over the next three rounds.

First, we've got the £10 challenge.

Today, it's all about comfort food.

You've got to whip up something delicious for £10

to feed a family of four.

Dinner should be served in one hour and 15 minutes.

Let's get going.

Comfort food means that it's lovely and hearty and warm and substantial,

and I feel satisfied afterwards.

Comfort food is such an important thing

because it brings memories back as you eat it

and moments when you were happy.

So today, they have to really make me smile when I'm eating it.

Both families have had time to practise their dishes.

Bobs, where are you at with the chilli, then, for the lentils?

The chilli will have to go in afterwards for the dal.

Or should we just put it in to boil with it?

-That's what I said to Bob.

-Bobby, put it in to boil with it, please.

There's good communication in that kitchen from the ladies.

They've got quite a lot that they're doing.

They are, they are. An awful lot.

The Gangotras are sisters Lorna and Bobby

and their sister-in-law Monika.

We all have very different styles of cooking.

She gives good direction.

-It's kind of scary, actually.

-You want it on full power?

-I need it on full.

-That will go really...

-It doesn't. That's the whole point.

They're making chicken curry, tarka dal, a spiced lentil dish,

and a potato and cauliflower dish known as aloo gobi,

served with jeera rice, chapatis and tarka-spiced yoghurt.

Dal is the risotto of the Indian.

The balance of the spices is very important.

The aloo gobi should be that sweetness,

and, you know, it should have that...

The potatoes should melt in your mouth.

They're doing a chicken curry.

Now, chicken curry has to taste good,

it's got to be cooked properly,

got to have the right spices in, not too hot,

it's got to have the right consistency.

Everything's got to be correct in there to make it really good.

-Hi, guys.

-Hi.

-How's it going?

-Oh, stressful.

You've got quite a lot going on.

-Sorry, you're going to get a face mask in a minute.

-Go on, go on.

Do you feel like you've been slightly overambitious

or are you happy with everything that you've done?

We make this on a weekly basis so it's just familiarity, really.

Yeah. Bobby, I heard your mum had a bit of an agenda

to get you to cook.

I've been there, you can tell me.

-It's embarrassing!

-My mum's done it, too.

What's that - put it on your CV to get married?

Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-It hasn't actually worked.

-Has it not?

Nadiya, no. It's a big fail, unfortunately.

-But that's fine.

-Yeah.

-That's OK.

-But you can cook, right?

-Absolutely, I can survive.

# We are family Ah, ah-ah-ah-ah

# I got all my sisters... #

No, that's just terrible.

Monika is married to Bobby and Lorna's brother Jasdeep

and lives in the Gangotra family home in Birmingham

with her husband, her in-laws and Bobby.

We live in a communal home, which is traditional, and it works for us.

Lorna lives with her husband and three children in Surrey,

but visits when she can.

There's never a dull moment in our house when we're all together.

We're very highly critical of each other's cooking.

I think my cauliflower and aloo gobi's better than hers.

-But, you know...

-Oh!

That's on camera now.

The importance of food?

It plays a huge role in our daily lives, really,

especially childhood memories.

We remember grandmothers, mums, watching them in the kitchen.

-You just can't get away from it.

-You can't get away from it.

It's just in our blood.

The downside is that there's lack of portion control, I'd say.

Yeah. We do not have portion control,

hence our lovely beach-babe figures, here.

-Yeah!

-Speak for yourself, mine's fine, thanks.

My fella's happy with my figure.

Lorna, you're the flavour God.

You've got that palate, slightly more sophisticated than us.

I'm like, "Let's plate it up and make it look nice."

Bobby's the wind power.

THEY LAUGH

I'm the turbine.

You're the fuel.

It's this lack of respect for the eldest amongst us.

# Why am I waiting? #

Here you go, Bob, this is your portion.

Thank you. What's everyone else having?

Part of this process is

there's no second chance at making a first impression.

Practice makes perfect, hopefully.

Yeah. It's practice, practice, practice.

That was a subtle hint from Lorna to get back in the kitchen.

This is a really special ladle in our family, very close to our heart.

-EMOTIONALLY:

-It was our grandmother's,

about 50 or 60 years old, and the chicken curry I learnt from her,

so it just meant everything today to bring it with us and use it.

The Massaccesi family are Teresa,

her husband Giordano and their 16-year-old daughter Niamh.

Is it working, Giord?

Yes...

I'd use the blender. You're wasting time.

I'll do it, I'll do it.

You just like to pretend you're manly

with your pestle and mortar, don't you?

The Massaccesis are making a porcini mushroom

and butternut squash risotto with monkfish.

For me, risotto comes at the top

of the list of comfort food, definitely.

There are three things that makes a good risotto.

One is the balance.

The recipe is not too complicated and is not too simple.

Second is the quality of the stock.

And then the timing.

These are the three things to make a fantastic risotto.

Porcini risotto with butternut squash

and then the fish on the top -

I think they're trying to put too many things into this risotto

and they're taking a risk.

Daughter Niamh is preparing the stock.

We normally use shop-bought stock cubes

and then make our own stock from that.

We put the mushrooms in to soak

and they enhance the flavour of the stock.

Hello, there.

I have to say, Niamh's doing brilliantly over there.

She's so young.

It's always been a natural thing to be in the kitchen and cooking.

We do it all the time.

If she's got friends coming round from school and I'm at work,

she'll cook them a curry or whatever she does and they're always amazed.

"Oh, God, that's so good, Niamh."

Because she says none of her friends do that.

I was going to say - Niamh, will you have a word with my kids?

About... NIAMH LAUGHS

-Our world revolves around food, doesn't it?

-Oh, yes.

We talk about it so much that we probably bore other people.

-Do you think we do?

-Probably, yeah.

We're called the feeders.

Yeah, we are feeders.

Giordano is more...

He'll experiment with a dish.

I always say, "What about if you do this this way, you change it?"

Shall I put the aubergine in?

Just calm down now.

Put the aubergine over there.

You can come and fry up the mince, if you wish.

Whereas I'm quite...

There's certain dishes I don't want you to play with.

They're my dishes, I've done them this way, they work.

Don't go messing them about.

-We've had too many disasters with your experiments.

-That's it.

Mum's definitely the boss.

-In the kitchen.

-In everything.

In the kitchen, everything.

Giordano works at a local Italian restaurant.

I've been waitering since 1985.

Lovely. Excellent. Enjoy. Buon appetito.

I work in the same restaurant as my dad on Saturday nights.

You can always hear his voice from all over the restaurant.

You never know what he's going to do next.

HE SINGS IN ITALIAN

What you see is what you get with us, really.

I think we just welcome you in, and if you like us, that's great.

-We like you back.

-If not, you can leave.

-Huh?

And if not, there's the door. Off you go!

-Buongiorno.

-Buongiorno.

Scared!

-Are any of you Italian?

-I'm Italian.

-Are you the real deal?

-He's called Giordano.

-Giordano.

-Where are you from?

I'm from the Marche region.

-The Marche region.

-It's not a region for the risotto.

I'm a little bit worried about the amount of...

-A lot of ingredients.

-Well, we're in a competition,

we couldn't just do porcini and leave it at that.

We needed to faff it up a bit.

-Never fluff up a dish. Never do that.

-Otherwise...

Simple is always...is always the best.

I agree with you, 100%.

How long is it going to take you to cook this risotto?

Probably another 25 minutes.

25 minutes when you start it.

We don't do it too quickly because otherwise risotto's not good, is it?

You're absolutely right.

-Buon lavoro.

-Grazie. Grazie.

-Fantastico.

You've had half an hour, folks.

-Oh, wow.

-Half an hour.

Chicken should have been in by now.

Look, guys, the oil's running free, so the masala is ready.

Chicken in - go for it.

That smells so good!

What do you think about this curry?

I'm very excited about seeing what it tastes like.

I like the fact they're using thighs.

They're much tastier and juicier.

They're using all the different spices.

The only concern that I have is that there are a lot of dishes -

so to have a harmony between them.

So I'm looking forward to tasting it.

-How are we doing with the aloo gobi?

-We're getting there now.

The potatoes are a little bit raw still.

I think you need to get the rice in, Giord.

-We've got 25 minutes.

-OK.

Toasting the rice.

That's one of the important things.

It needs to get the flavour of the onions and the garlic...

..and then you add the wine after.

Giordano must now add the porcini stock little by little

until it's all absorbed.

# Lovely lady... #

You've done that too quickly.

Dad! Dad, go slow with that. You know you're doing it too fast.

-Calm down, Giord.

-You're putting it in too fast.

The dal is actually done.

A little bit of oil and a knob of butter.

The dal is actually nicer with a knob of butter in there.

It wouldn't be tarka dal without a bit of butter.

Bobby's now rolling out the dough for the chapatis.

You always get someone that moans.

The first chapatti is never the right one.

In our house, we don't really waste anything.

That goes too, so...

You could have done it rounder, you know?

Oh, shut up. I'll hit you on the head with it.

-Look at that!

-It's the first one I'm given.

Mum's going to see this on TV, man!

-I've got a few to go.

-Look at it!

-Will you stop criticising it?

-It's not even round.

Should be like a cookie-cutter.

That is marriage material.

Thank you, Lorna. Thanks for the support.

Thanks, thanks.

You've got 15 minutes left.

-Is that enough?

-That's too much.

-It's all right.

-We did tell you to slow down.

You kept throwing in the stock.

Told you, Giord.

Teresa and Niamh are having problems

mashing the roast butternut squash

to stir through the porcini risotto.

It's not working, and it's not going through the rice.

-Why's it stringy?

-I don't know why it's stringy.

Argh! We're having a squash disaster!

OK, guys. Crack on.

That aloo is still a little bit raw.

I've got a better one here. This is how it should be.

That's how it should be.

I don't think you should add more salt.

I think it's lovely.

I've managed to rescue some of the butternut squash.

Do you want to add this or not? Decision?

Yes, yes, yes.

Five minutes, folks.

That's all you've got - five minutes.

-Mon? Start plating up the rice, please.

-Yeah.

Niamh, can you taste that?

Yeah, that's good.

The monkfish is done.

I've already tested it with a knife, so it's cooked through.

Bobby, you can do the dal.

-Right, are we ready to plate?

-Yep.

Make sure it's even on each one.

Is that OK?

-There's mascarpone that hasn't been stirred in.

-Ah, Giord!

Time's up, everybody!

Put the pans down!

-Back off.

-Thank you.

THEY CHEER

-GIORDANO:

-Well done.

With their £10 budget, the Massaccesis have made

a porcini mushroom and butternut squash risotto

with monkfish, sprinkled with powdered porcini.

So, how did it went for you?

It was a bit more nerve-racking than we thought.

OK.

Wow. Surprisingly fantastic, the flavour of the fish

with that powder

and you decided to add the mushroom to your stock.

That was a very clever thing.

The sweetness of the mushroom

really helps the whole thing to come together.

OK, the flavour, you are spot-on it.

But when you make a risotto, the rice is the king of the show.

I'm disappointed with the consistency of the risotto.

It looks a little bit like you put too much stock at the end

and it's overcooked.

So it's more a soupy consistency than a risotto consistency.

I think we panicked cos we thought we'd run out of time.

I've been cooking risotto for the last 30 years,

but I still look at the watch when I'm doing it.

I would agree. It's meant to be a nice pile of risotto

and what have we got here?

A bowl of risotto soup.

But you know what? It's a comfort food.

Yes, there are things wrong with it

but, hey, you learn by your mistakes.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-OK, thanks.

The Gangotras have made chicken curry, aloo gobi,

tarka dal and chapatis.

May I say, this, for £10, is a feast.

I would like to start off with a little bit of the dal.

Absolutely fantastic - deep flavour.

So this is your chicken masala.

I like the fact you used the thighs.

The thighs are the juiciest part of the chicken.

I've got the tomato coming through, the ginger coming through.

A little bit of the sweetness, as well, coming through.

That is terrific.

Absolutely brilliant.

-This is...

-Aloo gobi, yeah.

-..aloo gobi.

With your cauliflower.

You achieved the perfect cooking for the potato

and for the cauliflower.

So that's really outstanding, that.

The whole thing comes up as a symphony of flavour.

They all complement each other.

Absolutely. I really salute you.

-You've done it all.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-ALL: Thank you.

APPLAUSE

NADIYA: For the second challenge,

our families are cooking in their own homes for Rosemary and Giorgio.

First, the judges will be visiting

the historic market town of Corsham in Wiltshire,

where the Massaccesi family call home.

Being in the kitchen with Dad is a bit annoying

cos he likes to do his own thing, and he won't be told.

So you've got to keep an eye on him at all times.

After the last challenge, I'm feeling a little bit nervous.

It didn't go quite according to plan

so we're hoping that we can redeem ourselves

by doing food that we really love, and we know our family love this,

so hopefully, they'll love it as much.

Giordano's making the pasta, but I'll be overseeing that as well,

keep my eye on the pair of them!

DOG BARKS

-Hello!

-Hi.

-Good to see you again.

-Thank you.

-Somebody's happy to see me.

Yeah, that's Lily.

As you know, the judges would like you to cook your Family Favourites.

Main, dessert.

-OK.

-You have one hour and 30 minutes.

-Off you go.

-Okey doke.

-Thank you.

Giordano and Niamh are working on the main course -

ham and asparagus rotolo,

a rolled and baked pasta dish served with a Caprese salad.

Rotolo di pasta al forno - baked pasta.

It's a great Italian classic.

There are a few things that can go wrong with this pasta -

the pasta being too thick, the bechamel being too soft.

But I'm sure Giordano, being Italian,

must get this absolutely spot-on.

-So you've got to rest it?

-So I have to rest it in the fridge.

-Half an hour till it's done.

-Oh, OK.

It should be an hour or something, but half an hour should be OK.

-ROSEMARY:

-This is a bit of a challenge for them

because they let themselves down with the risotto.

They're going to have to redeem themselves.

It's got to really sing,

and they've got to show us that they know how to cook.

Yep, you can wrap that up and put it in the fridge, I think.

Niamh is working on the bechamel sauce for the pasta filling.

I just put the butter and flour in,

so I'm cooking that out for a few minutes,

and then I'll add the heated milk in slowly and whisk it.

Can I leave you to carry on?

-Yeah.

-Cos I need to get on with my pastry,

otherwise it's never going to get in the oven.

For pudding, the Massaccesis are making torta nera -

a sweet pastry tart

filled with chocolate, walnuts, coffee and Amaretto.

Chocolate, Amaretto, walnuts...

These are flavours that are heaven to me.

I really expect this cake not to be too gooey and not to be greasy.

This is a very important point.

It must not be too heavy, but also quite succulent, really.

It's just got to be perfect.

They've got to get it right.

Teresa's preparing the butter for the pastry.

This is the way I was taught - to really flatten it down

while keeping it cold, so my hands aren't touching it.

What kind of pastry is it that you're making?

It's just like a shortcrust pastry.

It's very crumbly and it's very hard to work with.

So the colder I can keep it, the better.

You've chosen the most difficult type of pastry.

I know, I know.

But it tastes good.

You see, I should have left it to rest, shouldn't I, in the fridge?

But this has got to be in the oven in the next half an hour.

-Have you practised it within the time frame?

-No.

No!

It'll be all right, it'll be all right.

If it doesn't fall apart.

No, more salt. Definitely more salt and a little bit more nutmeg.

This is the tricky bit -

trying to get it in without it all breaking like that.

-Yeah.

-So I'm just going to lift it...

..and do some patchwork.

This is much more crumbly than normal.

It's called patchwork pie.

-It's a mosaic.

-A mosaic.

It's an Italian mosaic.

Do you think the judges are going to pick up on things like...?

-They're not going to know.

-OK.

They're not going to know. Unless you tell them, Nadiya.

-Never! I'm on your side.

-OK.

THEY LAUGH

While Teresa blind-bakes the pastry...

..it's time for Giordano to roll out his pasta.

Guys, you've had half an hour.

-Confident?

-Confident, yes, indeed.

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

THEY LAUGH

I say things and then cotton on afterwards.

Giordano, why is it hanging off the board?

It helps to stretch the pasta.

That is what my mother used to do.

You can see the board through your pasta.

Dad, don't go any further.

No, that's enough.

-Really, stop! Honestly, it's enough.

-I will stop. I will stop.

No, you're going too far now cos it'll end up spitting.

Before he adds the filling,

Giordano has to quickly cook the pasta.

I'm feeling slightly nervous.

I know, so am I, because we don't have

a huge amount of time left, really.

-Yeah, I'll take it out.

-Hang on, it hasn't been a minute yet.

-Yeah, but...

-No, 30 seconds.

# When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie

# That's amore... #

This is fascinating.

Giordano starts the pasta filling with Niamh's bechamel sauce.

Next, mozzarella, ham and Parmesan.

Best cheese.

Now, I'll let you do the roll.

Yep. So bring in the edges.

This is my baby, really,

and he was demoted a couple of weeks ago

when he didn't roll it tight enough, so...I'm afraid.

I mean, who's the Italian here?

-Exactly.

-Who taught the Italian to make pasta?

So now, that needs to rest, normally for half an hour, but...

Put it in the freezer for five minutes.

That's all we've got.

We're pushing it. Deep breath.

Right, I'm taking the pastry out now.

Don't move, love.

Niamh's working on the chocolate, coffee, walnut and Amaretto filling

for the tart.

She's eating all the ingredients!

Have you done the Amaretto?

-You've used the whole bottle?!

-I filled up that egg glass.

She's trying to get the judges drunk.

Good idea.

That's never a bad move.

The pastry's not as good as normal, but as long as it tastes good.

That'll do. Let's put it in the oven.

Teresa slices the stuffed pasta roll before laying it in a dish to bake,

topped with Parmesan and asparagus.

I think that's it, eh?

Into the oven, then.

Both the chocolate tart and the pasta are now in the oven.

We normally don't cook them at the same time.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Normally we do one and then...

-Have we ever done them together?

-No.

-No, there's always a first time.

Do you wish you had?

Yeah, that would have been good, really, wouldn't it?

Yeah, maybe one practice.

That would be helpful.

-We are so confident, we don't even need to practise.

-Exactly!

Look at him.

Guys, I don't mean to alarm you, but the judges are on their way.

Guys, you've got seven minutes left.

-What time is that supposed to come out?

-When it's ready.

Do you think it's all right?

What about this, Giord? Another few minutes?

Do you reckon that's done, though?

TERESA SIGHS

It's got melted chocolate in it.

-Going to have to just take a chance.

-OK.

-You need to set the table.

-Yeah.

-Cos everything's got to be on the table.

-OK.

I'm going to get the pasta out now.

Guys, time's up.

-OK.

-Time is up.

-Yes.

The first Family Favourites dish is ham and asparagus rotolo.

It looks very inviting.

It's this golden brown.

The pasta is that beautiful yellow.

It's a perfect dish for a family.

Yeah, all the components come to work together perfectly

and deliver a very beautiful, balanced flavour.

The pasta is exactly the right thickness.

It's perfectly cooked.

The ham, the cheese and the asparagus

is just a great combination.

You must have perfected this for years.

We've cooked it a lot.

Now for the chocolate, coffee, walnut and Amaretto tart

with mascarpone.

That's a really nice pastry.

It's a short, crumbly pastry.

It actually is really, really good.

I'm just going to taste a little bit with the filling now.

I think that's really nice.

The very crumbly pastry...

..the chocolate, the walnuts, the Amaretto,

that's a perfect combination.

This is a very good cake.

Both the dishes really show that they come from your experience

of your cooking in your house.

And that makes me very happy.

ZOE: Next, the judges will be visiting

the Gangotra family home in Birmingham.

Monika is married to Lorna and Bobby's younger brother Jasdeep

and they have a two-year-old daughter.

I'm just really excited to have everyone in our home

and to be able to cook that way and show what we can do, really.

Everyone's so excited.

It's been so great, tasting and trying all the different things.

My waistline's taken a bit of a hit for it.

Do we love Mummy's cooking?

-Yeah!

-Yeah!

-'Licious!

-Delicious.

-Good girl.

This is our lovely mum.

We're just cooking up some lunch for everybody,

cos obviously, everybody needs to be fed

before we cook for the judges.

I don't live here any more, but having this challenge

has helped me to, sort of, come back home,

reconnect with my sister, my sister-in-law,

and just getting back into the groove

of growing up in this kitchen.

It's nice to be back and cooking with the chef of the house.

-Hello, welcome, Zoe, to our house.

-Hello!

And I have to do... That's the tradition.

It's mustard oil.

-To welcome guests.

-I like it, it is wonderful.

Please, do come in.

Lorna, Monika and Bobby also have just 90 minutes

to cook their family's favourite dishes.

It's lovely to see you, ladies. Now, let's get down to business.

As you know, the judges have set you a challenge - Family Favourites,

a main course, and a dessert.

You have an hour-and-a-half - good luck.

-Off you go. ALL:

-Thank you.

-Thanks, Lorn.

-Right, chopping boards.

Today, the Gangotras are serving a traditional Indian set

of tasting dishes, known as a thali.

Their main course includes lamb curry,

aloo baingan - an aubergine and potato curry -

and a chickpea and pomegranate curry, anardana chana,

with parathas and rice.

-So there's quite a lot to do.

-Quite a lot going on.

We're all taking turns to do some curries today.

Thalis - a lot of individual dishes.

So I hope that they all work together in harmony

and each flavour complements each other.

Chapatti flour's nicely done. I'm going to put that in the fridge.

When I was in India, I had probably the first proper thali I'd ever had.

It's exciting.

I'm really looking forward to a whole host of flavours.

-BOBBY:

-Just going to get the chickpeas

and put them in the pressure cooker.

Bobby is in charge of the chickpea and pomegranate curry.

Right, timer's on, Bob.

A piece just got in my eye.

Gosh! You need protective goggles for this sort of work.

Bobby, are you all right over there?

Yeah. I'm just having a little moment with the ginger.

-She's got another eye, it's all right.

-Yeah!

This is the masala, for my chana masala.

OK. What's gone in there?

This is fresh pomegranate, dried pomegranate seeds.

OK? This is a blend of cardamom, cinnamon, and clove. Clove!

Right, OK.

Oh, my goodness me, it smells incredible.

-OK.

-My eyes are going, actually.

Yeah, I know.

-CRIES: I can't...

-This is emotional.

-I can't see...

-It's getting to you.

-It is getting to me.

-Yeah.

Chickpea and pomegranate masala - I never tasted that.

I am really looking forward to have a go at it.

Lorna's working on the sauce base for the lamb curry.

Mon? Taste the masala. I am going to put the lamb in.

The salt is a bit strong. So... But when we add the lamb,

it'll be fine.

With the lamb curry, I am hoping it's full of pungent flavour.

It is not about the chilli,

it's actually about all those lovely deep flavours coming out,

and the lamb beautifully cooked.

Butcher's given me some bones to put in this as well,

because it is boneless lamb.

But I'm going to add the bones in today as well,

cos it just adds a lot more flavour.

-OK, ladies, you're about halfway. You've had 45 minutes.

-Cool.

Lorna's also in charge of today's dessert -

a spiced semolina pudding called suji ka halwa.

I have a weak spot for semolina.

But semolina pudding, an Indian semolina pudding?

Texture is really important,

but also, I'm really interested to see how sweet it is.

This recipe that we are doing is my mum's secret recipe.

So I'm just going to finish this off with the garnish on top.

This is one of my favourite puddings.

Ten minutes to go.

Shall I start plating up, or should I wait?

Wait five minutes. Get everything ready. All your bowls and stuff.

That's our garam masala. This is a home-made secret blend.

-Every Indian home has its own recipe for it.

-OK.

I remember making it with Granny, I remember making it with Mum...

And you would never share that with anyone?

-No!

-We have got ours in a container called garlic chips.

-That's a decoy.

-A disguise. That is the decoy.

Four minutes left, Lorna.

Go, go, go.

If there is a spare hob, can someone put on a little bit of oil

and fry two red chillies for me, please?

-OK, can I plate up the lamb? Is the lamb done?

-Yeah, lamb's done.

The judges are en route.

-I'm really excited!

-OK, you've just made me nervous. I'd forgot.

-Not long now.

-The last bread is on.

Well done, girls. Time up.

-ALL:

-Yay!

-Great work!

-Hello, darlings.

-Hello. How are you?

-I'm very excited.

The Gangotras' Family Favourite thali includes lamb curry,

chickpea and pomegranate curry,

and paratha flatbreads.

Well, I think this looks amazing.

I think I'm going to start off with the bread.

It's a really good flavour.

-Thank you.

-That's a really good bread.

It's light, it's well done.

You know, you've been doing this for ever.

Obviously. You can tell.

You can tell.

Now for the chickpea and pomegranate curry.

Who's cooked this?

Guilty, again!

This has an amazing flavour.

-Yes!

-Thank you.

The chickpeas are perfect.

They explode in your mouth.

-This is...

-Favourites.

-..our family favourite.

It is my favourite dish from now on as well.

GANGOTRAS: Aw!

I completely agree. It's unique.

I've never tasted anything like that.

It is delicious.

I wasn't expecting that.

-OK. Right, shall we go for the lamb?

-Definitely.

The lamb is beautifully cooked, for me,

and what I'm getting is a wonderful curry base.

The lamb is very tender.

It is in harmony with the other flavours,

so I really, really like it.

You have a symphony of flavours.

There, I am taking it from you. A symphony of flavours.

I mean, it's fantastic.

Finally, the spiced semolina pudding with almonds and sultanas.

I like it. I really like it.

Not over-sweet.

Super balanced. Again, flavour. Really, really delicious.

You taste the grain,

and it's almost got that caramel flavour through it.

-It has got a sort of...

-Toffee.

-..toffee, which I love.

I don't just like it - I love it.

You really are talented. You're proper cooks.

It's in the genes!

THEY GIGGLE

This is, without a doubt,

a piece of your heritage in the front of me.

I appreciate that a lot.

So, thank you very much for cooking for us.

-Thank you.

-Our pleasure.

-Thanks, Mum!

-Yeah. Mum!

-Yeah.

Today, the Gangotras and the Massaccesis

will take on their third and final challenge.

After this, the judges will have to make a decision

on which family to send home and who to put through to the semifinals.

The Massaccesis, they really disappointed me

with their first challenge of the risotto.

They really pulled the stops out when we went to their house,

the rotolo di pasta was fantastic,

and the chocolate cake was delicious.

This is it. The final journey.

The Massaccesis - now, I think, for what they've been delivering

and how they're moving up,

quite frankly, the Gangotras are in for a real challenge.

-Got my basket, my spices, too.

-I know. You proper look like

-Little Red Riding Hood with that.

-Yeah.

The Gangotras have produced some delicious food,

but today, it's all about whether they can actually do something

a little bit different.

With a place in the semifinal at stake,

it's time for them to pull all the stops out.

Welcome back, families.

Now it's time to dust off those aprons for the decider.

As sad as it is, we will be saying goodbye

to one of you wonderful families today.

It's the final challenge - Impress The Neighbours.

You've got two hours and 15 minutes

to rustle up two courses to show next door

what you're made of.

Let's get cooking.

Both families must make a starter and a main course.

Move your XXX.

Let's dry-roast the pine nuts now.

I've got this wrong before.

-Mother.

-Yes?

-This doesn't look like much mushrooms.

-Double it. Double it.

-Really?

-Yeah.

The Massaccesis' starter features Vietnamese spring rolls

and larb - spicy minced pork - served in lettuce cups

with dipping sauces.

If we're going to do something to impress our neighbours,

this would be it, because we're very comfortable with Italian cooking, but this is...

We're challenging ourselves today.

Teresa is preparing the ingredients for the spicy minced pork,

which will be served in lettuce cups.

It's a bit more tricky -

there's lots to remember, there's lots going on,

so hopefully we won't get confused and...yeah, it'll turn out OK.

This is it. My chopping list.

-Not your shopping list, your chopping list.

-Chopping list.

I'm expecting this pork to be a very balanced flavour,

and to be spicy, but yet really sweet.

So, two cloves of garlic, the ginger.

I didn't cut up any ginger, did I?

Oh, God, I put the ginger in here by mistake.

I'm just losing the plot, I'm getting confused now.

Fish sauce.

Maybe I put the fish sauce in here already, did I?

I've forgotten what I've done.

-Mother...

-Yeah, that's OK, that's fine.

A mistake here and there won't matter.

16-year-old Niamh has made a start on the pork and mushroom filling

for the spring rolls.

They are Chinese wood ear mushrooms.

They've got a good texture.

I love the idea of the spring rolls. They have to look even, crispy,

and really flavoursome inside,

so let's see how they do.

I'm not one of these exact cooks.

Throw it all in.

Once again, Bobby is in charge of making bread.

This is a baked bread rather than the traditional Indian style

on the griddle.

So we're going to try something different.

Going to let that rise now.

So I'm going to put it by somewhere warm.

Mon, I've left this here now to prove.

I'm worried about knocking that off the edge.

I've tried to move it out of your way as much as possible.

Today, the Gangotras are serving up a Middle Eastern mezze

consisting of 14 dishes.

Nine of these make up the starter,

which includes mutabal - a smoked aubergine dip -

hummus, falafel, a roasted chilli sauce

and Bobby's breads.

This is Lorna's baby, really.

She loves Middle Eastern food.

My husband grew up in the Middle East.

So there's a big influence.

We're in it to win it. So hopefully,

we've set the benchmark in our last two tasks.

We're going all out.

We are doing a lot today. It's going to be amazing.

This challenge is about spoiling friends, family and neighbours.

So it is not surprising the Gangotras are coming out

with this massive spread again.

Both families are stepping away from what they're comfortable with.

I feel like it's sort of stepping up a little bit.

A bit more danger to it.

This is the point where they need to show the judges

that they can do other things.

-Yeah.

-This is the deciding vote, isn't it?

Monika is working on two of the mezze starters.

-The hummus...

-There's quite a lot of garlic going in here,

cos we like a bit of garlic, a bit of punch.

And the roasted chilli sauce.

It's got to be hot. There's no point in having a chilli sauce,

I don't think, unless it's hot.

Meanwhile, Lorna's making the mix for the falafels.

Taste that.

-Mmm.

-Yeah?

-Nice.

Salt? No, don't add more salt.

I am just going to check the aubergines.

And Bobby has started on the smoked aubergine dip.

Yeah. They're cremated now.

But that's what gives it the flavour, that smoky,

burnt, char-grilled effect.

You guys have got loads going on today.

We love these dishes so much, we couldn't decide which one to eliminate.

Your eyes are bigger than your stomachs, that's why.

I don't think so, our stomachs are pretty big.

Families, you've had just over an hour.

Oh, gosh, have we?

Oh, my God. Guys, get a crack on, man.

The cornflour... Teresa, have you seen...?

It's in the jar over there, with "cornflour" written on it.

It's normally him that's stressing out,

and he's walking around like there's all the time in the world.

-It's just you that's stressing.

-It's me that's stressing today.

The Massaccesis' main course is chicken in pandan leaves,

prawns in red curry sauce with jasmine rice,

and aubergines in a spicy sweet and sour sauce.

I feel like the chicken should be in the oven, and that's my next job.

You need to do that now.

-They're telling me, "You need to do that now," but...

-You do.

-Yeah.

The chicken's already been marinating in a freshly made

red curry paste.

I'm wrapping up the chicken in the pandan leaves,

and then they're going in the oven.

The chicken is protected as it's cooking by the leaf,

so we expect it to be really juicy.

-I'm preparing the sauce.

-Yeah. Hurry up, then.

-Because I need you to help me, cos I'm running behind.

-OK.

Giordano is in charge of the sweet-and-sour aubergines.

The aubergine is almost ready.

I'll finish the sauce... And we'll be ready.

Giordano, does it give you pleasure to cook?

I love it, to cook.

I love to do my job as well.

I work in a dining room, I play the accordion sometimes.

Last 30 years, I sing and I do all sorts of things.

What about opera?

Opera? We sing it, the opera.

-You sing it?

-Sometimes.

-Sing me something. Go on.

# O sole mio

-# Sta 'nfronte a te... #

-Go on.

# O sole mio

# Sta 'nfronte a te

# O sole

# O sole mio

# Sta 'nfronte a te

# Sta 'nfronte a te! #

CHEERING

I feel like an ice cream now.

The Gangotras' Middle Eastern mezze of five main courses

includes a rack of lamb with a herb crust

and chicken shawarma,

a sweet potato and goat's cheese salad,

and a bulgur wheat and quinoa salad.

You've got the spicy lamb,

you've got the chicken, you've got the quinoa.

You've got the sweet potatoes, you've got the dips, you've got...

Woo-hoo-hoo!

Now, have they taken on too much this time?

Lorna's in charge of both of the meat dishes.

I'm just going to get the chicken

out of the fridge and put it to cook.

First, the chicken.

Earlier, she coated it in a spicy shawarma marinade.

It's a lot more intense flavour,

quite a lot of different things going on,

but hopefully, it'll all come together in the end.

Chicken shawarma,

very important to get the perfect amount of spice into that,

and it's very important to keep it to the right tenderness,

so it's still nice and juicy.

Shawarma's in the oven.

Get your lamb on, Lorns. Get your lamb going.

I forgot to season it. I'll do that now.

-Oops.

-I know.

Got to be really, really careful at that lamb.

If it's going to be overcooked, it'll spoil the whole thing.

Cos that's the centrepiece.

Of course it's the centrepiece. Of course it is.

Families, you've got half an hour left.

LORNA YELLS

Lamb going in oven. What's the temperature on the top of it?

Just bung it in.

The Massaccesis now have to complete their Vietnamese-style starters.

Teresa's finishing the spicy pork which will be served in lettuce

with a chilli dipping sauce.

SHE WHIMPERS

I've made a bit of a boo-boo, but I'm not going to tell anybody.

I got the dipping sauce and mixed it in here by mistake.

-I think that's fine.

-You think it's fine?

Chop up a chilli for me, really finely,

and some coriander, then.

-You don't need chilli.

-Yeah, but I just want it for decoration.

Mum's a bit stressed.

Honestly! I don't know what's got into me.

-Like a mad woman.

-I am.

I'll admit it. I need to do some positive affirmations

and deep breathing.

-NADIYA:

-Niamh is finishing off her part of the starter -

the pork and mushroom spring rolls - which she now has to deep-fry.

Now, be careful, when you open.

-I know.

-What do you mean, you know? You never used this one.

You have to do it slowly, slowly.

-Eh? OK, piano piano.

-I know.

-Leave her alone.

-She can do it.

-Yeah, I know...

-Don't baby her.

The Gangotras still have several dishes to finish off.

We are pushed a bit for time, but let's see how we go.

What am I doing now?

And with time running out, Bobby must now bake her flatbreads.

The bread, if I'm honest, hasn't risen as much

as I thought it would have.

They may not puff up.

They're not really going as brown as I want them to.

-You know, I think that's fine.

-Families, you've got ten minutes.

Ten minutes left.

Right, we need to start filling the lettuce cups.

My dipping sauce.

-Oh, my goodness, it's actually... It's doing something.

-Perfect.

-Don't say that.

-Don't jinx it, Lorn.

-Don't mess it up, the leaves bit.

-I know.

-Excuse me!

-Mother?

-No - a bit raw inside.

-OK, need to make them flatter.

Aubergine, in the bowl.

I was doing that.

I complain about Rosemary being bossy, but...

Then there's Teresa.

Families, you've got one minute.

Put that there.

You're fussing. Stop!

Have we missed anything?

I don't know. I feel like we have.

God, I could do with a glass of wine now.

-A large one.

-You mean a bottle?

Oh, God, a bottle. A bottle and a straw would be good.

Get it. Get it out, get it out.

-Time's up, everybody.

-That's it, families.

-Time's up.

-That was a quick minute.

Well done, well done, well done. Excellent.

The Gangotras' Middle Eastern mezze of nine starters includes hummus,

a smoked aubergine dip, flatbreads and chilli sauce.

You really put in a massive effort here.

That's a lot of food you prepared.

Thank you.

The bread is exceptional.

Well done. Very well done.

But I was expecting the hummus to be a little bit better there.

It's a tiny little bit too garlicky for me.

A lot of garlic. Also, it's slightly underwhelming in terms of seasoning.

The aubergine, I was expecting a little bit more smokiness,

or something like that, coming through.

But what is disappointing, really...

..is the falafel.

They're really salty.

-When we tried it, they were OK.

-I found them very salty.

-OK.

But your chilli sauce is absolutely amazing.

Beautiful flavour carried through.

Not only hot, also some really delicious flavouring.

The Gangotras' mezze main course to wow the neighbours

features five dishes, including a rack of lamb

with a pomegranate glaze and a herb crust...

..and spiced chicken shawarma.

The lamb is perfectly cooked.

It's got this kind of, like, nice sweetness about it

and the crust is perfect.

That is really, really good.

Thank you.

I cannot say the same about the chicken.

It's a little bit tasteless.

The flavour is not there.

It's under-seasoned and it's bland.

It doesn't do very much.

I was expecting something a little bit more punchy than that.

OK.

I cannot hide my disappointment.

I think you tried too much.

Sometimes less is more.

The Massaccesis' starter to impress their neighbours

is Vietnamese-style spicy minced pork

served in lettuce cups with a chilli dipping sauce,

and spring rolls filled with Chinese mushrooms,

pork and noodles.

How are you feeling?

-A little bit nervous, yes.

-A bit nervous now?

-Yes.

-I was nervous all afternoon, actually.

-It's just not like me.

-And Niamh, what do you feel?

I'm calm. THEY LAUGH

So, first of all, let me say, I think it looks fantastic.

Thank you.

That's the most delicious spring roll.

Thank you.

It's beautifully cooked, crisp on the outside.

The inside, it's really soft.

The filling, it feels like it wants to burst out.

You've done a really good job with that.

Really good job.

Now for the spicy pork served in lettuce cups.

Mm...

That is utterly delicious!

Oh, thank you.

It's got so much flavour in there.

I cannot fault it, either!

The two things totally and utterly complemented each other.

That is a fantastic starter.

Next, the Massaccesis' main course,

featuring Teresa's chicken in pandan leaves

and Giordano's sweet-and-sour chilli aubergines.

The chicken is delicious. It's really properly cooked.

It's still very tender

and it carries a beautiful, sweet flavour.

The marinade is so gingery.

And...

..quite frankly, that chicken is delicious.

Thank you. Thank you.

Were you responsible for the aubergine?

Aubergine, yes.

They're absolutely beautiful.

They are really so well balanced and so deliciously, kind of, sweet.

I take my hat off to you.

I'm relieved!

THEY LAUGH

I can breathe again now. Yeah.

With all three challenges completed,

the judges must now decide which family will go through

to the semifinals.

It's never easy, Giorgio, is it?

No, and I'm really disappointed with the girls today.

You know, they tried to make so much.

It really didn't make sense.

-LORNA WHISPERS:

-It's all right. It is what it is.

But also, the other team did incredibly well.

They have produced the most fabulous meal that we couldn't fault.

-Yes.

-We have to look over all three challenges.

Look at the risotto.

How can you get the risotto wrong like that?

Challenge two, they sort of upped their game...

-On flavours.

-On flavours, yes.

-Presentation.

But...look at that first challenge for the other team.

You know, that was incredible.

The second one, the thali.

That was unbelievable!

That was poetry.

On the third challenge,

it was a matter of quantity against quality.

I would agree with this, and this is why this is so difficult.

The judges have thought long and hard,

and they have come to a decision.

Rosemary and Giorgio have taken all three challenges into consideration,

and it was a really close call.

So, here we go.

The family going through to the semifinals are...

..the Gangotras.

I am so sad to see the Massaccesis go

because they really delivered today.

A bit too late, though.

We had a good time and we lost to a really good family.

They deserved it. They're lovely as well.

We're meeting up afterwards.

They've invited us for dinner and they're going to come to us.

So we've made new friends.

The Gangotra girls wowed us with the first two challenges.

They were a little bit disappointing today.

But overall, I think that they really deserve to go through

to the semifinal.

-Did that just happen?

-Yeah, I know!

Did that just happen? Pinch me.

That...after the... No.

We're through to the semifinals.

We definitely have to get our war paint on for the next task

and see what it holds.

-I have to pretend to like you for a bit longer now.

-Yeah!

-Thank you, Rosemary.

-Congratulations.

-Oh, thank you.

We're through!

-HE LAUGHS

-Dad's doing a smiley face.

You know we get judged on presentation?

Our bloody Mary, we're going to make it hot and smoky.

Oh, what did you burn?

-What's happened to the bread?

-I told you to check on it.

Is it burning? Oh, crap.