Episode 5 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 taste 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...

-WOMAN GROANS

-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 is 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.

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

Today, two more families go head-to-head

over three demanding rounds

here in our kitchen and in their own homes.

At the end, only one can go through to the semifinals.

Cooking today are the Herberts...

Personally, I think we're very good cooks. I think we're ready.

I'm really looking forward to this competition, to be fair.

I just want to get up and running, smash out our dishes.

..and the Ayoubis.

So, our food is, like, really traditional Syrian food.

It's something quite special to us cos it always brings the wow factor.

We're feeling really excited and nervous!

Both families have been given time to practise and prepare,

so the judges will expect to taste their very best home-cooked food.

Welcome to our families, the Ayoubis and the Herberts.

Please meet your judges, Rosemary and Giorgio,

who'll be tasting everything that you make,

hoping for the highest of standards.

We're starting with the £10 challenge.

The judges would like you to make brunch.

They'll be looking to see what you can come up with

to feed a family of four with just £10.

You have one hour and 15 minutes. Let's get cooking.

Awesome. Archie?

Let's do this.

I need some parsley and coriander.

I love brunch. It's one of those great occasions

where you can sit down with the family and have a great meal.

What's going to be interesting - what they come up with for £10.

Brunch is a combination of breakfast and lunch,

so I expect it to deliver texture and a punch of flavour.

The Ayoubi family from Essex are dad Mahmoud

and daughters Lydia and Mirna.

So, today, we're going to make a Syrian brunch.

The budget is £10, so we're trying to utilise the chickpeas,

so it makes loads of dishes.

Making the most of their money,

the Ayoubis' brunch includes falafels,

hummus, a chickpea salad, a falafel wrap,

and a dish called fatteh,

not to be confused with the crumbly Greek cheese.

-I think this, Mirna...

-Yeah?

-..will feed four people this time.

Dad Mahmoud is in charge of the centrepiece - the falafel.

Falafel, it's very traditional food in the Middle East.

And I bought chickpeas. I'm going to process it with some herbs,

some spices, onion and garlic.

And start.

-He's the boss.

-He's the boss.

-Is he, though?

-No, not when you've got daughters.

-At the moment...

-Yeah, not when you've got two daughters in the same kitchen.

-No.

-We'll soon find out.

Ooh, I love this smell.

I'm a little bit worried about these,

this particular dish as a whole.

-Have you put salt?

-Salt, I put, yeah. Yeah, I put salt.

We've got falafels - chickpeas. We've got hummus - chickpeas.

We've got chickpea sauce. We've got chickpeas...

Chickpea in everything.

I think I'm going to impress the judges today with this falafel.

It's going to be nice. Trust me.

I expect the falafel to be really crunchy on the outside,

not dry in the middle.

And when I squeeze them, I want to hear a crack.

Look at that.

-Mm. Lyd?

-Yeah?

-Try this.

-Mirna?

-Yeah? Is it good?

The heat might be a bit too high.

Yeah, I think that it's soaking in so much oil.

Maybe cos it was the first batch.

-Mahmoud...

-Mm-hm.

..how proud are you to come today to cook with your daughters?

Don't tell me! We do this every Sunday.

-Every Sunday?

-Yes. But this girl, she is bossy, you know.

Since when has Mirna been bossy, would you say?

Oh, my God. Since she was five years old, maybe.

-Even four years old.

-You seem to take it very well.

You've got a big smile on your face. You don't seem to mind.

What can I do? I love her. She is my sweet girl.

I love you, Mirna.

I think I am the best cook out of the three of us.

-Oh, my God.

-Wow. You know what, Dad?

Me and you should start our own team.

-Is that all reinforced concrete?

-Yeah, it is.

I work in the construction industry as a design manager.

I work with a lot of lads.

When I first joined my company,

I always felt like I had to be more bossy and more dominant

than I actually am just to prove myself.

But now all the guys like me.

Hi, Dad!

Cab driver Mahmoud and his wife Angelina

settled in Essex from Syria 25 years ago.

-I'm going to put the meter on.

-Are you serious?

-Yes!

-God, Dad!

Food is life for us, in our culture and our family.

-It brings everyone together.

-As tradition, as well.

I mean, it's impossible to visit any family without food.

-Charlie, you also dropped a chilli in here.

-That's all right.

Oh, Charlie!

-NADIYA:

-The Herbert family are represented by brothers Charlie,

Archie, and elder sister-in-law Anna.

So, what we're making is brunch burritos.

And we're going to pair that with a bloody Mary on the side, as well.

A classic brunch cocktail, all for a tenner.

Their brunch burritos are made with tortilla wraps,

and filled with an omelette, chorizo and mushrooms,

guacamole and refried black beans,

and they're serving them with a smoked bloody Mary.

What I'm looking for is I want things with texture,

and texture's really important.

I don't like smooth guacamole.

I like to have lovely chunks of avocado in there.

-CHARLIE:

-I'm just going to get the beans on, Arch.

-Yeah, good lad.

-What temp are you going to put it on?

-I'll whack her right up.

With just 75 minutes to complete their brunch,

the Herberts have opted to use a pressure cooker.

So, it gets up to 120 degrees, apparently,

and so you can cook things far quicker than you can

when you're just using a normal pan.

Perfect in this situation.

The beans are a very important part of this combination of flavour.

I expect the beans to be cooked really gently

to deliver that perfect cooking and a really great sweetness.

So, I looked it up online and it said it'll take about five, six minutes,

but it's had about ten minutes now,

and they're still definitely not cooked.

I forgot to put the ancho chilli in the pressure cooker.

-HE GASPS

-Great! Off to a flying start.

Everything is under control on the outside.

Have you just been given the job

-to just kind of stir the mushrooms and chorizo?

-Yeah, well, I...

-You're one of five?

-Six.

-One of six?

-I'm the youngest of six, yeah.

-You're the spoiled one, then?

-Well...

-Yeah. I'm one of six.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

-Whereabouts do you lie in the...?

I'm the middle child, so I have many a syndrome.

-Charlie's the middle child.

-Yes, yes.

-Neglected.

Neglected and forgotten about.

For the Herbert family, cooking,

particularly baking, runs in the blood.

Archie and I's dad was a baker

and we're actually the fifth generation of bakers.

Our brothers and Anna's husband, Tom, our oldest brother,

are the Fabulous Baker Brothers.

They've always been there to give us tips and advice.

I think I spend a lot of the time thinking about food.

Obviously, cos we're from quite a big family.

There's 27 adults and kids, five dogs.

-Archie, have you got a girlfriend yet?

-No comment.

-THEY LAUGH

-Even if you're just having dinner

at a family member's, it's like, "What did you put in that?

"What's that flavour? What's that? How did you do that?"

I think, in our family, you're not judged on how successful you are.

-You're pretty much judged on the quality of your food.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

True that.

Charlie, just check the beans, cos if we've got to do them again...

This is what I wanted to see.

I'm just quite surprised it's taken so long.

Evidently, they've been on there for about 15 minutes and they're still not cooked.

-Pressure cooking - it's very easy to burn something in there...

-Yeah.

-..without realising.

Do you see how it's going already on steam?

So, they need to be really careful and watch this really closely.

Yeah, because there was very little water in it.

-Lydia?

-Yeah, babe?

-So, what are you doing now?

-I'm just finishing off the sauce. I'm putting salt and stuff in there.

-OK.

The Ayoubis are making fatteh,

a traditional Syrian breakfast dish made with chickpeas,

beans and grilled bread.

You've got some shop-bought breads there.

They're making their own flatbreads over there.

So, the shop-bought breads, a lot of the time,

are easier to use for the fatteh.

It's a very, very traditional Middle Eastern dish.

It was used because they used to use the stale bread

-that they had left over.

-Yes?

And they'd make a dish from it to have the next day for breakfast.

We have it every Sunday for our brunch, anyway.

-Oh, this is a typical brunch?

-This is our typical brunch!

This is your typical brunch?!

Put that on the end.

The Herberts are serving a brunch burrito,

and Anna is making the tortilla wrap.

So, the tortillas are rested.

I'm just going to start rolling them out, got the hot pan going,

and then we're just going to get them in and see how they go.

-How many generations?

-Five generations, I think.

Five generations of bakers.

So, they're going to know what they're doing, surely.

When you're under pressure, you kind of forget what you're doing,

so I would not be surprised if it went horribly wrong.

-Really?

-But we are hopeful.

-Yeah.

More tahini!

So, this is going to be the hummus.

Boiled chickpeas in here, I've put some tahini,

and I've put some lemon juice.

Once blended, Mirna has one final trick up her sleeve.

I'm just going to add some ice cubes to make it really smooth and creamy.

Our bloody Mary, we're making a bit of a twist.

We're going to make it hot and smoky.

Originally, we wanted to use a smoked vodka,

but the only problem was the budget. Smoked vodka's quite expensive.

So, we're going to be using a smoke gun to infuse the smoke.

-OK, you've got your cocktail mix here?

-Got my cocktail mix.

And we're going to somehow get the smoke in there.

Simple as that.

Smoke it up, Zoe.

-What have they burned?

-Oh, bless you. What did you burn?

LAUGHTER

Mirna, what's happening to the bread inside the grill?

-Oh, is it burning?

-I told you to check on it.

-Oh, crap.

-Is it all right?

-No, they're burnt.

OK, I'm going to have to pick these because we can't use any more bread.

OK, beautiful people, ten minutes to go.

Just ten minutes.

Ten minutes?

I might get the guac made now, then.

We're just going to kind of mush it all together, scrape it in.

That's enough. That's enough. Just put it here, Lydia, and mix it.

You're panicking. Calm down.

My goodness! These beans are a nightmare.

-All right, we need to hurry.

-No, too much tahini.

It's just a little drop, yeah?

Oh, this is a big one! This one's rolling out of the ends.

-One second.

-Dad, seriously, don't put too much.

No, no, no. This is too much, you call it?

That's it, folks. Time's up.

I'm really happy with that. Looks good.

-Good, good.

-Mm. Go, us. Whoo!

-That is a real relief, isn't it?

-That is a huge relief, yeah.

-NADIYA:

-With their £10 budget,

the Ayoubis have made a traditional Syrian brunch

with falafels, hummus, and a chickpea salad.

First of all, I'd like to say this looks fabulous.

-A chickpea feast.

-THEY CHUCKLE

First, the traditional breakfast dish fatteh,

made with grilled pitta bread, chickpeas and yoghurt.

The first bite...

..some burnt bread comes through.

-Who cooked the bread?

-Me.

-Was it burnt?

-I think it was a little overcooked

-than I'd like it to be.

-Some pieces?

-Yeah.

Mm.

That's what a hummus should be like.

Light, it's got water in it,

and it's really important, that, to make it a smooth hummus.

All the flavours, they're really coming through there.

Now we're going to go to your falafels.

-One each. One each.

-Oh, definitely.

-I'm not going to share a falafel.

-It's quite amazing.

-Oh, thank you!

It's moist, it's not dry,

it's very well seasoned, with crisp on the outside.

-Oh, thank you.

-I love that kick of the parsley coming through.

I love the crunchiness,

and then the inside is absolutely perfect.

-NADIYA:

-To finish, a chickpea salad

topped with parsley, olive oil and tahini.

Mm! That...

That, with the tahini on the top...

-MIRNA LAUGHS

-..is perfect.

-Ah, Mirna!

-Beautiful. Beautifully seasoned.

Really got it. You've really done it.

Oh, thank you!

I was expecting a melody out of chickpeas,

but with the drama that you create, I got an opera!

So, I'm even more happy than that.

-Very well done.

-Thank you.

-Well done, guys.

I'm very happy. Very happy.

Oh, I'm going to cry.

Yours was an opera. I think ours is busking.

LAUGHTER

The Herberts are serving a brunch burrito,

filled with an omelette, chorizo with mushrooms,

guacamole and refried black beans,

all served with a smoked bloody Mary.

I think it looks wonderful. I mean, something to grab hold of,

and also have a drink afterwards.

The tortilla is really velvety. Really, really nice,

and gives a completely different sort of sensation

than every other ingredient inside.

The only thing that I saw you struggling with

was the cooking of those beans.

There's not a strong enough flavour on it.

The other flavours surmount them all.

They are lost in the things.

Now, I must say, I was a little concerned about the avocado,

but it's exactly how I like my guacamole.

In all, I think you've got a really competent wrap.

I don't think the smoking was...

It didn't shine through.

But, overall, it's a very nice drink.

This is one of the nicest bloody Marys I've probably ever had.

-Wow. Thank you.

-And I've named it after you.

I've named it a hot smoking bloody Rosemary.

THEY LAUGH

I tell you what, you're not getting this back!

-I'm taking it away.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Whoo!

-LAUGHTER

-You can't keep drinking!

-NADIYA:

-For their next challenge, our families are going home,

where they'll cook their tried and tested family favourites

for Rosemary and Giorgio.

Their first visit is to Essex...

..for the past 25 years, home to the Ayoubi family.

I'm very happy the judges are coming to my house today.

Everyone comes to our house and asks about this dish,

especially when I make it.

For today's challenge, family favourites,

and just 90 minutes to cook two courses.

Nadiya's going to see you in glitter eyeliner!

-I mean, I look good as a drag queen.

-SHE LAUGHS

I'm definitely feeling more relaxed that it's at our home,

cooking in our home. We're feeling more comfortable in our environment.

We've separated the two dishes this time.

So, Dad's in charge of the main

and me and Lydia are in charge of the desserts.

So, we're hopefully not going to get in each other's way.

-Hello!

-LAUGHTER

-Hello.

-Oh, my God! Hi!

-How are you?

-Good. You?

Oh, my God! Nadiya's in the house!

Wow! I bet you don't cook in here. I bet you dance in here, too.

This is great. What a lovely space!

Yeah, this is where we have our family feasts.

And speaking of family feasts...

-He's ready to cook now.

-Ready to cook.

You've got one hour and 30 minutes - main course, dessert.

-Off you go.

-Let's start!

-Go, go, go, go.

-Let's do this.

-Dad, can you pass me a spoon, please?

Dad Mahmoud is in charge of the main course -

a Syrian lamb and vegetable stew served with couscous.

First, I put the carrot and potato to boil

because this takes more time, so you put them at the beginning.

I put some chilli here,

so, hopefully, it's not too hot for the judges.

I love the idea of a lamb stew because this is a family meal.

This is wholesome, but it's quite simple.

The cooking must be exemplary.

Vegetables should have a nice crunch.

The broth must have a really beautiful sweetness

then come through.

Normally, Mahmoud slow cooks his lamb

over a low heat for three hours.

Today, he's using a pressure cooker to speed up the braising process.

Give a little flavour to the meat.

Cinnamon and meat - is that typically Syrian?

Every time we boil the meat, we put onion and cinnamon here.

Cos lots of the time, people wouldn't think...

You wouldn't put the two together.

I heard that you don't just cook for your family.

I help new arrivals. New arrivals from Syria.

-Because you've been here how many years?

-25 years.

For me now, this is home, you know.

-I just chose to come to this country...

-Yeah, yeah.

..but for them, they are forced after this war happened in Syria.

So, yeah, I sometimes help them to feel like they are at home.

And give them home cooking?

That's what food's about, though, isn't it? It's about love.

Mirna and Lydia are responsible for today's puddings,

three mini Syrian desserts -

kunafa, a shredded pastry soaked in rose syrup,

halawet el jibn, a sweet cheese pastry,

and jazarieh, a caramelised carrot ball rolled in pistachios.

Is that a satisfying feeling, Lydia?

Cos I actually feel like putting my hands in there, as well.

It literally feels amazing. It's so therapeutic.

Lydia is mixing mascarpone and mozzarella,

which will be used to fill both of the pastries.

Honestly, if my kids were here, I'd get them to do that,

-but I don't know if I could eat it afterwards.

-Oh, no!

I get that. I get that. I never let my little brother do this...

-No, no.

-..purely because I don't want to eat it.

Never know where their hands have been.

This mixture is the perfect substitute

for the traditional Arabic cheese normally used in these desserts.

-Is this all right?

-Where's the rest of the mozzarella?

In here.

No!

Lydia has used all the mozzarella,

but Mirna needs more to make a cheesy pastry.

When you said you wanted half of the mozzarella,

I thought you meant half of the mixture.

-You weren't clear.

-All right, girls, just get over it

and do something else.

Mum, can you run out and get us some mozzarella, please?

Lydia's used all of them in the wrong dish.

She's mixed it all with the mascarpone.

-Just five balls of mozzarella.

-Five balls of mozzarella, Mum.

-How's it going?

-Yeah, it's going OK.

-Is Mirna always that scary?

-Yes, always.

Cos even I was a little bit afraid.

She does get quite terrifying, but you need to get used to it.

I love that you've developed a thick skin.

I have to, in this family!

Lydia's next job is to prepare the carrots

for one of the bite-sized puddings.

She said five carrots. I'm doing five carrots.

-One, two, three, four, five carrots.

-Five carrots.

-Mirna, she's doing five carrots!

-OK.

-OK?

-OK.

-OK.

So, the most important thing on this dessert

is to get the texture absolutely perfect,

to cook it to perfection.

-How's that looking, Lyd?

-It's not that soft yet.

Why is it taking so long?

Mum?

-Oh, thank you. Two?!

-No, I've got more.

-Oh.

Mum's emergency mozzarella is for the cheesy pastry

in one of the puddings.

-So, more cheese?

-More cheese.

-It really is a cheese fest.

You bought cheese. You're making cheese.

Do you have a cow out there, as well?

Off you go.

So, you've got to roll it while it's hot?

Yeah, so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin.

Otherwise, it just won't roll out, cos it's cheese.

Not only is it made from mozzarella,

it's also filled with Lydia's mozzarella and mascarpone mix.

I actually learned making desserts when I got married,

cos my husband loves Arabic desserts.

And he loves having the sweet, syrupy, Syrian desserts.

-He likes the really sweet dessert.

-Yeah.

-Not too different from me.

That's exactly why I learned to bake -

because my husband eats way too much cake.

-This is done.

-Oh, is that done?

-Has Mum saved the day?

-Yeah, definitely.

-And Lydia ruined it.

-That's so mean.

That's so mean! You tell it like it is. I like you.

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

-Oh!

-Oh, my God!

The final dessert is a shredded pastry,

also stuffed with cheese.

-OK, Lydia...

-I'm going to check the meat.

Let's hope it's ready now. Let's see.

Ooh! That's nice.

Mm! I love it. So...

..I use the meat water just to keep the flavour.

-Crap! Oh, my God!

-What, you burned it?

For the second time in as many challenges,

Mirna's taken her eye off the oven.

What's happened to them?

I don't think I've topped them up enough,

so I think the cheese has risen to the top.

I'm slightly worried.

And to top it off, the carrots STILL aren't soft enough

to be mashed for the carrot balls.

Dad, big, strong hands.

-Strong hands, yeah?

-Just like this, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Deep breaths. Come on.

-Dad, I'm really nervous.

Calm down.

-Time's up. Time's up!

-Yes!

-All worked out.

-You did it.

It's too much stress - three people in the kitchen, you know.

-Oh, my God. I don't believe it.

-But you did it.

-Yes.

-It's here. It's ready.

-I'm very happy.

For their family favourites main course,

Mahmoud's hearty lamb stew with braised vegetables and couscous.

The stew is beautifully cooked.

The spices are beginning to come through.

The flavour, it works.

It is like an Irish stew, but with spice.

My Irish stew might change now.

THEY LAUGH

All the other vegetables seem to be not only cooked very well,

but also they have kept their colour.

Overall, I think it's a fantastic dish.

-Thank you.

-Well done, Dad.

-Well done.

Now for the puddings.

First, jazarieh - a caramelised carrot ball

dipped in ground pistachios.

Not that pleasant, the carrots.

A bit slimy in the mouth.

It's lumpy, watery carrot. It is a bit of a disappointment.

Next, halawet el jibn -

a sweet cheese roll wrapped in mozzarella pastry.

The consistency is a bit disappointing.

It falls apart and is a little bit soft.

To finish, kunafa -

a baked, shredded pastry filled with mozzarella and mascarpone.

That's a perfect consistency. That's what I wanted.

It's beautiful. It's got a very nice taste.

-What do you think?

-I actually love that.

This whole thing is really interesting.

-Thank you for having us in your home.

-You're welcome.

-It's been fabulous.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much. A real treat.

There was a slight kind of sense of panic,

and I was so surprised.

I've chosen some difficult desserts for today.

Maybe I shouldn't have chosen all three of them.

Well done. You sweated under pressure, but you did it!

-Yeah, we sweated.

-You got through it.

-Thank you.

ZOE: The next stop for Rosemary and Giorgio

is the Cotswold town of Nailsworth.

They'll be visiting the Herbert family.

Today, brothers Archie and Charlie

are joining sister-in-law Anna at her home.

Cooking for Rosemary and Giorgio

is going to feel a bit different to normal.

We've chosen my kitchen in a very practical sense -

it's a good size, it's where we cook.

We often do end up here when we're having family get-togethers, which is really nice.

A firelighter is not going to reach under there, Charlie.

If you put it underneath and you put that on top of it...

That is not going to work.

If this cocks up, on your head be it.

Aha! You can tell we're in the countryside.

Look at all the wellies. Look at those! Cute.

-Hi!

-Hi!

-Oh, my goodness. Wow! Look at that view.

That is fabulous to wake up to. SHE GASPS

-Can I have a look around?

-Yeah, come on. Let's go downstairs.

-You stay there. You rest up.

Oh, you're coming with us? Come on, then.

You're so lucky to live in a place like this. It's amazing.

-Good parties here, I imagine.

-Yeah.

So, Anna, if you have a family get-together,

I mean, how many people are you cooking for?

I think we're running at about 26 at the moment,

-so it's pretty much a feast.

-That's a seriously massive table!

Is there anyone in the Herbert family who cannot cook?

-Charlie?

-THEY LAUGH

-So, come on. Let's get cracking. Get in there.

-Great. Let's do it.

As you know, family favourites.

Main course and a dessert in 90 minutes.

-Good luck!

-Thank you.

I'm just going to go light the fire outside.

Happy days.

Archie's in charge of today's centrepiece -

a barbecued hanger steak.

It'll be served with a pepper and caper salsa.

On the side, charred cauliflower,

cauliflower puree and roasted grapes.

These home cooks are particularly ambitious.

But, you know, being too ambitious can go all wrong.

Sometimes, it's better to keep it simple.

Tell me all about this steak, and why you've chosen this cut.

So, hanger steak comes from this part of the cow there.

-OK.

-Up the...rib cage, I guess.

It's a really cheap bit of meat, so that's why it's kind of good for us,

cos we can feed a big family with steak for not too much cost.

I really admire the fact

that they choose quite a cheap cut of meat.

It's a very, very difficult piece of meat to cook,

especially on the grill.

If you overcook it, it can become like the sole of your shoes.

If you undercook it, it's unchewable.

What are we looking for here?

So, it's got to be rare and you have to cut it in a certain way.

It's not rare. It doesn't need to be rare.

It needs to be medium to medium-rare.

Correction, yes? Scrub that previous answer.

Cos it's really grainy,

if it goes too overdone, it goes really chewy.

You'll be keeping a very close eye on that.

-We're going to go medium-rare.

-OK, medium-rare.

Which cauliflower did you want to use?

-I think this one.

-I think that one.

OK. Yeah, yeah, go for it.

Brother Charlie's addition to the main course

is a dish he's created using a favourite childhood spread.

Cauliflower in Marmite. That sounds crazy. I love it.

Charlie, what are you doing with your cauliflower there?

I'm charring them just to give a bit of flavour.

The charred cauliflower is then cooked in butter and yeast extract.

They've got one ingredient in there which I'm not looking forward to.

If they overdo the Marmite, that could be a problem.

But they're doing salsa, as well.

The combination doesn't seem to work together.

You just start chopping that and I'll do this for you.

The salsa is made with chargrilled peppers,

chillies, capers and parsley.

-Did you put all that chilli in?

-Yeah.

What did you pour on the top of the salsa there?

Olive oil and sherry vinegar. We've also put...

Don't tell Archie, but I put a bit of the caper juice in there

cos I quite like it. He's the youngest,

so he's used to getting his own way.

We grew up without TVs.

All of a sudden, we all went off to university,

got married, moved away, etc,

and Archie was the only one who managed to get my parents

to buy Sky TV, so there you go.

-That's the baby of the family for you.

-It's the baby of the family.

For pudding, Anna's making an upside-down cheesecake,

topped with salted caramel popcorn,

blackberry curd and a ginger biscuit.

So, the cheesecake - there's a lot of different flavour

coming together on this dessert.

The little bit of popcorn in there - I can't wait to taste it.

Come for a little nosy, Anna. What are you doing?

I'm just making a bit of a cheesecake mix.

Just trying to get it smooth and then I'll add in some lemon to it.

So, it's mascarpone, yoghurt and cream so far.

Not loads of sugar cos we were a bit worried about the pudding

being really, really super sweet.

Instead of a traditional cheesecake base,

Anna's making her own ginger biscuits.

No, no, I'm going to risk putting these in the fridge, which I haven't done before,

but I reckon it'll stop them spreading too much.

-Good time to try something new, Anna.

-Half an hour to go.

-That's all the time there is.

-Let's turn that on.

-That's a fancy button.

-Yeah!

-Look at that. All the fancy knobs.

The only problem with it is I keep standing against it and turning it down.

Charlie's in charge of the salted caramel popcorn topping

for the upside-down cheesecake.

This is vanilla sea salt.

You always bring great little tricks to your recipes.

-Ooh!

-It's good, hey?

-And also...

-Quite a confusing flavour.

-Yeah.

-Mm, sweet, but salt. I like it.

So, Charlie, what did your mum and dad say

when you were going to be a chiropractor?

Well, the good thing is that they've got six kids,

so they didn't need all of them to go into the family business.

I wanted to do something with the human body.

Instead of kneading dough, I knead people!

-So, erm...

-And people need you!

-Yeah, yeah. Exactly. Exactly.

Steaks are on, baby. Got the temperature pretty hot.

When I had it down, it was saying about 200,

so it's nice and hot in there.

Make sure they're nice and medium-rare.

-That's rare.

-Yeah, go get it back on!

-Back on, Arch.

-Archie!

Ah!

Eight minutes left. The judges are on their way.

All needs to be on the plates, ready.

-How is it looking, Charles?

-Don't know.

-Tastes pretty banging, I think.

-Nice!

-Nice?

I'll just check my biscuits are OK.

See?

We don't want to overcook it. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Where's your puree?

-Sorry.

-It's all go.

So, I'm just putting the curd on top.

I might cut the steak.

Not too chunky, I don't reckon.

Come on!

Good work, Herberts.

First on the Herberts' family favourites meal,

Archie's barbecued hanger steak,

served with a red pepper and caper salsa,

and Charlie's Marmite cauliflower.

To go for a cheap cut of meat, that takes courage.

But who cooked it?

You cooked it very, very well.

Yay!

That's very, very good.

On the other hand,

there is something that doesn't bring it together for me, as a dish.

Maybe it's a bit too clever.

I think the beef is superb. It's beautifully cooked.

But the strength of the salsa overtook the cauliflower.

The Marmite flavour disappears completely. It does nothing.

Now for pudding - Anna's upside-down cheesecake

with blackberry curd, a ginger biscuit

and vanilla salted caramel popcorn.

First of all, I think your ginger biscuit is delicious.

It's not a tuile. It's not a...

It's a biscuit, and I like that.

And, also, you have these lovely, delightful little popcorns.

It sweetens it.

But also, it's really well-balanced.

It's a very modern idea, as well, to serve a cheesecake in this way.

I think you smashed it. I really think so.

Thank you so much.

You did it! You've done it. And relax.

How was that for all of you?

That represented our family, and I think, actually,

the type of dish it was really...

That's what the whole challenge was about.

But we can definitely improve going into the next round.

I really enjoyed watching you guys cook together today.

-Brilliant. Loved it.

-We loved having you.

-Can I have a dessert?

-Yeah!

-There's one left.

-NADIYA:

-Our two families are back in our kitchen.

Today, the Herberts and Ayoubis take on their third and final challenge,

after which, the judges will decide

who to send home and who to put through to the semifinals.

Our kind of feedback so far is that we have been being a bit clever.

-Yeah.

-I'm a bit worried we're still...

-So, we decided to be clever.

-THEY LAUGH

Let's go do some cooking.

The Herberts, they're very passionate cooks

and they take a lot of risks

with the combination of flavour that they use.

It doesn't pay off all the time, so I hope, today,

they're going to make all these ingredients

sing together on these dishes.

The Herberts, they love cooking as a family.

They're very creative.

Burritos were wonderful in the first challenge.

The dessert was wonderful in the second challenge.

But the main course - the flavours just did not work at all.

Now, they must get it right today.

-How many times have we practised?

-Oh, loads!

I think the judges will really like this meal.

Yeah, it's something completely different.

Nothing that they've tried before,

so we're going to knock it out of the park.

-Come on. Let's do this, guys.

-Come on.

-Let's go.

The Ayoubis, they produce some delicious food,

steeped in culture, steeped in history.

It sort of reminds me a little bit of my cooking.

It's an abundance, like an everyday feast.

But they did not get those desserts right in the last one,

and if they don't get it right now, they're going to be in trouble.

Obviously, I will never forget what they produced

with that bag of chickpeas.

That was incredible, packed with flavour,

with all their understanding of that part of the world's cuisine.

They do a little bit too much all the time,

so let's hope they listen to us, and this time,

concentrate on something a little bit more punchy.

Welcome back to the barn.

Brace yourselves for the clash of the pans.

Yes, it's the third and final challenge

to decide who goes through to the semifinals,

and, sadly, who goes home.

The challenge this time is to impress the neighbours.

Rosemary and Giorgio would like you to cook a two-course meal

that will have your neighbours queueing round the block

for an invite to one of your dinner parties.

You have two hours and 15 minutes,

so start cooking and start showing off!

What else do you need to mix with the roast, Dad?

-Um, the mincemeat.

-Mincemeat. That's in the fridge.

-Is it in the fridge?

-Yeah.

-You got the fennel?

-Oh, yeah. Sorry, do you need it?

-No, no, it's fine.

-I need it, too.

This challenge is about impressing your neighbours,

but in reality, they have to impress me and Rosemary.

It's dinner-party food.

What they need to do is wow us with something special.

-Challenge three - pressure is on.

-I know.

The thing is, after challenge two, it's kind of level pegging.

So, today, who knows who's going home?

You can see the fear in their faces.

This is their moment to give the judges everything they've got.

If you want to impress your guests or people you've got round,

or family round, this is the dish to impress them with.

In this final challenge,

the families must produce a starter and a main course,

and as usual, will be judged on their presentation

and flavour combinations.

For their starter, the Ayoubis are serving a Syrian mezze,

a courgette dip known as moutabal,

a red pepper dip called muhammara,

and a smoky aubergine dip, baba ganoush,

along with a salad called fattoush.

Their main course is stuffed vegetables, or mahshi -

courgettes, aubergines and peppers

stuffed with rice and minced lamb, with lamb chops.

So, Mirna, what's going to make this dish impressive for the neighbours?

We've taken everyday vegetables we'd find in the market

-and we're making them into a massive feast...

-Yeah.

..which, hopefully, will really impress the judges.

-You're just going to feed them!

-Yeah!

I love that. What is that little device that you've got there?

-This is a vegetable corer.

-You can't go all the way through.

-You just have to core the inside.

-Yeah.

-Wow!

I'm going to give that a go later.

-We don't have enough courgette.

-All right!

As a main dish, the Ayoubi are cooking some stuffed vegetables.

It doesn't strike me as a greatly ambitious dish, this one,

but with them, after the symphony of chickpeas,

I mean, you know, we can expect anything from these guys.

I like the face he pulls when he does it.

He's so naughty!

Tell us what you're doing.

Actually, I'm doing, like, a stuffed vegetable.

I stuff it with the rice and mincemeat - lamb mincemeat.

What's this thing you were shaking just now?

-We were watching.

-Just to separate the rice inside.

That's a really good idea, though, isn't it?

It's a technique I learned from my mum.

She put her finger like this, and...

Let the rice go down, you know.

-So, it's a one-pot dish?

-Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

-OK.

-All of it goes in here now.

-OK.

-Everything.

So, last time, you did a one-pot dish, as well.

-Yeah!

-You only have one pot at home, do you?

THEY LAUGH

Get that duck trimmed, Charles.

-I've gone and done two now.

-Done two?

-Yeah.

-Steady on.

Feels good being back here.

Hopefully, we'll smash our cooking and then...

..on to the next round.

ZOE: To start, the Herberts will serve potted brown shrimp

with beetroot and fennel soda bread and a fennel salad on the side.

For their main course, roasted duck in a Chinese five spice marinade,

served with plums, a savoury celeriac waffle,

and purple sprouting broccoli.

I'm worried about the Herberts.

It seems they cooked a lot with their brain.

They're young, they're ambitious,

and, you know, they put together a lot of flavours.

So, sometimes, too much is too much.

That does look very impressive. What are you doing to that duck leg?

We've gone all out in making sure this dish looks

as best as we can possibly get it.

If you cut the meat off the actual leggy bit -

so it's where the knuckle is - it's all sinew.

It's not very nice. You don't normally eat it. That's what you call a French trim.

-Don't ask for the Brazilian trim.

-Oh!

What's the trickiest process today? Who's got the trickiest job?

Archie's got to get the duck right and the sauce.

That's a huge one cos that's the main component.

This is great - duck with plums.

Duck! Delicious! Well, I hope they've seasoned it properly.

I hope they cook it properly.

So, I'm making a marinade, so it's kind of like a Chinese,

oriental kind of five spice for our duck

that's going to go in the oven.

So, we're going to marinate the bottom and then salt the top,

cos we want a really crispy skin on top of the duck.

Just going to give it a quick toss in here,

and then go from there.

Families, you've already had half an hour.

We need to put the lamb chops on the hob

because they need time to cook, yeah?

The lamb chops and the stuffed vegetables

are covered in a tomato broth and left to simmer for an hour.

-And do you have any space for this?

-No.

ZOE: With the boys overseeing the main course,

Anna's responsible for the Herberts' starter -

potted shrimp with beetroot soda bread.

So, I'm just milling the spelt grain,

just for the soda bread.

So, it's great to use the wholegrain.

You get much more goodness in it if you use the wholegrain.

The bran and the wheat germ's in there, so that's really great.

It gives it more flavour and it's really fresh.

Soda bread is a quick bread.

If it's right, it's delicious.

If it's wrong, it can be a solid mound. It can be too heavy.

I've tried and tested this recipe, so, hopefully, it's OK.

-What are you doing?

-So, everyone's got a little job to do.

-I am getting started on some of the dips that we're doing.

-Mm-hm.

It's a red pepper dip.

It's going to be a little bit spicy. Not too spicy.

I like dips like that,

and I think it's a really family way to eat and share a starter.

It strikes me as not so ambitious.

We've got three dips - we've got the aubergine dip,

we've got the red pepper dip, we've got the courgette dip.

Why are we having two dishes with exactly the same vegetables?

Are they trying to show us that they can cook different ways?

But it's not challenging enough.

Ooh, garlic. I love garlic. I love to eat it.

Dad, I think there's a bit too much garlic in there!

Using the insides of the cored courgettes,

Mahmoud is making a dip.

-Lyds?

-Yes, love?

-Dad's doing a smiley face.

Oh, my God!

He's done a smiley face.

-You know we get judged on presentation?

-Yeah.

Mirna, why are you doing this to me?

-Cos we're going to get judged on presentation, Dad.

-Oh!

Why have you decided to take the smiley face off?

-Because it doesn't go.

-OK.

If we were making fish fingers and chips, maybe.

I was going to say, are your neighbours six-year-olds?

-Cos if they are, that smiley face would have worked.

-Oh, my God.

Do some work, Archie. Come on.

Archie, please can you grate the celeriac? Cos we just want to get ahead.

You might be ahead, but everything needs to be ahead.

ZOE: Anna's next task for the starter

is preparing the potted shrimp.

She adds butter and seasoning, and leaves to set...

-Fridge, please.

-Yeah, yeah. Sorry, Anna.

..while Archie needs to grate enough celeriac

so they can start on the waffles.

Quick, quick, quick, quick!

What's celeriac? They're using something called celeriac.

-Guys...

-Yeah?

-..what's celeriac?

-MIRNA:

-What does it taste like?

-Do you want to try some?

Well, I think it's nice.

What's that going on?

We're making waffles from it.

HE SINGS IN ARABIC

-Mahmoud, you were singing a beautiful song there.

-Oh!

It's a very old song, and I think it's a Moroccan lady,

-she sings this song.

-OK.

So, go on, then. Give us a little burst.

Oh, my God.

HE SINGS IN ARABIC

I'd ask you to teach me the words, but I'm not sure

-I'm going to pick it up that quickly.

-I wish I had time.

Let's have a look here, shall we?

The Herberts' duck has been in the oven for an hour and 20 minutes.

You can see it's a little bit moist and could do with a little bit more crisping,

so I'm going to put it up to 250, and just...

I'm a bit worried about the cooking of the duck.

The most important thing is the texture.

-The skin should be really beautiful, golden.

-Oh, absolutely.

I need, actually, some parsley.

-NADIYA:

-Mirna is giving one of the dips a little twist.

Pureed aubergines is the base of the baba ganoush, but we at home,

we always add parsley, tomatoes, peppers and pomegranate,

and it's very nice. It's like a little salad.

-Do not add any more salt. That's perfect.

-No, definitely not.

Our waffles have taken a lot of practice,

so we're hoping that they go well.

Just trying to get some moisture out of the celeriac,

-so they're not too sloppy.

-That is gross.

-HE RETCHES

-Quite wet.

We've got a waffle-cano!

Families, you have 15 minutes to go.

MAHMOUD: 15 minutes.

No, we need to put the dressing in first.

-The walnuts are still in the drawer over there.

-Can you cut them in halves, please?

Are you happy with it?

It looks rustic. I kind of knew it would.

My God. Very nice. Very good.

Do you want to try one, Mirna?

-Charlie, are you checking your waffle?

-Yeah.

-Well, how are we doing for time?

-Oh, Mirna, fantastic!

-That looks amazing.

-Wow.

Ah!

-It's too thick.

-Yeah.

-We've got, like, 30 seconds.

Just use the knife. Get the knife in it.

Herberts, you've got ten seconds.

-If in doubt, splat it.

-Ten seconds to go!

Four, three, two, one!

-Stop! Stop, boy.

-Stop splatting.

-Stop!

We've done it! I don't believe it.

Well done.

Well done.

-Nice.

-Nice.

-Well done, Arch.

For one of our families,

this will be the final time the judges taste their food.

For the other, a place in the semifinals awaits.

-NADIYA:

-To impress their neighbours,

the Ayoubi family have created a colourful Syrian mezze feast.

Your initial list of ingredients was just very normal.

But like the other time,

you've transformed it into something incredible.

To start, three traditional dips - courgette and yoghurt,

red pepper and walnut, and an aubergine baba ganoush.

The courgette is so creamy and so delicious and herby.

And, finally, the garlic then hits it.

I think it's fantastic.

This, the aubergine - well, the garlic in there!

So different.

These are three very different dips

and every single one delivers on its own merit.

To call them dip just gives them a disservice, actually.

They're much better than a dip.

Such simple ingredients. You always seem to shine.

For their main course,

vegetables stuffed with lamb and rice,

served with lamb chops and a tomato broth.

The cooking of the lamb, for me, was a little bit over,

so it made it a little bit tough.

Each of the vegetables has got its own texture,

which was one of my worries.

I thought, "It's the same stuff and it's going to taste all the same."

Well, they don't.

They are completely filled. There is no pocket of air.

-So, your shaking, which I thought was...

-It was!

I thought it was a little bit, like, maybe a little bit too much.

No, it's absolutely there.

The lamb was a big disappointment.

I thought it was going to taste better than that.

It's very bland, which is a big shame.

Although you've shown us some tremendous techniques,

it doesn't quite work.

ZOE: Now for the Herberts.

Well, I think this looks very inviting.

You've been trying something very difficult here.

You know, it's a few flavours coming together.

Let's hope it works.

To start, potted shrimp,

fennel salad and freshly baked beetroot soda bread.

I really like that bread.

I think it's seasoned nicely. It really works.

Beautiful flavour on these shrimps. Really delicious.

-And the bread is a knockout.

-Thank you.

Really, that touch of that fennel coming through,

and then the fennel again on the salad -

it really works perfectly.

To follow, roasted five-spice duck with plums,

served with a savoury celeriac waffle.

-I don't know whether you know what I'm going to say.

-No.

That duck is tough.

The waffle - it's such a shame -

but because you didn't take that water out of it completely,

it's soggy.

But, in saying that, the flavour of your plums

and the marinade on your duck, it's delicious.

I admire the fact that you dare a bit,

and you push the boat out a little bit.

Unfortunately, that was the wrong way to cook the duck.

You had two hours and 15 minutes.

You could have cooked the duck absolutely perfectly.

I agree with Rosemary.

Possibly, if the celeriac was more crispy...

But the flavour is delicious.

A bit disappointed, possibly because

my expectation was much higher than that.

-Thanks very much.

-Good luck.

Oh, my God. Yeah, thanks! God, that was tense.

Ooh, flipping heck!

With all three challenges completed, the judges must now decide

which family to put through to the semifinals.

This is difficult.

Really good home cooking, but completely different style -

one steeped in history, the other one pushing the boundary.

Both of them deliver very well.

I think they're both extremely good cooks,

both very ambitious in different ways.

-This is a really difficult decision.

-Yeah.

We've loved having you in the barn,

and thank you so much for welcoming us into your homes.

The judges have made their decision.

Only one family can go through to the semifinal,

so the other family will be going home.

So, it's crunch time.

The family staying in the competition are...

..the Ayoubis.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Well done!

-Amazing.

Oh, I hate it. I hate it.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

It's not what we wanted, but, you know,

I think we've been true to who we are

and the way we've cooked and we can always do better.

Personally, I'm very disappointed with the main dish we put out today.

It's been really fun working together,

so we'll miss that, but we really wish the Ayoubis the best of luck.

Well, listen, congratulations.

-Do you know what? Well done.

-Thank you.

I'm very happy, actually. I never thought we would come to this stage,

but I'm very happy. I'm very proud of my helpers,

and my boss!

Our family motto's "backbone".

You've got to understand you've got to impress us.

Oh, you'll be impressed.

For us, it's always a party in the kitchen.

-You know what? It needs a dance.

-Shall we?

-Yeah, let's just.

Once I start wobbling, I keep wobbling.

-Get a little bit of movement.

-There you go.

-There you go! There you go!

-OK, that's enough. Get on with cooking.