Wales Dessert Great British Menu

This week on Great British Menu, three of Wales' best chefs.

Phil Carmichael, executive chef to former banquet winner

Jason Atherton...

Yeah, it's crunch time now.

..experimental chef Stephen Gomes...

-That's going to be hot.

-Hoo!

..and young restaurateur Adam Bannister...

Are you still confident about getting that ten

you promised us earlier?

We'll see. HE LAUGHS

..are competing for the honour of cooking at a banquet marking

100 years of the Women's Institute at London's historic Drapers' Hall.

Yesterday's main course saw Phil plate his second winning dish...

I'm giving you...

an eight.

..putting him neck and neck with Adam

after he struggled under pressure.

Didn't feel like you were in control at all.

Stephen remains at the bottom of the table

but has big expectations for his dessert course.

-You think you can get a ten today?

-It's 11.

And as dessert is neither Phil nor Adam's strong point...

-Squish back. Grr!

-BLEEP!

Could it be their downfall?

I am feeling the pressure now.

This year, the chefs are celebrating

the centenary of the Women's Institute, honouring those

women who have helped put Britain on the culinary map.

They have researched the rich history of the organisation.

What sort of things would they have done at the first meetings?

-Serving fruits and vegetables.

-Wow.

And taken inspiration from the women in their own families...

I love you. Mwak.

..to turn homely classics...

..into modern masterpieces.

-You think it's a winner?

-I think it's definitely a winner.

Judging them all week is holder of two Michelin stars Tom Kerridge.

This is the one where the Women's Institute are very strong.

Baking any form of cake, the guys today really have to up their game.

They have got to be very good at this one.

-How are you feeling about the dessert course?

-A bit nervous.

Just takes that bad dish and you're going home.

It's going to be tough. I've got to throw everything at this.

I'm not nervous. This is my forte. I love doing desserts.

-Think you can get a ten today?

-You never know. If he likes it, it's 11.

THEY LAUGH

First up, Michelin-trained Phil Carmichael.

After a poor start to the week, he's pulled back points.

But he is worried about today.

Very nervous. I'm not a pastry chef.

Yeah, the pressure now, it's all on.

I've got to smash this one out.

-Hello there, Phil.

-Hi, Tom. How are you?

-I'm good. You OK?

-Yeah, very good. Thanks.

-Pastry one of your strong points?

-Not at all.

Ahh! OK.

-So this could be a bumpy course?

-Yes, it could be.

-Oh, dear. OK.

So, what are we going to be cooking?

So, the dish is called WI Jammin' At The Fete,

or as I like to call it, Wi Jammin' At The Fete.

Wi Jammin' At The Fete.

Well, we can't have a dessert course without jam on it.

WI, they are the experts of making jam.

They are also, they partake in a load of country fairs and fetes

and everything, so this dish is a sort of celebration of both

those, you know, elements of the WI.

Talk me through what we are going to be doing.

OK. So we're going to be making a poached rhubarb tart with

some little almond cakes, some rhubarb jam.

And in the tart is going to be sort of hazelnut and almond paste.

Bake that in the oven, hopefully within time.

-Didn't sound very confident there, Phil.

-Fingers crossed.

Just to sort of finish it all off, I'm going

-to serve puff pastry ice cream.

-How are you going to make that?

So I'm literally just going to take sheets of puff pastry.

I'm going to cook that in the oven

and then all I'm going to do with that puff pastry

is sort of infuse it into some milk

and use that to make the base for the ice cream.

Now, are you going to be taking risks here? Are you pushing the boat out?

Cos I know so far in this competition you've done some great dishes,

so great solid cooking, but very simple.

Nothing quite yet that has set the world alight.

-Is this the dish that is going to do that?

-Yes.

Phil's dish, tart and some jam,

is there going to be something there that gives it the wow factor,

those big scores? That's what I'd really like to see from him today.

Next up, ambitious young chef Adam Bannister.

After a strong starter saw him top the leaderboard, he struggled

to reach the same heights with his fish or main courses.

My risks going into the dessert are pretty much everything.

I've got a lot going on, but I'm going to give it everything I can.

Fingers crossed I'll pull it out of the bag.

How are we doing, Chef? Feeling strong?

-I don't know about strong.

-Pastry not one of your strong courses?

No, I wouldn't say it's my strong course, no.

OK, so the two of you both not pastry chefs.

Interesting.

So what's the main inspiration behind your dish?

Rhubarb and custard. You know, it's a family favourite.

I wanted to honour my mother doing a dish that she would have

cooked for me.

So that's myself, my mother and my sister.

Big family man, yeah?

Yeah, you know, family means a lot to me

so, you know, hopefully I can do her proud.

-It's called A Sweet Force To Be Reckoned With.

-OK.

The play on the words would be the WI are a force to be reckoned with.

-Absolutely.

-I'm using some lovely forced Yorkshire rhubarb.

OK, so is there lots of components going into this dish?

I'm going to be making some custard.

I've got some rhubarb jelly, I've got some poached rhubarb,

I've got some meringues, different types of meringues.

Then I've got some Genoese sponge.

And I've got an ice cream.

Quite a lot of basic,

but technically quite hard pastry things to get right.

Yeah.

For someone who is not a pastry chef.

-Yeah.

-HE LAUGHS

-So you are taking a massive risk here.

-Um, yeah.

Adam all week has been running round like a headless chicken,

trying to push himself. On dessert day, he's doing exactly the same.

There's a lot there going on, which also means

there's a lot to go wrong.

Last up is experimental chef Stephen.

He nailed the brief yesterday but failed to deliver on technique.

Today, he must do both or he is going home.

I am disappointed with my position at the moment,

but I'm still in the race.

I mean, you never know what happens with the desserts.

It's never over till it's over.

I'm going to have fun while I cook, that's my strategy now.

Hello, Stephen. Dessert day.

-Fun day.

-Fun day? Are you good at pastry?

That's my forte. That's my strength.

Oh, right. Talk me through the dish. What's it called?

-It's a Thank You In A Box.

-Thank You In A Box?

Thank you, all the women,

especially the women of the WI, who has been there to support us.

-So that is the inspiration, saying thank you to the WI?

-Yes, Chef.

I've got something different

cos I've been doing something different all the way.

I'm going to do a lavender soap. A lavender soap bar.

-Soap?

-Bar.

-OK.

Then I'm going to have a mango shampoo.

No, no, we have to stop there. You have to... You have to explain.

-This is something that people are going to eat?

-Yes, Chef.

I'm going to be making an edible lavender soap,

a mango shampoo, a coconut lip balm and a rose berry perfume.

-Right.

-It's a fun day, Chef.

Talk me through the soap bar. What is going in there?

-Chef, we have milk solids.

-Do you melt this down, or...?

-Yes, you do melt it down.

-You reset it into like a bar of soap.

Yes, I do.

So, the mango shampoo, what's going into that then, Stephen?

-I'm using some mango pulp. I'm using some fresh yogurt.

-Yep.

-How are we going to do the coconut lip balm?

-Using coconut oil.

And beeswax. Going to add some curry leaves and some mustard seeds.

This, for me, sounds very interesting.

It will be a fantastic way to finish a banquet, Chef. Definitely.

You're four points behind, Stephen, but if this comes off,

this could give you a real chance of getting back in it.

-Thank you.

-These guys, neither of them are very confident in pastry.

So you could have a chance here, Stephen.

Stephen's dish, Thank You In A Box, as a dessert,

I'm not quite sure what we're going to get.

Stephen is sat back in third place behind the other two guys.

He knows he has got to take some risks to get there.

This is his last roll of the dice.

Guys, this is the one where a lot of chefs come a cropper.

It's over to you. Good luck, boys.

As the chefs start cooking,

all eyes are on Stephen with his unusual dish of edible cosmetics.

Do you think you are taking too much of a risk with this dessert?

I always take risks. I've been taking risks from day one.

-What's wrong with you guys?

-And it has really paid off so far, has it?

So...

-It's going to taste much nicer than your rhubarb.

-Yeah? Look at it.

-Look at what?

-Look, beautiful rhubarb.

Yesterday, Stephen delivered on story and presentation.

Today, he has to perfect flavour

and technique too to stay in the competition.

Most important course for me.

I've got to give it all.

They're going for the classics.

I'm going for something to have fun and give it a fun impact

to the whole thing.

To make his edible lip balm, he melts beeswax and coconut cream

and combines with curry leaf-infused coconut milk.

I think this is the one where he is taking the biggest risk.

Certainly for me, it sounds a little bit, you know, too out there.

He might pull it off, I don't know.

Joint leaders Adam and Phil are going head-to-head

with their desserts,

both poaching rhubarb.

-Both of you guys are using rhubarb. Whose is going to be better?

-Mine.

Seriously? Mine.

Fighting talk, Chef?

THEY CHUCKLE

For his fete-themed dish, Phil makes rhubarb jam

and puff pastry ice cream before getting his almond cakes on to bake.

Having been late with his last two courses, he must be on time today.

-Is this thing actually

-BLEEP

-on?

Dessert course, not my strongest.

Massive pressure.

If I'm late again to the pass, that could be me out of the competition.

Squish back.

All week, Adam has been stretching himself to elevate humble

British classics.

And his complicated rhubarb dessert is no different.

What are you doing with your rhubarb, Adam?

A few little different things.

I've got a bit of rhubarb jelly, a bit of poached rhubarb,

rhubarb ripple ice cream.

That sounds lovely.

After making errors under pressure with his main,

Adam must hold his nerve today juggling multiple elements.

He combines rhubarb and sugar to make a syrup

and works on a Genoese sponge.

Adam, again, has chosen a lot to do. He's running around.

I just hope he's not bitten off more than he can chew.

Phil is also trying to push himself with his dessert.

He is assembling his tart with poached rhubarb

and rhubarb jam, topped with a layer of hazelnut paste.

But as he gets his almond cakes out of the oven,

he discovers all is not well.

-BLEEP!

-Argh! They're overcooked.

They're like hockey pucks now.

-How we doing, young Phil?

-Um...

I just overcooked my little sort of almond and hazelnuts.

Well, they're now biscuits. They shouldn't be biscuits.

They should be nice, light and fluffy. No good for me.

The pressure of the pastry day getting the better of you, Chef?

-PHIL SIGHS

-Yes.

-Good luck with them cakes, Chef.

-Thank you.

Phil is looking a little flustered in there on the desserts.

He's overcooked some of his cakes and he's got to do them again.

Let's hope nothing else goes wrong for him.

Unlike Adam and Phil, Stephen believes

dessert could be his strongest course.

I've been busy in my own little world now, so... So far, so good.

He's gambling on making edible cosmetics -

a mango and yogurt shampoo

and warming grated milk solids for his edible soap bar.

-So what are you making over there, Stephen?

-I'm making edible soap.

-How does that work?

-It looks like a soap.

-It looks like a soap.

-Does it taste like soap?

-It tastes of lavender.

I went to this beauty shop, they make soap,

but that is where my inspiration came in.

Having come up with the idea of creating an edible cosmetic

gift box to thank the women of the WI,

Stephen visited The Apothecary in Cardiff...

..to get some expert opinion from owner Michele.

-I'm making some edible soap, so...

-Oh!

-I think this is the right place.

Lavender is the perfect skin herb but it also tastes quite nice.

-So it's good all round. It's a relaxant, too.

-Wow.

I hope I don't relax the judges.

Well, I don't know, those judges are pretty stern.

Although the soaps Michele creates are not made to be eaten,

she does use a range of edible ingredients.

-This is the beetroot extract.

-Wonderful.

Um... Alkanet root is a natural dye.

This is cranberry powder.

That's also good as an exfoliant, but it colours the soap pink.

Stephen is keen to see how Michele makes her soaps

so you can replicate their appearance and texture.

We can sprinkle some lavender over the top just to decorate it.

This is going to be

-one hell of a soap.

-SHE LAUGHS

It's going to be the soap of the century.

-It is. It is that.

-It'll be rich.

Wow. Smells awesome.

Stephen's last job is to find out how his own edible version compares.

-Oh, that looks lovely!

-Thank you. I hope it tastes well, though.

So pretty.

-That is really lovely.

-Thank you.

Infusion of lavender into it, do you think it will work well?

I think that would be nice. I think you're onto a winner.

In the kitchen,

Stephen is still puzzling his rivals as he prepares his soaps

from milk solids, cardamom and lavender,

sweetened with icing sugar.

-Are you going to serve that with anything?

-With the mango shampoo.

-It goes well.

-OK.

What...? I'm confused.

What texture is a going to be when we serve it, when you serve it?

It will be... I'll set it to a solid state.

So, it's going to be a solid state

and then you're going to bite into it? OK.

Have you ever eaten soap before, Phil?

I've had my mouth washed out with soap by my mother before,

so I don't know if that counts.

Sounds interesting.

Meanwhile, Adam is busy putting a modern spin

on a range of his childhood favourites.

-But he's left his rhubarb syrup on for too long.

-BLEEP!

And he's overcooked his main sponge element.

Suppose you could say I am feeling the pressure now.

-How we doing, chief?

-Not so bad, Chef.

-You OK?

-Yeah.

Cos you have got quite a lot going on.

-Are we all under control with that?

-Yeah, all right. I, uh...

-I might have to make another sponge.

-Have you got enough time?

-Yeah, I think so.

-No other problems you've got to tell me about?

I may have caramelised some syrup.

-Just...

-So we've burnt the syrup, messed up the sponge.

That's two things out of the six things that you are making

you've got to do twice.

Let's just hope there's no more.

-PHIL:

-I think going to have the edge over Adam in my rhubarb dessert

cos he is trying to do too many things again and I think

he'll struggle to try and pull all them off.

For the final element of his fete-themed dessert,

Phil churns his puff pastry ice cream.

He's first to plate up,

and remaking his almond cakes has meant he is cutting it fine.

-You looking all right for time?

-Yeah. Yeah.

He festoons his sharing cake stand with bunting

and adds his pots of rhubarb jam.

Next, it's his poached rhubarb and jam tart.

And his newly made almond cakes.

He decorates with more miniature bunting

and flags before adding his rhubarb tuiles.

Phil, do you want a hand?

No, I'll be OK, thanks. I've just got to scoop the ice cream.

Into individual bowls go scoops of his puff pastry ice cream.

And his dessert is ready to be served.

-All the fun of the fair.

-All the fun of the fair.

-You feel like you are at a fete, boys?

-It's nice.

Yes, it's really nice.

-Yeah, cut yourself a piece of the tart off.

-OK.

I'm going to put little cakes on the top, our jam,

and a bowl of ice cream.

-And some tuiles.

-Some tuiles.

-Let's go and taste.

-OK, let's go.

-Lead the way.

-You feeling happy?

-Happier than I thought I was going to be.

-It looks nice. What do you think?

-Amazing. Looks really nice.

This is a puff pastry ice cream.

It's exactly how I wanted it.

Do you get the puff pastry?

-No?

-Not quite like it.

So in terms of the acidity level on that jam, is that what you want?

Mm-hm.

-It's not too tart, it's not too heavy?

-No, no.

Maybe a little bit of acidity needed in the jam.

Then on to the main event. Cooked enough for you?

No, could've done with a little bit more cooking.

-A little bit more cooking?

-Yeah, a little bit more cooking.

Because the tart hasn't cooked correctly, I think

-it's just all...all the flavours are married into one.

-It's too runny.

And then these little cakes, too dry?

I think I'm going to give it a six.

I definitely couldn't see it at the banquet like that.

You think you've done enough to secure a place

cooking for the judges?

Yes.

You had to think about that, didn't you?

Stephen is next with his selection of edible beauty products

designed as a gift of thanks to the WI.

He is hoping his creative approach to the brief will keep him

in the competition.

His final job is to strain Grand Marnier and rose water

and infuse with berries for his wild berry perfume.

How was it, Phil?

The tart just needed to cook about another ten minutes, maybe less.

It was nice. It was little bit undercooked, but besides that,

I loved the jam.

Fingers crossed I've done enough to get, you know, an OK score

-and go through to the finals. How you looking?

-All right.

Just in my last stage now.

Stephen presses out his lavender and cardamom edible soaps

and arranges in a specially designed gift box...

..along with his coconut and beeswax lip balm and his rose

and wild berries perfume.

He pours his mango puree shampoo into bottles and places in the box.

-How we getting on, Stephen? Almost ready?

-Yes, Chef.

-The last part, the craft part.

-Craft part.

A poem of thanks on a gift tag completes his presentation.

-OK.

-Thank You In A Box, Chef.

Thank You In A Box. I've got to say, it looks absolutely beautiful.

What a wonderful packaged present we've got here.

-What do you think, boys? Happy?

-Looks nice and smart.

-Right, boys.

I'll leave you with that. Enjoy it. See you in a bit.

So in terms of a dessert, do you think it works well?

It's a dessert where it makes people happy, Chef. I enjoyed making it.

Wow. Pretty original.

Rose and wild berries perfume.

-You drink it?

-Yes, Chef, you can drink.

-Where am I supposed spray this? There?

-No, all over.

The shampoo, Stephen, are you happy with the way that it is come across?

The flavour and the consistency?

Like it is. It's very similar to a shampoo, chef.

The mango shampoo is absolutely delicious.

TOM: And the texture of the soap bar, is that what you were looking for?

I am pleased.

Is that lavender flavour coming through enough for you?

There's plenty of lavender in there, Chef.

I don't get any lavender.

Is there a enough sugar in there?

Maybe I could add little bit more sugar.

-What are we supposed to do with the lip balm?

-Cut it and eat it, Chef.

That's not my cup of tea at all, I'm afraid.

The flavour of the curry leaf coming through,

is that strong enough?

I really liked it, Chef. I won't lie.

Lip balm I think is a killer, Chef.

I mean, I love these wild cooking techniques that

Stephen has been doing all week,

but you've got to be able to pull them off.

-A score out of ten, Stephen?

-Six, seven, eight.

Six, seven or eight?

Last to fight for his place in front of the judges is Adam with his

complicated selection of childhood favourites inspired by his mum.

Adam, you've still got a lot of work to do, yeah?

-It's coming together.

-Coming up soon?

-Yeah, it's coming together.

-Yeah?

I don't see much coming together.

Finished? It's over. We're done.

-How was it?

-All right.

-Love the idea of the box and the little poem.

The mango sauce was absolutely knockout.

Adam is racing to complete all his elements

and is mixing rhubarb sorbet through ice cream.

The danger here is you mix it too much

and it just goes to one big pink gloopy mess.

Pink colour.

He pipes Swiss meringue gems onto slices of sponge.

And spoons on quenelles of egg custard decorated with

poached rhubarb and mini meringues.

On go cubes of rhubarb jelly.

-How's it going, young Adam?

-Just finishing off now, Chef.

And finally, his rhubarb ripple ice cream.

-Dessert up.

-Yes, Chef.

-All done.

-Yes, Chef.

-Happy?

-Yeah.

-Guys, what do you think of how it looks?

-Beautiful.

-Beautiful.

-Nice colours. Chef, you can carry the plate.

-Thank you, Chef.

I'm not going to drop it.

-After you. Boys, enjoy it.

-Thank you very much.

-See you in a minute.

When he presented the plate, you know,

it didn't sort of scream at me WI centenary year banquet dish.

How does it feel in your mouth? Are you happy with that?

It's nice and smooth. It's a nice naughty ice cream.

That ice cream is knockout.

It's a little too sweet for me.

So the balance of all of those elements, they kind of work for you?

I think there's something missing, though,

bringing the whole dish together.

And then the crunchy meringues.

Crunchy, too crunchy? Chewy in the middle?

They still got a little softness in the middle.

They're not going to break your teeth.

I just think there's too much sponge on this plate.

For me, not enough jelly.

There's not enough acidity in this dish.

And then the egg custard.

The vanilla through that, can you taste it?

Yeah. And it just reminds me of custard.

-For me, this is a very, very sweet dish.

-It's too sweet for me.

And everything tastes the same.

I don't think Adam has done himself justice here.

I think this realistically is only going to be a six.

It didn't work for me.

So, the WI, they know all about their baking.

The sponge element, are you happy with that?

The only thing I'd change is, like, a thinner slice.

So you weren't happy with it?

No.

How do you think that went, then?

Yeah, I'm relieved that it's all done and dusted. But you can never tell.

It's up to Tom now. Yeah, we've all done what we can.

If I go home today, I'll be devastated.

I'll certainly never live it down at work and with the boss.

I think that goes for all of us, you know?

I definitely want a big score. I want to cook on Friday.

Phil, I'm going to start with you

and your dish,

Wi Jammin' At The Fete.

Overall, I thought it looked great.

Jam...

I thought was delicious.

The ice cream...

really did have a great puff pastry flavour coming through.

But...

The main element, the tart...

That was almost raw.

Stephen.

For your Thank You In A Box.

I thought the presentation was beautiful.

It felt very special.

When it came to the pass, it really did feel like a present.

I know that's what you were trying to achieve.

Eating this dish was an incredible experience.

The textures were exactly like eating soap

and shampoo and lip balm.

That did take skill.

But...

Unfortunately, the flavours were lacking.

I couldn't taste the lavender in the soap.

I wanted it all to be a little bit sweeter.

Adam.

For your dessert...

A Sweet Force To Be Reckoned With.

It was a lovely idea

representing all of those puddings from the your childhood.

The ice cream, it was a really good old-fashioned ice cream recipe.

Creamy and bold.

The level of acidity of the rhubarb for me

as well on that dish was fantastic.

But...

The sponge was dry.

That needs some work to get to the WI standard, that's for sure.

There were lots of tiny elements on the plate and all of them

seemed to get a little bit lost.

So... To the scores.

With a score of six,

securing them in a place cooking for the judges tomorrow is...

Phil. Congratulations, Chef.

I have to be honest, if you serve a raw cake mix or anything

close to that to the judges tomorrow, they will not be as generous as me.

Yeah.

So, two chefs left.

Adam, I'm giving you...

..a six.

Stephen, I'm giving you...

..a five.

Adam, you will be going through to cook for the judges tomorrow.

Congratulations. How do you feel?

-Yeah, relieved.

-That's it? LAUGHS:

-Yeah.

Stephen, I'm so sorry. You really did cook your heart and soul out.

Not a problem, Chef. Maybe next year.

Congratulations, guys. You go through to the judges tomorrow.

There was lots of ironing out to do.

But good luck, guys. And do Wales proud.

Thank you, Chef.

-Congrats, guys.

-Thank you very much.

-Cheers. Thank you.

I wish you all the best.

-Just remember to iron out the dishes.

-Yeah. Sharpish.

I'm really disappointed. But I worked with some of the best chefs.

And definitely they're going to make Wales proud.

Done it. Mission accomplished so far.

Going up against Adam one-on-one is going to be tough, you know,

but hopefully I'll go through.

Great to go home to Wales as the Welsh champion,

so I've got to get my A game on and get on it.