Northern Ireland Dessert Great British Menu

This week, three of Northern Ireland's finest chefs...

-BLEEP!

-Slippery wee devils, aren't they?

..returning champion Chris McGowan...

I have absolutely no aspirations to be your best friend this week.

..rising star Danni Barry...

Keep watching, Chris. You'll learn more.

..and ambitious newcomer Ben Arnold...

I've got to do it. I've got to pull it off.

..are going head-to-head for a chance

to cook at the centenary banquet of the Women's Institute

in London's historic Draper's Hall.

Yesterday's main course saw all three chefs score a strong eight.

For me, it's his best dish.

Really beefy and the sauce is really rich.

-That is cooked to perfection.

-Oh, beautiful as cheeks should be.

-Yeah.

Chris has a narrow lead

and is going all out with yet another elaborate dish.

I didn't come here to lose, you know?

In last place, Ben needs a top score today or he's going home.

I know I am trailing by two,

but I fully intend on being there tomorrow.

And Danni has decided playing it safe won't give her the edge.

Yeah, I've taken a few more risks, so yeah, I guess we'll see today.

But only two chefs will cook for the judges tomorrow.

It was never really going to be a banquet-worthy dish.

2015 sees the 100th anniversary of the Women's Institute.

And this year, the chefs are honouring them

for helping make British food world-class.

They've delved into the rich history of the organization...

The Queen Mother was our president.

..and been inspired by the women in their own families...

It's all about education, kind of, empowering women.

..taking classic home-cooking to new heights.

That's amazing!

-I think that's really interesting and unusual.

-Yes, I do.

Judging the chefs all week is two-Michelin star heavyweight

and former banquet winner Phil Howard.

The dessert course, a really important course.

The last opportunity for somebody to shine.

The fact of the matter is,

sadly, at the end of the day, somebody's going home.

It's going to be a hard day today. Pastry is so precise.

I mean, anything can happen. A lead can go just like that.

It's really all or nothing today.

And it's going to come down to the timing.

I've got to get my dish set, layered up and set.

I've only got one dish, so if it's not right, I haven't got a dessert.

As you know, in that kitchen, time is not your friend.

It's anyone's game.

First up is second-place Danni Barry.

She hasn't taken big risks this week,

but is hopeful an ambitious dessert will see her through

to the judge's chamber.

I feel my dessert is a strong dish.

If I can execute it properly in the time,

then it will be a strong finish.

-Morning, Chef.

-Hi, Danni. How are you?

All to do today.

I absolutely love a great pudding. Let's hear about it.

-What is the name of your dish?

-This dessert is Pretty In Pink.

And the inspiration behind this is my mum.

Mum's favourite dessert is a trifle.

To be honest, it's probably one of the only desserts she ever...made.

OK. So, tell me about it. What...what are you doing?

This is my take on mum's trifle.

Still got all the components you'd expect to find in a trifle?

All the layers, raspberry curd.

For the custard, I'll do...I'm going to use honey

and do like a honey parfait.

So...but set at room temperature, so it's a nice...

More of a mousse.

I'm assuming there's a jelly going to come in somewhere.

Yeah, we're going to do a champagne and hibiscus,

dried flowers to make a syrup and that's going to be the jelly.

OK. And where is this lot going?

So, I'm going to layer it all up,

set it freestanding with some pink chocolates and cocoa butter.

So, I'm going to temper these together

and make a solution that I can put into like a paint spray gun

-and coat the whole thing in a pale pink.

-OK.

The brief is all about inspiring women.

-She's a massive inspiration in my life.

-This must be mum.

Yeah, she's here. Recently she's...had a lot to deal with.

This dish is obviously very poignant for you.

Got lots of reason behind it.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how you bring it together.

Danni's dish, Pretty In Pink, is her take on a trifle.

She's taking an absolutely iconic

Women's Institute recipe

and bringing it up-to-date in a modern way

to give respect back to her mum.

I hope that that'll come through in the quality of the pudding.

Next up is ambitious newcomer

Ben Arnold who has remained in last place all week.

He knows that today's dessert is make or break.

Right now, this moment is all or nothing.

I've got to get through this. I know I've got to get to tomorrow.

And this dish has to do it.

-Hello, Ben.

-Hello, Chef.

-How are you?

-Good, thank you.

So, tell me, what's the name of your dish?

What are you doing? And tell me about it.

OK, so, Summer Fayre Of The County Trifle.

OK.

So, I'm making an old-fashioned classic summer fruit trifle

inspired by a summer cup drink.

So, I'm going to make a classic Swiss roll.

I'm going to align that with home-made raspberry jam.

My next layer will be the fruit

you would typically find in a summer cup.

So, we have oranges, lemons and of course, strawberries.

-Delicious.

-That's then followed by the actual summer cup jelly itself.

After that, we're going to make a classic creme patissiere.

We have a cucumber cream.

OK, so how are you going to go about making that?

I'm actually going to use a cucumber flavouring.

I can't imagine what a cucumber flavouring tastes like.

I mean, a cucumber is a super delicate thing,

but I look forward to trying it.

And to top it all off...

-honeycomb.

-Any nuts in there?

-No nuts.

-No nuts, OK.

-No nuts.

You say that as if you don't want nuts in there

-or you just forgot to bring any nuts?

-No, no. I'm not a big fan of nuts.

-That's fine. It's your dish, mate.

-It's my trifle.

Yeah, it's your trifle. You do as you wish.

It's all about the...eat.

You know, what's the texture like?

What's the balance of the booze to the sponge to the custard?

Erm, Danni, got two trifles, clearly.

Very different-sounding, in a way.

Yeah, Ben's sounds like a bit more traditional.

So, yeah, it will be interesting to see what that's like.

Ben's dish, Summer Fayre Of The County Trifle.

If Ben is going to take a trifle to a WI banquet,

he's got to absolutely make sure it measures up.

It'll go under huge scrutiny. It's got to be a cracking pudding.

Last up is returning Northern Irish champion Chris McGowan.

He has held his lead all week

despite losing points for unrefined dishes.

He knows that today the pressure is on.

That kitchen is hot, it's unpredictable.

I mean, it's...

Anything can happen in there.

I'm taking absolutely nothing for granted.

I'm throwing everything at my dessert

to get me over that winning line.

-Hi, Chris.

-Hi, Chef.

-How are you? You good?

Yeah, very good. I'm very good.

So, come on, let's hear about it.

What's the name of the dish? What's the inspiration?

Yeah, it's called WI Apple Day.

-OK.

-It's about the Bramley apple in particular.

The Armagh Bramley apple.

The first Bramley apple tree came across from Nottingham

and the same tree, the original tree,

-is still producing fruit to this day.

-Amazing thing.

So, it's, kind of, a homage to that

and also about what the tree symbolises to us all in nurturing,

reproducing fruit, roots, all that kind of stuff,

which are references to the WI as well.

OK, what else are we going to do with it?

I'm going to make an apple puree.

I'm making some vanilla ice cream.

I'm making a sponge and I'm going to spread that with blackberry jam,

-which is, kind of, synonymous with WI...

-Absolutely.

..making jams. And then roll...wrap that around the ice cream.

-OK.

-I'm going to make a blown sugar apple.

Technique well honed?

Yeah, over the last eight weeks,

I've been doing a lot of sugar apples, you know?

My twin girls have eaten a lot of sugar apples

-for the last eight weeks.

-THEY LAUGH

-So, multicomponent, Chris running around.

-Yes.

I hope not spreading your pastry talents too thin.

Chris' pudding, WI Apple Day,

yet again Chris is pulling out all the stops for this dish

to produce a refined, blown sugar apple

under the pressure in that kitchen is not an easy thing to do.

Pastry really requires exacting skills

in order to be top, top quality.

And he's yet to really demonstrate he's got that in this competition.

With just two chefs going through to cook for the judges tomorrow,

the atmosphere is tense as cooking gets underway.

The Great British Menu kitchen, as we all have found this week,

has very different effects on people, but do you know what?

I didn't come here to lose, you know?

We're both chasing Chris, Ben,

so how much would it mean to you to get there today?

You know, I've said all week how much I want to get there...

Erm, I know I'm trailing by two,

but, you know, I fully intend on being there tomorrow.

Danni and Ben are working on their very different takes on trifle.

In last place, Ben is keeping it classic.

He makes the raspberry jam for his Swiss roll base

before moving on to his creme patissiere.

You've obviously chosen a traditional trifle.

That's going to hit the brief straightaway.

For me, trifle was such a regular occurrence

whether it be my mother's table, my grandmother's table.

I felt that I had to bring it to the Great British Menu.

In comparison, Danni, who hasn't taken many risks this week,

is gambling on a contemporary twist to her mum's trifle.

Her Pretty In Pink dessert has a honey sponge and raspberry centre,

which she's encasing in layers of honey parfait and raspberry curd.

Every time I turn around, I see Ben doing custard,

I see Danni doing custard.

Yeah, it's definitely the battle of the trifle.

So it'll be interesting to see how that unfolds.

Yeah, I've taken a few more risks obviously

and tried to do modern stuff. So, yeah, I guess we'll see today.

Chris almost made it to the banquet with his dessert last year

and hopes to secure a place in front of the judges

with yet another elaborate dish.

Chris, has got loads to do again as well.

I mean, he's running around like a headless chicken.

You know I really hope he forgets something.

I've got to go.

Chris has been marked down this week for serving unpolished dishes.

As he works on his sponge roll

filled with home-made blackberry jam and vanilla ice cream,

Phil has some concerns.

-Are you in hand, Chris?

-I am now.

Just now that I get this done,

then I can just really concentrate on getting the apples right.

I really want to see some finesse with Chris.

I'm just not sure I'm going to get it.

I've just seen him doing his roll and it is just more clumsy, rushed,

rough-and-ready cooking.

Yeah, I'm very busy. I mean... Ha! That's an understatement.

That's an absolute understatement. I've got to blow the sugar yet.

I mean, the custard, doughnuts, powdered doughnuts.

So, yeah, full-on.

To research his dessert, Chris travelled to Richhill

in County Armagh, an area known as the Orchard of Ireland,

where the first Bramley apple tree in Northern Ireland was planted.

He met up with local fruit expert Hamilton Loney.

-Mainly Bramley apples in this area.

-Yeah.

Because of our colder climate, our apples take longer to grow.

-So the mature better.

-Yeah.

-So they have more flavour and taste.

-Richer, longer flavour?

-Yes, that's the big thing, yes.

Cos Bramleys have been growing here from the late 1800s.

To celebrate the prized local fruit,

the Richhill Women's Institute holds an apple tart competition

at the local harvest fair.

So Chris joined the group's president, Sybil McNally,

to get some inside information.

So, this is the judging now.

-This is a judging going on and taste every one.

-OK.

-Which is quite a big job.

-Yeah.

So, now just checking for the pastry below.

Make sure it's not soggy, apple content, how much apple is in it,

-all of that kind of stuff.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

Some of these are not just Women's Institute.

-Some of these are the general public as well?

-Oh, no. No.

They're definitely the general public.

If Women's Institute weren't to win it today...

-BOTH:

-Oh!

-Big blot on our copy book.

You'd have to sit and have a conversation about that.

-We'd have to have a meeting about that, yeah.

-Yeah, yeah.

After seeing the high competition's standards set by the WI,

Chris wanted Sybil's verdict on his Apple Day dessert.

I want your honest opinion, by the way. Yeah?

You'll get an honest opinion.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm absolutely petrified now.

Honestly. SHE LAUGHS

It's...

absolutely superb. Well done.

The flavour is just perfect.

I think you're ready for the banquet.

With the clock ticking,

Chris gets to work on the delicate blown apples

for his WI Apple Day dish.

It's a temperamental process and for any chance of success,

Chris needs a cool temperature.

-Has Chris done a runner, Ben?

-BEN CHUCKLES

Chris's only option is to work outside the heat of the kitchen.

Chris.

Chef.

Any regrets that you've decided to put a blown apple

-on your dessert or are you...?

-Should things go wrong.

You always regret when things go wrong,

but I mean, I just want to...to test myself with things like that.

I've just hit that, so that's gone wrong. So...

-If you put this on a dessert, it's going to be eaten.

-Yes.

-It's obviously got to be fine.

-Yes.

So, one down, several to go.

-Yeah.

-Make sure they are nice and fine.

-I will do, Chef.

-Looking forward to it.

Second-place Danni's also got problems.

-Is it set?

-No.

Her trifles must be frozen before she can spray them

with the vital pink chocolate coating.

Massively worried about the dessert at the minute. Time's running out.

I need it frozen and then spray it

and then bring it back to room temperature,

so it was, you know, like a mousse consistency, like a trifle.

Put myself under a lot of pressure with this one.

Danni must push on as she's first to plate up today.

She checks her champagne hibiscus jelly

before preparing her hibiscus tuille garnish.

The first time in this competition I see a little look of worry

in your eyes as you went flitting past me there.

-Yeah, I'm worried. I'm worried now.

-What's happening?

Just, I guess, the timing to try and freeze the trifles

has been a wee bit ambitious, maybe.

It's not set at the minute,

so I'm not going to be able to get that out of the mould and spray it.

Just seen Danni. Clearly something going very wrong with her trifle.

I know this means a huge amount to her,

so I hope she can rescue it in time.

How far away are you from painting?

How far away are we from Belfast, Ben?

-That's how far away I am.

-BEN LAUGHS

A long, long way.

Last-place Ben must produce a perfect dish today

or he is going home.

Doing a more traditional take on trifle,

he tops his Swiss roll base with a fruit compote,

a fruit cup flavoured jelly,

then leaves it to set.

But the creme patissiere he made earlier has split.

He must start again from scratch.

-Come the

-BLEEP

-on.

Creme pat not made yet?

I made one already and wasn't happy with it, so I threw it out.

-Important part of the dish.

-Yeah.

-The creme pat is the heart and soul.

-Yeah.

-OK, let's have it right.

-OK.

Ben's making his creme pat for the second time. That's just basics.

That sort of thing just shouldn't go wrong.

Outside the kitchen,

Chris is having a nightmare trying to perfect his blown sugar apples.

Oh, Chris. Come on, mate. Come on, come on, come on.

So far, he doesn't have any good enough to use in his finished dish.

But it's Danni who's first to plate up

with a tribute to her mum's trifle Pretty In Pink

and her raspberry and honey parfait layers still aren't frozen enough

to take being sprayed with warm pink chocolate.

What's happened?

So, I wanted to get it to freeze, to set, so I could spray it.

Danni's strategy to take risks today in order to win

is now looking shaky.

She's miscalculated her timings.

If I chose to go ahead with the spray, we could be here all day.

I've been too ambitious.

With her time up,

Danni takes the decision to plate up her trifles

without their pink chocolate coating.

She serves them dusted with hibiscus powder on cake stands.

Decorated with hibiscus tuille, hibiscus champagne jelly cubes

and edible flowers.

Danni, is this how you wanted it?

No, no. Not at all. No.

-You disappointed?

-Yeah, massively. Yeah.

Let's go and try it.

Danni, what happened?

Yeah, time just got away.

This dish is 100 miles away from what it was supposed to be,

so yeah, disaster.

-I'm not so sure if it looks like a trifle, but...

-Yeah.

-I don't think I would get the brief just by looking at it.

-No. No.

Pretty In Pink, is it a clear story on a plate?

I... In this form, absolutely not.

I don't think it's pretty or I don't think it's pink.

I was expecting to see it, you know, sprayed in chocolate.

Is this a trifle?

No, it's a trifle short of a trifle, I think, Chef.

-Packs a punch, doesn't it?

-Yeah, flavour is lovely.

-Yeah.

The jelly, are you content with the champagne in there?

-And the role it is playing?

-Yeah.

I love the jelly. Wow!

The honey in the dish, does it work?

Yeah, for the WI and the Save The Bees campaign,

honey is very important and it's, you know,

it's very synonymous with the WI.

-You get the sponge.

-Yeah.

-You get the fruit.

-Yeah.

-You get the custard. Yeah, totally reminds me of a trifle.

-Yeah.

I could eat all of that.

-Shall we?

-Yeah, why not? I would. Yeah.

Did you not think, perhaps, it would be worth sacrificing

being a bit late on the pass

to get the final coat of pink spray on there?

Had I done that, I mean, I would have been,

maybe 15, 20 minutes late.

The other guys are in there.

It wouldn't really be fair to everybody else.

-You are competing to win.

-Yeah, I know.

-A mark.

-Oh...

Four.

-She's going to be upset with this.

-Yeah.

But I think she should pat herself on the back.

-That was a hard one to pull off and she was almost there.

-Yeah.

I think it's got me a little worried, yeah.

-I'm still two behind, so you know, we'll see what happens.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-Hi, Ben.

-How are you? You all right?

No, not great, not great, but there you go.

Give us a cuddle. You're all right.

-How are you getting on?

-You're grand, you're grand.

-Listen, you know...

-You're grand?

After many failed attempts,

Chris finally has enough blown sugar apples for his dish.

Desperate to keep his lead

and get through to the judges' chamber tomorrow,

he's next to plate up his dessert, WI Apple Day.

-You happy? You ready?

-Ish. Happy-ish. You know what I mean?

Chris leaves his deep-fried brioche doughnuts to cool.

Then his surprise presentation arrives in the kitchen.

To represent an orchard scene on his plate,

Chris starts with apple custard

followed by candied nuts and blackberries.

He garnishes with apple puree, apple cubes and sorrel leaves.

Next, he must fill his delicate blown sugar apples

with apple custard.

They must be perfect.

With just one spare left, he gets it right.

Finally, Chris serves his blackberry jam

and ice cream Armagh sponge roll,

custard filled apples and doughnuts with apple custard centres.

-What have you called the dish?

-It is called WI Apple Day.

WI Apple Day. Is WI Apple Day as you wanted it?

Would have liked more time, but, yeah.

Talk me through the presentation, Chris.

The apple tree up epitomises family, roots, nurturing.

I just see a tree...with apples on it in a box.

Where's the inside? Where is the custard?

-There's no custard in this.

-No.

Was it supposed to be full or just more?

Not full, a little bit, Chef.

Just so when they got in, there was a little on the bottom.

That's obviously not a hit with you, Ben.

Pulled sugar, blown sugar, you know, that's a lot of skill.

He just hasn't nailed it.

For the Armagh roll, is that delivering?

The flavour is good on it, on the ice cream

and the jam is definitely there.

The ice cream is not ice cream.

No, that's a shame. He hasn't had enough time to chill that properly.

The doughnut, as light as you'd hoped?

It could be...it could have been lighter, I suppose.

I could eat a whole plate of them.

Let's have a mark out of ten.

Probably a six, Chef.

I give him a five.

-How are you doing, Chris?

-Yeah, OK, guys.

The components, I was relatively happy with, but I just...

I would have liked to have got more apple into the apple.

-Yeah. Phil giving anything away?

-No.

As always.

Ben is up next with his Summer Fayre Of The County Trifle.

In last place, he needs a top score

or he is out of the competition.

You OK, Ben? Do you want a hand with anything?

No, I'm good. I'm good today.

Ben whips up a mix of sugar, eggs and cream

and flavours with his controversial cucumber essence.

You look much calmer today, Ben, anyway.

-I don't feel 100% calm, but...

-HE CHUCKLES

He pipes his newly-made creme patissiere

over the top of his trifle and finishes with cucumber cream...

Is that your mum's trifle dish, Ben?

This is my mama's trifle dish.

It looks phenomenal, Ben.

I'll be happy when it's in front of the Chef.

..followed by crumbled honeycomb.

Finally, Ben serves the jug of summer cup punch

to complete his County Fayre presentation.

I thought you were going to drop it there, Ben.

If I had dropped that, Chef...

Obviously, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Yes, Chef.

-Wow.

-Puts a smile on your face, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

It definitely has got the wow-factor.

Ben, what is your first impression of your trifle?

The texture looks right, the jelly looks,

you know, it's nice and clear.

Age before beauty and all that.

-What happened to ladies first?

-Well, there is that as well.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Cucumber. Is that pleasant?

I think it's pleasant. I think it's quite refreshing.

I think it brings a slightly different dimension

to the traditional trifle.

If I wasn't told it was cucumber, I'm not sure I would get it.

I think the honeycomb has mixed with the cream a bit.

-You get almost like a toffee flavour off it.

-Yeah, you do, yeah. Yeah.

Has that dish got potential to go all the way to the banquet?

You look at it, you go, "It's a trifle,"

but it's a great trifle.

I like your confidence. Let's have a mark out of ten.

I'm going to go in there and give it a nine, Chef.

OK.

Ten?

Do you know what? It wouldn't surprise me, yeah.

Have you done enough to rescue your situation?

I think I've done enough to at least draw level.

This certainly, you know, might be my ticket home.

Oh, I don't know. What he's come out with is a showstopper

and so, I think we're all in danger.

Well, guys, dessert done.

What do you think Phil thought?

I think you loved it. He cleaned the bowl, licking his spoon.

Yeah, I would've eaten the whole bowl myself and then some.

You nailed that one. And fair play to you, you know?

He doesn't need to tell me that's not good enough.

I can tell that's not good enough.

I don't think any of us are safe.

I really, really honestly believe that.

Yeah, I'm worried.

I'm worried.

I'm worried.

-Hello, Chefs.

-ALL: Hi, Chef.

I going to start with you, Danni.

With your Pretty In Pink

of raspberry, rose and hibiscus layered dessert.

I really like that your dish

was basically your mum's favourite - trifle.

Honouring your mum is a really lovely idea,

something we should all do a bit more of, I think.

Hibiscus jelly was delicious. Really loved it.

But as we know, your dish was incomplete.

I think you could've taken some more champagne

to cut through the richness.

And overall, even if you had completed the dish,

yes, it would have been pretty and better,

but it was never going to be a banquet-worthy dish.

Chris, for your WI Apple Day

Armagh roll, apple doughnut

and blown sugar apples...

I thought you had a dish that absolutely nailed the brief.

I was worried about the blown sugar apples,

but I thought they brought an element of entertainment

and have got great potential to be impressive at a banquet.

Unfortunately, the Armagh roll was a bit rough-and-ready,

the ice cream had melted.

Ben, for your Summer Fayre Of County Trifle,

I was a bit worried about the cucumber essence,

but the way you used it, it was fair call. I liked the cream.

You hit the brief, told a story.

For me, the honeycomb was too dark and bitter

and personally, I actually think the dish would be better

with the classic toasted nuts.

So, onto the scores.

With a score of seven for their dessert,

giving them the highest score across the week...

-..is Chris.

-Thank you very much.

-Some great theatrical, fun food right across the week.

-Yeah.

-Got to be some more finesse.

-Yeah.

-But well done.

-Thank you.

Danni, for your Pretty In Pink...

I'm going to give you...

..a score...

..of five.

Ben...

..your Summer Fayre Of The County Trifle...

..I'm going to give you...

..a score of nine points.

That means, Ben,

you'll be cooking again tomorrow.

This is not a word I use often,

but it was fabulous.

You had to pull one out of the bag with the dessert, that's for sure.

Danni, I'm sorry.

Yeah, today wasn't...wasn't the day to drop the ball at all.

-But I'm sure your mum would be very proud of you.

-Yes, she would.

Chefs, back in the ring tomorrow.

Yeah.

One of you go through to the final

and we'll see one of those dishes at the banquet.

-Thank you, Chef.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you. Thank you.

So, Ben and Chris will cook for the judges tomorrow,

but Danni is heading home.

You know, I've cooked with my heart all week, so...

yeah, I'm gutted.

I think you've cooked some fantastic food this week.

No, I mean, I think we should all be proud, you know?

It is tough in here.

I'm elated. You know what I mean?

I'm through to the judges' chamber. It's...

I'm just over the moon. I've given it everything this week.

Just pulled it out of the fire, mate, you know what I mean?

-With your bare hands on that dessert. Really.

-Yeah.

I've been behind all week. I had to make a cracking dish.

Had to make a cracking trifle and I did it.