Northern Ireland Judging Great British Menu

It's decision day

as last year's Northern Irish champion Chris McGowan...

I might be fast, but you're furious.

..battles it out with ambitious newcomer Ben Arnold...

This week has definitely helped me show how determined I am.

..to represent Northern Ireland in the national finals.

-Are you planning to go one better?

-I'd love to.

I'd rather you didn't, mate.

Ba-pow!

The ultimate prize -

to get a dish on the menu of the Women's Institute Centenary Banquet

at London's Drapers' Hall.

Ensuring their dishes reach the exacting standards of the WI

is a guest judge,

award-winning food writer Felicity Cloake.

The WI recipes that I have tried are always perfect,

so no pressure.

Chris narrowly missed out on last year's banquet

and is determined to go all the way this time.

It's going to be another cliff-hanger.

But he may have met his match in newcomer Ben Arnold.

Are you saying you're worried about me then, Chris?

I am worried about you.

Only the best chef will make it through to the next stage.

You know, we have eaten today two of the finest dishes

that we have eaten in any competition.

The winner is...

Ben trailed Chris all week,

but getting the highest score for desserts saw him through.

He's determined to overthrow the reigning regional champ.

There's no second place. It's all or nothing.

I've got to go in there. This is a battle at the end of the day.

I've got to win this battle.

-Well, Ben. Listen, good luck, mate.

-Good luck, Chef.

Chris maintained his lead all week

and having cooked for the judges before,

he's also got his eyes on the ultimate prize.

I haven't come here to go home today.

You know what I mean? I have ran around that kitchen

like an absolute lunatic over the last week.

I've come here to win.

But he knows he faces a tough contest today.

I thought you absolutely nailed the brief on a lot of areas for me.

Are you saying you're worried about me then, Chris?

I am. It's going to be another cliff-hanger.

-It's going to be a fight.

-Well, I wouldn't say fight.

You're a lot taller than me, you know what I mean?

Anyway, I might be fast, but you're furious.

-Ba-pow!

-Do you know what I mean?

Judges Prue Leith, Oliver Peyton and Matthew Fort

are scrutinising the chefs' menus.

Chris reached the finals last year,

and I was surprised he didn't make it to the banquet,

so I think he's going to be completely focused this time.

Well, he has certainly tried hard on his titles -

Pie-oneers and Pickles.

Well, I'd be very interested to see how that turns out,

but I'm also really interested in Ben.

He's got a terrific reputation, as you know, in Northern Ireland,

and I think he'll push Chris all the way today.

-How are you feeling?

-I'm really happy to be here,

but whatever's happened this week has happened -

it's all about today.

So, chefs, a tough week?

A really tough week, yeah, I found it especially hard.

This kitchen is a rollercoaster. Different emotions.

I know Phil Howard is a very hard task master

but I didn't see any nines or tens from you.

It maybe just lost the edge on the finesse.

He brought it up a couple of times during the week

so hopefully I can we redress the balance today.

-PRUE:

-I'm looking to know who their inspiration is.

-Ben?

-My mum. You know, grew up with great home cooking.

Yeah, and me, my mother again.

Chris, if I was you,

I would not want to turn up at your mother's doorstep

with fives and sixes for this competition.

It's nines and tens, all right?

Oliver, I won't be going home unless I get nines and tens.

There's nowhere for me to go.

Ben's first to plate up his starter

which scored him just six points in the week.

Inspired by his mum who grew up on a farm,

it's a spin on a ploughman's lunch

with rabbit rillete, apricot chutney, a quail scotch egg

and traditional Irish wheaten bread

made to Ben's mum's exact recipe.

The bread was a little bit heavy, yeah?

-Have you done anything about that?

-Yeah, you know what?

I did the only thing I thought I could -

I phoned my mum last night.

She said, "Higher temperature, Ben, higher temperature.

"That's why it's not come out in a good colour.

"That's why it's a wee bit heavy. Get it risen."

I was going, "Oh, you know this, you know that..."

And she was going, "Listen to what I'm saying."

Only mums can tell you it like that. Brilliant.

The chefs will also be marked by a guest judge

who knows the standards the WI will expect.

Felicity Cloake is an award-winning food writer

and strong advocate of the Women's Institute's pioneering recipes.

-Felicity, welcome.

-Thank you very much.

-Come and meet the judges, Prue, Matthew.

-Hi, Felicity.

Hello, hello.

So, Felicity, this is a very important competition.

It is indeed. The WI, tough judges.

You're obviously a very keen cook

besides a professional journalist testing recipes.

Would you say the WI recipes are reliable?

What's so special about them?

They tend to be quite straightforward.

Sometimes you can update them,

maybe put a little bit more spice or something in there,

but the foundations are always there.

They always work perfectly.

I think what we want here is the spirit of the WI,

the traditions of the WI.

What are you looking for?

I suppose I'm looking for my mum's cooking, really.

Great home-cooked food

but in a slightly special, sort of, banquet presentation.

In the kitchen, Ben brings out his mini wheaten bread loaves.

That's a better bread.

Much better.

Completing his starter,

he pipes his blue cheese spread into mini pots

and spoons rabbit rillette into jars

topping with apricot chutney and baby watercress.

He gives his mum's bread a final check.

-Am I allowed to try the bread?

-No.

-OK.

OK.

And along with his quail scotch eggs,

it's all presented in old-fashioned tin lunchboxes.

There we go.

-Well done, young man.

-Thanks.

-Well done, yeah?

-Whoo! One down.

I think this box sets the right tone.

Well, I hope what's in them is as good.

JUDGES: Ooh!

Six for your starter at the start of the week.

Is that better than a six?

I think it's better than a six today.

Yeah. Yeah, it looked great going out.

Lovely-looking wheaten bread here.

-MATTHEW:

-Have you ever made one?

-FELICITY:

-I have. It came out quite solid,

so I'm hoping for a slightly lighter result from today's.

The scotch egg is lovely.

The rabbit rillette is delicious.

That blue cheese spread, deeply unpleasant.

Yes, the last bit as you empty the jar

must have been the most unpleasant bit, right?

As you know, I believe in forensic analysis.

So hopefully you do your mum's bread justice then, Ben, yeah?

Hopefully. Hopefully, yeah.

-Why didn't you eat all your bread?

-I'll tell you why. Watch. Watch.

-He ran out of disgusting blue cheese.

-That thing...

You could anchor a small cruiser in the middle of the Thames on that.

-FELICITY:

-I disagree, I think it's a fantastic example of wheaten bread.

OK, it's not the lightest thing that I've ever tasted,

but that's what wheaten bread is and I'm glad that he hasn't changed it

and made into some sort of brioche.

Chris is up next with his mum-inspired starter -

Shall I Be Mother?

A retro take on an afternoon tea with many elements.

It was marked down in the week.

So Phil talked about finesse on some of your plates and the lack thereof.

Do you think this is going to have it?

I didn't think he said 'lack',

he just said that it needs a little bit more finesse.

I think that was a bit harsh, Ben. Do you know what I mean?

Chris also lost points for not plating up his rabbit sausage roll

and can't afford to make that mistake today.

Are you going to make sure you have your sausage roll up?

The first time around, you weren't happy with the pastry.

If it's good enough, it'll go on there.

Chris' orange, cardamom and fennel teabags go into a teapot

which he fills with rabbit broth.

He starts his soup bowls

with celeriac, rabbit loin and pickled girolles

Ben serves his savoury carrot muffins

with sweet buttercream icing.

Next, rabbit liver toasties and mushroom vol-au-vents...

..with slices of rabbit sausage roll...

..all served on a special retro trolley.

You happy with that, Chef?

Yeah, I mean, I was happier than I was the first time around.

# Rollin', rollin', rollin'... #

High tea as a first course?

It's a very busy number, isn't it?

-Do you maybe think there was too much on the plate?

-I don't think so.

The thing is, the whole thing about afternoon tea for me is

you don't have to eat everything.

-A bit of this, it bit of that.

-Exactly.

I love the rich deep flavour of the broth...

and the way that the spices are quite subtle,

he hasn't overwhelmed the rabbit.

I mean, it's wild rabbit, so it's got a nice punch of flavour there.

I've just had a bite of the toasty

and, honestly, it's pretty horrible.

I disagree with you.

I really like it. I do.

-FELICITY:

-There's a definite soggy bottom going on

in the sausage roll that I had,

which is a mistake you can't afford to be making with the WI.

-BEN:

-Chris, your sausage roll, was it good enough this time?

Yeah, I'm really happy with it, mate.

-PRUE:

-You know what? I quite like soggy-bottom pastry. It's...

And the sausage in the middle is delicious.

There's too many things going on,

you're bound to make mistakes and he has made mistakes.

The trouble is we can't agree on

what's a mistake and what's a pleasure.

Next, it's the fish course,

and Ben is first to plate up Mrs Skillen's Fish Soup,

a dish inspired by his late grandmother.

In the week, it ended in disaster

with Ben forgetting to plate up key elements

and veteran Phil scored him just five points.

Ben knows today there is no room for error.

So you're putting your smoked cod on the dish this time?

You left it off last time. Does that deliver it?

I made an error - it was supposed to be there the whole time.

It's going to be there this time.

He starts his plate with sea vegetables,

followed by poached lobster, smoked cod, brill

and razor clams cooked in white wine.

-Are you going to be on time, Ben?

-Final touches. Few herbs to go.

In the week, Ben struggled to fill his serving flasks

with the chowder veloute sauce.

-You've changed your sauce on your fish, yeah?

-It was far too thick.

I couldn't get it in the jars. It was a disaster.

-SHE WHISPERS:

-Lovely.

-My book is hot.

-Could be a reason for that.

-A-ha!

-Happy with that, Ben?

-I'm happy with that, Chris.

It was so much better than last time for me.

-MATTHEW:

-Mrs Skillen's Secret Fish Soup.

Ben's grandmother and you look at that... You know...

-She looks a formidable woman.

-Mm.

I've made a shellfish reduction

using the crab shells, the lobster shells.

Everything I put on that plate today was how I wanted.

Everything was better.

The veloute tastes...just so powerfully of good fish stock

and a little bit of crab.

It's lovely.

And it's very WI, I think. It's a kind of... It's warming...

-Classic.

-..it's homely, yeah.

The only negative was the razor clam was a little bit tough.

I think everything else...

And the sauce maybe slightly thick, but you've correct that.

I made a point to make that razor clam tender.

-MATTHEW:

-Razor clam...

A little bit chewy but the flavours are good.

The fish is very good quality, it's perfectly cooked for me.

It shows we have a very, very skilful chef in the kitchen.

Chris' fish course is another tribute to his mum.

Imelda's Fish And Milk is a childhood dish

he's elevated with turbot and langoustine

served with buttermilk gnocchi.

It scored strongly in the week.

Obviously, you got an eight for this dish.

Do you think it's going to make a second eight?

Today it's about... It's about stepping it up,

it's about trying to get that elusive nine or ten.

Chris starts his plate with Jerusalem artichoke puree

and buttermilk gnocchi,

followed by sea aster and purslane.

Next, turbot poached in buttermilk and fennel seed,

langoustine and jugs of langoustine sauce.

Chris completes his presentation

honouring the WI's horticultural history

with a garnish of living wild herbs

and atomisers filled with lemon and fennel dressing.

That looked even better than your last one, Chris.

PRUE LAUGHS

Gnocchi...

Oh, we have to cut our own herbs from the window box.

It was a really beautiful plate of food,

but the atomiser really, really...

-Lifts it.

-Lifts it, yeah.

What are you supposed to do with this?

I think you spray everything.

Shall we spray on your hair? Would you like some behind the ear?

-THEY LAUGH

-Sprayed it on...

-Well, there you go.

No, listen, my favourite food, I mean,

I like almost anything with citrusy, sort of, sharp herbs on it,

and you can't fail with langoustine and turbot.

You're wrong.

It definitely has the wow factor,

but, you know, hopefully so does mine.

Hopefully mine will pip you to the post.

The real stinker on this dish is the gnocchi

because.... Quite simply dreadful.

They're just, sort of, very gloopy,

and there's buttermilk in the middle.

I love buttermilk, but this doesn't work here.

If it wasn't for the gnocchi,

I would say this was almost a perfect dish.

The langoustine stock is so intense

that it's almost impossible to taste anything against it.

There's no way I can see a dish like this at the banquet.

At the halfway point, the chefs work on their main courses

as the judges discuss the scores so far.

There was a tremendous amount of effort,

-particularly in the first courses.

-Too much effort.

Too many elements that didn't actually knit together very well.

-FELICITY:

-They both made some silly mistakes

and they both produced some great food,

so, for me, it's not clear cut at the moment.

Well, I actually have Ben a little bit ahead,

but I do think that Chris, with the quality we know he can do,

has got to come back.

Chris is up first with his main course,

Pie-oneers and Pickles.

Another dish that scored him eight in the week.

It features an ox tongue and cheek pie

with three chutneys to pay homage to WI competitions.

So what do you reckon? Level pegging or has one of us taken the lead?

I'll tell you what I've learnt in this process -

never try and second-guess the judges, Ben.

Chris hopes his competition pickles and home-made rough-puff pie pastry

will impress the judges...

..particularly guest judge Felicity,

a passionate promoter of the Women's Institute's foolproof recipes.

-Hi, guys.

-Hi.

-Hi, how are you doing?

I am completely obsessed with

finding the perfect version of classic British dishes

and, not to scare you, but the WI recipes that I've tried -

and I've tried a lot -

are always completely perfect, so no pressure.

Can you give us any inside info

in what's happening in the judges chamber?

We had some very high scores and we had a few slightly lower scores.

I think the difficulty for you guys is, of course, that,

you know, the WI is all about home cooking

and, you know, simple, honest food.

It's hard to take a Women's Institute dish

and not just elevate it, but elevate it to banquet style.

You know, it has to be even more impressive.

And those ladies, they are harsh critics.

But I've got high hopes for this afternoon

that we're going to get some tens on the main courses and desserts.

-So good luck.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much. Very nice to meet you.

Chris brings out his ox tongue and cheek pie.

Next, he fills his jars with piccalilli, lady's relish

and pioneer's pickle.

During the week, a couple times,

-Phil mentioned a bit more finesse on the plates.

-Yeah.

Let me just check your... Check your pickles there.

I don't know, Chris.

-It's the size of that floret small enough?

-Yeah. I think so.

Chris fills his pots

with buttered kale and honey-roast root vegetables

and serves his baked champ and kidney sauce.

Finally, his pickles are ready for judging with WI-inspired rosettes.

Impressive, mate.

-Phew.

-Tell you what...

-..if that doesn't get a ten...

-That's a feast.

Yeah, that's amazing.

I'm worried about that.

For sure.

-Ooh, lovely.

-That is a thing of beauty.

That is a thing of beauty.

-Oh!

-Ah.

-I love the drama of it. It's fantastic.

-Oh!

-Wow.

-Oh, wow.

-What about that?

MATTHEW LAUGHS Thank you.

Pickle? These are three pickle pots. You choose.

I'm going to have them all.

-Did you make any mistakes today?

-I'm not sure.

You know, when you stand back and kind of reflect,

you might see something that, "Oh, I shouldn't have done that."

That pie and that kidney sauce are a completely dream combination of food.

It is... It tastes as good as it looks.

And the tongue is actually...

Cos it's not overcooked, it's not undercooked,

it's just that beautiful firmness of tongue.

-FELICITY:

-I could eat the pie with the gravy on its own frankly,

but adding the pickles to it,

cutting through that really rich, savoury meatiness.

Just really, really great cooking.

I'm sorry to be really annoying, but I need some more of that pie.

THEY LAUGH Oh, more!

-Do you know what? If I was Ben and I see this coming out...

-I'd leave!

..I would be slightly concerned.

Have you got anything else to give, Ben?

Only every last ounce of love and soul

and every bit of energy I've got left.

I would give first prize to the piccalilli.

I'd give first prize to the kidney sauce.

THEY LAUGH

-I think the whole lot deserve a first.

-Mm.

There's a lot of high-profile talented chefs

that haven't even got to a Friday, you know?

Are you planning to go one better?

I've got to be honest, I'd love to.

Yeah, you know, I'd love to be honest as well, Ben,

and I'd rather you didn't, mate.

Chris cooked stronger than what he cooked at the start of the week.

I am worried about him.

Ben's main course, Lamb Revolution,

features three cuts of lamb to fit all budgets.

Best end, lamb shoulder shepherd's pie

and sweetbreads.

This is the dish that finally put Ben into the running

to get through to today.

Over the course of the week,

my third and fourth dish were my strongest dishes

and I think I can improve on them.

Under pressure to execute his main course to perfection,

Ben starts his plate with carrot and cardamom puree

followed by rainbow chard and heritage carrots.

Next, lamb cutlets, lamb sauce and deep-fried lamb sweetbreads.

Lastly, pots of home-made mint jelly

and individual shepherd's pies sit on boards

featuring the Women's Institute of Northern Ireland's anthem.

BEN SIGHS

Er, yeah, good that... Glad that's gone.

-Get it out.

-Yeah.

After the drama of Chris' dish,

this is a more restrained number, is how I would describe it.

It's like being faced with an amateur production in a country town

after a production at a great theatre.

I think it's a very fine piece of lamb,

it's got a really good sweet flavour.

-FELICITY:

-I have to say that I spent a long time

working on the perfect shepherd's pie,

and I must admit, I need to go back to the recipe

because this is the perfect shepherd's pie.

-MATTHEW:

-I think the potato on top, it's a bit, sort of, heavy.

Phil said that he thought that the sweetbread was a little bit lost.

The sweetbread really helps tell the story of my dish, you know,

of this Lamb Revolution, lamb for all budgets.

Without it, there's no point putting the plate up.

-The sweetbread is good.

-Mm.

The carrot puree is absolutely delicious.

It's got something in it and I think it's cardamom.

On reflection, on eating this,

gosh, there's a lot to like about it.

Phil expressed a little concern with your sauce.

It didn't have the lamb flavour that he was kind of looking for,

it was a bit winey, I think he said.

I think it's much better today.

Mm, really great gravy.

It is just lacking the drama, but it's very good cooking.

Chris is up for his dessert, WI Apple Day,

another complex dish that was marked down by veteran Phil Howard

for a general lack of refinement.

He gave it a seven.

Chris has had to leave the heat of the kitchen

to work on his delicate blown apples,

a temperamental technique requiring a cool room

that he struggled to perfect in the week.

-Thought you'd done a runner on me.

-Done a runner to the pub.

Yeah, you know what I mean?

I'm trying to allocate as much time as I physically can

to trying to produce something that I'm proud of today.

Chris starts his plate with apple curd

followed by apple custard

and Armagh roll filled with blackberry jam and ice cream.

Next, apple puree, apple cubes and wood sorrel.

Chris carefully fills his delicate blown-sugar apples

and brioche doughnuts

with more apple custard.

The finishing touch is his apple tree presentation.

Oh, sorry, sorry. Come back, ladies.

But Chris has forgotten his candied nuts and blackberries.

Off you go, ladies.

Well done.

-Oh, my favourite thing.

-Armagh roll.

I really think that it's very, very enticing.

It seems a shame almost to smash this apple it's so beautiful.

-Oh!

-MATTHEW:

-And a lot of work has gone into it.

And, obviously, you almost forgot to put your nuts on the plate.

I nearly forgot my blackberries and my candied hazelnuts.

Thankfully, the sixth sense inside just went,

"Something's not right there."

I really love the nuts.

I think nuts, in a way, are an unsung hero in this.

-FELICITY:

-The apple puree, I think is absolutely fantastic,

really nice and sharp.

You know, there's a lot of skill involved here.

The Armagh roll is a bit of a disappointment.

It just needs to be a much lighter cake.

I think Chris' idea here is very, very strong.

Yes, I think the idea is better than the execution.

Ben's dessert is a take on a classic trifle

with a raspberry jam and Swiss roll base,

a layer of summer fruit compote topped with summer cup jelly,

creme patissiere, cucumber cream and honeycomb.

It was the highest-scoring dish across the whole week with a nine.

Hoping the layers are perfectly set, Ben brings out his trifle.

Are you confident that this will get you another blinding score?

-I've done all I can, Chris.

-Yeah.

He pipes his cucumber cream over the top of his creme patissiere.

I'm looking at it now and it's got me worried.

Ben finishes with crushed honeycomb.

And finally, serves his trifle with a jug of summer cup punch.

Thank you.

BEN LAUGHS

-Whoa...

-Ooh, yum, yum.

Look at this. It wobbles so beautifully.

It is the most beautiful thing that I've seen all day

and that includes the pie.

-MATTHEW:

-Cheers, chaps, what a great day.

-FELICITY:

-To the WI.

-MATTHEW:

-To the WI.

Have you found anything out about yourself this week, Ben?

-How nice a guy you are?

-I'm a cracker.

-Are you really a cracker?

-BEN LAUGHS

Really love the sponge. I love that jelly.

There's a balance of textures, there's a balance of flavours.

-FELICITY:

-Trifle is my favourite food in the entire world.

You know, my last meal would certainly contain trifle.

-Shall we pass it up to her?

-And...

-THEY LAUGH

-MATTHEW:

-Don't let her anywhere near it.

-FELICITY:

-With that big spoon as well, please.

-BEN:

-This week has definitely helped me show

-how determined I am, you know?

-Yeah.

I knew I was behind, I said to myself before coming into this,

"You've got to get to Friday. That's your first goal.

-"You know, going out is not an option."

-Yeah.

-I came back, and I did it.

-Yeah.

-PRUE:

-I do think that the honeycomb is a little bit too bitter,

-but it's still...

-Stop it.

-..a beautiful trifle,

and it gets a nine.

I would like to see that trifle and that pie at the banquet.

So are you giving us a score?

It's very obviously a ten, Prue.

It's a rollercoaster, there's no doubt about it.

It's so emotional, because we put

our hearts and souls into that today.

None of their four dishes in the morning

-were really...banquet dishes, were they?

-No.

It feels really, really close now.

One of the hardest things, you know, I've had to do.

You rise to the challenge, makes you a better chef,

makes you a better person, I think.

Chris' pie, I will never forget.

That pie, that really came out of love,

and the trifle, again, inspired cooking.

And I really don't want one of them to go home.

Welcome, chefs.

How has it been out there?

Erm... Highs and lows.

Erm, but, you know, it's all down to this moment.

This is true.

Chris, this is your second time here.

Do you think you've done enough to nick it?

I hope so. You know what I mean? I put so much into it.

I just gave absolutely everything.

Well, we have eaten today two of the finest dishes

that we have eaten in any competition.

And the winner is...

-..Ben. Congratulations.

-Wow.

-Ben...

-BEN LAUGHS

Legend.

Well done, mate. Well done.

How do you feel?

Wow.

Unbelievable.

Chris, we are genuinely sorry.

Yeah, if I was going to lose,

I would like to lose to somebody that gave as much as I gave

and he did that.

I think he's a worthy winner today.

Ben, I loved your trifle.

I gave it a ten.

-FELICITY:

-It was a 10 from me as well.

If I could die after eating that dish, I would die happy.

THEY LAUGH

Chris, that pie was completely, utterly fabulous.

A first time ever in the Great British Menu

we had seconds and we had thirds.

I gave it a 10.

Well, congratulations, Ben.

Chris, I really, really hope we see you here again

because I so want to try that pie again.

THEY LAUGH

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Benzo, you did it.

You know, I came here to win and, unfortunately, I didn't.

That's the way it goes sometimes, you know?

Hi, mum. How you doing?

Well?

What do you think after everything I told you this week?

You won it?

I won it. I won it.

You won it?

Oh, Benjamin, that's fantas... You did win it?

Yeah... Mum, would I wind you up?

I walk away proud for Northern Ireland

cos I think Northern Ireland has probably got

its best chance in a long time to get a dish for the banquet.

Go and smash it, mate.

Tell these other guys... Just say, "Get out the way."

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

Well done, mate. I mean, really, seriously, well done.