North East Dessert Great British Menu

This week on Great British Menu, three newcomers from the Northeast.

Michelin-starred Tim Allen...

Really excited. Adrenaline's going. Yeah, it's mad!

..classically trained Mini Patel...

Everything's a concern, to be honest!

Who am I kidding? I'm worried about every last bit of it.

..and experimental chef Michael O'Hare...

I made this one myself. So, quite WI of me, isn't it?

I love it, I love it.

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

celebrating 100 years of the Women's Institute

at London's historic Drapers' Hall.

Yesterday's main course

saw Michael earn the first ten of the week,

closing the gap on Tim to just one point.

-You absolutely nailed it.

-Well done, mate. It's beautiful.

You should be very proud.

In today's dessert,

he's after another perfect score with his unique flavours.

Michael's looking really confident at the moment

and he's changed into the chef that I wish he was

right at the very beginning.

But having led his rivals all week, Tim's determined to stay ahead.

-Looking very busy.

-Pushing, Chef. Pushing.

And despite being in last place,

Mini knows he's still in with a chance.

Mini's not his usual cheeky self today.

I think he's got quite a lot on.

I don't want to make any mistakes, so head down, focus.

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've done their research,

taking inspiration from the women close to them...

Here's Great-Grandmother Eggleton here, and she was always cooking.

..to take classic home cooking to new gastronomic heights.

-It tastes amazing.

-It's like cake in a glass.

Judging them all week is Marcus Wareing,

holder of two Michelin stars and a former banquet champion.

This is their final dish, and at the end of today,

someone is going to be going home.

It's going to be a pretty tough day for these guys.

They've still got to push themselves.

I want them to stay focused and to concentrate.

Michael, ten out of ten for your main course. How are you feeling?

I don't quite know how to react to it.

I feel more apprehensive and more nervous going into dessert.

-How are you?

-I'm OK.

Just a bit disappointed with my main course score, obviously.

-I want to get to the judging chamber.

-Yeah.

I think for me to catch up to you guys,

I'm going to need a ten and nothing short.

Once again, we roll the dice and we play the game.

First up, experimental chef Michael O'Hare.

After a poor start,

Michael earned the first ten of the week for his artistic main course.

Today, he wants to get top marks again.

Before, I was battling with Mini at the bottom,

and now I'm up there right next to Tim, who's a prolific cook

and I feel on this last one that he's going to fight for it.

I thought you'd have a bigger smile on your face this morning after yesterday.

Right, so what is the title?

The title of the dish is Centenary Cookbook In 4D.

Couldn't be three, could it? So, what is it?

With the WI, the cookbooks that I looked at,

the big name that came to mind was Marguerite Patten.

170 cookbooks, one of the first colour cookbooks.

From the colour cookbooks, they wanted to move that forward to now.

I had to go into a recipe that was three-dimensional

-and the food inside and the taste was the fourth dimension.

-Right.

Marguerite Patten's cookbooks, you could just look at the pictures. With mine, you can eat it.

With the WI, there was a big thing with passing on recipes.

The recipe will be on the inside card, so they can read the recipe

as they're eating what would normally be the picture of that dessert,

so it's passing on another recipe to the WI.

OK, so what is the dish?

The dish is going to be a pine and pear souffle.

-So, I'm going to take the Conference pears.

-Yep.

Make a puree from those and blend through the needles of the pine,

to give a real fragrant smell to it.

What sort of mould are you going to be putting these into?

I'll cook them in a ramekin, but then I'm going to break them apart.

-Souffle?

-Yeah.

But the souffle will... HE EXHALES

No, it won't. I'm going to stabilise the base with some cornflour.

It will give the souffle a slightly different texture.

I'm making an ice cream from popcorn,

a light caramel and a lot of salt.

Using Jerusalem artichokes,

I'm going to candy the centre of the Jerusalem artichoke

and serve that as a little bit of texture.

I notice you've got some white chocolate.

The white chocolate I'm just going to put straight in the oven

on quite a high temperature and caramelise it, almost burn it.

This sounds a very complicated, tricky dessert.

Please tell me you've done it before.

-I haven't played at it before, but I don't like to.

-Oh, no!

The souffle's a very skilful thing to do.

It cooks and it rises and it's a big spectacle and it's a show.

What worries me with Michael

is that he's going to tip it out and pull it apart.

I don't know whether that would work.

Next is Michelin-starred Tim Allen.

In the lead, he started the week strongly,

but disappointed yesterday

with an overcomplicated take on a traditional dish -

a mistake he can't afford to repeat.

To make sure I'm getting through to the judges' chamber,

I've got to be 100% focused

and just completely driven to get that dish completely right.

-How are you doing, Tim?

-Yeah, good, Marcus, good.

-Good, good, good.

-Are you strong at puddings?

-I'm strong at this one.

-Practised it a lot.

-Tell me, what is the title of the dish?

-Frugal Flowers.

-Why Frugal Flowers?

Frugality's something that, you know,

is quite a big aspect of the WI.

-OK.

-And certainly flower arranging.

-What are you making, Tim?

It's going to be an apple cheesecake, Marcus,

with an apple compote in the middle.

On top of there is going to be a crunchy crumble with some crystallised honey in.

-I was going to ask you what's on the base.

-Nothing.

Crumble is going to go on top, so you eat that texture as you go through.

-Honey ice cream.

-There's no flowers in there.

There isn't, because they're going to be made out of the apples.

-The Granny Smiths are going to be cut and rolled out.

-Right.

-And made into a green rose.

-Right.

And then I'm going to do a puree from Braeburns

and add a little bit of the red colouring to create a red rose.

And then it's also got a meringue made with the red fruits powder here

to make some petals for another flower.

-I'm going to make a basic meringue as well as the red fruits.

-OK.

The black meringue's going to be grated over the honey ice cream.

-Where does the ice cream sit?

-On top of the cheesecake with the flowers.

-OK. Just got quite a lot going on, then?

-Yeah. It's really quite visual.

I'm expecting some big things from you today.

You did a six on the main course, That was a bit of a surprise for me.

So, I really would love this to be right up there.

I really like the sound of this dish.

I love the ingredients, I love the idea.

If he can get the balance right, if he can get the execution right,

we're going to be in for a real treat.

Finally, in last place, classically trained Mini Patel.

Criticised by Marcus for producing safe dishes

which aren't banquet-worthy,

today, Mini needs to plate up perfection or he's going home.

Into my dessert course, I think, again,

I've got a few things that I need to make sure are spot-on.

But I hope that Marcus sees something in my dessert

that he doesn't see in somebody else's.

-Hey, Mini, how are you doing?

-I'm very well, Marcus.

-You're coming out fighting today, I hope.

-Absolutely. 100%.

Excellent. What's the title of your dish?

The title of my dish is A Thank You For The Last 100 Years.

Through my research, I really picked up on the baking

and wanted it to be perfect, like the Victoria sponge,

and that's what they stood for.

And with my dessert today, that's what I'm going to go for.

OK, explain it to me. What is it?

So, I'm using two flavours from Yorkshire -

-rhubarb, and liquorice from Pontefract.

-Delicious.

With those two ingredients,

I'm going to make a rhubarb and liquorice baked Alaska,

and also mini Victoria sponge sandwiches.

-You've obviously got this fabulous rhubarb here.

-Yeah.

-In the actual Alaska, there's two parts to it.

-Right.

-So, you've got the rhubarb sorbet.

-Yes.

-But you've also got liquorice ice cream...

-Inside as well?

-Inside, yes.

-Mixed together?

-Layered.

-Frozen?

-Frozen, exactly.

-OK.

-Really hard. And then I'm going to pack my meringue over it.

-Right.

-And then bake it in the oven.

-OK. So, that's the centrepiece.

-What goes around?

-So, rhubarb puree,

a little bit of rhubarb compression and a rhubarb jam.

And the rhubarb jam is to sit inside my Victoria sponge

-with liquorice buttercream.

-Have you done this before?

-Yes.

It's not an everyday dessert, is it? It's quite a classical dessert.

It's classical, and I think it's special,

-and I think that's what's needed for the banquet.

-OK.

Mini's going to have to pull out everything today.

One of my concerns about a baked Alaska

is always going to be making sure

that it's not too sweet.

At the end of today, somebody is going to be going home

and no-one's safe yet.

OK? So, focus, guys, concentrate, and I'll see you at the other side.

Thank you.

With just two chefs facing the judges tomorrow,

Mini knows he must out-cook his rivals

or he's out of the competition.

Mini's not his usual cheeky self today.

-He's got quite a lot on there.

-How are you feeling, boss?

Apprehensive. I don't want to make any mistakes, so head down, focus.

He's taking a risk on flavour in his baked Alaska with liquorice dish.

He's doing rhubarb three ways -

as a jam,

in a sorbet

and as poached strips.

BLEEP

-You seem a bit stressed.

-There's a lot going on.

Like me distracting you!

Yesterday, Michael scored a ten for his main.

Today, he wants the same

for his torn-up souffle with unusual flavours.

Michael, is it risky, this, making it up?

I'm confident in its stability,

but I'd rather give that comment after I've plated it up.

Good, fair play.

What about yourself with your flowers and cheesecake?

It's good Marcus loves cheesecake.

The cheesecake itself is a proper cheesecake,

so I'm hoping that it doesn't mean the flowers

are messing around with the cheesecake.

Tim is prepping the apples for his edible flower scene

which will accompany his dessert.

Cheesecake - one of my favourites. Do you know what?

I don't like a cheesecake that's been messed around with too much.

-Your last dish you messed around with a bit.

-Too much, yeah.

-So, are you confident you can pull this off?

-Yes, Marcus.

The cheesecake is a great cheesecake. The garnish on top is the flowers.

-You're looking very...busy. Stressed.

-Pushing, Chef.

He looks a little bit stressed.

I think his six on the main course has thrown him a little bit.

There's one thing Tim would love to do before he leaves this kitchen,

is he wants that ten, and I really hope he pushes for it.

With no-one safe in the competition,

Michael is adding a twist to his pear souffle,

cooking artichokes two ways -

dehydrated for a chewy texture,

and oven-baked, then dipped in chocolate.

I think anything's a risk

when it comes to not serving it in the traditional way.

But if you're cooking for a modern Women's Institute

then I think it's right to do it in a modern way.

All three are doing unique ice creams.

Tim's is honey flavoured.

Michael, salted caramel and popcorn.

BLEEP

Sorry, mate.

While Mini's key flavour is liquorice.

Mini, does this have a special connection to you, then,

with your memories of Pontefract and Yorkshire and...?

When it's produce that comes from your region,

-and stuck my foot out there and said it's a thank you to the WI...

-Yeah.

..for the last hundred years,

so when you put all that together, it's a lot of pressure.

To get inspiration for his dessert, Mini has headed home to Yorkshire

and the market town of Pontefract,

where traditional liquorice sweets

called Pontefract cakes are still made.

A favourite from Mini's childhood.

-This is what I've come for. Do you mind if I have one?

-Crack on.

-No, go for it.

-He's meeting Heather Copley, who farms liquorice.

-I can see you're a liquorice man, then.

-They're amazing.

It takes me back to being a little nipper

and going into the sweet shop and ordering a quarter of them.

So, where is liquorice from?

From Pontefract and, actually,

we've actually put some back in the fields,

so we're growing liquorice again.

-If you'd like, I can show you.

-Absolutely.

-Follow me, then.

Let's go have a look.

Pontefract provides ideal conditions for liquorice seeds to grow

due to its sandy topsoil.

And a fresh crop was recently planted.

It's not much to see, but you can actually see the top still,

which I'm really pleased about.

This is one of the liquorice plants.

I brought you a picture of what it did look like in the summer,

with the leaves.

-Are a lot of people doing this in Pontefract now?

-No.

We're the only ones that are bringing it back.

If we don't do it, I don't think anybody else will do it.

The sweet flavour of liquorice comes from the plant's roots.

It's really sweet.

Home-grown produce is what the WI's been about

for the last hundred years.

That's what I'm all about.

So, I think if they came here, they'd absolutely love it.

To get Heather's expert opinion on his dessert,

Mini's serving up a sample of his liquorice buttercream

and Victoria sponge.

-That's lovely. That's really lovely.

-Thank you.

-Not too strong.

I think even if you don't like liquorice, you'll like that.

So, you're flying the flag for Pontefract now.

-Brilliant, brilliant.

-No pressure.

It's a big county.

People like Heather are what the WI's all about, reviving these old English produce.

That's what I really love about it.

So far, Mini is the only chef in the competition this year

daring to bake a Victoria sponge as part of their dessert.

Taking on this WI classic is a huge risk. It must be perfect.

I haven't seen a show-stopping dish yet, Mini. Is this it?

-I'm quietly confident.

-At the end of today, Mini, someone's going home.

I'm looking for something pretty spectacular now. OK?

You've got to believe in yourself, believe in the dish

and deliver something really special.

I wanted Mini to just be able to get his head down.

There is a ten there.

Michael is banking on risky sweet and savoury flavours

to see him through to the judges' chamber.

-What are you doing?

-Starting to temper the chocolate for the artichoke skins.

-Chewy artichokes are done.

-So, what have you got?

-Peeled them down, cooked them in sugar syrup.

-Interesting.

-What's that?

-That's the burnt white chocolate.

-Burnt...with chocolate is bitter.

-Yes. It will be slightly bitter.

-Perfection, Michael.

-No pressure, Chef. No pressure.

When he talks about his ingredients, he knows exactly what he's doing.

He just needs to execute it the right way.

While each of the chefs is focused on getting to the judges' chamber,

they're also pushing each other to deliver perfection.

There's not a single thing in the world

that's going to stop Tim Allen making that dessert perfect today.

He's going to nail it. I'm confident for him.

Tim is working on the centrepiece of his dessert,

his cheesecake mix, which he pipes into a ramekin,

adds apple compote and covers with more mix

before setting in the fridge.

The fact that Marcus loves cheesecake I'm happy about,

because I'm confident when he eats it, he's going to really like it.

Mini is working on the WI favourite, Victoria sponge.

Mini's got a Victoria sponge cake, which is a classic WI kind of cake.

Is it going to get to that standard?

We're going to find out soon, aren't we?

Next, the meringue mix for his baked Alaska,

which he'll pipe on at the last minute.

Everything's risky.

If one thing's mistimed or one thing's taking a bit longer to cook,

I'm going to be in big trouble.

Tim's carefully crafting the apple roses for his cheesecake dessert.

With the edible flowers that Tim's making,

it's obviously a bit of a risk, but he's a very technical chef.

So, if anyone's going to do it and pull it off, it will be Tim.

Then he moves on to his two types of meringue...

pink and black,

while Mini preps the centre of his baked Alaska

with rhubarb sorbet and liquorice ice cream...

before chilling.

But it's Michael who's first up

with his unique take on pine and pear souffle.

Centenary Cookbook In 4D

is inspired by a cookbook by Marguerite Patten

and the WI tradition of sharing recipes.

-Mini, can I take it to 180?

-Yeah.

He starts by putting his souffles in the oven,

then, into a hollowed-out cookbook

go burnt white chocolate, chewy artichokes and sliced pear.

Souffles, how long?

They're good, Chef, but I'd like to take them a little bit further.

As the souffles continue to rise,

Michael adds salted caramel and popcorn ice cream

and chocolate-dipped artichoke skins.

Michael, you're slightly over time now. Let's pick it up, yeah?

Yes, Chef, coming up.

-At last, the souffles are ready.

-They look fantastic.

-Thank you, Chef.

Sorry to tear them up.

Michael adds chunks to the plate...

and, finally, a pair of 3-D glasses.

-Happy with that?

-Happy.

That's looking very blurred, or my eyesight's going wrong.

You're not wearing your glasses!

It is a souffle and an ice cream, so let's go and taste it.

I've got to say, Michael, I've never done this before.

At least it's all come clear now.

-Wow.

-It all fits into the brief, doesn't it?

It's a cookbook, it's got a recipe.

What's your thought process behind breaking a souffle?

My thoughts on breaking it up

is that you've got everything together as one.

-Do you feel like you've got the infusion of the pine right?

-Yeah.

Wow! You really get the pine.

What about the ice cream? Salt content good enough for you?

First and foremost, that's a solid ice cream.

-You get that little hit of popcorn in the background.

-That's right, yeah.

-Very nice.

The burnt chocolate crumb. You took it to quite a dark colour.

-Your intention to do that?

-Yeah.

Caramel, nutty. Very nice.

The other interesting addition is the chewy artichoke.

-You've got the texture that you were expecting?

-Yeah, completely.

The natural sweetness of the actual artichoke.

I mean, I think that's a ten. I really like it.

I think I'm going to give him a ten as well.

Bfff!

Very good. No pressure. That's the only thing I can think of now!

No pressure on myself!

Next to the pass is Mini.

To stay in the competition, he needs to wow Marcus

with his take on a baked Alaska, inspired by childhood memories.

Best way to test a good meringue, do you know what you do?

LAUGHTER

-Here we go.

-That ain't dropping anywhere, mate.

He starts by piping on his meringue mix...

Looks great, man. Like a Dalek. Are you happy with it?

..which he bakes in the oven.

He moves on to his Victoria sponge,

with liquorice buttercream and rhubarb jam...

..adding it to a serving plate.

Followed by compressed rhubarb strips and rhubarb puree.

With the baked Alaska out of the oven,

Mini blowtorches for maximum crunch.

This is just a little bit of micro basil.

And serves on a cake stand.

-You look very relieved.

-You've got no idea.

HE LAUGHS

-We talked about a show-stopping dessert. Have you delivered that?

-I hope so.

-Here we are. A little bit of relief.

-Yeah.

-That's all done.

Definitely, Marcus.

-Baked Alaska fan?

-I love baked Alaska.

-Baked Alaska consistency.

-Pretty good.

-The texture of the meringue, are you happy with that?

-Yeah, definitely.

Soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside.

-For me, that's what you expect of a meringue.

-Yeah.

-Do you feel like you've got enough liquorice flavour coming through in the ice cream?

-Definitely.

-I'm not normally someone who eats a lot of liquorice, but I think that's delicious.

-Tastes lovely.

Your take on a little Victoria sponge.

-What about the portion size of that?

-Yeah, that's right.

I wouldn't want it any bigger.

Definitely a good cake. It's moist.

Nice soft texture. Lovely.

-And that's rhubarb.

-Are you pleased with the texture?

Yeah, I wanted it with a crunch.

That's the compressed rhubarb. Very clean.

-Brings some acidity to the dish, doesn't it?

-Beautiful.

-Do you feel like you've done enough to get through to the judges?

-I think so.

-I think it's bang-on.

-Maybe this is the show-stopper that Marcus wanted.

-Mm.

Chef! Well done, man. Excellent.

-How did it go with Marcus?

-He never says anything, does he?

-Are you happy with it?

-Yeah.

-It's Tim now.

-Come on, mate.

Cheers, buddy!

Currently leading by just one point,

Tim's aiming for a ten and hoping to secure a place

cooking for the judges tomorrow with his cheesecake.

He starts his floral presentation.

Then to a serving bowl he adds the cheesecake mix

with an apple compote centre,

topping with crumble and crystallised honey.

-Are they coming out exactly how you want them to?

-Yeah, spot-on.

Next, the apple roses and apple balls.

Then he grates black meringue onto the honey ice cream

to give it bumble bee stripes...

-Are you ready for the pass, Tim?

-About two minutes, Marcus.

..and adds to the cheesecake.

Next, pink meringue petals, honey tuile wings

and black meringue antennae.

Nearly there, Tim. You're due at the pass now.

Yeah, coming now, Marcus.

Finally, a drizzle of honey.

-Even have little bees as well. Are you pleased?

-Yeah.

What do you boys think?

-I think it's absolutely stunning.

-It's pretty as a picture.

-Are you pleased?

-Yeah, I am, Marcus.

-Where to begin?

Where do you start?

The consistency of the cheesecake, are you pleased with this?

Yeah, it's really light, full of flavour.

-MICHAEL:

-It's a lot lighter than a cheesecake.

He's been able to put all these things on top of it, yet still light as a feather.

The crumble - in theory, you've taken what is normally at the base and put it on the top.

It's quite refined and quite light, this cheesecake,

so if you have the base on the bottom, it makes it very difficult to eat.

The crumble's good. Not too much of it.

The ice cream is very light and flavour is light. Was that your intention?

You've got to be careful with honey, because it can be a very dominant flavour.

-The ice cream's a real great texture.

-Very, very good.

Very, very good.

-So, now we go through the flowers.

-Yeah.

The red one is an apple puree.

-The texture is very different to the other one.

-Completely different, yeah.

Like a kid's sweet.

Hands down, the easiest ten I've ever said.

-I think I'm going to give it an eight.

-Eight?

-All right, guys?

-Chef, well done.

-Well done, mate.

Mate, that was a phenomenal plate of food.

-How do you both feel it went today?

-I really need above a six.

I'm looking for a high score. I want to get through to the judges' chamber.

Today, I want to get a ten.

-As we all do, you know?

-Yeah.

-So, we'll soon find out.

Hi, guys.

-ALL:

-Hello, Marcus.

Let's get down to business.

Michael, I'm going to start with you.

For your Centenary Cookbook In 4D, a fabulous presentation,

even with the 3-D glasses.

The flavours worked, which I thought was a bit of a surprise.

I've never had a Jerusalem artichoke either of those two ways

and they did work.

I was concerned about the burnt white chocolate.

When the burnt chocolate was on the dish, it did work.

But, for me, I felt the ice cream was just a little bit on the salty side.

But I think my biggest concern with the souffle and breaking it

is how quick it can deflate.

I'm not 100% sure if it's practical enough for a banquet.

Mini, your dish. Thank You For The Last 100 Years.

I thought the dish had the spectacle that you promised

and I thought that you delivered it very, very well.

Great finishing, great attention to detail.

The meringue that you left right till the very end,

that slightly concerned me.

And that worked as well.

The Victoria sponge on the side was lovely, nice and light.

And I thought that the compressed rhubarb was delicious as well.

But I feel that the liquorice ice cream

was a little bit too much liquorice extract in the ice cream

and it just overpowered the flavour of the Alaska itself.

Tim, for your dish of Frugal Flowers...

I thought the presentation was excellent.

I really liked the Bramley apple inside the cheesecake.

I love the decoration as well and creating the bee effect.

Double flowers.

I really liked your skill

and the effort that you put into the dish as a whole.

But...

I just felt that the garnish was overpowering the whole dish.

The dish was very big and a lot to eat.

OK, chefs, now for the scores.

The chef with the score of eight,

giving him the highest score across the week, is...

..Tim.

Tim, that means you're cooking again tomorrow. Congratulations.

-Thanks, Marcus.

-How do you feel?

-Very emotional, to be honest.

OK, there's two chefs left

and there's only one of you going through to the judges' chamber.

Mini...

for your dessert...

Mini, I'm going to give you an eight.

INDISTINCT

I'm really, really, really pleased you came out fighting today,

and I think that showed.

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

Michael, I'm going to give you an eight.

So, Michael, you're going through to cook for the judges. Are you pleased?

-Yes, no, sorry.

-Or are you just completely shocked?

Completely pleased and completely shocked.

There's no-one more shocked than me when I saw you coming in the kitchen

with your first basket of ingredients.

Mini, I'll say goodbye to you

and I wish you two good luck for tomorrow.

-Thank you, Marcus.

-Thank you so much.

Ah, what is it, group hug, is it?

Hey, boys, well done to you both.

After a hard-fought week,

it's Tim and Michael who will cook for the judges tomorrow,

with Mini heading home.

I think I was out-cooked by two great chefs.

I think I did play it a bit too safe, which is what I've learnt

as the competition's gone from day to day.

Finishing on a bit of a high is all I could ask for, really, and I got it, so yeah.

I'm a little surprised I made it through to the judging chamber.

My starter was really ropey

and that's something I need to work on tomorrow.

Of course I want to win. I'm sure Michael does.

But if we can get something from the Northeast to that banquet,

that'd just be amazing.