Central Main Great British Menu

This week on Great British Menu,

three of the central region's most dynamic chefs -

returner Richard Bainbridge...

You imagine this being your fourth time

and every single time, you've been sent home.

..Angela Hartnett's protegee, Pip Lacey...

I'm taking a big risk to try and be out of my comfort zone.

..and second-time competitor Jason Hodnett...

Life would be very boring if you took the easy road.

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

commemorating 100 years of the Women's Institute

at London's historic Drapers' Hall.

Yesterday's fish course saw Richard plate the winning dish...

-I'm giving you an 8.

-Thank you, Chef.

..bringing him level with leader Pip on points

after her fish course failed to wow veteran Richard.

Those crispy fried potatoes -

I wasn't totally convinced about those.

-Returner Jason trails his Michelin-starred rivals.

-BLEEP!

After his risky dish backfired, he HAS to impress today.

It means everything to me to get a high score on this dish.

All three chefs are pushing hard to plate up a perfect main course.

The competition's getting to me a little bit.

I need to make sure that every element on there is perfect.

There must be a certain amount of do or die now.

This year, the chefs are celebrating

the centenary of the Women's Institute,

and paying tribute to those women

who've helped make British food great.

-Good to meet you.

-Likewise.

-The chefs have done their research...

-They're out there digging in their long skirts.

-Lovely to see you.

..and taken inspiration from the important women in their lives

to give home-cooked classics a 21st-century twist.

-You've got MY approval, yes.

-Excellent.

Judging them all week is Great British Menu's most successful chef,

three-time winner Richard Corrigan.

Main course today, I'm just looking for some really good, clever,

honest cooking to represent the WI.

New day, main course. How are we feeling?

I'm feeling good, yeah. Being level with you,

-I'm looking forward to this one.

-Head down today and get good scores.

We all know I need a big score, so let's just get cooking really.

Fourth timer Richard is up first. After a disappointing starter,

he impressed with a playful, well-executed fish course

and is joint top with Pip on points.

He's determined to pull ahead today with another visual dish.

The idea of losing and going home on Thursday literally terrifies me.

I've been that guy and I hate it.

I want to step it up

and be the leader of the pack by the end of May.

-Morning, how are you?

-Very well, thank you.

-Good.

Your title and your inspiration for this dish?

The title of the dish is called Betty In The Henhouse.

In the WI magazines, Betty In The Henhouse was the title

of an article about rearing their own poultry.

Quite a playful title to start with

and then the presentation is quite fun, so...

-So, what you DON'T want is a fox in the henhouse!

-Exactly.

-So, tell me, what's the dish?

-Baby poussin.

I'm going to debone the whole thing, make a beautiful stuffing,

tie it all back up so it is presented like a whole roasted bird.

I like the idea of putting chutneys in stuffing,

which, to me, seems a bit different and I really like that.

So, with my mum being in the WI,

she's got some amazing chutney made by the local girls.

-You put your mother to work for you! What are you like?!

-Completely.

-And the stuffing is pork?

-Yes.

There's a little bit of chicken liver as well.

I've got some lovely vegetables - these parsnips and heritage carrots.

I was hoping, so far from you, which I haven't got,

-to have a cracking dish.

-Mmm.

I think this one is going to play to my strengths

because it is just that really good tasty food.

Betty In The Henhouse - great title to the dish,

but I am slightly concerned

that it will be style over content.

Next, Pip Lacey.

After winning the starter course, her fish dish underwhelmed,

allowing Richard to catch her.

She's taking a risk with a quirky main course,

hoping it'll pull her ahead again.

To cook at the banquet would be an amazing achievement.

10 - it's possible on the main course,

but it's also possible to get a 2 if it doesn't work.

If it works and I pull it off, wicked.

-Good morning.

-Good morning.

-That's a nice smile on your face.

-Name of your dish?

-Can Cook.

I want to encourage people at the banquet that don't cook to cook,

hence the name Can Cook.

I'm making a rabbit stew, but I'm going to serve it in a tin

and then you're going to put it out onto a hotplate.

Basically, the fun factor is that YOU'RE going to cook it, not me.

What brought you to the canned food idea?

Preserving things, back in the day, with the WI.

And I just wanted to bring the fun element.

I'm going to take the rabbit, use all of it - the kidneys,

the livers, legs, everything.

Carrots, turnips and radishes are all going to be pickled.

Potatoes, I'm going to cook in the microwave. I know you like that.

-Why not?!

-Yep.

You're canning the rest, you might as well microwave the rest!

Then I'm going to take the veg and the rabbit,

put them into the can, set the sauce

and then, when you flip it out, it's going to melt into the stew.

-I tell you, you have to sell this to me.

-Yep.

-You want ME to heat the stew up?

-Yep.

The thought of giving the WI a can of food

for them to reheat themselves, that could be seen...

Yeah, a sense of humour or a bad joke.

Last up, returning contender Jason.

He's cooked a risky menu all week and, so far, it's failed to pay off.

He may be trailing by 3 points,

but he's battling his rivals with another ambitious course.

It's a risky dish again.

Everyone wants the main course and hopefully,

mine's strong enough to get some points back.

-Morning, Chef.

-Good morning, Jason. Tough day yesterday.

Yeah, tough day yesterday.

-It's great to be brave, but be realistic as well.

-Taken.

-Your title of your dish, please.

-Deer In The Woods.

The WI was born and bred in rural communities.

I'm from a rural community. So, we're going to use venison

and set that into a real forestry scene, where a deer would be

and I'm serving what it would eat as well.

So, basically, the deer in its natural environment

-is the feeling for this dish.

-Absolutely.

So, I'm using venison heart.

Offal is a big thing in the WI, cheaper cuts.

We're going to use the loin as well, marinade it in blackcurrant.

And in the scene of a forest,

you're going to find mosses and nettles and fern.

We're going to use two different types of moss -

beautiful reindeer moss and oakmoss.

Mosses is something you DON'T see a lot in kitchens.

-Not recommended to be eaten raw, by all accounts.

-Absolutely not.

It's highly acidic, so it needs to be treated properly.

I am looking for a dish from you today

that really does set you apart.

It is a dish that I think's a strong dish.

Jason has been pushing all the boundaries.

There's a lot of elements going on, a lot of things to go wrong.

I'm looking at Jason to really pull something out of the bag.

As the chefs get cooking,

they're all feeling the pressure to impress with their main courses.

I don't think any of us have really hit that point, yet,

-of success with Richard.

-No.

-JASON:

-There's elements of the cooking

that I haven't done a great job of.

-He's a hard man to please.

-He's put the nerves in me.

Jason, how do you feel now, the second time round?

I think it's a hell Of a lot harder.

Imagine this being your fourth time and every single time,

you've been sent home.

Richard's Betty In The Henhouse dish is inspired

by the WI support for home-reared poultry.

Like his winning fish course,

it relies on classic ingredients and techniques.

But with a simple dish, there's no margin for error.

I need to make sure that every element on there is perfect

and if it's not, it's going to be quite visible.

But it's really good-tasting food and I'm hoping that comes across.

Having never won his regional heat,

he's hoping his thorough research of the brief will see him through.

But a ready-made ingredient for his stuffing

hasn't gone unnoticed by his rivals.

-JASON:

-What are you stuffing it with?

Chutney that's from my mum's WI group.

You're not making your own chutney, no, no?

With Michelin-starred Pip and Rich joint top of the leaderboard,

Pip is opting for a different strategy with an ambitious dish.

We're on level pegging.

I'm taking a big risk today to try and be out of my comfort zone,

do something a bit different. Is Rich doing that?

Pip is pickling carrots, turnips and radishes

and microwaving potatoes for her quirky Can Cook stew,

inspired by the WI's history of preserving food

and emphasis on home cooking.

Yes, perfect.

It's a risky dish, as the rabbit stew will be served in a can

for the diners to heat themselves at the table.

There's such a big history with canning in the WI,

-so it is really clever to tie in the canning process.

-Yeah.

Hopefully it will be hot.

That's my main risk, is just getting it hot again.

I didn't expect Pip to be the one doing the big risky main course.

I'm not sure Richard's going to understand this one.

-All right, Pip?

-Hi.

-So, what's happening?

Just making the crispy rabbit balls.

Confit of rabbit shoulder with two mustards - wholegrain and Dijon.

-All the little segments of rabbit here.

-Yeah.

-This is very dainty.

So, we've got the loin, the rack, different parts of the leg.

I'm going to cook it all in the water bath and then build my tins.

-OK.

-My cans.

-I really am fascinated to see how this comes out.

It's just something I just can't...

-You know, tinned food, you know... Er...

-I know.

-You know...

Returning contender Jason is preparing

a woodland-inspired venison dish.

He's cooking venison heart in blackcurrant, red wine

and root vegetables for flavour.

Have you used the venison heart before?

-Yeah, we use it at the restaurant a lot and it's cheap.

-Yeah.

That's a big WI thing, isn't it? Saving money.

Jason struggled in the competition last year and has come back fighting

with an ambitious menu, but it's yet to impress veteran Richard.

He's taking more risks today by serving unusual moss in his dish.

Are you literally serving them a piece of woodland?

I don't know why you seem so surprised.

Yesterday, I served you monkfish liver, Rich.

I thought this was a tone down from what I did yesterday.

You're not a man who takes the easy road, are you?

Life would be very boring if you took the easy road, mate.

Maybe successful, but very boring.

Jason is serving two types of moss -

oakmoss, which he's deep-frying for a crispy texture

and reindeer moss, which needs to be carefully prepared and cooked.

So, what are you cooking the moss in?

Equal amounts of water and bicarbonate of soda.

The bicarbonate kills all the acid.

Is there any nutritional value in that at all

or is it just purely decoration in the end?

Massive in nutritional value.

Full of iron, full of lots of different vitamins.

-You are hoping for a good score on this one.

-Absolutely.

And really, I want to oblige, so oblige me.

Absolutely. I'll do my best.

To research his main course, Jason met with historian Jo Spouncer

to learn more about the WI's influence

in shaping and preserving our woodland

through the Women's Timber Core,

set up in the early 1940s by the first chair of the WI, Lady Denman.

10,000 women were recruited to, basically, go and work

with an axe and a saw in the woods.

These were young girls, as young as 14, 15,

sent off to training camp for a month

and then sent out into the forest,

so it was a really big deal for them at the time.

-It's unbelievable.

-Yeah.

The women were nicknamed lumberjills,

as it was their job to cut down trees for vital wood resources

in the war and replant for future preservation.

Jo arranged for Jason to meet one of the original lumberjills...

-This is Margaret.

-..Margaret Finch.

-That was when I first joined.

You had training cos you'd got a six-foot cross saw,

chains and axes, you see.

So, we had shire horses to pull the trees out because it was so dense.

-How old were you then?

-I was 17.

-Oh, wow.

Margaret had some unexpected stories about her time as a lumberjill.

It was always hot in the woods,

so we were striped off to camiknickers...

..and boots.

One tree was a big oak and as it came down,

we heard a pinging noise and we couldn't understand what it was.

Anyway, the next minute, there was police there.

They said, "You've brought Churchill's telephone wires down."

-Cutting Churchill's wires in camiknickers and boots!

-Yeah.

-We never knew whether they were kidding us or not.

-That's amazing!

THEY LAUGH

Margaret is a truly inspirational woman.

I really hope that I can get that dish perfect,

just so that I can honour her

and the thousands of women that were like her.

All week, Jason's taken risks with his menu

and he's determined to keep pushing the boundaries

to try and catch his more experienced rivals at the top of the scoreboard.

-Jason, how are you getting on?

-Er, getting there, getting there.

-Need a hand, buddy?

-He's pressed the braised venison heart into a terrine

and is deep-frying in fine panko breadcrumbs

and preparing a technical blackberry gel.

I am under a lot of pressure here.

There's several elements of this dish that are really controversial.

It means everything to me to get a high score on this dish.

Richard's cooking a pearl barley risotto

to be served with his traditional stuffed poussin.

Unlike Jason and Pip,

he's keeping things classic for his Betty In The Henhouse dish,

inspired by the WI's support for home-reared poultry.

I've done those big risks and it's backfired for me, personally,

so I'm playing to my strengths on this one.

There must be a certain amount of do or die now.

I don't think it needs to be jazzed up. It's a great plate of food

with a little bit of humour with the presentation.

All I need to do is finish off cooking the poussin.

If that overcooks, it's going to ruin my dish

and I'm slightly worried.

Richard, how are you doing? Tell me about the stuffing.

It's literally just enough to bring the bird together,

a little bit in the leg cavities as well.

-How are you going to keep it all in?

-Needle, thread.

WI, sewing, knitting - I like that kind of idea.

-So, you're feeling confident?

-Um...

-Or no?

-You're a hard man to read.

What do you mean, a hard man? I'm only here to taste good food.

-Exactly, and I'm trying my best.

-You need to get stitching really.

Cool, thanks, Chef.

Pip's stew, inspired by the WI's history of preserving

and support for home cooking

is ready to be put into cans for her quirky interactive dish.

It doesn't feel like fun at the moment, but hopefully it will be.

The rabbit stew of livers, kidneys, pickled vegetables,

potato and swede will be set in rabbit gravy,

then the diners will reheat it themselves at the table.

The main risk - it won't get hot

and the judge and the chefs will be eating cold jelly.

The competition's getting to me a little bit. Pressure's on.

Just got to keep going and hopefully it'll come together at the end.

Jason is first to plate up

his unusual Deer In The Woods venison dish.

His risky menu is yet to pay off this week,

so his execution has to impress today.

He's finishing his venison loin at the last minute.

Just been charred through a really hot pan

and then just finished with blackcurrant cordial.

He's serving his dish on hollowed-out branches of an oak tree.

First on, his pine-infused mashed potato,

followed by the breadcrumbed venison heart.

Next, the controversial braised reindeer moss and crispy oakmoss

to evoke the essence of the forest.

He dresses with dots of blackcurrant gel

and lays thinly-sliced venison loin on top.

-I love the pieces of wood.

-They're actually from Epping Forest.

Pickled blackberries and sauteed wild mushrooms complete the dish

with a jug of gravy on the side.

Deer In The Wood, Chef.

The inspiration is forestry

and everything agricultural the WI stand for.

OK, I think you should bring that to the tasting room straightaway.

Do you think the WI would enjoy the log idea

or do you think it would be missing in their fireplace?

It's been lying in a forest for 25, 30 years. I like that.

The moss - have you got rid of the bitterness?

I added a touch of lemon at the end just to sharpen it,

so I think that's a job well done, really.

Whoa... The moss!

Firstly, it's sweet, I think cos of the sauce.

That one's got loads of... almost too much flavour in it.

-Let's try this one.

-Is that the other one?

-Mmm.

-I like that.

-That's nice.

Venison is always delicious rare.

Are you happy with your cooking of it?

No, I think it could be done a little less.

What have you crumbed the heart in there?

-Just through panko breadcrumbs.

-OK.

-That heart - that's really tasty.

-Yeah.

-The loin's too overcooked for me.

-And the mash isn't good.

Have you satisfied your ambition with this dish?

I've TRIED to satisfy my ambition.

Are you happy?

I think it's a nice enough dish,

but we'll see what happens. I don't know.

Richard is next to plate up his poussin dish, Betty In The Henhouse.

Like his winning fish dish, he's kept the food simple,

but only perfect execution and standout presentation

will get him the points.

Oh, wow, look at that. Is that Betty's henhouse? Very quirky.

I'm trying to create a bit of theatre in the room.

Richard plates his vegetables first - roasted baby onions and carrots,

broad beans, samphire,

confit parsnips and pearl barley risotto.

Chicken and herb jus is served in jugs.

He removes the string from his poussin

and nestles in a bed of hay,

then covers the plates in eggshell cloches

and a henhouse lid completes the presentation.

-Chefs, what do you think?

-Looks stunning.

-The idea is they'd take this off.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

And then they've got their own Bettys for each dish, so...

Come on. To the tasting room.

Impressive.

How long did you roast the stuffed chicken?

-About 18 minutes.

-That's all? That's all it took?

I think the bird's cooked lovely.

I'm not a massive fan of the stuffing,

but that's my personal choice.

The ratio of stuffing to the chicken is what you want?

I don't... It needs to be a big part of it,

but I don't want it to take away from the chicken itself.

You know the vegetables - are you happy with the texture?

Yeah, crunchy veg...

Sometimes you need crunchy veg and with the broad beans,

I like a little bit more of a crunch to them.

Tasty carrots, really tasty.

I wish he'd done the parsnip the same way he's done the carrot

cos the carrot was fantastic.

-The pearl barley.

-I tried to cook it like a risotto

-so there's a little bit more richness.

-And the sauce?

I really pride myself on good sauces.

I could have done that and a loaf of bread

-and you could have sat there and wolfed the whole lot.

-If you say so.

-I like it.

-I think the presentation is fantastic. Mind-blowing.

I think Richard Corrigan will like it

-and I think Richard will give him a 9.

-Does it worry you?

-Yeah.

Pip is last to plate up.

She's hoping her quirky Can Cook rabbit stew

will put her ahead of joint placed Richard.

But with the diners having to heat their own food,

plating up is the riskiest part of her process.

My main worry is that the hotplates aren't hot enough

to carry the heat through to the jelly for it to melt.

Her presentation is a homage to old-fashioned haybox cooking,

a slow cooking technique that was used for stews

and championed by the WI.

It's mainly been me doing the risks all week so far,

so it's nice to have somebody alongside me, taking a risk or two.

-Hi, guys, how are we?

-Hi, hi.

-JASON:

-How's it going?

-All right?

-Yeah.

-Happy face?

-I think so, yeah.

To plate up, Pip takes the heated hotplates from the oven

-and places in the hayboxes.

-So, what are the hotplates, Pip?

Cast-iron, something that will stay hot for a while.

Copper cooking pans sit on top.

Pip's providing timers and instructions to cook the stew.

Basically, if it goes wrong, it's YOUR fault, not mine.

She's serving a deep-fried rabbit beignet

and a simple green bean salad to be eaten whilst the stew cooks.

The cans of rabbit stew are served on the side.

The cutlery - is it literally going to be a can-opener?

OK.

-So, chefs, what do you think?

-Really clever. I like that.

-I think I'll let Richard do the cooking.

-Good luck.

-So, open the tin and turn out into the dish, yeah?

-Yeah.

Whoa!

-Timer's on two minutes.

-That's pretty cool.

Do you think people will want to warm their own food at a banquet?

I think this is a bit of fun.

It's easy, they're not going to ruin their dinner.

-I think all the WI ladies would love it.

-I think it's a very clever dish.

-TIMER BEEPS

-Oh!

-Right, so if you lift and stir.

-While that's finishing off, shall we try the beignet?

-Yes.

Strongly mustard, which I like, personally.

-That's moreish.

-I could eat a whole plate of that, to be honest.

-TIMER BEEPS

-There we go. So, lid off.

-Is it ready?

-Yeah.

-Is it cooked enough?

-Yeah, I'm really pleased with the heat.

The rabbit is still moist, it's hot inside.

Surprisingly hot. That's really nice.

Were you happy with the cooking of the liver and kidneys?

Yeah, that was the one thing that I was slightly worried about.

-I'd be happy with that.

-I can't stop eating it, if I'm honest.

I'm going to score it a 9.

I think it's near enough faultless. I'd say 10.

-Well done, you!

-It worked.

-Yeah.

-It was hot. I was just like, "Yes!"

It was mind-blowing. I didn't think, if I'm honest,

you two would pull something out like that.

I think we've all kind of stepped our game up today.

Hello, chefs. That was the big one.

I really feel as though I couldn't have thrown anything more at that.

Yeah, ditto that.

I think everyone wants it a lot.

Jason, I'm going to start with your dish, Deer In The Wood.

I thought your presentation was really excellent.

Using the moss was brave and very unique.

But...

..that venison was ever so slightly over.

And, personally, I think you should have heated the log,

because that mash was just warm.

Richard.

Your dish, Betty In The Henhouse.

I've been expecting a great dish from you all this week.

That poussin dish was wonderful.

And the gravy was spot-on.

It had fun and a great sense of humour.

-It was a very good plate of food. Well done, you.

-Thank you.

Pip.

For your dish, Can Cook, a rabbit stew. When you sold me this dish...

..I was incredibly nervous for you

and the thought of cooking my own main course...

What's the point of being the judge?

But...

..this dish was great fun.

The offal was cooked...

..pitch perfect.

The beignet was warm and oh, so mustardy.

So, the scores...

I'm going to start with you, Jason.

I'm giving you...

..7.

Pip.

I'm giving you...

-..10.

-Thank you.

-RICHARD BAINBRIDGE:

-Well done.

-JASON:

-Well done.

-I can see that at the banquet.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

Richard.

-I'm also giving you a 10.

-Get in!

Well done. Thank you, Chef.

Jason, there are some high points to gain here with the next course.

-Yeah.

-But give it your best.

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

-Pleasure.

-JASON:

-Well done, you two.

You absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, deserve that.

Richard and Pip remain neck and neck.

Last place Jason has to put up a fight in the dessert course.

Speechless.

Bit gutted I didn't beat you.

THEY LAUGH

I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I would get a 10,

so, yeah, blown away, really chuffed.

I could see either of those two dishes at a banquet.

If there's a better main course in any other region, I'd be stunned.

Wow! Amazed, yeah.

Ecstatic, overwhelmed, happy - every positive emotion.

I have to be proud of the fact

that, against such strong courses, I still got a 7.

-RICHARD:

-Well done. Come on, group hug.

Come on, still got one more course to go

and I'm rubbish at desserts, to be honest.