Central Dessert Great British Menu

This week on Great British Menu,

three of the Central region's top chefs.

They're all looking good.

Fourth time competitor Richard Bainbridge...

I'm trying to get something together that means so much to me personally.

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

I really want to win this course.

..and returning contender Jason Hodnett...

I'm pretty much hoping you two have screwed this.

..are competing to cook at a banquet celebrating 100 years

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

Yesterday, Richard and Pip got perfect scores

for their main courses.

Richard, I'm also giving you a ten.

Get in!

But Jason served another ambitious dish

that again failed to hit the mark.

Richard is fighting to finally get to the banquet this year

but joint leader Pip is out for glory.

I'm nervous about this course more than any.

The pressure is just immense right now.

And Jason isn't giving up without a fight.

Can you rectify everything?

I am honestly trying my damnedest. Good. Good.

But one chef will be going home today.

I hope I haven't done too much damage.

Maybe I'm going to be the one crying.

If it doesn't set in time, I'll do an ice cream.

It's as simple as that.

This year, the chefs are celebrating the centenary

of the Women's Institute, honouring those women

who've helped make British food great.

They've researched the history of the organisation

and visited local groups...

Who played you in the movie?

Helen Mirren. Really?!

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

Thyme is really coming through. It really lifts it.

..to take home cooking...

Wow!

..to new gastronomic heights.

Let's hope it's a winner. Yeah.

Judging them all week is Great British Menu's

most successful chef,

three-time winner Richard Corrigan.

The Women's Institute is renowned for their puddings and desserts.

We've seen so many mistakes in the kitchen on the final

day over the years

that it is still the chefs to play for.

Dessert, anything can happen. It could all go wrong.

It is a hard course, it's a hard course to pull off.

It's good, I think it's a competition at the end of it.

And I think it's still all to play for.

At this stage, when I look at the scores, I've got nothing to lose

so I may as well throw the kitchen sink at it and see

what I can get, you know?

If Richard likes it, who knows?

First up, fourth-timer Richard.

After a slow start to the week, his well executed fish

and main courses hit the mark.

In joint lead with Pip, he is focused on impressing

with his dessert and making it through to the judges.

I'm not a pastry chef at the best of times, so this makes me nervous,

but then out of my whole menu,

this one is the one that means the most to me.

Hey, Chef.

Good morning, Richard. Name and title of your dish?

So it's a dish called Inspiring Women.

That's an important tag line that the Women's Institute use

and, to me, inspiring women have been a massive part of my life.

So it would only seemed fitting for me to honour

the inspiring women in my family.

So, tell me about your dessert.

It is kind of in two elements.

I've done a dish that's inspired by my nanny's trifle.

So it's called Nanny Bush's Trifle using strawberries,

raspberries, lots of sherry going through the cream

and it looks just like a lovely little trifle.

And then I have also tried to bring in the modern-day WI ladies

by the being inspired by my sister

to make a Victoria sponge cocktail.

So you're making a cocktail that tastes like a Victoria sponge.

Yeah, yeah. I have to see this one.

I've had a gin made, a vanilla gin.

I've got a strawberry syrup in there

and there's also a buttercream mousse that'll then just sit on top.

So they build the cocktail themselves

and kind of adds that little bit of fun and excitement to the dish.

Something different.

Richard's dish, Inspiring Women.

Well, we all love a trifle and if he can pull this off,

he's going to inspire a large banquet as well.

Next up, Angela Hartnett's protege, Pip Lacey.

After bagging a ten yesterday for her interactive main course,

she is hoping to impress again today and make it through to Friday.

Me and Richard on the same points, we're out there ahead

but anything can happen now.

Apprehensive a little bit, I want to do well.

I want to finish it off on a high.

God, Pip, you're all smiles. Yeah.

All smiling.

So, name and inspiration for your dish?

Is It Scone Or Is It Scone?

Grandma always cooking and always baking,

whenever I'd go over to hers, always scones on the go.

I love tea and scones.

Yes!

I'm not going to just do scone, jam and cream.

I'm going to slightly mix it up.

Are you actually cooking a scone tea?

Not quite.

I do cook a scone to begin with and then making them into a puree

and then I'm going to make a chiboust out of it.

Making the Italian meringue, mixing it with the puree

and then that becomes like a sort of set cream in the blast chiller.

The jam is going to go in the middle.

So we have got pears, apple and ginger.

So not just strawberry jam.

I'm going to be doing clotted cream ice cream.

I'm also going to serve a tea with it which has a little

bit of ginger in, as well.

So it's slightly different.

I'm looking forward to tasting this.

There's lots of question marks here.

It's all about taste, it's all about flavour

and if it tastes great, I'm sure the WI will forgive Pip.

Last up, returner Jason.

He has cooked a risky menu all week that hasn't paid off

and he is in last place.

After a disastrous dessert course last year,

today he is giving it his all to set the record straight.

It would be lovely to bury some old ghosts.

I just want to do my best, I want to get a good score

and if I'm going out, go out on a high if I can.

So, your final course.

It's the same with every course, I'll give it 100%.

Superb, thank you. Good.

Title and inspiration for your dish?

The title is Decoupage Egg And Toast

and the inspiration is twofold, really.

One part of it is the craft element which I really wanted to touch on.

It's such a big, important part of the WI.

The other part is the sort of baking element,

so it's a take on an egg custard tart that is involving craft.

So, what are you cooking?

I'm going to make a panna cotta that tastes of nutmeg.

I'm going to try a method called reverse spherification.

So I'm going to try and make an egg yolk that looks like an egg yolk

but tastes like custard.

So you're pushing the boundaries here again.

Yeah, I've done it all the way so why change it for the dessert?

I'm also going to make a tea element to the dish,

so Lady Grey tea, make that into a gel.

I'm going to make some pastry toast

and some butter to go with the toast,

so I'm going to make a rich burnt butter ice cream.

So, you are at the back of the pack.

Hopefully you're coming back fighting for this final course.

Yeah, as much as I can and hopefully get a good score

and just deliver a dish that you will enjoy.

I like the idea of Jason's beurre noisette ice cream

but you have to be careful.

I mean, visually it's probably going to look like breakfast

but it's supposed to taste like dessert.

So, it's all to play for.

I'm looking for a cracking pudding.

Come on, chefs. Show me what you have.

As the chefs get started in the kitchen,

they are all feeling the pressure to impress.

I'm nervous about this course more than any.

I'm worried about him, though. He seems too calm.

Calmness is the furthest thing away from my mind.

The term biting off more than you can chew might be more relevant.

Last year, dessert didn't go to plan.

Right here, right here.

Shall we do a re-enactment like that?

This could be the worst place to be.

Maybe it's going to have some bad fortune.

Maybe I'm going to be the one crying.

Yesterday Richard scored a perfect ten for his main

and is hoping to match that today.

Like the rest of the week,

his dessert Inspiring Women honours the ladies in his life.

I'm trying to get something together that means so much to me personally

as much as I wanted to get a great dish out you guys and Richard.

Richard is making strawberry jelly

and a simple sponge for his take on his nanny's trifle.

His sights are set on reaching the banquet

and he knows nothing short of perfection will do.

I'm a little bit shaky.

I just hope that Richard gets the idea behind my dessert.

Hi, Chef. How are you? How you doing? Good. Listen, come on.

I want to taste something.

This is my sherry custard.

Really rich, custardy, yeah.

Sherry's coming through.

That will set nicely on the top of your...

Yes, in these conditions

I have put more gelatine than I would normally like to.

How much gelatine have you in there?

Nearly five gelatine leaves in there.

In that lot? Yeah.

I wanted to get it set quickly

and then be able to bring it out

than be panicking at the last minute.

OK. Right, OK.

Why would you want five leaves of gelatine in your custard?

I know it's busy and I know you're short of time

but, you know, it's a lot of gelatine.

Yesterday, joint leader Pip's risky main course

paid off, scoring her a ten.

Today she is taking another risk with Is It Scone Or Is It Scone?

A deconstructed cream tea with a set scone flavoured custard.

Looking good? Yeah.

I'm just making scones, just all different sizes

and jam but just done in a different way.

I just wanted to elevate it.

It tastes like... Tastes like a scone. Yeah, definitely.

Pip's cream element is clotted cream ice cream

and her jam is apple, pear and ginger

with tea infused with ginger and chamomile on the side.

You're using tea, as well, though, aren't you?

Yeah, Lady Grey.

Pip is in between calm and slightly nervous of the whole thing

so I am still confused on Is It A Scone Or Is It A Scone?

I hope it's a dessert.

All week Jason has cooked a risky, ambitious menu,

but it hasn't worked out and he is trailing his Michelin-starred rivals.

But he's not giving up without a fight.

Jason, you look like you're full-on.

Everything to do and not enough time in the day to do it.

The chances of me going through are very slim,

but stranger things have happened in that Great British Menu kitchen.

He is sticking with his quirky style,

making burnt butter ice cream for his dish,

designed to look like egg and toast

inspired by the WI's support of arts and crafts.

But he's already run into problems

and dried out his pastry toasts.

My pastry is overcooked.

I'm remaking that now but at the moment it is...

It's pretty brutal.

Why don't we all have some vanilla gin? Yeah!

It's been a great week, guys. Enjoy. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Good luck.

Cheers.

For a key ingredient in his dessert,

Richard travelled to a gin distillery in Cambridge...

Afternoon! Hey, Will. How are you?

Very well. Good to see you. Come on through. Let's do it.

..to create a bespoke vanilla gin for his Victoria sponge cocktail.

Wow, Will, this looks amazing.

Master distiller Will has used juniper

and vanilla to form two base spirits.

It was Richard's job to balance the two flavours

to create his bespoke blend.

OK, so, juniper first. Without juniper there is no gin. Yep.

But we want that vanilla to be shining bright enough

so that it still comes through in your final recipe.

OK, so I made you three variations

with different intensities of vanilla.

He think the juniper might be a little bit too strong in that one.

Lingering on the palate little bit more with the vanilla on that one.

We could even perhaps push it a little further

if you wanted to try it.

That actually tastes quite good.

This has got to stand up within your recipe.

You still know it's gin but that vanilla is really packing a punch.

Leave it to me, I'll get it blended and bottled for you.

With his special gin in hand, Richard visits a new wave WI group,

the Golden Triangle, who meet in their local pub.

Lovely to meet you, nice to meet you.

You can see the camaraderie and friendship between everybody.

So do you go outside of the pub at any point?

A lot of what we do is at the pub.

But no, absolutely.

We are a real supporter of our community.

So if we are asked to get involved with a campaign, we really

want to get involved with it,

particularly if it affects women and girls.

Richard wants his Victoria sponge cocktail to reflect

the traditional values of the WI in a modern way -

much like this group.

Like you girls, I wanted it to be sophisticated and fresh

and different.

It tastes amazing. It's like cake in a glass!

I think it does sum up that

relationship between the traditional WI and the new wave WI.

I think it's perfect. Thanks for being my guinea pigs.

In the kitchen, Richard has made the buttercream icing mousse

and strawberry syrup for his Victoria sponge cocktails

and is building his summer trifle

inspired by his nanny's classic recipe.

Are you shaking? Are you shaking? I am a bit, to be honest.

I have never really got a great score for my dessert

so it's now or never for me at the moment.

Like joint leader Richard, Pip's Is It Scone Or Is It Scone? dish

is inspired by her grandmother.

And she is feeling the pressure to perfect it.

I really want to win this course.

Definitely want to make my grandma proud.

The pressure is just immense right now.

Pip is making a chiboust - a creamy custard lightened with whisked

egg whites, which she'll set in a blast chiller.

She is flavouring it with her fruit scones.

Veteran Richard is keen to find out more.

So this is the scones cooked,

cooked again in cream and milk. OK.

And then pureed.

I just love to see my scones broken up

and whipped up with egg white(!)

I will never look at a scone again.

I hope I haven't done too much damage.

I think it is good to change things, develop.

But I haven't messed with it too much.

No, you've just pureed it. Well... Yeah.

With Richard and Pip pulling out all the stops,

Jason is feeling the pressure, making his egg-shaped nutmeg panna cotta

for his quirky Egg And Toast dish.

How are you two getting on, guys?

Cos at this stage, I'm pretty much hoping you two have screwed this,

cos I need you to make a few mistakes right now.

I hope you don't, but it is needed.

Jason has already remade his overcooked pastry

but is now having problems with his burnt butter ice cream.

My ice cream mix was all going to...

Can you rectify everything? Trying? I am honestly trying my damnedest.

Good, good.

At the moment, I have added to the pressure -

the ice cream is over-churned so I'm going to have to remake it.

And if it doesn't set in time, there won't be an ice cream.

It is as simple as that.

Jason, what is happening? Just getting the ice cream finished.

That has got to go on. OK. What is wrong with it?

It is just over-churned.

I'd prefer to give you no ice cream than over-churned ice cream. Yeah.

It's that simple. Here, come on.

Cheers, Chef. Is it the nerves, Jason? Of course it is. May I?

Did you remove sugar? Yeah. OK.

Too sweet? Oh, no.

Pip is first to plate up

and is hoping her deconstructed scone dish,

inspired by her grandma, is enough to get her to the judging chamber.

First on her plates - scone crumbs.

Then different sized fruit scone bases

and apple, pear and ginger jam.

The chilled and set chiboust made from pureed scones with an apple

and pear jam centre sits on top, finished with a crispy scone tuile.

Her home-made tea is served in teacups.

So, did you put milk in their tea automatically?

Is that a bit presumptuous?

Most people do, don't they?

Clotted cream ice cream finishes the dish.

OK, I like my tea hot.

I am looking for my scone.

You can explain to me later where it is. Yes, Chef.

OK, to the tasting room.

This is your ice cream

clotted cream, isn't it? Yep.

Do you feel that has worked to consistency? Yeah.

Texture? Texture, yeah.

Nice opening.

Yes, it is lovely and smooth.

And this is the jam,

the apple and pear, is it? Yeah.

So we have a puree inside the cream.

And then the pear and apple

pieces on the outside as well.

What do you think?

It's OK. It's quite sweet.

The chiboust, the Italian meringue...

Is that how it is supposed to taste?

That is how I want it. A nice, thick cream.

It takes of scone.

I can't really taste anything but that dried fruit.

The tea...

certainly isn't for me. No.

That ginger is really fiery.

If I were scoring, I would give that...

Five to six.

If I was scoring it, I would give it a six.

I think I'd give it a seven.

Would you?!

Hm.

There she is. How do you think it went?

SHE SIGHS I don't know.

Part of me things quite badly cos he kept asking me

was I happy with certain things I thought were fine, so...

I just...

I don't know.

Jason is next to plate up,

preparing the custard yolk for his egg and toast

themed dish at the last minute.

The spherification technique uses chemicals to set the custard

to resemble an egg yolk.

It is a tricky process.

Jason, are you OK there? You are looking a bit stressed.

He finally has enough custard yolks to start building his dish.

Using picture frames, in keeping with his arts and crafts theme,

he serves the custard yolk in eggshells.

He tops the nutmeg panna cottas with crumbled pastry, gold leaf

and edible flowers.

And dresses with dots of Lady Grey tea gel.

So it has all gone to plan? It looks like it has.

Yeah, it all went like a dream(!)

He serves the remade pastry toast and burnt butter ice cream on the side.

Hi, Jason. Here you are, Chef.

RICHARD: Good luck.

A monumental effort, Jason, yeah? To get it up, huh?

Yeah, it tends to be the story of my week, doesn't it?

Happy?

Under the circumstances, happy as I was ever going to be with this.

Come on.

Beautiful presentation, by the way. Thanks, Chef.

What I was trying to get through was that there's a craft element.

He's kind of got, obviously,

old pictures of the WI, them

doing their crafts, all over.

Yeah. That is a nice touch.

So in you go. Oh, yeah!

It is like a breakfast egg. Well, it should run like an egg, but...

RICHARD: Whoooa!

That is quite cool, to be fair.

It is not as strong as I thought it would be of egg custard.

Happy with the toast?

I think the pastry is, while slightly over-caramelised,

it is not too sweet.

And the nutmeg panna cotta?

For me, it tastes of nutmeg.

Panna cotta, great texture. Really nice.

And the ice cream? It is a little bit sweeter than I wanted,

but you get the flavour of burnt butter.

The Lady Grey gel, you think that works well?

I like the idea.

There does need to be more.

I'd give it a seven.

I think that is generous.

I suppose I am, to a degree, relieved because everything

went wrong and I managed to get something,

in my eyes, not an absolute car crash.

Last to plate up is Richard.

His dish is inspired by the women in his life and is a thank you to them.

For his Victoria Sponge Cocktail, inspired by his sister

and the modern WI, he is serving the gin, strawberry syrup

and butter cream mousse individually for the diners to mix themselves.

All right?

I think... If it is in comparison to last year, at least it wasn't...

as bad.

Richard cuts the trifle into individual portions.

And tops with Chantilly cream.

He decorates with chocolate-coated popping candy,

freeze-dried raspberries and baby mint.

How do you do it, Mr Bainbridge, how do you do it?

Being here three times before. THEY LAUGH

Richard spoons milk jam onto miniature summer fete tables.

And lays the trifle on top.

He covers with summer fete tents,

handmade by one of the other women in his life - his wife.

Done. HE SIGHS LOUDLY

You are a clever bunny, aren't you?

I mean, no-one cried on dessert.

TEARING UP: It has been a journey.

Richard, this obviously means a lot to you.

Yeah. So it's...

It is about the inspiring women in my life,

from my grandmother

right up to...

EMOTIONAL: my baby daughter.

Brilliant.

HE SIGHS EMOTIONALLY

Well done.

What can I say? Take it to the tasting room.

All that emotion... Come on.

Thank you, Chef. Thank you.

See? That is fantastic, isn't it? Yep.

So, shall we start with a little cocktail? Yeah, lovely. OK.

Vanilla gin. Vanilla gin!

And then we have got that fresh strawberry syrup.

That is the buttercream? Yeah.

And that is your Victoria Sponge Cocktail, hopefully.

Whoa!

I think that is quite fun. HE GASPS

And the main event?

Nanny Bush's Summer Trifle.

Happy with the gelatine content on there?

I probably could have left it out for another five minutes

before serving it.

It is good textures - the jelly, the sponge, the cream.

I love the really fresh fruit. It is sharp and cuts through the cream.

All this is, is a refined version of my nanny's trifle.

That is all I am trying to do.

What would the ladies of the WI think of this?

Um, I think they would like it.

He has done a fantastic job and I think, if I am honest,

he could go all the way with this dish.

Yeah, I am definitely worried with this dish.

Wow.

How are you feeling?

Um, emotionally drained.

It has been a really, really tough week.

And a great competition, I think, you know.

The fact that we still don't know who is going home makes me

incredibly nervous.

It has been a very long and emotional week, chefs.

I am going to start on with you, Pip.

Is It Scone Or Is It Scone?

The clotted cream ice cream was delicious.

The little scone crisp biscuit was beautiful and crisp.

And the apple and pear jam...

It was pleasant enough.

But...

If I am honest,

I would have just rather have

a warm scone, clotted cream

and some Earl Grey tea.

It just didn't work for me.

Jason.

For your Decoupage Egg And Toast...

The visual display was stunning.

This was pushing the boundaries.

Those little drops of Lady Grey tea gel...

..were lovely. Thank you.

But...

The panna cotta was a little firm.

And I wasn't a huge fan of your pastry toast either.

Richard, for your dish, Inspiring Women...

Victoria sponge and trifle,

they are true national favourites.

Sacred British dishes, I'd say.

I thought it was a wonderful dish.

The trifle...

evoked memories of childhood.

It was whimsical,

comforting, nostalgic...

The whole thing was such fun.

So, the scores.

I'm going to start with you, Rich.

I am giving you a score of...

..ten.

Get in there! Well done, mate.

Thank you, Chef.

HE SIGHS LOUDLY

I think all those ladies in your life will be very proud of you.

Thank you. It means a lot. Thank you.

So you will be cooking again tomorrow.

Two chefs are left.

And only one can go through...

..to cook for the judges tomorrow.

Pip.

I'm giving you...

..five.

Jason.

I'm giving you a six.

Thank you, Chef.

So, Pip, you are still going through to the judges tomorrow. Yep.

You deserve that.

Well done to all of you.

Thank you, Chef.

Thanks. And, Jason,

he has been here four times.

There's a few more to go yet.

Thanks, Chef. Well done. Thank you.

Amazing dessert. Ten! Another ten!

'Blown away. Really, really'

happy. And loved the fact that he got the dish that was the most

important to me.

On the day, I got beaten by two better cooks whose dishes

were better than mine.

It has been an absolute pleasure being in the kitchen with you.

'First time here.

'Through to Friday.'

Happy. Really happy.

Big day tomorrow, Pip. Yep. Yeah.

Friday's a whole different ballgame again.

Paul has shared with me something about the moment