Finals Week - Main Great British Menu

It's the national finals of Great British Menu.

I don't think you get

anywhere in this competition without taking risks.

Eight regional champions are battling it out.

Coming up in one minute.

For a chance to cook at a banquet celebrating 100 years

of the Women's Institute.

I want to take it to the next level

and I want to take it to the banquet.

The chefs must honour the custodians of flawless home cooking

with exemplary 21st century dishes.

We need to be hitting those tens now.

This is perfection. This is what we've been looking for.

And this year the judges' shortlist for each dish no longer has

three guaranteed places.

We used to just choose the three best dishes.

This year, we are only choosing them if they are perfect.

Yesterday's fish course saw Michael O'Hare...

That's epic.

..Matt Worswick...

That lobster is full of flavour.

..and Jak O'Donnell...

I think it's got to be a ten.

..top the leaderboard.

Well done.

As starter winners Josh Eggleton and Richard Bainbridge fell from grace.

THEY LAUGH

Big guns.

Today, it's the main course.

Judges Matthew Fort, Prue Leith

and Oliver Peyton are in search of impeccable cooking.

All the chefs will want to be on the main course leaderboard

because it is the centrepiece of the banquet.

With just two chances left to make the shortlist, competition is fierce.

I've been saving myself for today

so you might as well stop cooking now, to be honest.

Bring your game on.

All the chefs are out for glory.

-You relieved?

-Yes, it was a bit of a push, that was.

As only the finest dishes can reach the banquet.

I think it's a very, very smart piece of cooking.

The flavour from the sauce is top drawer.

I don't think there is anything that hits a WI brief more than that.

THEY LAUGH

The chefs need to impress the judges today with outstanding

main courses worthy of the WI.

Well, we certainly have some great fish courses to choose from.

But there are still three chefs not on that board

and they are going to be extremely anxious right now.

And they are Ben Arnold, Adam Bannister and Matt Gillan.

What's going on, guys? We haven't made it to that shortlist yet.

I was up there last night on the chef's shortlist.

Couldn't wait to get into that chamber and then, you know,

shock, couldn't believe it.

Yeah, I feel like I've got a bit of catching up to do.

We've got to get our heads down.

All the chefs will want to be on the main course leaderboard

because it is the centrepiece of the banquet.

Two chefs in the running to cook their starters at the banquet

are Richard Bainbridge and Josh Eggleton.

-Morning.

-Morning.

-Morning, mate.

-Morning, guys.

How are you feeling today?

Starter was a good day and then yesterday,

straight back down to the bottom. So it's not great, is it, Rich?

To go from the highs of being on that leaderboard and then the lows,

it makes you feel sick. I want to get back to where I was.

If they want to win, they have to cook perfectly.

The three chefs whose fish courses are in contention for the final

menu are Michael O'Hare, Matt Worswick and Jak O'Donnell.

Guys, you must be over the moon.

Yeah, super happy to be on the shortlist from the judges.

I'm just delighted to get my chance at the banquet.

I feel amazing. It's what I came here to do.

Try and get all the way for my fish course.

Are you now taking the foot off the pedal, is that what you're saying?

Not really. I want to do it again. I don't want to be last or anything.

-Right, OK.

-LAUGHTER

Here to help choose the main course for the banquet is guest judge

Felicity Cloake - an award-winning food writer

and advocate of the WI's foolproof recipes.

Felicity. Hello.

-And welcome back to the judges' chamber.

-Thank you.

Felicity helped the judges put Northern Ireland's Ben Arnold

through to the finals.

Felicity, today is a main course day. Are you hungry?

I have come with a healthy appetite, I can tell you.

Do you know what was interesting yesterday on the fish courses?

We really did have, I think,

one of the best days we've ever had on the Great British Menu.

The quality of the cooking was outstanding.

And if it comes anywhere near as good as it was yesterday,

it's going to be amazing.

There is a great pressure, I think, when the WI comes into play.

WI is an absolute treasure trove of really great, flawless recipes.

-It really is a very tough crowd to please.

-Yes.

Felicity, how would you like to be in that kitchen?

I think it's a terrifying prospect.

There is a lot of pressure on those guys today.

I'd much rather be sitting here in judgment than out there trying

to get onto the shortlist.

First into the kitchen are the North East's Michael O'Hare,

the North West's Matt Worswick, and Josh Eggleton for the South West.

They are all in contention for the final banquet menu

but the pressure is on to maintain that high standard.

Good luck.

Do you think we can do it again today?

I'm certainly hoping to. I'm confident with the dish.

I think it is a great dish.

Michael O'Hare is first to cook.

Yesterday he wowed both his fellow chefs

and the judges with a modern and artistic fish course.

He is hoping to repeat that today with another unconventional dish.

So then, Michael, what is it called?

My Mother Is Single And Looking For A Well Dressed Man.

It's a kind of play on a Sunday roast.

But I thought I'd use the competition as an opportunity to

-get my mum fixed up.

-THEY LAUGH

Yeah, I'm really excited to see what Michael is going to do today.

He always does something different and exciting.

So, you know, that's going to be fun to see.

Michael's dish is a floral tribute to his mum

of pork connective tissue with pork crackling, clamped vegetables,

salt-baked potatoes and a garlic almond sauce.

What sort of presentation do we expect to see today?

-Not quite as Gothic as yesterday.

-No?

-Today I am the flower child, you know?

-You know.

Yesterday was a great day for me. Shortlisted finally from the judges.

Today is another opportunity to get on that shortlist with my main

course. This dish has a personal connection with me.

Based on my mother. I really want to get in there and cook this dish well

and get a high score.

Well, Felicity, Michael O'Hare, the first chef up today,

is a complete one-off. His food is 100% original.

I'm dying to see what you think of it.

She's a florist.

My family's had a business for, like, four generations.

But being the only child and being a chef, I can't take it over.

So that ends, you know, with me.

So this is kind of me giving back to her, if you like.

It's called My Mother Is Single And Looking For A Well Dressed Man.

That is taking the brief

and interpreting it in the most liberal way possible.

That's my mum there.

The one on the left or the right?

THEY LAUGH

I mean, she is a very good looking, Michael.

I'm sure it wouldn't take very long to get her hooked up,

to be honest with you.

-If you get to the banquet, are you going to invite her?

-100%.

That'll be nice.

This dish contains connective tissue.

It doesn't sound very attractive, admittedly. Could do with a rebrand.

But it's always so delicious. And also, it's thrifty.

It's a cheap cut that we ought to be using more.

It's very WI, I would say.

Each element of Michael's dish must be executed to

perfection at the last minute.

Michael. We had to come over and see another one.

He starts by freeze-drying flowers for his floral presentation

with liquid nitrogen.

And it has caught the eye of his rivals,

especially Scottish champion Jak.

Compared to how black yesterday was, I mean, this is vibrant

and smiley and happy.

Yeah, this is all produce from the north-east of England.

From the countryside.

My fish dish was all the kind of coastline and industry.

This is the beauty of North Yorkshire. It's a lot prettier.

Michael splashes his serving platters with almond

and garlic sauce then scatters with beetroot powder.

Next, puffed pork skin

and purple salt-baked potatoes topped with anchovies and lardo.

Imagine that for a banquet.

Michael garnishes with crispy kale, clamped golden beetroot

and clamped carrot.

What time are you up? Half past?

That was the first time we've seen your face of slight panic.

Finally, he slices his pork.

-Is that how you wanted it?

-Yeah, bang on.

And his main course is complete.

-Well done, buddy.

-Cheers.

-Well done.

-It looks great.

-Cheers, thanks.

-Are you happy with it?

-Yeah, buzzing.

-First dish up. That looked brilliant.

-Thank you.

Desperate to taste it now.

I can't wait to hear when your mum finds out what the name is.

-Does she know yet?

-No.

I'm sure she would be happy with the dish.

-I'm not sure about the name.

-THEY LAUGH

Michael is clearly a student of Jackson Pollock.

I have to say, it's very striking looking.

I'm not entirely sure I want to eat it.

It's certainly colourful, isn't it?

The flavours are terrific. The pork is great. The sauce is great.

I love the purple potato.

This is not what I think of when I think of crackling.

It just needs a bit more seasoning. But delicious pork.

Really delicious pork.

I think the pork, for being described as connective tissue

and a throwaway cut, is exceptionally tasty

and a lot more tender than you would have thought.

It's a long time since I've eaten a bit of pork which had

so much flavour to it. I think it is absolutely delicious.

I think it's got an extraordinary play of textures.

One thing I really enjoyed,

the purple potatoes with the anchovy and the lardo on top of that.

I don't think it is quite as pretty as it was last time.

All the colour mixed with the pallid pork flowers,

it takes away from the focus of what otherwise are some really,

really, really good ingredients.

This isn't Michael's strongest dish. It just doesn't have that same

wow that he did with his fish course.

There is just too much happening.

And you know what, that's what I said the last time

-and I still feel the same.

-Mm.

As ever, the chefs will score each other's dishes,

creating their own shortlist.

Their scores will be averaged and combined with the judges' to help

determine the dishes in contention for the final banquet menu.

For me, it's a seven. Absolutely delicious.

I don't think it's suitable for the banquet.

It will divide people

and I think that people will hate it or people will love it.

I'm around seven or eight on this. Possibly an eight.

But more likely a seven.

A few peaks in the dish, some highs and I think a few lows.

For me, I would score this an eight.

Next up, Josh Eggleton.

It's his first time in the national finals

and he has made the shortlist with his brand-new starter.

But was nearly bottom of the leaderboard for his fish course.

Judging from the food yesterday, the competition has moved up a gear.

Three people went through to the shortlist, there was

some real high-standard cooking.

I've had to make a few tweaks to my main course.

The first day it paid off, the second day it didn't.

So today, I've got to be honest, I'm not completely confident.

Josh is hoping to get back on the shortlist with his

Round The Table With Your 5-A-Day which was inspired by visits

to his nan's house as a child.

In the regionals,

it was criticised for being too much like a Sunday lunch.

Josh is still cooking shepherd's pie but he has refined his vegetable

side dishes and replace his original mutton rack with a saddle.

I've changed quite a few things, you know.

So I don't know how I'm going to do, you know?

You are doing lamb as well?

Yes, I am.

I think mine and Josh's dishes are going to be very similar today.

I'm also stuffing mine, roasting it. But obviously it's all in the taste.

Josh Eggleton is a bit of a hero down in the south-west.

He has won a Michelin star for his cooking there

so he is a really talented fellow.

I think our main complaint about this dish is it's very conventional.

When we got it onto the plate, it looked exactly like Sunday lunch.

I gave this a big score the last time simply because Josh can cook.

It just need that little bit of magic.

And I know that he's got that perfection in him.

It was, you might say, harking back to the old WI.

And I sort of like to lean towards the new WI.

It sounds very simple but classic.

And with something like a shepherd's pie, you've got to get it right.

There is nothing to hide behind.

But if you're going to serve it at a banquet you have to do

something extra as well.

Josh brings out his shepherd's pies and pan-fries his kidneys.

Finishing them in a devilled sauce.

He starts his plate with curried swede.

I did bashed swede before so I've just changed it to a puree cos

they said they wanted it a bit more refined.

Next, another new addition.

Barbecued broccoli stalks and florets.

Josh adds slices of stuffed mutton saddle

and garnishes with dried broccoli.

His presentation is complete with jars of his new apple

and rosemary chutney,

jugs of lamb sauce, shepherd's pies and mini versions of his nan's table.

-Well done, man.

-Thank you very much.

-Well done.

-Cheers, mate.

Happy with it?

Yeah, it's the best I can do today.

Probably not the best I could do in my life but you know.

LAUGHTER

-It looks different.

-It does.

It looks very elegant.

I think the shepherd's pie is outstandingly good.

So often when you get a fancy shepherd's pie

it's got lots of sort of garlic and wine in it.

With this, the meat comes through. It's at the fore.

It's really excellent cooking.

I think the mutton is absolutely amazing.

-Very, very tasty piece of meat.

-Yeah.

This is broccoli three ways, isn't it?

It's a good bit of stalk as well, which is a very thrifty. Very WI.

-The broccoli stalk surprised me.

-Yeah.

I didn't think I was going to like it but I really love it.

There is not one element not cooked perfectly.

Family eating and social dining was a very big part of the WI. This is it.

This is the kind of meal you would come together for.

But what is this dish about? Is it about the shepherd's pie?

Is it about the kidneys? Is it about that?

There is no magic touch here.

There is no kind of thing that makes you step back and say wow.

You have to be bringing something else to the table.

There needs to be an extra angle and I'm just missing that extra angle.

You can see everyone having that warm feeling

and I think that's what he was trying to pull across.

The big question is - can you see it at the banquet?

It definitely should be up there as a contender.

I think it's faultless. It's faultless cooking.

I love the parts. But I do not see the whole.

I want to give it a big ten.

I think they'll love it. Ten from me.

I could put this through to my shortlist.

I actually love this but I really hope,

and know, that there is better to come.

So, Jak, shortlisted yesterday for fish.

I'm going to assume you are hoping for the same today.

I think that the way all the guys in the kitchen

and yourself are gunning for it today

I'm really going to have to keep up.

I'm second to last to plate up

so it's going to need to be something pretty special.

Newcomer Matt Worswick is next

and still riding high after the fish course.

Being shortlisted by the judges

gives me an extra massive boost for today.

I really like this dish. It means a lot to me.

But the pressure of the Great British Menu kitchen, it's hard,

it's really, really tense.

So hopefully it will be OK and I will do some good food.

As with his fish course, Matt's Shall I Be Mother?

is another dish inspired by his grandmother, who was in the WI.

It's Matt's take on her recipes for hotpot and roast lamb.

And his fun presentation evokes the WI's rural roots.

In his quest for perfection, Matt has refined

the dish by serving his hotpots and vegetables individually.

It was absolutely delicious last time. I gave it a nine I think.

He is a really interesting chef.

He really treats the ingredients so well.

They are so clean and you can taste everything.

He is a really quality chef.

The quality of the lamb on this dish was absolutely spectacular.

I don't know. If he'd called it the lamb stew with clunky vegetables

it might have been fine. It did not look like Lancashire hotpot.

It didn't taste like Lancashire hotpot.

And it did not have a red cabbage.

Determined to win over the judges again,

Matt is focused on executing his dish perfectly.

He starts with gravy steamed cauliflower, potatoes and carrots.

Followed by roasted baby red onions, garlic and broccoli.

Then Matt ropes in Josh to help with his hotpots.

-Hotpots back in?

-Lids off, yeah.

Off?

Put them on when they come out.

Hotpots are in, Chef.

He slices his rolled best end of lamb stuffed with minced lamb's liver,

kidney and shoulder, dried apricots and spinach.

Do you need a hand or anything?

-I just need the props if you can go and get them please.

-No worries.

Hotpots up, please.

-It looks great.

-It looks amazing, Matt.

Finally, Matt deserves his gravy in his late grandmother's teapot.

And presents everything in his rural scene.

Complete with broccoli trees and cauliflower sheep.

Nobody else has got any cauliflower sheep, have they?

-Fantastic.

-Brilliant.

-Well done, mate. That's great.

-Thank you very much.

Sheep facing the judges please.

HE CHUCKLES

Cauliflower sheep.

How are you feeling, Matt, after that?

I think it's all right.

It looks better than all right.

I think... It was a lot of hard work so hopefully they like it.

-Hope you're not feeling sheepish about it.

-Eh!

-LAUGHTER

-Oh!

It's Old McDonald's farm.

I'd forgotten how lovely this is.

Spectacular. That makes me very happy just looking at it.

I think that's the best-looking dish that's been put up today.

It's just very clever.

It's a very fine looking hotpot.

There is still no red pickled cabbage.

I'm sure the WI members are well equipped to bring their own

-pickled cabbage.

-Do you always travel with pickled cabbage in

-your handbag?

-You never know when you might need it.

The potato on top is a little bit difficult to kind of...

It's a little bit difficult to cut.

It's kind of shrunk a little bit more than I think

he might have wanted it to.

The lamb is delicious.

The stuffing of the lamb is delicious.

My only objection is I don't think much of the potatoes on top.

I think the hotpot is too dry.

The veg are just far, far too conventional.

I don't like the balance of the dish, to be frank with you.

I'm not sure about the vegetables. I'm not sure...

if that's pushing modern British food.

It's got a really great flavour. Beautifully cooked. Tender meat.

But, you know, it could do with a bit more gravy.

But we do have a whole teapot of the stuff.

For me, this is probably an eight.

Fat could be rendered down more. But you know...

It's the only fault I can find with the dish.

We are nit-picking here.

I think people would be disappointed after seeing that come through

the door and then eating the food. I'm going to give it a seven.

This is tidied up rustic but it certainly isn't elegant.

This is not a banquet dish.

I like it, I really like it.

I couldn't fault hardly anything in the cooking.

I've got to give it a ten.

It's a dish of confusions. Where is its heart? What is its point?

What is the focus of it?

I feel this is revved up Sunday lunch really.

And I don't particularly like it.

It's a great plate of food. I'm going to give it a ten.

The veg were almost quite plain.

And I think the saddle was quite poorly executed.

I think it could have been finished a little bit neater and tidier.

And I think the hotpot was a little bit on the dry side.

I'm unfortunately going to have to give him five.

Fourth-time competitor Richard Bainbridge

and newcomer Ben Arnold are the next chefs to cook.

-Good luck, buddy.

-Good luck, Chef. Let's do this, huh?

Ben is up first.

So far, he has failed to get on the banquet shortlist.

You know what, Ben is a very, very good chef.

I don't think he has hit gold yet.

His lamb dish, which we suggested he change, was not a bad dish.

Just not exciting.

Today, Ben has decided to cook a new dish after both he

and the judges were blown away in the Northern Ireland regional

final by rival Chris McGowan's ox tongue and cheek pie.

Chris, that pie was completely and utterly fabulous.

We had seconds and we had thirds.

Ben, did I hear that you've changed your dish from regionals?

Yeah, it's a completely new dish, Richard.

Although mine was liked, Chris McGowan's was liked more.

So I've taken a bit of inspiration from him and done my own version.

OK.

To give himself the best chance of reaching the banquet,

Ben is following the WI tradition of passing on recipes.

Unlike Chris' dish, Ben's showcases venison rather than beef.

A venison mince pie with venison loin and blackberry compote on the side.

The WI are all about passing down recipes through generations,

-from person to person.

-Yeah.

I've taken suggestions from the judges

and made my own dish out of it.

I see he took our advice.

He's thrown it out and got something here called A Berry Game Pie.

Disappointment day one, disappointment day two,

I'm not prepared for disappointment day three.

But I'm running out of chances. I've got to nail this.

Making pastry for the WI is a fearsome prospect.

Newcomer Ben knows his venison loin and pie dish must be perfect.

I'm feeling a bit under pressure, you know.

I've put a lot of effort into these pies

and they need to hit the exacting standards of the WI.

So I hope I'm going to get it right.

How are you going, buddy?

Good, thanks.

He starts his plates with parsnip and rosemary puree,

blanched buttered spinach and blackberry sauce.

Next, pickled mushrooms and sliced venison loin.

Are you happy with the cooking of your venison?

Yeah, the venison is exactly where I want it.

Ben drizzles his dish with venison sauce

and garnishes with deep-fried kale.

-It looks lovely. Really lovely.

-Thank you.

Finally, he serves what he hopes is a perfect venison pie.

Along with jugs of venison sauce.

-Lovely. Well done.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Happy?

As much as you can see the inside from the outside.

But you know, yeah, I was concerned about that pastry.

Oh. Wow.

It looks rather familiar.

I hope he has a been inspired by Chris McGowan's pie

because it was amazing.

This is the sort of thing I want to cut into.

Whoa, look at that.

Look at that!

Ben has actually made the pastry for his pie. To do it in this kitchen...

-Yeah.

-..in this competition, is brave.

-I wouldn't have done it.

-I wouldn't have done it.

-No, I wouldn't have done it.

It's a magnificent looking pastry.

He's got some great rise on the outside.

There is not that much separation between the layers inside.

For the WI, the pastry is just not good enough.

It's not cooked at the bottom.

I don't actually mind that.

I quite like the little bit of sogginess inside a pie.

I'm not going to mark him down for that.

That's a tasty ragout.

That's got some lovely flavours, that has.

It is very, very good.

It's very deep flavoured because it's been properly browned

and cooked down.

The fruitiness that you get from the blackberries and a little sharp

bits of pickled mushrooms there, it's a fantastic piece of cooking.

-Isn't it?

-Absolutely brilliant.

-Yes. Yes.

-Really.

It's not dry, is it?

You know, sometimes when you cook a minced venison

it can dry out. He's retained all that lovely moisture and richness.

I think the only mistake he's made is the saddle shouldn't have

been outside, it should have been inside.

And if that was inside I would have given it a ten.

Otherwise, it's a nine.

There's a few technical issues with the dish and the portion size.

Loved the flavours. I'm giving it an eight.

-Numero?

-Oh, ten. Ten.

-Ten?

-No question.

But the pastry has let it all down.

Seven for me.

In the prep kitchen, Matt Gillan is working hard trimming his goat.

He is next in the kitchen with Adam Bannister.

Both chefs are yet to get a dish on any of the banquet shortlists.

So you are using all of the goat. What are you actually doing with it?

-Shoulder, barbecue it, steam it, press it.

-Nice.

Just going to do like ballotine of the saddle.

And take the kidneys and the fillet and chop all that, saute it up

so it's almost like a pate, really.

It's a bit of a minimum waste, maximum use masterclass in goat.

Did the judges like it?

Yeah, they did like it. I got two tens and two nines.

The thing that let it down was the presentation of the story.

So I have worked on the presentation

and I'm hoping I get those two more marks for the full house.

Big dish. So you need to push on.

THEY LAUGH

Richard is up next.

So far, his starter is in the running for the final menu

but it's his fourth time in the competition

and he wants to get his main course on the judges' shortlist too.

After scoring an eight in the fish course, it is making me nervous

but I'm trying to get my confidence back and power forward.

If I now let that wobble me, it could ruin the rest of my week.

You all right, Rich? What are you up to?

I'm stuffing my poussin.

Bit of sewing?

Exactly. WI. Thought I would get my sewing in.

Richard's main, Betty In The Hen House, is inspired by an old

WI magazine article on how to rear poultry at home.

It's a stuffed poussin with pearl barley risotto,

served in a model henhouse.

Rich is a real character. Fourth time in the competition.

He's in the shortlist. He went right down to the bottom again yesterday.

I hope he does well today. I loved his dish.

I thought this dish we are about to eat now was a ten.

And I just hope he hasn't messed with it.

Prue gave you a ten for this, Richard. She obviously loved it.

Have you changed it or modified it?

I'm not going to change something that my bessie mate Prue

thought was lovely.

It's all about the stuffing, isn't it?

I love the stuffing on this dish.

Richard is a really interesting chef. You never quite know if he's

going to produce a masterpiece or an absolute catastrophe.

This was certainly one of his strongest dishes.

It links both his skill as a chef to the brief very neatly.

He had done his research.

It's a risky business serving any kind of chicken at a banquet cos

it just makes you think of very dry, boring, you know, mass-catered food.

I was lucky enough that Richard Corrigan really liked it.

It kind of reminded him of his Sunday roast dinner. But elevated.

-It was an elevated Sunday lunch.

-What did he give it?

-Ten.

-Really?

-Yes, so I was lucky enough...

-Another ten?

Josh brings Richard's henhouse presentation prop into the kitchen.

Usually in this one, they are alive, aren't they?

He starts his plates with roasted carrots and confit parsnips.

Followed by broad beans, baby onions, samphire and pearl barley risotto.

I'm quite nervous about this one because I know how good

this dish can be. I've seen what's come up so far.

He serves his chicken and herb jus in jugs.

Next, Richard removes the string from the sausage meat

and apple chutney-stuffed poussin.

He covers with eggshell cloches.

Just help me up with the plates to the pass.

And places on a bed of hay.

His henhouse lid completes the presentation.

Happy with it?

Um, yeah. I think it's as good as I could have done it.

If I'm honest, I'm about 90% happy with that dish.

I think my poussin was slightly under.

Which is not filling me with great hopes.

And I think it's going to hold against me

and I'm going to be down that pecking order tonight.

Look at that henhouse! That's magnificent.

Ta-da!

-Looks like Easter.

-Isn't it beautiful?

This is a very well-stuffed poussin. It's got a breast like a football.

It's quite a large helping.

Two courses previous and that would be quite cumbersome I think.

It is a substantial amount of food.

Cooking the breast and the leg together is quite risky.

-Isn't that perfectly cooked?!

-Mmm.

-It's so easy to get the breast overcooked. And look at that.

-Mm.

A very regional vegetable - samphire is a big thing in East Anglia.

With the barley and the poultry,

it really feels of its place, which I quite like.

It is really banquet material, this dish,

because I can actually see people coming to a banquet,

I can see the jig coming off of everyone going, "Wow!"

It is a very good bit of cooking.

-The stuffing is delicious.

-Yeah, it's great.

I think my favourite thing on this plate, actually, is the stuffing.

It is just sublime!

There is something sweet in there almost like there's

some kind of fruity sort of chutney or preserve,

which again is very WI.

I wouldn't mind the stuffing to be a little bit more firmer.

-Yeah, it is quite wet.

-Yeah.

I just love the thought of a whole lot of waiters

walking into a dining hall carrying aloft hen houses.

I mean, it would be such fun, wouldn't it?

What I think Rich has done very well here is

he has demonstrated his cooking skills and he has done just

enough to make it theatrical enough

and interesting enough for a banquet.

I mean, it is definitely a shortlist contender for me.

I think there needs to be maybe more veg with it.

For that, I will give it a six.

I've never had a better flavoured poussin.

I think it is perfect.

It is rich, but it is fresh.

It is not overpowering. It is beautifully presented.

-For me, this is going to be a ten.

-Wow.

The leg was slightly undercooked. I loved everything else.

So I'm going to score that a nine.

It seems to me this is a rare moment where both

the presentation and the theme have integrated.

Clever old Rich, I think he is, you know,

he is up the leaderboard again today.

The final group of chefs to cook today are London

and the South East's Matt Gillan, Scotland's Jak O'Donnell

and Adam Bannister for Wales.

-BOTH:

-Good luck.

-Good luck, Jak.

-Good luck.

-Let's do it.

Jak reached the national finals last year and she is the only

chef in this group who is on the banquet shortlist.

Not only has her Michelin-starred rival Matt failed

so far to get on the judges' final leaderboard,

his dishes have yet to make an impact on his peers.

So, Matt, you haven't got on the chefs' shortlist.

Don't look at me like that.

Thanks, Jak(!)

It is a bit upsetting not being on either shortlist,

but this is my best shot to get on that shortlist today.

Everything is going to go into this dish.

I am going to be pushing myself.

Although he made the chefs' top three for his starter,

first-timer Adam has also not yet made the judges' shortlist.

His main is humble, so he must cook it perfectly.

Every dish means a lot to me, but this dish really means a lot

to me cos it is, for me, such a classic Welsh home-cooked dish.

I want to take it to the next level

and I want to take it to the banquet.

Adam's dish - Jerusa-lamb - is a play on words combining the WI's

anthem with his main ingredient, lamb.

It is an elevated take on Welsh faggots, a homely classic,

which he is serving with Jerusalem artichoke-flavoured mashed potato

and mint jelly.

If it scored highly with the judges in the regional heats.

Adam's looking is really, really, really skilful.

He made his faggots with lamb.

These were just in another world.

I mean, they were wonderful.

I really want to get to the banquet, you know? I am pushing every day.

I'm trying to push that little bit harder every day.

Firstly, I have got to ask you, faggots,

the WI centenary banquet, can you see it?

If they are well enough done, then I can very much see it.

It is a very thrifty dish. It is a very WI dish.

I have never had a lamb faggot before, I have to say.

They tend to be pork in my household,

so I am really intrigued by this. I think there is great potential.

Adam is feeling the pressure.

So far, he seems very busy for this course, running around a bit.

I think Adam has got a good chance with this one.

What I like about Adam's dish is he is doing some cooking

from his own region.

You know, I think he'll get credited for that.

In the kitchen, Adam has seared his lamb loin pieces

and encased them in a mix of lamb breast, heart and liver.

-So these are your faggots?

-These are my faggots.

Although the judges liked them in the regionals,

the first time Adam served his faggots to veteran

Tom Kerridge was not a success.

They were slightly overcooked, the loin was.

And they were splitting whilst I was cooking them.

I seem to have - hopefully -

solved that problem.

That is a risk, really, isn't it?

You can't see what is going on inside in there.

-Cheers(!)

-You can't even probe them, can you?

Because they'll just burst open.

-But for you, I hope they stay like that.

-Thank you very much.

For me, I hope it goes hideously wrong.

-BLEEP

-harsh, Matt.

Thank you, thank you very much.

All the best to you too(!)

If Adam's faggots split in the regionals... It is

something that you really need to take time over and a lot of care.

Running about is not the way to take the time over them.

Can I have a piping bag, please?

He looks busy, though.

Adam pipes mashed potato mixed with Jerusalem artichoke

puree into his traditional casserole dishes.

You are looking busy, Adam.

Just trying to bring everything together. Everything is last-minute.

So it is just a bit of a push.

Mushy peas are next, followed by his faggots.

-Faggots are looking good, Adam.

-Thank you, Chef.

-Lovely.

-They all stayed together?

-They certainly have.

-Good.

Mint sauce, mint sauce.

He decorates with mint jelly and roasted Jerusalem artichokes.

Can someone grab a ladle, please?

And finishes with his traditional gravy.

Quick, the lids, please, guys.

Come out to the pass.

-HE EXHALES HEAVILY

-Well done.

-Cheers.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Relieved?

-Yeah. It was a bit of a push.

Right, time to check the faggot.

Well, how is it, then?

Yeah, good, it is still pink, but I most probably would have

liked 20 seconds less, if I am being truthfully honest.

Fingers crossed those ones that the judges got are good.

BLEEP.

-Ta-dah!

-Oh, yum!

-Oh, isn't that pretty?

-It really is pretty, isn't it?

Do you remember we said, "Make them smaller"? And I think he has.

Just.

That's lovely.

The faggot with the loin in is lovely.

The flavour in those faggots is just sensational.

I mean, and the flavour from the sauce is top drawer.

That is very clever to put the lovely rare meat inside.

I wasn't expecting that.

I think it is all really, really tasty.

To serve two faggots of that size on a four-course menu,

that could be a bit of a risk.

I am enjoying this dish, but it is not saying banquet to me.

It is saying Sunday night.

These are about as good as faggots get,

and I just don't think they make a banquet dish.

Matthew, you will not be surprised to hear that I disagree with you.

I think they are the most elegant faggots I have ever eaten.

But there is not a bum note in this dish for me.

I am really enjoying it.

I cannot see the WI, the members of the WI, sitting down to this,

whipping off the top, and going, "Oh, hooray, it's faggots!"

The cooking on there is superb.

I just think it is not celebratory enough to really be on a banquet.

We have seen people who really know how to hit the brief,

and this is a rather feeble attempt.

With two faggots, it is just... It is an unbalanced dish.

I will give him an eight.

Not good potato. I think the size is too big.

I think that the flavour is too monochrome.

And thank God for the peas.

Great idea, tasted beautiful.

It was great.

I'm going to have to give it a nine.

Almost there, it is delicious.

But it is not just banquet standard, not quite.

I am going to give it an eight.

Jak O'Donnell is next to the pass.

In last year's finals, she had a disastrous week.

But this time around, she has already tasted some success.

The only woman left in the competition,

the pressure is mounting to get her dish to the banquet.

I am nervous about cooking my dish today.

I'm not sure it will stand up to how these boys are going

to pull everything out of the bag today to get on the shortlist.

In the regional heats, the judges thought Jak's dish lacked

refinement, so she has had to make crucial changes.

The WI are all about perfection, perfection, perfection.

I would be doing them

and myself and injustice if I didn't produce a flawless dish today.

Herd At The Gathering is a tribute

to the Scottish Women's Rural Institute.

Instead of the whole venison leg to share, Jak is now using

the meat in lollipops to dip in her new bramble gin jam,

alongside her original venison loin and liver

and baby veg-filled potato nests.

It just all felt a bit...

-Clumsy.

-Clumsy, yes.

I really hope she has sort of readdressed that dish.

The cooking was perfectly decent, but you just think this...

There's absolutely no way this could go through to the banquet.

I'm very glad to see that Jak is competing right up

there at the top level.

Her two previous dishes have been really good

and she is in the mix.

Well, venison is always a crowd-pleaser,

-so let's hope the girl can do us proud.

-Yeah.

Still without a dish in contention for the final menu,

Matt is determined to score higher than Jak for his main.

I have been saving myself, Jak, yeah, for today.

And today is the course that's going to take me to that shortlist.

So you might as well stop cooking now, to be honest.

Listen, just because I got on the shortlist yesterday doesn't

mean I don't want to earn it today.

-So bring your game on.

-Bring it on.

With the clock ticking, Jak brings out her new addition -

the venison leg lollipops -

and finishes her venison liver.

I'm going to the WI. We just keep it cool in the kitchen.

Never see our WI lady flouting, do you?

As it is not quite ready, Jak returns her liver to the pan.

While it cooks, she fills her potato nests with roasted baby vegetables,

dips her venison lollipops in bramble gin jam and starts her plates.

Next, she slices her rested venison loin.

But when she starts to slice the venison liver,

she realises it's still not cooked.

BLEEP!

Get me another frying pan, quick. Just a wee one.

Is everything OK, Jak?

Yep, just the liver is a bit on the pink side.

Everything has to be perfect, doesn't it?

It does, so there's no point in me

putting up something that is still too pink in the middle.

Finally, Jak serves the venison liver

and pours her venison sauce into vintage gravy jugs.

Jak's presentation is complete with a gramophone to symbolise

the anthem of the Scottish Women's Rural Institute, which is

played at their meetings.

-Well done, Jak.

-Well done, Jak.

-Thank you.

Oh.

She has made it enormous effort to refine this dish.

Remember last time, the vegetables in particular, I think,

were very sort of oafish.

I love the look of this lollipop we've got.

It has kind of got a sort of jammy bottom.

It is almost like bit like a venison jam doughnut.

The lollipop idea is a great idea.

I just found the leg meat just a little bit dry

and lacked some excitement.

And that liver... I love venison.

It is almost the best part of the animal.

-It needs to be small, the liver, though.

-This is quite small.

-Yeah.

Maybe it is not quite as pink as I would like it to be.

I think the potato was pretty dry.

It needs a lot of sauce to moisten it up.

-As with the lollipop.

-As with the lollipop.

And the liver's quite dry.

I think you are all messing around here. I mean, this dish is terrible.

You know, it is nothing short of a catastrophe, in my opinion.

For a start, those potatoes are just absolutely dreadful.

They are verging on inedible.

The meat is poor.

There is little to like in this dish.

The gravy is not bad, but the presentation...

It reminds me of quite good country house cooking of the 1960s.

The way the vegetables are presented, I don't think that

is the height of modern British food.

So she is tried really hard to make it elegant.

And she has managed to make it boring.

This is nowhere near banquet material.

I think it needs more bonanza.

I think it needs to be more special.

So for that, I will give it a six.

Sadly, you are all right, it just doesn't deliver.

The potatoes are dry, the lollipop is dry.

My liver, sadly, is overcooked.

I can't give this dish any more than a five.

It is not worth more than a five.

I think you are too generous with five, Prue.

It is just not good enough.

I don't think it is anywhere near a five. I'm going to give it a four.

The final chef to cook today is Michelin-starred Matt Gillan.

It is his second time in the competition

but first time in the finals.

And so far this week, he has failed to shine.

I haven't been on the shortlist for chefs or judges.

Disappointing but, you know, I can deal with that.

But main course day is my favourite dish.

The inspiration is one that is quite personal.

And so to have this dish on the shortlist

and go all the way to the banquet would mean a huge amount to me.

I'm going to give it everything.

Teaching And Preaching is inspired by Matt's St Helena

heritage and the WI's "Waste not, want not" ethos.

It is a complex billy goat dish of 12 elements,

using every cut of the animal -

salt-baked leg, spiced shoulder

and goat ragout topped with mash, called herder's pie,

with goat fat dumplings, goat's jelly

and cheese and caramelised pineapple.

It is the dish that I am the most emotionally connected to.

I grew up on goat. My mum grew up on goat.

She introduced me to it.

Just the story behind billy goats as well.

It is more than just a plate of food to me.

In researching his main ingredient,

Matt found the soaring popularity of goat's cheese and milk from

female goats means male billy goats are often slaughtered and discarded.

One of the values of the WI is to be, you know,

use your resources as best you can.

So that is why I have chosen the billy goat. It is normally wasted.

And, you know, I'm just going to showcase as much as I can

using absolutely everything from the goat. And yeah...

There's a little bit to do.

It is going to be a little bit of a push today.

Matt is my tip for the future.

He is continually experimenting and trying and trying.

He is a chef who is fizzing with ideas.

I like goat myself. It is a bit, like you say, very underused.

So I am really looking forward to trying this.

What I like about Matt's whole approach is that he has taken

the WI from its inception, over 100 years,

and highlighted its campaigns.

I think that is the side of the WI that we haven't heard

much about today. And actually, it is something I think

a lot of the public don't realise - their campaigning role.

So good for Matt.

The judges awarded Matt two tens.

So to hit the heights they are expecting, he has swapped goat loin

with stuffed saddle and changed his sharing platter to individual plates.

He has also written a story book to explain the plight of Billy goats.

I have made amendments to my presentation.

It tells the story that the judges were after.

And I think this is going to get me on the shortlist today.

However, it is a very ambitious dish,

so Matt is pushed to deliver a flawless plate of food on time.

-Matt.

-No, I am...good.

He finishes his herder's pies,

topping his goat mince ragout with piped mashed potato.

And with time now against him, he enlists Adam's help.

Do you mind just opening the legs from the salt dough for me, please?

-Yeah, certainly.

-Just open them. Just go like that.

-Please, mate.

Matt starts his new plates with dehydrated cheese rind,

goat jelly and goat's cheese.

-How are you getting on, Matt?

-Yeah...

You know, I'm feeling quite up against it at the minute.

I do have a lot to do for this main course.

Under the watch of his rivals, Matt adds his goat fat

and potato dumplings and spinach.

Matt is in the zone.

-Look at him go!

-His looks pretty already.

Pressed goat shoulder goes onto the plates.

How are you doing, Matt?

All right, I'm getting there, getting there.

Next, he adds his sliced salt-baked goat leg

and goat saddle stuffed with goat's kidneys and fillet,

spinach and shallots.

He places his herder's pies into his boards

and finishes the plate with goat sauce.

Do you just want to put the bookmarks in the books, please?

-If you guys can give us a hand.

-Yeah.

Matt's presentation is finally complete with his special

storybook cover lids

and books about the plight of the billy goat.

-Well done, that looks amazing.

-Well done, mate! Beautiful.

THEY CLAP

-That was easy(!)

-THEY LAUGH

-Well done, Matt.

-Thank you. It was such a push.

Heavens.

This is beautiful.

-Oh, there is a little story about...

-Billy goats.

-Billy goats.

"Their herder travelled far and wide,

"educating along the way, hoping that one day

"the humble billy goat will end up being celebrated on a plate."

It is amazing he has done this.

I mean, this is a beautiful box.

I think this goat pie...

That is butter and potato in happy synthesis.

And that beautiful, rich mince underneath. Absolutely delicious.

I mean, this is what this competition is all about.

I mean, it is really beautiful.

Normally, when you do this amount of different types of goat,

something falls down in terms of flavour.

But you move from one thing to another,

and there is this continual change in flavour and change in tone.

And if you want to lighten any of it,

you just put a tiny bit of grilled pineapple on top.

Everything works well and it is interesting.

It is really, really interesting cooking.

He has done the billy goat proud.

What a stunning showcase of a billy goat

and not wasting produce that we have here.

Blown away, really.

The way the whole dish comes together as a whole. It's beautiful.

Lovely, really tasty.

It has got it all going on.

It has got the back story of saving the goats and making sure

the billy goats are taken care of.

The general history from his family.

The quality of the cooking. I have never tasted goat this good.

What Matt has done is create

something that is much more than a plate of food.

It almost feels like the start of a campaign

that he is championing.

I don't think there is anything that hits the WI brief more than that.

And it is flawless, absolutely flawless.

I think it is a very, very smart piece of cooking.

I think it has been beautifully thought through.

And with a deeply serious purpose.

The WI is about using things, you know,

that otherwise wouldn't be used. It is about thrift.

It is about, you know, home economy in the truest sense.

And this dish is about that.

And I think the WI would really get behind this.

For me, it is a straight ten.

Best dish of the day.

It is a ten for me.

This is perfection. This is what we have been looking or.

It is a ten for me also.

But genuinely, if I could give him more, I would.

MATTHEW KISSES, OLIVER LAUGHS

Well, I think we have had a fantastic day.

We have had at least three, maybe more,

great dishes that could easily be at the banquet.

A bit of a slow start and then... Whoosh!

We took off in a very spectacular fashion.

Yeah, there were three dishes that I gave a ten to.

And I will stand by those tens for all eternity.

They were absolute perfection.

Before the final leaderboard is revealed, it is time to find

out from the chefs' scores alone who is on their shortlist.

Thank you.

Today, the chefs' shortlist is ranked first,

second and third places.

OK, in third place...

is...

Rich.

-Thanks.

-Well done.

Thanks very much.

-It was that lovely poussin dish.

-Fair enough.

OK, and in second place is...

It's Josh.

Josh?!

-Thank you.

-Well done, Josh.

-Thanks, guys.

Oh, the man who gave us five main courses.

That was the best shepherd's pie I have every eaten.

I applaud the chefs on their good taste.

Yes, well, that shepherd's pie was delicious,

amongst the many other things on there, and we didn't like that

and they don't agree with us.

It drives me mad!

And in first place, ranked the dish of the day...

..is...

Matt Gillan!

Well done, chief.

Thanks very much, guys. It means... It does mean a lot.

Hello, chefs. How has it been?

-Hard day.

-Exhausting.

-Long day.

Well, we have had some truly exceptional main courses today.

We have been really blown away by the standard of your cooking.

As you know, we are looking for impeccable dishes.

And only a perfect plate of food will make it onto the shortlist.

So I think I will get on with the results.

In eighth place, it is...

..Jak.

I'm sorry, Jak,

we thought your venison was just not as good as you can cook.

Thanks very much.

-Sorry.

-Thank you.

In seventh place, we have...

..Matt Worswick.

Matt, we didn't think it was quite elegant enough for the banquet.

-Thank you very much.

-Bye.

All right, me.

-I didn't expect to see you soon.

-Oh, well.

In sixth place, it's...

..Michael.

Michael, very creative cooking, as we expected.

But we thought just too many elements.

No problem, I appreciate that.

Thank you so much for eating it.

OK.

-Hello there, losers.

-BLEEP.

In fifth place...

..it's...

Adam.

We thought it was really fine cooking,

but not quite a banquet dish.

Thank you very much.

Bye.

"Just not quite a banquet dish." Which is fair enough.

So I can take that.

-It is tough, isn't it?

-Yeah, I know, it is.

In fourth place, it's...

..Josh.

Josh, your fellow chefs had you second.

And it is no doubt that

your dish was a joy to eat.

But it just lacked drama

and razzmatazz.

Thank you.

Seriously?!

THEY LAUGH

Said it was delicious,

-ate very well, but lacked drama.

-Wow.

There are three of you left.

And I must tell you that we thought your dishes

were absolutely wonderful.

Ben, that pie was an absolute monster.

It was a real joy to eat.

Thank you very much. I am glad you enjoyed it.

And, Matt, your goat dish was absolutely out of this world.

-Really.

-Thank you very much.

And your presentation tells such a lovely and such an important story.

-It was fantastic.

-Thank you.

Rich, your poussin was a real joy.

It had theatre. It hit the brief perfectly.

And most of all, it was absolutely delicious.

Thank you very much.

Well, we have thought long and hard about what to do.

And our decision is this.

We have decided to have one winner.

THEY CLEAR THEIR THROATS NERVOUSLY

So, the chef cooking the main course at the banquet will be...

..Matt.

-Brilliant, well done, buddy.

-Well done.

-Well done.

-Amazing.

-You've got clammy hands.

-I have got clammy hands!

How do you feel, Matt?

Quite emotional, I'll be honest.

Thank you very much.

It has just made my day, you know, to find out that it is going to be

going to the banquet. Thanks so much.

Ben, you must be a bit disappointed by that, but I don't think

you should be because it was an absolute monument to pleasure

and we all really enjoyed.

I am really pleased and proud to be here, you know,

starting in this position.

Matt's dish, we all agreed, unbelievable.

It was fantastic cooking.

And a truly banquet-worthy dish.

Rich,

very bad luck, mate.

How do you feel?

Um, really good, really good. I think

I knew deep down Matt deserves to be at the banquet.

And the minute we all saw it, it has to be there. So...

Congratulations to Matt.

Thank you.

You know, Matt, your goat dish was faultless on all fronts.

-So you got tens across the board from us.

-Wow.

And you got tens across the board from all the chefs.

It's extraordinary.

-Matt, your dish was outstanding. See you at the banquet.

-Thank you.

I think they should buy you a very big drink.

We will do.

Well, guys, what is going on? Are you on a shortlist?

Is it three or two or...?

It is just one, Jak. Straight through to the banquet!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

That is so good!

We are just really happy that, you know,

the judges made the right decision today, definitely,

to put you straight through.

The story behind it and everything, it was just fantastic.

-You should be really proud.

-It is quite an emotional thing for me.

It's kind of hitting me now.

Aw!

Well-deserved.

Thank you very much.

An unbelievable feeling. You know, that is what I came here to do.

And then to do it with, you know,

tens across the board is just unbelievable.

-Hello, Mother.

-'Hello.'

They have put me straight through to the banquet.

'Oh, Matthew!'

The fact that it is the first dish in the history to go

straight to the banquet, you know, I think they must've liked it.

-'That is so wonderful!'

-It's quite good, isn't it?

'I am so pleased and I am so proud of you.'

-Thank you very much.

-'Aw!'

SHE LAUGHS