Scotland Starter Great British Menu

Great British Menu is back.

-It's hot in here.

-Phew, deep breaths.

Calm down, it's not that bad!

This time, the chefs are competing to become ambassadors

for contemporary British cooking.

You did say "modern", Chef.

Yeah.

Come on baby, come on baby.

-The pressure in the kitchen is ridiculous.

-Arrrgh!

I just want to smash it.

In the year the nation marks the Queen's 90th birthday,

the chefs are celebrating the everyday great Britons

she's honoured for their extraordinary achievements.

The prize, to cook at the ultimate banquet held at the country's

most iconic building,

the Palace of Westminster.

The chefs must showcase the coming of age of British cuisine.

Going for gold all the way, mate.

But first, our eager newcomers...

I'm here to get a dish to the banquet.

I'm gunning for a ten.

This one's going to smack them in the chops, I reckon.

It's anyone's game, really.

..and returning chefs.

Ha-ha!

I'm feeling the pressure.

..have to impress our formidable team of veterans...

Ah, you're joking.

It's stressful, isn't it?

..who are expecting nothing but excellence.

It's pretty much faultless.

Are you sure you're talking about me?

It was amazing.

That was a stunning dish.

One little mistake...

Wow!

..could be catastrophic.

This year, our chefs have travelled across the country to meet

everyday great Britons recognised for their remarkable work...

Put it in the oven!

..and dedicated commitment to their communities.

Since her coronation in 1953,

thousands of people have been honoured by the Queen.

This is my Queen's Young Leaders Award.

-You must be so proud.

-I am.

This is my OBE.

You must feel very honoured to receive it.

Inspired by these great Britons,

the chefs must demonstrate the transformation of British food

during the Queen's historic reign.

Wow.

Their challenge?

To produce a lasting legacy...

Oh, look at you.

..to this new Elizabethan age.

This week, competing to become Scottish champion

are three talented newcomers.

Adam Handling, highly competitive and the youngest chef

in the kitchen.

I'm a competition fanatic. I've won quite a few national awards,

but the one I really want to win will be Great British Menu.

Michael Bremner, who's not afraid to take risks.

My food is contemporary, exciting, interesting.

Erm, I'm feeling good, yeah, I think I'm going to smash it.

And Ally McGrath, who favours rustic cooking and classic techniques.

Hopefully with the big, bold, gutsy flavours that I'm going to bring

to the competition, that'll see me through.

Judging is a chef who's no stranger to the pressure of

the Great British Menu kitchen.

So, who do you think it's going to be?

I'm concerned about all of them.

A four-time competitor who was twice crowned banquet champion.

-ADAM:

-They're all going to be terrifying.

I'm expecting the toughest one.

Yeah, it's going to be, like, "Oh, God."

Two Michelin-starred Daniel Clifford.

Good morning, Chefs.

-CHEFS:

-Morning.

Adam, how are you feeling?

Terrified seeing you come through them doors, if I'm honest.

Michael, you've got a brilliant reputation.

Ally, you're the only chef still working in Scotland.

Do you think that gives you the edge?

If it is, magic.

But, you know, anything to eke out an extra point.

Yeah.

I've been here, I've won it twice, but I've also lost it twice.

I think this is one of the hardest things you'll ever do.

Good luck, boys.

First up is Adam Handling.

Morning, Chef.

Morning. You all right?

-I'm good.

-Good.

So, what's the inspiration and the name of the dish?

My whole menu is about what Britain does best,

and my first course is called Boarding Passes Ready.

-Boarding Passes Ready?

-Boarding Passes Ready.

Think of it as something you'd have in the airport.

You know, you have yourself a ham sandwich,

you have a packet of crisps,

you have a little tart, that sort of thing.

So, I'm going to take you on a journey around the UK,

but not highlighting well-known suppliers, but really,

really good small ones that do fantastic things for the UK.

So, Scotland, I'm going to use ham hocks, one smoked and one plain.

And we're just going to do potted ham.

England will be represented by truffles.

-OK. And this is from?

-Wiltshire.

Lovely.

Northern Ireland will be represented by butter.

-They do great butter over there.

-Yes.

-Really, really good stuff.

And Wales will be represented by mussels.

Is there anything you left out of the kitchen?

I'm really looking forward to it.

-Good luck.

-Thank you very much.

He's brought a beautiful box of ingredients.

I don't know if all these ingredients are going

to work together. But, do you know something?

He could have the skill to pull off an amazing dish.

Next up is Michael Bremner,

with a box of classic and modern ingredients.

-Morning, Chef.

-Good morning.

This is your starter.

What's the name of your dish?

I've named it The Beet Grove Garden.

When I was growing up, my mum was a big inspiration to me.

She got me into the kitchens.

She was a chef, and her favourite TV programme when I was growing up

-was The Beechgrove Garden.

-OK.

And this guy here, Jim McColl, he's got an MBE,

he's still one of the presenters on that show right now.

So, I've tried to use some interesting flavours,

but I've based it around, loosely, a goat's cheese and beetroot salad.

I'm using humble ingredients

and trying to put them into a position of greatness.

OK. So, how did you come about that?

I'm doing the beetroot, which I'm just salt baking.

I'm going to finish that off with a

birch sap and whey reduction.

So, this is a real modern way of cooking.

It's quite a new ingredient, for me.

So, what made you put this with beetroot?

It's got a slight sweetness to it, and when you put it with the whey,

it's kind of doing that sweet and sour sort of thing.

So, full vegetarian?

Full vegetarian.

Adam, what do you think?

Completely the opposite of me.

I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Really classical ingredients,

but he's got some contemporary ones in there as well.

What worries me is the birch sap.

Is that going to elevate that dish to a great score?

Last up is Ally McGrath, who loves bold flavours.

Morning, Chef.

Good morning.

You all right?

Yeah.

Bit nervous.

Keep smiling, that's the most important thing!

Ah, good.

So, what's your idea for the starter?

I've named the starter Guts and Glory, and it's based on

people who go out and represent Great Britain,

giving everything that they've got to be the best in their field,

and then, hopefully, the glory would come on the back of that.

Take me through the box. You've got some interesting stuff, here.

I've got wild Scottish rabbit here,

and we're going to use all of it.

We're going to break it down, we're going to use the loin.

You keep saying "we". Have you brought some mates with you?

I absolutely wish that I had.

OK.

"I" am going to, er...

break it down and I...

-I'm going to make a haggis from the pluck of the rabbit.

-OK.

So, we've got the lungs, the heart.

I'm going to use some of the haggis to make a scotch egg.

I'm going to make a black pudding puree, a turnip puree,

and turnip fondant.

You seem to have a lot to do.

I do.

I've got a lot to do, but it's all about pushing yourself.

We've got wild rabbit, we've got pig's blood,

he's making a scotch egg,

it's food for people who want to have a good feast.

Is it appropriate for the banquet?

I'm waiting to see.

As the newcomers get cooking,

talk immediately turns to this year's brief.

It was like that thing of like, "Yeah, I'll do it! Yeah, no bother!"

All very blase.

Got the brief through and sort of went, "Oh. Oh, dear."

I was actually quite excited by the brief. Isn't it amazing how food's

changed since the Queen's reign, really, you know, the last 60 years?

It's incredible.

How confident is everyone feeling?

I'm actually not feeling confident about this course at all.

-Really?

-The flavours and everything, they work great.

They work how I want them to, but I think I'm starting to doubt myself,

knowing that Daniel's the one that's going to be eating them.

Michael is preparing the beetroot for his vegetarian starter.

He's serving salt-baked beetroot on a top plate and sous-vide slices of

golden and candy-striped beetroot in a bowl below.

I am feeling extremely nervous about my dish.

Obviously, it's a vegetarian option,

I just hope I get the flavours right.

Brighton is now home to Aberdeen-born Michael,

where he's making an impact.

His restaurant, 64 Degrees, has been placed 24th

in the National Restaurant Awards.

He's developed his own style after working for award-winning chefs

in Britain and worldwide.

We take British produce, and then we execute it in different ways,

and it's all about experimenting.

Each dish in Michael's competition menu is inspired by a different

Scot honoured by the Queen.

He's combining ideas from home

with some original techniques and ingredients.

-Hi!

-How are you?

-I'm fine.

His sister Fiona is intrigued to find out how he's planning

to make beetroot banquet-worthy.

Am I going to like this?

It's quite daring, is it not, pistachio and beetroot?

I don't know. You've got to push your boundaries.

Mmm.

I think it's going to do really well.

Thanks a lot, Fi.

I'm very proud of you.

Thank you.

With the support of a younger fan, as well...

Mmm-mmm, I like it.

..Michael has his sights firmly set on winning.

I would love to be the champion of Scotland.

To elevate his dish above a classic beetroot and goat's cheese salad,

Michael's using original flavours.

Blending pistachio nuts with Japanese miso made from soy beans,

and making a Douglas fir oil, along with a dressing made of birch sap.

Michael, how are you getting on?

This is my birch sap reduction.

How do they get the birch sap?

Well, they basically drill a hole in the birch tree, put a tap in it,

and then they hang a bucket over it and it kind of just comes out.

So, what are you going to do? Reduce it to intensify the flavour?

Yeah, it gets quite sweet.

And then I'm going to use the whey from the yoghurt.

So, it's kind of like a sweet-sour thing to coat the beetroot in.

You seem quite relaxed.

I'm not relaxed, you know. I've got to push on now.

Michael's birch sap, if you're going to put it in a dish,

it needs to be there for a reason.

Also feeling the pressure is Ally.

He's prepping rabbit loin for his dish of bold flavours,

inspired by those who show guts to achieve glory.

Argh!

It has many complex elements.

Ally, how are you looking? You look like you've got a lot going on.

I do. It's kind of busy over here.

He's using rabbit pluck - the heart and lungs -

to make his own version of haggis,

which will be wrapped around the egg of his scotch egg,

and also scattered on the plate.

I've never even contemplated making a rabbit haggis before.

They're Scottish after all. It'd be a shame if no-one did it.

-ADAM:

-I tell you, I love haggis.

Fingers crossed that you're all happy with it.

Proud Scot, Ally McGrath, has worked at Michelin-starred restaurants

across the UK.

Chefs he's worked for include GBM veteran Richard Corrigan.

The only chef in the kitchen currently working in Scotland,

his restaurant, Osso, is in Peebles in the Scottish Borders.

We try and keep things quite simple.

We're very much flavour-orientated in here.

This ethos is reflected in Ally's competition menu,

which celebrates the values,

principles and dedication it takes to be honoured as a great Briton.

Service please.

The dishes that we've got, I'm very happy with them.

They cover the brief really well.

I think they represent myself very well.

Ally is well known in his community, where he also runs a market stall...

Excellent, thank you very much.

..selling home-made sausage rolls...

Thank you very much indeed.

..with the help of his young son.

To make it through to the banquet would be an absolute honour.

When you look at the chefs that have done it,

there's guys there you would class as heroes.

To follow in those kind of footsteps would be massive.

In the kitchen, Ally's still racing to get the many elements of his

rabbit dish completed in time.

It looks like he's got a lot of work to do over there.

He's abusing that thermo blender.

Come on.

Oh, really?

He's finished prepping the vegetable elements,

turnip fondant and turnip puree,

but he still has to make his unusual black pudding puree.

Instead of baking it, he's mixing pig's blood, milk and spices

in a fast-action, heated blender.

Well, you've got loads going on boss - take me through it.

We've got the black pudding in this one.

-This is not how I do it at the restaurant.

-OK.

The taste's still there, we're using the same spices and

all the rest of it, it's just the method.

Making your own black pudding, it's a risk, but it could pay off.

Fingers crossed. Thank you.

Enjoy it.

Like Ally, Adam also has many elements to his

packed-lunch starter, using ingredients from each country

in the British Isles.

And he's feeling the pressure.

I have a thousand elements going on, you know. I have bread,

I have pastry, I have pork. A lot of stuff that could go wrong.

He's assembled his English Cheddar tart,

and is working on the potted ham using Scottish pork.

It's these ham hocks that scare the life out of me,

in the time limit we have.

The pork has been cooked with wine and aromatics,

but it still needs to be shredded, potted and then set with stock.

I'm making bread, so you make

yourself a little ham sandwich, basically.

Adam's making sourdough in an hour.

It takes me three days to make it.

I'm really concerned whether it's going to taste amazing.

Adam, how are we getting on, making bread?

Yeah, very good.

How have you managed to cut the time down on that?

I had a little starter dough that we had done.

That helped just to boost it,

and I have to obviously make them a lot smaller,

because I can't make a big one and have it proven in the time...

-Risky business, Chef.

-Very.

Adam Handling may be the youngest in the kitchen,

but this ambitious chef has already won a number of industry awards.

Check on, one kingfish, one tuna, followed by lamb, beef and a goat.

He now has his name above the door at Caxton Grill

in London's Westminster.

At the end of the day, it's all about the food and the flavour,

what you have on the plate.

Adam's competition menu celebrates the achievements

of British producers, using the very best of British ingredients

to honour the Queen's great Britons.

We're a tiny little island in the middle of this world,

but we do some of the best in the entire world.

Adam grew up in Dundee.

At 16, he told his parents he wanted to leave school and his hometown

to train as a chef.

When you left home, and I got quite upset, and as your dad always said,

"We gave them roots, they know where home is. Now we've gave them wings,

"let them go and soar."

-Soar with the eagles, and that's what he's doing.

-Yes.

Up there with the eagles.

What do you think my chances are?

-You'll own it.

-Yeah.

-You'll win.

-I hope so.

In the kitchen, Adam's made chicken-flavoured butter

using Belfast butter, and is ready to cook the Bangor mussels

for his "Taste Of The British Isles" starter.

How are we doing, Adam?

Just making my batter.

Going to get my mussels cooked.

Who doesn't like a bit of curried mussels?

With plating up looming,

he's worrying about perfecting his sourdough.

Is it on 200 degrees now?

-Yeah.

-Has it reached temperature?

Yeah.

-This is such a particular

-BLEEP

-recipe.

Michael's also feeling the pressure.

He is first to plate up his vegetarian starter,

which combines classic and modern ingredients and techniques,

and is a tribute to one of Scotland's most famous gardeners.

But not everything is going to plan.

My birch sap hasn't reduced enough yet.

He leaves the syrup on the heat to reduce,

and pipes pistachio and Japanese miso paste onto beetroot slices.

Then, rolls them into cylinders and places in an earthenware bowl,

along with a whipped goat's milk and yoghurt blend,

and sprinkles with oatcake

crumbled with puffed wild rice and pistachios.

For theatre and to create an earthy, smoky aroma,

Michael burns Douglas fir, whiskey chips and birch leaves

in a bowl beneath the serving plates.

Michael, you're burning the leaves. Do you feel like you're on fire?

I was hoping it'd be a lot more on fire.

On the top plate, Michael adds the classic elements -

cubes of salt baked beetroot and apple matchsticks.

But the birch sap syrup still hasn't reduced enough.

Michael has run out of time.

He has to serve it as it is.

Finally, he adds nasturtium leaves,

and a drizzle of Douglas fir oil.

-First dish up.

-Yeah.

What do you think, boys?

It's impressive.

-Well, shall we go and try it?

-Yes.

You get the smokiness?

If I put my nose right in there.

Uh-huh.

So, the beetroot.

This is literally just beetroot and apple.

That, for me, is a waste of time.

The birch sap, is that the flavour you were looking for?

I would have preferred it to be a bit more reduced.

Are you getting his birch sap?

It's too light for me.

-The oat cakes, on the other hand, are delicious.

-They're fantastic.

The oat cake, the crumble,

is that elevating the dish?

That just brings it together, I think. There's a bit more

texture through it.

Goat's milk, is that strong enough flavour?

I just put yoghurt in there to bring out the goat-cheesy flavour,

but it's still quite mild.

I'm struggling with the goat's cheese.

Do you think you've nailed it?

I think I could nail it a bit better with the elements on the top.

I'm going to have to say six or seven.

Is this dish worrying you?

Everyone's are going to worry me.

OK. How are we doing, lads?

-How did that go?

-Stressful.

Ally, you're up next. Are you all right?

MANIC LAUGH

Do you need me to jump in?

I'll be fine.

First on Ally's slate for his Guts And Glory starter is turnip puree.

Then, the puree of black pudding,

and pickled carrot.

Are you getting there, Ally?

Yes, Chef.

Next is brined and seared rabbit loin,

the confit rabbit leg,

turnip fondant,

rabbit haggis,

and pickled onion crisps.

Very big Scottish portion.

Finally, he adds the halved, rabbit-haggis scotch egg.

Don't drop it.

And places the slates into specially-designed

presentation boxes, honouring those who show guts to achieve glory.

Are you happy with it, Chef?

Yeah.

Maybe a couple of bits could have been smaller.

Shall we go and taste it?

Yes, please.

Guts And Glory. It's a really bold name.

It's got some bold flavours in it, Chef.

I love the presentation.

I think it looks amazing, yeah.

The haggis...

-I am happy with the haggis.

-You are?

-Yeah.

It doesn't taste like that wild rabbity kind of thing.

It just tastes like haggis.

As a haggis goes, it's pretty good.

-This is the rabbit leg.

-Yeah.

I thought it was a bit dry.

Yeah. Me, too.

So, the black pudding puree.

It's really smooth. I like it. You get the spices through, as well.

He has over-killed it dramatically with spices.

-The turnip fondant.

-Yeah.

Is that how you wanted them cooked?

No.

That one is not done enough.

BLEEP

What would you score that plate of food?

Not very highly, Chef.

BLEEP

Adam is last to plate up his packed-lunch starter,

Boarding Passes Ready,

showcasing the best ingredients of the British Isles.

The different elements will be served in a Union Flag suitcase.

He places his sourdough rolls into cloth sacks.

-All right, chief?

-Yeah.

How was it?

Pretty tough.

Adam grates English truffle onto his Cheddar and gruyere cheese tarts.

That's a lot of truffle.

It's a lot of truffle, yeah.

It's a great truffle.

The Scottish tinned pork is next into the suitcase.

With chicken butter topped with crispy chicken skin,

the Northern Irish ingredients.

Finally, he adds a bag of crispy, curried Welsh mussels,

secured with a wax seal.

What is that you're doing?

-Making a

-BLEEP

-mess.

Well done.

Thank you very much.

Is it how you expected it?

It is. It is.

-I'm not going to lie, I was really worried about this course.

-OK.

What about you?

-It looks great.

-ALLY:

-Yeah.

-Enjoy, boys.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

"Use your mussels - rip me to open".

-A bit of fun, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Do you think the mussels are coming through?

The curry is quite strong.

I can taste the mussels, but the first I do taste is the curry.

I'm not getting much curry...

I don't get a lot of curry, you're right, no.

The bread, for the time that we had,

I think it's an OK bread.

The potted ham.

I think the flavour is really tasty.

-That's strong.

-That, that is quite...

Full-on.

-So the chicken butter and the bread...

-Yeah.

..works well together. I love that.

Cheese and truffle tart. Plenty of truffle, wasn't shy with that.

Is there anything you'd change about that?

It's a little touch salty.

I think it's over-seasoned, quite a lot of this.

Oh. Yeah.

-What would you give it?

-Six.

I'm much more of an eating kind of guy than a looking.

-How was that?

-I'm just glad the first one's out of the way.

I wasn't happy with the tart.

Apart from that, I'm relatively happy with it.

It's not our thoughts that matter, though, it's Daniel's,

and I think we'll find out what he thinks of all our dishes.

Good afternoon.

How are you feeling?

-Slightly relieved.

-Good.

Ally, I'm going to start with you.

Your Guts And Glory dish.

Yes.

What I loved about your dish is I could see Scotland on a plate.

The black pudding puree,

I thought the spice was right,

and the texture was perfect.

Thank you.

The haggis around the scotch egg,

I thought with the pork, it works really, really well.

Now I've got to give you the negatives.

The rabbit leg,

I think that needs to be glazed,

to stop it drying out so much.

And I think the sauce would bring the dish together.

The shallot rings.

-I thought they were slightly overcooked.

-Yes.

I'm looking for modern food...

Yes.

..that's going to smash me in the face.

I wanted to be amazed,

and I just wasn't.

Michael.

Your Beet Grove Garden.

I loved the way that you smoked the leaves.

The beetroots were cooked to perfection.

The idea of the birch sap and the Douglas fir,

I like the idea, I just can't taste it on the plate.

I think the top of the dish should be a traditional beetroot salad,

and the wow factor of taking it into modern cooking would be

the same ingredients, but completely reworked underneath.

I just think it would give you that edge.

Adam.

Boarding Passes Ready.

The tinned pork, I thought it was delicious.

The curry flavour on the mussels, I was worried about that,

but I thought it worked.

Considering how little time you had to make a sourdough,

I thought the bread came out really well...

But...

The cheese tart?

We both know it was a little bit too salty.

I think the dish, it needs a drink.

Something like a home-made lemonade

would have completed the whole package.

So, for the scores.

Ally.

Ally, I'm going to give you a six.

Michael.

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

Adam.

I'm going to give you an eight.

Today's been a tough day,

but I think the scores will start to get higher and higher.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

-ALLY:

-Well done.

-Well done, chief.

-MICHAEL:

-I was just gobsmacked.

I was very, very shocked and surprised.

Can't grumble too much. I thought he was going to go lower than a six.

It could be a lot worse.

I'm a little bit disappointed with my score.

You know, tomorrow's a new day.

You must be happy with that?

An eight? Yeah.

I don't think they were expecting a young little pup to be

quite as fiery as what I is.