Wales Judging Great British Menu

It's judgment day for our two returning chefs.

And it's a rematch as Phil Carmichael...

I won't make that mistake again today.

..is up against reigning champion Adam Bannister...

I'm sticking to my guns on that.

..for the chance to represent Wales in the national finals.

You look like you're on fire over there, Phil.

Cooking on gas, Adam.

The ultimate goal -

to see their dish on the menu of an historic banquet,

celebrating the everyday Great Britons

honoured by the Queen throughout her remarkable reign

at the Palace of Westminster.

Adam has been top of the leaderboard all week

and is focused on reaching the finals for the second year running.

We both need to up our game today.

But Phil is determined to improve on last year and send Adam home.

Hopefully my gamble will pay off.

Only the finest chef will be crowned Welsh champion.

If that's not set, then that's it, you know, curtains for me.

You OK there? Yeah.

I thought you were a nice guy, Phil.

Nice guys finished last last year, so... Round two to Phil. Ooh.

Winner is...

Adam Bannister has impressed all week with attention to the brief

and creative presentation,

but he's failed to plate perfect dishes by making mistakes.

He knows he has to make improvements.

I know I've got great potential in a lot of my dishes.

Phil is definitely going to

want to leave here today as the Welsh champion.

You know, I'm going to give it everything.

You ready for this? Yeah. Let's get cooking.

Phil Carmichael has served well-executed food,

but simple presentation failed to impress veteran judge Michael.

In a bid to win, he's decided to make a dramatic change.

Adam beat me last year by just one point,

I'm not going to let that happen again.

I'm taking Michael's advice on board, I'm changing my starter

and my main course around.

It might backfire on me, but let's hope it's enough to get past Adam.

Judges Prue Leith, Oliver Peyton and Matthew Fort are expecting

only the best from the chefs.

Phil and Adam, the rematch.

I actually think today is going to be a very interesting day,

because Phil really thought he won the last time, I remember.

Adam, I remember his food as being not just delicious,

but it was really pretty.

It was. But Phil as a chef has really serious pedigree.

He didn't like losing last time and I don't think

he'll make that mistake again.

Are you going to need me to give you a hand this year, like,

plating up? Like last year? Ooh.

Not this year, mate, gloves are off.

I thought you were a nice guy, Phil.

Yeah, nice guys finished last last year, so... Round two to Phil.

Hello, Chefs. Morning. How you feeling?

Nervous. Neck and neck all week again, so...

You know, just hoping to cook some good food for you today.

Adam, do you think you can do it again?

Yeah, definitely, you know, it's a little bit like deja vu.

Hopefully it will be deja vu and I'll be going through to the finals.

You're looking a bit tense.

It's this kitchen, that's what it does to you...or to me.

Do Wales proud. Thank you. Thank you.

What we're cooking for and what it means,

do you think that you're going to get that across?

Well, hopefully getting any dish to the banquet and cooking

for these amazing people who, you know,

give all their time and energy up for the communities and

everything, I think that's going to be great

and I'm looking forward to it.

Adam is first to plate his cawl starter,

a reimagining of the classic Welsh dish.

He's called it On Cawl, in honour of NHS staff,

including members of his own family.

Veteran Michael scored the consomme with lamb and vegetables eight,

but felt the flavours of the cured lamb loin

and cheese custard were too strong.

I'm sticking to my guns on that,

I think it works with the dish when you're eating it all together.

You're confident that your consomme is going to be as

good as mine was last year? Yeah.

Well, you know next year when you come back and you want any

recipes, let me know.

The chefs will also be marked by guest judge Rosie Birkett,

a food writer with a passion for Britain's culinary heritage

and current food trends.

Rosie, welcome. Hi, Oliver, nice to meet you.

This is Prue, this is Matthew.

Hi, hello, nice to meet you. Hello. Rosie.

Are you ready for a lot of food? I am indeed, I'm ravenous.

Where did your love of food come from?

Well, I grew up in a family where it was all about food, Oliver.

So, we were growing our own vegetables, we had chickens,

so, yeah, very lucky to have had a very food-driven childhood.

Rosie, when did you start putting pen to paper, though?

Well, I started as a journalist when I was 21 and from there I began

food writing and I branched out into blog and social media as well.

So, what will you be looking for today?

First and foremost I want to taste some absolutely delicious food,

but to move our food forward, it's going to absolutely dazzle us

and have us licking the plate clean.

In the kitchen, Adam is plating his starter.

Potato, swede and carrot terrine,

followed by pressed lamb breast and minted lamb loin.

I see you're cutting a loin into three.

I just think it will be easier to eat.

Adam tops with crispy lamb belly,

celery leaf

and cheese custard.

He finishes with cured lamb loin and serves lamb consomme

in a syringe.

Thank you.

Happy? Yeah. It went exactly how I wanted it.

I think we're celebrating the NHS here, don't you?

Adam's partner is, in fact, a midwife,

so, it has particular meaning for him.

PRUE: I like the little terrine. Very nice texture, very fine.

Adam here has shown a great deal of skill with all the different

types of lamb and, particularly, with the cured lamb.

I must say, I find that cheese quite unpalatable,

to me, it's too strong.

Personally, I like that little punch that it gives you.

I think that the flavour of the broth's excellent. Yeah.

There's a little too much salt in it.

There's a lot of flavour. There's a really serious whack.

I love the way he's used different parts of the lamb,

but, to me, the whole aesthetic of it, it's slightly off-putting.

I think this is a good dish.

Phil is next to serve his starter.

I don't remember any eggs on your starter.

To make what was his main course work as a starter,

he's had to make changes, so it's an untested plate of food.

I'm taking a big risk here.

Michael said he loved the flavours of my OBE dish,

but he just said, for him, it felt more like a starter.

So, I've taken his advice and hopefully my gamble will pay off.

The ingredients of Phil's starter -

onion, bacon and eggs -

spell out OBE,

in honour of the Queen's Great Britons.

As a main course, it was well executed, scoring eight,

his highest of the week.

All the components will still be there. Yeah.

But they'll be slightly smaller, slightly reduced.

Lose one of the quail eggs,

the one that I wrapped in the sort of crispy bacon.

First into new, smaller bowls is smoked bacon,

then onion puree and pig's cheek...

..followed by charred onion and quail Scotch egg.

Looking good to me.

You know, it really has to be spot-on, runny inside, doesn't it?

Next is poached quail's egg with crispy bacon crumb.

And a new shard of crispy bacon.

Phil finishes with cooking liquor and onion tuile.

Just grab two of these, please, Adam.

If you can just place the card down for the judges to read.

OK. Thank you.

The OBE's one of the highest honours in the land,

it also lends itself perfectly to onion, bacon and egg,

the perfect marriage of flavours.

And doesn't it smell delicious?

It smells divine, I can't wait to tuck in.

Very nice Scotch egg, liquid centre.

Really, really, really lovely flavour.

And then that unctuous smokiness of the smoked pork belly

and it all works so well together.

If it doesn't get a good score, I'm just going to blame Michael.

You're not going to blame yourself for listening to him? No.

The cheek is just perfect, I love the bacon itself.

My only slight criticism of the dish -

I think it needs more onion to balance the dish out.

But superb bit of cooking.

The onion puree, it's a sort of very nice sweetness.

Who would have ever believed that bacon and egg

could be such an elegant dish?

It's wonderful.

Fish course. Now, we both got seven off Michael in the week.

We both need to up our game today.

Adam is first to serve his fish dish.

Captain Bannister's Boil In The Bag

with turbot and crab

celebrates scientific innovation in food.

But his own innovation, an unusual pea fondant,

went horribly wrong in the week.

That pea fondant, for me, all I tasted was raw flour.

I made a stupid mistake with the pea fondant, I'm not even going to

take the risk today, so I'm

just going to go without the fondant.

Adam's cooked the turbot in a caper and crab butter sauce

in a water bath.

The bags will be opened at the table.

On his plates, Adam serves white crab meat with salty fingers

and sea-blite herbs.

He finishes with crab sauce.

The food is presented in a Captain Bannister's ready-meal box.

Can I give you a hand, Adam? Yeah, do you want to grab the pans?

Yeah. Bottom left-hand corner.

There we go. Away, please.

OK? Yeah. Looked good. Thank you.

Captain Bannister's Boil In The Bag.

I can imagine it having rather an impact at a banquet,

which is the point, isn't it?

The capers are good, aren't they?

Perfect. The flavour of the crab is there.

It helps the sauce, it goes beautifully with the brown butter.

Of course, one of the great advantages of having sous-vide

cooking, boil in the bag, is you

have a perfectly cooked piece of fish. Hm.

I think it's cooked really, really beautifully

and I think it's absolutely delicious.

I mean, this is a pretty standard bit of cooking, for me.

But those bursts of salty sea brine in that creamy, nutty crab sauce.

I think it's better than standard.

I like the fact that he's bringing science in and I think it's

a delicious dish, so I think it's an eight.

Phil is next with his fish course, a prawn cocktail, served warm.

BLEEP. Christ.

But things are warming up a little bit too much

for Phil in the kitchen.

You look like you're on fire over there, Phil. He-he-he.

Cooking on gas, Adam. PHIL CHUCKLES

Phil's re-imagined prawn cocktail showcases the progression of

cooking during the Queen's reign.

Veteran Michael

enjoyed the innovative, warm dish,

but marked it down as

the presentation was too plain.

I thought it was nice and clean, nice and fresh,

I'm sticking to my guns on this one.

Keeping it exactly the same.

Braised lettuce is first on,

followed by butter-poached langoustine,

which he's using instead of prawns.

Michael said you were a bit stingy on the langoustine.

Yeah, it's the middle course of, you know, a banquet,

I didn't want to overpower it too

much this early on in the meal. Yeah.

Diced tomato is next with warm Marie Rose sauce,

fresh lettuce, sourdough wafer

and a new addition of chives.

Drops of chive oil finish the dish.

Could you just put it down with the langoustines facing towards

the judge, please? OK, thank you.

Happy? Yeah.

On first look, this looks great.

I think the flavour of the sauce is absolutely perfect.

I agree, the flavours are rich and rolling and rollicking.

I think the langoustines have been poached beautifully.

I'd say it's perhaps lacking some acidity there,

everything is a bit sweet.

This little brown bread wafer is just divine.

What I'm finding a little bit problematic, I think,

is the charred little gem, it's gone slightly mushy.

You have to make sure that all the players on the dish are

working in harmony together and I don't think they are here.

There's something to me that's slightly off about

a warm prawn cocktail. I think it's all singing and all dancing.

I think it works really well. I really think it's a good dish.

As the chefs prepare their mains,

the judges are discussing the dishes so far.

Yeah, I think it's genuinely close,

because they're both cooking very well.

I don't think any of us have gone below a seven

and I've given a ten.

What I also like is the way they've shown us just how far British

cuisine is moving forward.

The difference in marks between the two chefs is maybe one or two.

Both these chefs are capable of having a dish at the banquet,

they are that good. Yeah.

Phil is first to serve his Indian-inspired main course,

celebrating Britain's diverse cuisine.

The quail and lentil dish was originally Phil's starter.

He lost points for undercooking the quail and scored seven.

Phil's challenge now is to turn the dish into

a banquet-worthy main course and he's risking a brand-new element.

I'm just going to have a first attempt at making onion bhajis.

That's a brave move. Yeah, exactly.

But we're here to sort of push ourselves.

I'm just going to give it a go.

Michael said it was a big portion for a starter,

so, you know, hopefully with the addition of bhajis,

it'll be big enough for a main course.

Try that.

What do you think?

Not bad for a first attempt, Phil.

HE SIGHS WITH RELIEF

First on Phil's plates is mango chutney puree.

Extra lentils are served in a side bowl, topped with coriander.

Battered quail legs are next, with quail breast.

The cooking of the quail was a little bit, I think,

not quite rested enough.

Yeah, they're a little bit more cooked than they were the other day.

More mango chutney puree...

and the new onion bhajis are next.

Lentils...

and coriander shoots dress the plates.

The larger pastry poppadoms are served in a bag.

Got a heads up.

OK. Thank you.

Do you think it lives up to the name of the dish?

Yeah, Indian Love Affair, I think it celebrates, you know,

British heritage adopting all different cultures,

and it sort of sings about that on the plate.

MATTHEW: I think it lacks one of the essential qualities of anything

to do with India, which is a bit of colour, a bit of razzle-dazzle.

ROSIE: My quail's a little bit pink for my liking.

The side that is cooked is delicious.

I was expecting the lentils to be a lot spicier.

In actual fact, I think they're a counterbalance

to the spiciness of the quail.

The quail in these crispy quail lollipops is really juicy,

dipped in that sweet, sticky, yellow mango chutney.

I think that works really well.

I would like more onion bhaji.

I think they're absolutely delicious.

The main problem, though, is the poppadoms cos that bag is shocking.

That's too much grease, but I quite like the idea.

I really love this dish, actually.

It's a homage of a Welsh chef to an Indian tradition,

and I think it's done with really great sensitivity and skill.

It's not yet a banquet dish. It could be, though. It COULD be.

Like Phil, Adam also scored seven for his main course of wild boar,

which celebrates British produce.

Veteran Michael thought the warm slaw was too heavy

and the individual spit roasts looked sparse on the plate.

So Adam's making big changes.

Getting rid of the slaw completely.

I'm going to do celeriac remoulade.

I'm going to do an apple sauce, barbecued cabbage.

Is that going to be a risk?

Are you confident you can sort of get all those changes spot-on,

nailed? You know, it's a definite risk.

You've just got to hope that it works, you know?

The new celeriac remoulade is first on Adam's serving board.

Butter-cooked celeriac and celeriac crisps are next.

Are you changing anything on the meat components for your dish?

Just making it slightly larger.

Adam skewers pigs' cheeks, then smoked wild boar loin,

and boar belly.

Barbecued cabbage is a new addition.

And apple sauce completes the board.

Whisky sauce is served in jugs.

OK, so, that's for the judges.

HE SIGHS WITH RELIEF

I think it visually looks better.

I just think it looks more of a feast.

PRUE CHUCKLES

ROSIE: Thank you.

I can't help feeling that Adam's had more fun in designing

the board than he has in designing the dish.

I think Michael would have been happier with seeing the dish.

Both of us have made pretty drastic changes to our main courses.

So, fingers crossed, you know, they pay off.

ROSIE: I think the boar belly

has got a really great flavour, particularly nice

with the whisky sauce, and the tart, sweet apple sauce as well.

I'm particularly fond of the blackened cabbage.

It's great to see boar.

The problem you have here is it's oversmoked,

so I can't really taste the meat.

The loin is definitely oversmoked.

And the pig's cheek is too sweet and sticky for me.

I like the pig's cheek. The main problem is the smoke.

The idea is good. He just has cooking problems with it.

It's not banquet level at this point.

He just made a bit of a pig's ear of it.

Phil is first to serve his dessert

but he's worried about his panna cotta.

Ooh! Wibble and wobble. Have they set? No idea, mate.

I think they're all right, though. Don't stress about it, then.

If you think they're all right, they're all right. Go with the gut.

The panna cottas are infused with Earl Grey tea,

said to be a favourite of the Queen.

It was Phil's best presentation all week.

But veteran Michael felt it still lacked enough impact for

a banquet, and scored it seven.

I might have shot myself in the foot with my presentation style,

but that's what I believe in.

And, you know, hopefully, the judges will appreciate my food,

and why I've done it.

Orange gel tops the panna cotta...

..with charred orange pieces...

and orange powder.

Cocoa nib and cinnamon shortbread is cut to resemble brown sugar cubes

and served in a vintage-style sugar bowl to complete the presentation.

OK. There you go.

Done. Done.

I think this looks damn fine. It smells brilliant.

Fingers crossed the panna cotta's set.

I want it nice and rich and creamy.

If that's not set, then that's it, you know, curtains for me.

MATTHEW: For me, the source of real pleasure

comes from the texture of the panna cotta,

which is just the right side of creaminess.

The balance of flavour between the sort of tea and orange,

and the delicacy of the flavour, he's done that.

You know, that is the skill of a great, modern chef.

I think it needs a bit more charring,

but I do think the charred orange is great.

These sugar cube shortbreads are inspired. I love this.

One of the great gifts of a chef is to take something that's very

classic, and just tweak it, and make it better.

When it's successful, it's a triumph.

And I think that's what he's done here.

It did look a bit disappointing when it sat down, but I must say,

once you got your spoon into it, you went straight into nirvana.

Adam's dessert is a modern twist on Eton mess, a tribute to those

honoured for educational and sporting achievements.

He hoped his striking presentation would help him win top marks

in the week, and, despite splitting his clotted cream mousse,

he still scored eight.

I decided to make a whipped cream

with some double cream in it instead.

Got clotted cream in it as well.

Yep. But it's not the one where I do it in the aerated gun.

But I think it's, you know, a safer option. Anything else changing?

I've made the meringue shells slightly thinner

so I can pack a lot more in it.

Adam fills his cricket bats with strawberry sherbet.

First into the meringue balls

is a new addition of fresh strawberries...

..with micro-basil...

strawberry jelly...

and compressed strawberries.

Adam's chosen to leave out the strawberry sauce

so his modified cream is the last part of the dish.

Not overwhipped or anything? No, it's perfect, Phil.

Are you OK there? Yup.

Luckily, Adam made spare meringues,

so replaces the broken one and carries on plating.

Beautiful.

As it is, please. Quick, quick.

Be careful, though.

HE SIGHS WITH RELIEF

I thought you'd lost it then, when that one broke.

I had to keep my calm on.

As soon as that crumbled, it was just like, "Here we go."

All in all, I am chuffed to pieces.

I think this looks amazing. I do, too. I just love it.

Go on, give it a whack. Give it a whack. Let's give it a bash.

Oh, look at that.

Yes!

Eton mess is such a classic British dessert but I've never, ever seen it

rendered in such an imaginative and fun and interactive way.

It's really fantastic. The meringue is absolutely...

I mean, it's a perfect texture, isn't it?

Nice and crunchy, and not too sweet.

And those perfect, little, wobbly cubes of jelly...

I think it looks great, I think it tastes great,

I think Adam's done a wonderful job.

Very, very good.

I think we've both done some great dishes throughout the day.

It's been a great day, great week.

Let's hope one of us, whoever goes through,

actually does get to that banquet this time.

Cheers, Phil.

I think he's not just hit a six here, I think he's hit a nine.

Very good. Well, I think it's perfection. Absolute perfection.

Ten? Ten.

I've given everything.

Yeah, fingers crossed it's enough to get me through.

There was not a single course that didn't deliver pleasure.

I just loved almost everything we had.

Both of them delivered on flavour across all the courses

that they made for us.

It's been a tough old week but we've got to wait and see

what the judges say now.

They both want to win, you can tell that from the cooking,

and it's very hard.

Welcome, Chefs. Well, we've had a remarkable day's cooking today.

We had a sprinkling of tens, an abundance of nines. Good to hear.

Well done. Well, I'm sure both of you want to know

which chef is going to represent Wales

at the finals of the Great British Menu.

The winner is...

..Phil. Congratulations.

Wow. Well done. Well done.

Wow. Thank you very much. Wow, I'm gobsmacked.

When I was coming up against Adam again this year,

inside, I was saying, "I've got to beat him now."

Hopefully, I'll get a dish to the banquet now.

Adam, you won last time. Sadly, not this time.

Yeah, you know, it was a tough week this week coming up against

Phil again but I've enjoyed it this year.

And, Phil, we thought your bacon and egg starter

was absolutely inspired.

It showed such techniques, and many techniques,

so subtly and so beautifully.

Adam, to reinvent the Eton mess in that way,

it made us smile when it appeared, and it gave us

smiles of delight when we ate it.

I'm glad to hear it.

Phil, congratulations.

I hope you cook at least as well in the finals.

I think you should give each other a man hug and go and have a beverage.

Well done.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you.

HE CHUCKLES

It says it all. Yeah, amazing. Wow. Lost for words. Gobsmacked.

I think that Phil was probably astonished.

He certainly sounded as if he was. Huge respect to both chefs today.

This is the end of the road for me now, you know?

Disappointing but, you know, that's what it is.

That's why it's a competition.

Congratulations. Thanks, big man.

It's been a great week.

I just want to go now and get one of those dishes to the banquet,

you know, hopefully go all the way.

Cheers for a good week. Good luck.

Thank you very much, cheers, Adam.

Behind the genteel facades of Victorian London's streets,

life was bitterly hard.

Can't believe people had to live like this all their life.