Central Judging Great British Menu

It's Judgment Day for our two newcomers.

Daniel Smith...

-I'm getting there, I'm winning.

-..is up against Danny Gill...

I've pushed myself to the limit with that one.

..for the chance to represent the central region

in the National Finals.

-No going back.

-There's no going back now.

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 London's Palace of Westminster.

Danny has plated high-scoring dishes all week

and is focused on extending his winning streak.

I believe in it and I hope it'll get me through to finals week.

But Daniel is confident his dishes will impress the judges

-and see him through over Danny.

-It's a great dish, Danny.

I just think mine is maybe a bit better.

Only the finest chef will be crowned central champion.

I really, really can't call it.

It's all down to the judges now.

It's going to kill me, this competition.

The winner is...

Daniel Smith has cooked consistently all week.

His classic menu with an emphasis on local produce has paid off,

but he knows he has to make improvements

if he's going to reach the finals.

I think it's going to be really close today.

It'll be amazing to get to the finals week

and I'm just going to do my best to do that.

I really, really want this.

Well, this is what it all boils down to.

All the best, mate, it's been a pleasure.

Danny Gill topped the leaderboard for each course,

receiving two nines, the highest scores of the week.

He's determined to come out on top again today.

I represent some great chefs who have all made it

to the banquet from central region.

I can't put into words how much I want this.

I haven't came here to come second.

The central region has produced five banquet winners over the history

of GBM, so judges Matthew Fort,

Prue Leith and Oliver Peyton have high expectations.

Both these chefs are walking in the footsteps of giants.

Danny Gill is an incredibly ambitious young man

and is about to open his new pub. I'm sure we'll get some fireworks.

Daniel's already running his own pub.

He trained at Le Gavroche, which is about as good a training

as you can get. I think,

here's a man who's going to compete down to the very last dish.

I want something original and surprising.

That's it. I want dishes I'm going to remember.

I want dishes I want to eat.

PRUE LAUGHS

Is there a particular judge you're worried about today, Dan?

One you want to impress the most,

one that will be more critical than the others?

I think they're all going to be critical, I don't mind.

I think they're all lovely people,

so I'm being very politically correct on that one.

-Hello, chefs.

-Hello, good morning.

-Good morning.

-Danny, how are you feeling?

-It's been an up-and-down week,

bit of an emotional roller-coaster in this kitchen.

Exactly the same. It's surreal being here, really proud.

-PRUE:

-Danny, Angela gave you a couple of nines.

-Yes.

-We prefer tens.

-Me too!

-Are you going to do something about that?

I've taken on board all the feedback and criticism all week.

I'm going to take it constructively

and cook my heart out for you guys today.

Daniel, couple of sevens, couple of eights?

-Yeah.

-Are you going to improve those dishes?

I'm going to do my best.

Danny's got the tricks, I've got the flavour,

so I'm just going to hope that I can give you that.

-Today is a new day, good luck.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Are you nervous?

-I'm pumped to really honour these Great Britons

that have been regarded so well with the Queen.

Yeah, it's massive for me for them to sit together and eat one of my

dishes at the banquet, it would be a dream come true, it really would.

Daniel is first to plate up his partridge starter,

Making A Difference,

celebrating Norfolk produce and honouring

the Game & Conservation Trust.

Veteran, Angela, praised the dish for its presentation,

but felt it needed more apple and ginger puree, and more texture.

You got a seven from Angela,

are you confident you can get a higher score

-out of the judges today?

-Well, I'm just going to do my best.

All I'm going to do is do a little bit more puree,

a little bit more of the pork crumb.

I've got the presentation, I've got the story,

so this can just finish it off.

The chefs will also be marked by a guest judge,

someone who understands how British food has been totally transformed

during the Queen's reign.

Enam Ali moved to the UK from Bangladesh in the 1970s.

He's now a respected food entrepreneur,

who was awarded an MBE for his services to the food industry.

Enam, what an honour it is to have you.

-Welcome.

-Thank you.

-Finally, a professional.

Thank you. THEY LAUGH

Hello. I'm Enam Ali.

How did it all begin?

I came here in this country first to study law,

but I decided I wanted to do hospitality and management.

You didn't just start your own restaurant, eventually.

You also started the Curry Awards, didn't you?

Yes, I always had curry,

born in India, but making it greater in Britain.

We are the producer of the best British curry

of the best curry in the world.

How was it meeting the Queen?

Amazing. She is the greatest woman in the universe.

I just couldn't describe how lovely woman she is.

We're looking for great food to celebrate Great Britons

of a great Queen's reign.

I'm looking for, not only great food,

I'm looking for divine. Looks good, tastes good, smells good.

-That's the point.

-It has to be a real wow factor.

In the kitchen, Daniel is plating his starter.

Partridge Tea Consomme is served in shotgun cartridges.

On the plate is a larger portion of the apple and ginger puree,

following Angela's suggestion.

Then Norfolk-foraged girolle, partridge breast,

and parsley crumb.

-So, are you going to beat me today?

-We'll see, we'll see.

Daniel garnishes with watercress,

extra pork crackling for texture,

apple matchsticks and shallot rings.

The dishes are served in medal boxes.

Thank you.

It looked lovely.

Yes, I'm happy with that. It's hard.

-Oh.

-Intriguing smells.

I love the freshness of the raw apple.

I do wonder where the apple puree is.

Yes, it's hunt the apple puree.

-Exactly.

-I don't think it's any worse off for it.

One of the glories of this dish is unquestionably the consomme.

I love the consomme, it's very well balanced.

The shallot ring has really complemented the crispy...

Gives a real bite into this.

This is quite clearly a Grayling partridge and they are indigenous

to Norfolk where he comes from,

so I think all of that story is very valuable.

I think the partridge is really delicate. It's very beautifully cooked.

It has got juice, it has got the flavour.

I really don't think it's a modern dish.

It relies on classical techniques. It's a classical combination,

but it's beautifully done.

Amazing combination. I think for me, it's brilliant.

Danny is next to plate his complex starter.

I want a high score with this one,

I want to get off to a good start with the judges.

His reinvention of coronation chicken with unusual mango ravioli

is served on floral plates.

A nod to the chef and florist who created the original recipe.

Veteran Angela felt the ambitious dish didn't quite come together

and needed more spice.

It was Danny's lowest-scoring dish of the week.

We both got seven so we both know there's room for improvement.

-Exactly.

-I think,

just putting a little bit more of the coronation dressing on the plate

will give that more curry flavour that Angela was looking for.

First on Danny's plates is mango ravioli,

stuffed with coronation chicken and scallop.

Little bit more filling going on in there,

make it feel like more of a starter rather than just little pieces

on the plate.

His scallop tartare is also served in a ravioli

to help bring the dish together.

Next are seared scallops with chicken skin...

-Scallops are bang on the money.

-Yes, I'm happy with the scallops, yes.

..followed by confit chicken and puffed wild rice.

The garnishes are pickled shallots,

pickled jasmine raisins and spiced mango puree.

Danny adds extra coronation sauce to increase the spice levels

and finishes with shallot rings and edible flowers.

Let's go, please.

-Well done, mate. Looking good.

-Yeah.

Looking good.

Wow.

Ah, a floral tribute.

I think it's spectacular.

I just hope the judges can appreciate where I'm coming from

-with it.

-Yeah.

I am exhausted just looking at it, to be honest with you.

There's just too much happening.

Actually, the flavours are fantastic.

The raw tartare of scallop is delicious.

There are a lot of very fine flavours in there, very nice spicing,

-some very nice pickling.

-Do you like overcooked scallop?

Well, the one you had is not my one, my one is absolutely perfect.

It would have been nice to have more of the coronation sauce, more curry.

You don't have to make it too strong,

otherwise you may not be able to taste other details.

But I think he did it perfectly for a lighter version of curry.

But, it is a dish of parts, not a dish of unity.

I would give this an eight.

That's ridiculous.

Daniel is first to plate up his fish course.

This lobster's fighting me back, Danny.

-Struggling to get the shells off there?

-Yeah.

Well, make sure you take it all off.

Don't think Prue Leith will appreciate that in her dish.

Above And Beyond scored eight in the week.

The crab and potato risotto served with lobster celebrates Norfolk

produce. It's been inspired by his local lifeboat volunteers.

I've got a real strong story with a heritage of the Caistor lifeboat.

Caistor men never turn back.

I am one of those men that have lived in Caistor.

-So you're not turning back?

-I'm not turning back today.

-What changes are you making?

-The dish is exactly the same,

I'm just going to serve the sauce separately and I'm going to put

a bit more of the lobster emulsion on the plate,

make more of a highlight of that.

Happy with everything? Do you need a quick hand?

Danny helps fill glass pans with cheese custard,

so the judges can serve themselves,

as Daniel spoons potato and crab risotto into his bowls.

He tops with lobster,

warmed through with garlic and parsley butter and lemon puree.

Samphire and lobster emulsion complete the dish.

The bowls are presented on fishing nets.

All right, thank you.

That was hard work.

"Good luck, Daniel. Caistor men never turn back."

I think the lobster's cooked right. There's more sauce.

-Well done, mate.

-Thanks, Danny.

-You've got me a bit worried now.

The lobster is beautifully cooked and has a sweetness.

The cheese sauce goes perfectly well.

For me, it's very delicious.

The potato and crab together, that little crunchiness is really,

-really perfect.

-It's absolutely delicious,

but the lobster emulsion is just too strong and it dominates

so that you don't get that lovely fresh crab taste.

I disagree with you, Prue, I do get the flavour of crabmeat.

The potato rice, I think that's very clever and it's very modern.

But it's no fun. Presentation is so important. When it looks good,

-you remember them.

-He's added in a few bits of netting and rope,

which unfortunately is the only lazy bit of the dish.

Otherwise, fabulous.

Danny's fish course -

Modern Tradition - inspired by the classic flavour combination

of salmon, cucumber and cream cheese, impressed veteran Angela

with its technically exact execution and presentation.

It's a complex, two-tiered dish.

Angela gave me a nine.

She felt the brioche on the underneath had gone a little bit

soggy, which I totally agree with.

-So I'm just going to be serving the brioche on the top...

-Yeah.

..just give that a little bit of texture on the top.

It's a great dish, Danny.

I just think mine maybe is a bit better.

HE LAUGHS

First, Danny assembles the top plate.

On the salmon rillettes and salmon mousse,

he lays pickled apple and cucumber...

..brioche slices and aerated cream cheese.

In the bottom bowl, Danny serves salmon mousse,

two different types of caviar, pickled cucumber and pickled apple,

cucumber flowers and dill oil.

Keeping it exactly the same, Danny?

Touch more caviar.

Think they've all got expensive taste.

Next is the sous vide salmon fillet.

Daniel helps pour the cucumber consomme into jugs,

as Danny adds cream cheese frozen in liquid nitrogen to his bowl,

then covers with the top plate.

OK, yeah, let's go, please. Thank you.

Well done, mate.

-BLEEP!

-Thank you for your help.

Just look at that!

Oh!

They're asking for something modern,

something that the Great Britons that have been honoured by the Queen

have never seen before - I don't know how many people have seen

something like that before! I've pushed myself to the limit with that one.

He has something surprising and something magical.

I think it's really good for a banquet.

I like the sort of tartare-y salmon.

That aerated cream cheese,

it's really delicious.

Soft brioche, it's sort of claggy, the top, the texture of it,

it's all a bit soft.

It's a very delicate dish.

-I like it.

-The pickling of the cucumber...

It's actually pretty heavily pickled.

Honestly, you are nit-picking.

It's dramatic, it's pretty, it's delicious.

I like to give nine.

You have brought that sunlight of generosity into this.

No, it's not, it's true!

The flavour is amazing!

Halfway through cooking and the chefs are preparing their main courses.

As the judges consider their scores.

I only had one dish I thought was a complete stinker.

Otherwise, I thought the cooking's been great.

I've loved all the dishes this morning.

I think they're really level pegging.

At the moment, it could go either way.

You've noticed I've given nine, eight...

Mr Generous, you've been!

Absolutely, I think on that, you are quite mean.

We're only halfway through the day.

I hope Matthew and I can persuade you downwards

on some of these dishes as the day progresses!

-I want to be persuaded upwards!

-Me too!

I want tens!

Danny is first to plate up his main course.

Fallow The Dream is a venison Wellington, inspired by his dad,

a former RAF chef.

Veteran Angela scored it eight but felt the story of the brief

-wasn't clear enough.

-I've put a little memo together,

a little picture of my dad.

Hopefully, that'll bring the plate in with the story

that I'm trying to tell as well.

Danny also dropped points for slightly undercooking the Wellington.

I'm going to try a slightly hotter oven. Couple of minutes longer.

Hopefully, that should do the deed.

Danny is aiming to elevate the classic Wellington dish with modern

accompaniments. First on his plates is pear and pine puree.

-Borrow some gravy?

-No gravy on here, Chef.

No gravy needed.

The vegetable elements are raw and sauteed ceps,

pear compressed in pineapple liquor and black truffle.

..little sprinkles over there.

Caramelised celeriac puree is next.

Finally, Danny carves the venison Wellington,

hoping it's not too rare this time.

-Nailed it.

-Nailed it?

Garnish on your right, please.

Thank you.

-Well done.

-Going to kill me, this competition!

Yum.

"I remember Dad cooking for royalty at military banquets,

"where Wellington was the highlight on the menu.

"This is my tribute to my father and all those servicemen and women

"who have been honoured by the Queen for their bravery and service."

-Very nice.

-Quite right, too.

-I think it looks better this time.

Pastry was really crisp, meat was rested perfectly.

Look at this venison.

It's just amazing.

-Really tender.

-Goodness, the flavours are good.

I love the back story with his father,

I love the way he's taken up venison Wellington as a modern touch on it.

The detailing on this is very, very impressive

and even down to the compressed pear as well, which is a slightly different texture.

Celeriac puree is one of the best I've ever tasted.

It's creamy and rich.

Would like a little gravy.

Really doesn't need it.

Compared to his other dishes, where there was an awful lot of fireworks

going on, this is a complete lesson in restraint and quality.

I just think it's perfectly wonderful.

-I agree with you.

-I'm going to give it a nine.

I'm going to give it a ten.

Wow!

Daniel's main course is a refined take on a Sunday lunch,

with beef cooked two ways - a roasted fillet and braised shin.

Angela felt the dish wasn't true to the brief and scored it seven.

Daniel's also adding a new element.

I never saw that on your main course!

You're right! I intended on putting it on but I forgot!

It's the coppa ham. I'm going to dry this out so it's going to be

-nice and crisp.

-OK.

First onto Daniel's plates is cauliflower puree,

butternut squash,

Romanesco broccoli and shallot.

Next is the roasted beef fillet.

-Happy as I can be now.

-No going back.

-There's no going back now.

The braised shin of beef, shallot puree

and the new crispy coppa ham completes the dish.

Dauphine potatoes and gravy are served separately.

Cool. Thank you. There we go.

Thank you.

Well done, big man.

You were sweating there!

You happy with the outcome?

Ish!

The return of the cloche!

I feel I've been missing a cloche!

Yeah.

Says it all, doesn't it?

The cloche is more exciting than what's underneath it!

Makes no sense. Why have a piece of pork in the middle of a beef dish?

It's terrible. That shin is dry as a bone.

I agree the shin is dry.

I think the fillet is delicious.

I think the fillet is actually really well flavoured.

The other disappointing thing is the cauliflower.

I agree with you. Not cooked properly and it's got no taste.

I think the potatoes are terrible.

What happened to Daniel in this dish?

Where's the Daniel of the previous dishes?

I'm not going to give it more than a six,

because it's just... It's Sunday lunch.

I think five.

Daniel succeeded in taking the Great out of Great Britain.

Danny is first to serve his dessert.

It's another technical dish, with many elements - typical of his menu.

It includes white chocolate and Earl Grey ice cream,

raspberry jelly string, sponge cake, candyfloss and tempered chocolate.

I want to sharpen up my dessert.

I wasn't as focused as I should have been, putting that on the plate.

It could have cost me that ten that I wanted, but I'm going to nail it today.

The dessert - Jam Penny - is inspired by Maundy money -

bags of commemorative coins handed out by the Queen.

The ambitious dish scored Danny his second nine of the week.

I just really hope the judges understand my interpretation

of the brief. I believe in it and I hope it'll get me through

-to finals week.

-We will see, won't we?

Danny's Maundy bags are made up of sponge cake,

white chocolate and feuilletine crispies and raspberry jelly string.

He pipes in the new white chocolate raspberry mousse

and adds fresh raspberries.

Should have just done a banana split!

Made life easy for myself!

Next is Earl Grey and white chocolate ice cream

and white chocolate coins, covered in candyfloss.

Earl Grey and raspberry tea is in Union flag teapots.

OK. Let's go.

Well done. All done.

Thank you.

Oh, my God!

It does not make my heart beat faster, I must say.

-I'm slightly scared...

-Oh!

Well, at least the candyfloss disappears! That's one good thing.

You've got me worried!

-I'm keeping everything crossed.

-Well done.

Cheers, boss.

It looks like ectoplasm from Doctor Who.

You'd run screaming from the room if you saw this coming at you!

It actually doesn't taste too bad.

Ice cream, very nice.

Raspberries quite good but it's still not a great pudding, is it?

It's gone mushy. As I said, I'm looking for divine.

And it's not even gone near to even good.

I think with some work...

I know! I can't believe I'm saying this myself!

What's gone wrong with me? I quite like it!

Daniel's reimagined Peach Melba dessert honours the Queen

and her Great Britons

and uses British produce including English sparkling wine.

Veteran Angela wasn't sure if the dish was special enough.

But still gave it an eight for its delicious flavours.

Your food all week, it's wowed me with flavour.

Do you think you've done enough modern interpretation technique

to hit that part of the brief?

I've done plenty of modern techniques, but I think maybe not as modern as yours.

I think you've definitely got the edge on that level, I'm never going to deny...

Yours tasted great but today I hope mine taste better!

First onto Daniel's plates is raspberry panna cotta,

topped with raspberry and sparkling wine jelly.

Next, raspberry gel and tarragon poached peaches.

It's really hard to predict what's going to happen.

We've got two completely different styles of food.

I really can't call it.

He finishes with raspberries,

pistachio snow and raspberry ripple ice cream.

It makes me smile, just looking at the plate.

Daniel serves his take on a Bellini in a glass.

White peach foam, topped with English sparkling wine.

Here you go.

We're there.

Thank you.

Well done, mate.

Oh. That's very dainty!

All done and dusted!

-You happy?

-Done my best, that's all I can do.

I think it's lovely. Much more grown-up, really.

Very colourful. Looks good on the plate.

The raspberry panna cotta with the jelly on top is absolutely delicious.

-It's not too sweet.

-The panna cotta is beautiful.

It's all very pleasant. Is it fitting the brief?

I don't think this dish really does that.

I think it's absolutely delicious. I think the flavours are perfect.

I think the raspberry ripple ice cream, perfect texture and I also like the sharpness.

There's not too much sweetness around.

That is a very nice Bellini, isn't it?

After the disappointment of his last dish, this is a marked improvement.

I've done all I can do.

I've given it my best shot.

I can't put any more than what I've put into it.

What I liked about Danny's cooking, a tremendous explosion of invention.

Ideas firing off here there and everywhere!

With Daniel, he was far more focused.

They both want to win so badly.

They must be having kittens out there.

-I'm shattered now.

-I'll be absolutely gutted if I don't make it through.

I think it's very, very, very tight.

Hello, chefs, welcome.

We had very high expectations from you today and by and large,

we were not let down.

Indeed, there was only one point between the winner...

..and the loser.

Doesn't surprise me. This man is one of the best cooks I've ever spent

a week in the kitchen with.

No, wait a minute, he's the man.

You can see it was very close.

I'm sure you'd both like to know, though,

who the winner of the central region is.

So I can now tell you...

..the winner is...

..Danny.

Congratulations!

Well done, my son!

-Good man!

-Oh!

Thank you so much. It means a lot,

so much to me.

Daniel, I'm very sorry.

Danny's a top guy.

I've been with him all week and I'm very surprised I was only a point behind.

You did a great job too, really.

Danny, you're a really imaginative chef and I think it was your main

course that really swung it for you.

I gave it a ten.

It was just sublime.

-Thank you.

-Perfect.

It was extremely close to my heart.

If it hadn't worked out, then my old man would have been...

-THEY LAUGH

-..extremely disappointed in me!

Daniel, your fish course was delicious.

It was. It was an absolute cracker of a dish, I must say

and marked it very, very highly.

-Danny, congratulations to you.

-Thank you.

And Daniel, I'm very sorry, I wish you all the best.

-Danny, we look forward to seeing you in the finals.

-Well done, mate.

-What a week!

-What a week!

-Let's go and have a pint.

-THEY LAUGH

Thank you!

Trying to read the judges' faces when you're stood in there,

it's a really tricky one

and I'm just...absolutely speechless.

-I'm so made up.

-I think the right person won.

-'How'd it go?'

-I'm through to finals week!

'You star!'

His dad will have been very happy that the venison Wellington came out well!

'Oh, my God!

'Daniel!'

He's a top guy. He's a top chef.

Well done, mate.

He got the better result.

-Cheers, mate.

-Cheers, mate.

-Thanks for a great week.

This means absolutely everything to me to get through to finals week.

The next stage now is to get a dish to the banquet and job done.