South West Main Great British Menu

This week on Great British menu,

three of the Southwest's most talented chefs.

Michelin-starred Josh Eggleton,

who narrowly missed out on getting to the banquet last year.

I'm feeling the pressure.

Jude Kereama, who crashed out of the competition last time,

failing to cook for the judges.

You think you're on track, then all of a sudden, something's missing.

And new to the competition, Chris Wheeler,

a classically trained chef with a taste for the theatrical.

Wow. I was thinking it was going to be a simpler offering.

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

the chefs are celebrating the everyday Great Britons

honoured throughout her reign,

and competing for the chance to cook for them at a banquet at

the historic Palace of Westminster.

Yesterday, Josh's fish course won over veteran Lisa,

earning him an impressive nine points and extending his lead...

This dish has massive potential. Thank you.

..while Jude and Chris are tied in second place.

Painful. Annoying.

In today's main course, Josh is determined to keep his lead.

Josh, are you trying to smoke us out, mate? Yeah, mate.

What's happening around here?

Jude and Chris know only top-notch dishes will do

if they want to catch the leader.

How's it looking, Jude?

Oh, no.

The chefs must create dishes reflecting the transformation in

British gastronomy during the Queen's reign.

Judging is Lisa Allen.

A Michelin-starred chef and former banquet champion,

she's looking for innovative dishes.

It's about expressing the flavours today for me,

getting that dish so it's perfectly executed and it's bang on the brief.

It's a tough one, the main course. It's the biggy, isn't it?

How are you feeling? Today, I'm cooking less.

I don't believe you. You said that last time with your fish.

You did, yeah.

So, hopefully, you know,

the Michelin judge will like this dish.

I'm ahead of you guys, but I'm not going to rest on my laurels.

I wish you both the best of luck.

Really? I don't believe you! Of course. Yeah, of course.

Josh is up first.

His fish course scored nine for ambition and originality.

He's hoping to do the same today.

The main course is the big event.

It's a spectacle. I would love to get the main course at the banquet.

Morning. Morning. How are you doing? How are you, Josh?

Yeah, good, thank you. Main course. Yeah, big one.

Four points ahead of everyone.

How are you feeling? Yeah. Yeah, feeling good.

Yeah? But, you know, still need to keep pressing on.

What's the name of the dish? The Heart Of Britain, Les Rosbifs.

Doesn't sound very British, that, to me. No, it doesn't.

Well, it's just what the French used to call us, or still call us,

because we just didn't know how to cook our beef,

so I want to celebrate how far we've come with our cooking

in the last 60 years by doing a celebration of British beef.

Lovely. So, I've got some oxtails.

I'm going to braise these oxtails

in grapes and make a ragout.

Yeah. So, I'm going to be doing some smoked bone marrow,

which I'm going to smoke and scrape out,

roll into a cylinder, set and then I can slice it

and just grill it on some toast. Lovely.

And also some ox heart. Wow.

Which I'm going to be chargrilling

and just tossing in vinaigrette and thinly slicing.

I've got some sweetbreads,

which I'm just going to blanch. Yeah.

And then I'm going to glaze them in some yeast extract

and some maple, so equal quantities of that. Oh, lovely.

Sweet, sticky kind of thing? Yeah.

Yeah. And then the last element, the main element,

65 day-aged red Devon ribeye, which I'm going to chargrill.

And I'm just going to take this centre slice out the middle,

trying to make sure I get the eye of the fat as well. Yeah.

So, I want that nice, yellow fat from the grass-fed animal.

You've definitely got a celebration of British beef.

Yeah. Where's the potatoes?

That's a good point. But I've got some nice...

I'm going to put some vegetables on as well.

We're going to do a nice little dice of vegetables

to go on top of the ragout. Yeah?

Best of luck, and I hope you do it justice. Thank you.

He's using things that people don't eat every day.

Ox heart, marrow bone, oxtail.

I think it's a great box.

How does it come together as a complete dish?

That's the interesting thing.

Next is Chris.

His fish course showed more refinement than his starter,

but veteran Lisa still found it too elaborate.

He knows he must put flavours before presentation.

My main course has less elements than my previous two, so hopefully,

you know, the veteran judge will like this dish

and give me a high score.

Hello, Chris. Good morning. How are you? Very good.

Yourself? Very well, thank you.

Feeling good today? Yeah. Feeling on form.

Right, well, what's your dish called?

What's the inspiration behind it?

My dish is called The Ashes, Over And Down Under.

Right, OK. So, what I'm doing,

I'm celebrating Great Britain and its sports,

so I'm focusing on sport today.

At the moment, we're the present holders of the Ashes,

so I'm going to make an edible cricket pitch.

OK. OK. So, I'm going to do a roast fillet of beef.

The beef's going to be the batsman, OK?

So, I'm going to seal it, roast it,

and then I'm going to top it with some beautiful bone marrow.

I'm going to pan fry that with garlic and shallots,

and that's going to be the hat.

And I'm going to use the peas to make the grass,

so I'm going to have a pea puree for the grass.

And then we're going to use the runner beans to make, like,

the fence around the outside.

And then I'm going to braise the oxtail

and then I'm going to wrap it in a filo pastry

to make the edible cricket bat.

SHE LAUGHS

OK. You said to me it's a lot simpler.

It's going to, you know, get your taste buds and your mind really

reacting to a little bit of fun. I think so.

Interesting box of ingredients here, Josh.

Yeah. I am noticing that you've both got beef.

The question is who's going to celebrate the beef the best?

We'll have to see. Hopefully me.

He's really focusing on the theatrical part of it.

He needs to be focusing on the cooking,

about how he can cook everything perfectly and bring it together

as a whole dish.

Last up is Jude.

He's lost marks for failing to make enough of an impact

with his interesting flavour combinations,

leaving him in joint second place.

Today, he must impress with his main.

I'm in a very uncomfortable position,

being equal with Chris.

Chris is an excellent chef.

He's going to cook his heart out today,

so I've got to be on top of my game.

How are we, Jude? Morning, Lisa.

I'm fine, thank you.

So, tell me a little bit about the dish and the name of it.

So, this dish is called V For Valour.

So, what I'm doing is taking a classic dish, the beef Wellington,

which is named after probably Great Britain's greatest commander.

What I'm doing is I'm doing my own version of this

for the modern-day hero, so I'm doing a venison Wellington.

Right. So, I've got a piece of venison fillet.

I'm going to sear it nice and hot,

brown it all over, nicely season that.

The pastry that you put round. Yes? Are you making it? Or...?

Yes. Yes? I'm making a rough puff pastry, as well.

Don't make things easy for yourself, do you? No!

So, you've got a venison Wellington.

What's the shin for?

So, with this shin, I'm going to make a venison pie, as well,

and I'm going to infuse some Asian flavours into the venison pie,

but not too much, and hopefully that will enhance and not, you know,

mask any of the flavours.

Is it cottage pie, shepherd's pie...?

It's like a cottage pie.

Right, so you're taking two classics and putting them together.

Absolutely. Interesting.

So, guys, what do you think?

I did shepherd's pie last year. Did you? Yes.

You were here!

So there's a lot going on, you'd better get going.

Thank you very much. Good luck.

The last two dishes of Jude's have really missed on flavour,

so what I'm looking for now is for Jude to really pull those flavours

through in his finishing dish.

With two courses down,

the chefs know the pressure is on today to produce

outstanding main dishes.

You're busy cooking.

I'm just searing off my venison.

Yeah, I'm going to stay out of the way.

Making a nice mess already.

Hey, that's pretty rich from you.

How are you going there, Chris? You all right?

Focusing mainly on the beef and the oxtail.

Hopefully Lisa's going to give me some nice high scores today,

to catch up with you guys.

She's not going to give them to you,

you've got to earn them, haven't you, you know?

Jude is hoping his contemporary interpretation

of two British classics,

venison Wellington and venison cottage pie,

will see him close the gap on Josh.

I've given myself more to do on this course,

purely for the fact that I need to get some points.

I'm not going to get there by simple dishes.

He starts with the venison Wellington,

wrapping the fillet in spinach and Parma ham.

Then covers crepes with mushroom duxelles,

and rolls around the fillet.

So, Jude, what's your biggest worry with this course?

Just getting it out on time, really.

It's all about time for me.

Time, time, time.

To create the traditional Wellington,

Jude then wraps it in a thin layer of puff pastry and cooks.

Josh is hoping to maintain his lead with a complex beef dish featuring

both prime cuts and offal.

I do have a lot of things to bring together

right at the last minute, you know?

I've got to cook my heart, I got to cook my ribeye,

I've got to grill my bone marrow.

So I need to take all those things into consideration.

He starts with the ragout,

by slowly braising the oxtail with grapes in red wine.

Then moves on to the veal sweetbreads.

You all right, Josh?

What have you got there? How are you doing?

I've just got my sweet bread, I've just blanched them quickly,

and then I'm going to put them in this glaze here,

which is a combination of yeast extract and maple.

Can I have a try? Yes, have a try.

Wow.

Are you confident that this flavour will not overpower your sweetbread?

Yes, I'm happy with that, yes.

It's supposed to be sweet and salty, you know?

But I'm going to serve it in a separate pan

so you can just take a bit as you will.

I look forward to trying it. Thank you.

I think Josh's yeast extract and maple glaze is interesting.

If he can get the balance right, I think it will be delicious,

and for me, that's where he's putting

his modern, contemporary twist.

Chris is also hoping to impress with his cricket-themed beef dish.

So you're aiming to hit a six today?

As long as I don't get a duck, I'll be OK.

Having been criticised by veteran judge Lisa for focusing on style

rather than substance, this dish has to deliver on flavour.

I really want to focus on getting everything on the plate perfect,

and not going over the top.

He starts by braising his oxtail in red wine,

which will later be wrapped in filo pastry to make the cricket bats.

Jude has moved on to the second of his dishes -

a venison shin cottage pie.

He starts by making a master stock

by warming soy sauce with mirin, chilli, ginger, garlic and spices.

He'll use the liquor to season his cottage pie filling.

So, Jude, why have you called your dish V For Valour?

For me, it was all about commemorating war heroes.

My dad was in the Army, the New Zealand Army.

He was in the Army for 35 years,

so this is a dish that's quite close to my heart.

Jude travelled to Hampshire to visit the headquarters of Help for Heroes,

a charity that helps ex-servicemen and women

wounded in the line of duty.

It was set up in 2007 by Emma and Bryn Parry.

Hi, I'm Bryn. Hi, Bryn. Nice to meet you.

And we'll show you around. Great.

Bryn and Emma were both invested with an OBE in 2010

in recognition of their efforts to help those no longer able to serve.

I mean, I was in the Army for ten years.

I miss the family, the family that the Army, Navy and Air Force are.

What we do here, and we've got two communities,

one called the Band of Brothers, once called the Band Of Sisters.

They become the new family.

And that is hugely important.

At Help for Heroes, they take a holistic approach

to the welfare of the ex-service people and their families.

We have weekends where,

if you're the wife or the girlfriend or mother,

can come and have a bit of respite break here.

We've got families who've brought their children here.

That is a wonderful thing to be able to create, and it really is needed.

As well as rehabilitation,

the charity works to help the heroes find new purpose in their lives.

We've got people in the Paralympics,

we've got people who have done poetry,

people who've done some cooking.

Doesn't really matter, as long as we can find out what the spark is

and then help fan the flame.

Jude is keen to get Bryn and Emma's support for his V for Valour dish,

so he's preparing a sample of the venison cottage pie.

So, this is one small element of a very big main dish

to commemorate our heroes.

Oh, that's lovely.

Absolutely perfection.

Thank you.

I'm going to keep eating.

Maybe I should try that, as well. Yeah, I think you should.

In the kitchen, Jude is prepping beetroot and carrots,

which he'll roast later.

He then moves on to the potato and celeriac mash for his cottage pie.

Jude. Hi, Lisa.

What have you got here? This is my soy master stock.

It's really strong.

So it adds another rich, umami kind of flavour in my stew.

It's only a little bit, so hopefully that's going to boost that venison.

Your last two dishes... Yes. ..you've missed with the flavour.

Definitely. So with this dish,

I'm hoping that you really push through those flavours.

Hopefully, this might actually give me some extra score.

So we'll see.

Well, let's hope so, eh? Thank you.

Josh is using different cuts of beef in his dish

to showcase the quality of meat produced by farmers in the UK.

He's smoking bone marrow over wood chips, which he'll then set

into a roll before grilling at the last moment on toast.

Every part of the animal should be used,

and that's what I'm trying to do here.

Determined not to lose any of his trademark flair,

Chris is making pea puree with mint,

which will represent the grass on his cricket pitch.

He then poaches salsify, which will represent the wicket.

What have you got there, Chris?

This is my oxtail cricket bat,

and I'm just rolling it into a flat, square spring roll.

And I'm going to wrap some thyme around some filo pastry

to make the handle.

Then I'm going to roast it in the oven.

So, is that going to be edible? Yes, it'll be edible.

The filo pastry with the thyme?

Yes, just cos I'm going to pull it out afterwards.

Just to get the handle shape. Right, OK.

You know everybody wants to get their main course to the banquet.

Do you think this dish is worthy of that?

I think so. I think it's going to have the fun element,

but also, the flavours are going to be there.

You know, British beef is the best.

Well, I look forward to seeing how it comes together, Chris.

Thank you.

Chris then works on the bone marrow,

which he slices and pan fries with garlic and shallots...

..while Josh chargrills ribeye steaks on the barbecue.

Josh, are you trying to smoke us out, mate?

Yeah, mate. What's happening around here?

He then moves on to the roast garlic and watercress puree

by blending baked garlic with blanched watercress,

and seasoning with lemon and English mustard.

Jude is assembling his venison shin cottage pie,

topped with celeriac mash and grated cheese, which he grills.

Not as elaborate as the cricket pitch,

but I don't think anything ever will be!

Chris will be first to serve his beef fillet,

called The Ashes Over And Down Under,

where the ingredients will resemble a cricket pitch.

Have you just put your beef in the oven?

Yes, but I sealed it well, it should be fine.

He's dressed a wooden tray with fake grass and cricket-themed props.

To a plate, he spoons pea puree.

Wow, Chris, it looks amazing.

Looking good, Chris. Thank you.

Next, poached salsify to represent the wicket.

For the batsman, he places oxtail wrapped in spinach in a China bone,

then tops with beef fillet and pan-fried bone marrow for the hat,

then braised oxtail and filo pastry cricket bats.

He garnishes with pea shoots, runner beans and edible flowers.

Redcurrants are the cricket balls.

Veal jus goes into a porcelain cricket ball.

Due at the pass now, Chris.

OK. Are one of you guys OK to give me a hand to smoke?

Tell me what to smoke, chef.

Finally, he covers the beef with a glass dome and cricket hat,

then pipes in woodsmoke.

Brilliant. Next one?

Yes.

Yeah, OK, let's go.

Wow.

Anyone for cricket?

Yes, please, Chef. So much fun, isn't it?

Looks good. Very inventive.

Well, let's go and taste. Great.

So, lightly smoked underneath there.

Symbolises the ashes, I guess.

Yes.

So, the beef.

The seasoning, do you think there's enough?

I think so, cos obviously you've got

the bit of smokiness on there as well.

Nicely seasoned. You can taste the thyme on there. Mm-hm.

Do you think the bone marrow adds flavour to the beef?

I think so, because obviously, bone marrow has a very nice texture.

The bone marrow's really nice. That nice fatty bit. You know?

Lovely. Moistens it.

This is the oxtail cricket bat? That's correct.

So, you're happy with your oxtail and the seasoning?

Yes, I've added some herbs in there,

added a bit of jus just to stop it drying out.

The oxtail is nicely seasoned. I think it's lovely.

I see, also, you've added some redcurrants onto the plate.

They were just for a little bit of fun,

to look like little cricket balls. Right, OK.

I thought it could be a bit gimmicky,

but I think it will bring a big smile to people's faces.

I would still say I'm sat still just on the side

of a little bit too gimmicky.

So if you had to score your dish out of ten...

Well, in cricket, a six is really good, but I want a ten.

Josh is next to plate up the Heart Of Britain, Les Rosbifs,

a celebration of the production and cooking of British beef

during the Queen's reign.

Hi, guys. Well done, mate. Enjoy it?

Well done, mate. I was really happy, it went really, really well.

Good. Brilliant. I thought it was going to be quite gimmicky

when we looked at it, but the food was there, as well,

so, yes, it was great. Lovely. Really, really nice.

Josh barbecues ox heart.

To elevate the cheaper cut to banquet standards,

he must grill to perfection.

Otherwise, it'll be tough.

They're looking good.

To a copper pot, he adds oxtail ragout,

and tops with sauteed root vegetables.

Next, Marmite and maple glazed sweetbreads.

I think you're taking over from me today,

putting loads of things on the plate.

Yes, I know, there's quite a lot going on.

To the wooden board, he adds sliced ribeye.

Then roast garlic and watercress puree

into copper pots with ox heart salad.

And finally, the bone marrow on toasted sourdough.

As an accompaniment,

he's infusing beef stock with herbs for a warm tea.

So a little bit of salt. OK, let's go.

Here we are.

Happy? Yes.

And this? Do you want me to do it?

Yes. Tea-time.

Tea-time, yes.

Cool.

So, the complete dish now, let's give it a try.

Enjoy, boys.

Thank you. Thank you. Well done, chef.

This is the ox heart and the pickled red cabbage and the watercress.

Are you happy with the texture of the ox heart?

It's got an ever so slight firmness to it,

but it always will because it's ox heart,

but I'm happy with that.

For me, I think it needs a bit of salt, personally. Mm.

The second part is the oxtail ragout.

Melts in your mouth. That's annoyingly good, isn't it?

And these are the sweetbreads. Yes, sweetbreads.

Happy with the texture of them?

Mm-hm. Nice and soft.

They're very tender, lovely, caramelised.

And he's sweetened it up with that little bit of maple, it's great.

And this is the ribeye? Yes.

Are you happy with the cooking of the ribeye?

Yes, it's quite rare.

If anything, it could be cooked a touch more.

Got that chargrilled, sort of, smoky taste.

Seasoned really nicely. Yeah.

So, if you had to score your own dish out of ten, what would it be?

I don't know. I think it'd be, like, a seven or an eight.

Another annoyingly good dish.

I know. I'm going to say an eight.

Unfortunately, it's a nine.

Jude is working on his take on a Wellington and a cottage pie,

using venison to honour modern-day British heroes

of the armed services.

To achieve a crispy pastry exterior and a medium rare centre,

it has to be cooked at 200 degrees.

Why has somebody put it up to 220?

Not me, I didn't touch the oven.

OK. Who the BLEEP?

Who turned that up?

Is your venison going to be OK?

It's OK, luckily.

All right, guys? How was that? Good dish. How are you doing?

Good dish, how do you feel it went? Yes, all right.

It was really tasty.

How did the judge find it, do you think?

I've got no idea. You all right over there, Jude?

Help me!

THEY LAUGH

No, I'm fine, mate, yeah.

Jude pours venison and cocoa nib jus into jugs,

then drains the kale.

Do you need any help? No, thanks, mate.

You're a friendly bunch, aren't you? Only when you're in the room.

Ha, yeah!

Next, he adds the kale to the venison shin cottage pie.

He slices the venison Wellington,

which should be medium rare in the centre.

We'll soon see in the next cut, won't we?

Oh, no!

It's perfect.

He adds roasted beetroot and carrots to the plate,

which are placed in a medal box

with the ribbons of the Gallantry Medal inside,

with a note explaining the origins of the Wellington dish.

Wow. Happy? Yes, well...

The oven went up in temperature, somehow.

You guys wouldn't do that. We wouldn't do that.

Let's go and taste it. Brilliant.

I'll get the door, then, yes.

So if we start with the Wellington.

Do you think you've got enough impact of flavour from the venison?

I can taste the venison, but I can taste some hints of rosemary and

thyme that it's been marinated in, as well.

It's got a real strong, nice venison flavour.

I like spinach lined around the outside with the Parma ham.

It just adds another layer. Literally.

And you've achieved a result that you're happy with, with the pastry?

It didn't go soggy, I didn't have a soggy bottom, which is essential.

The pastry's got a nice crunch to it.

The crepe's done the perfect job of stopping all that moisture

from seeping out into the pastry.

This is the...? It's a venison shin pie.

You think the mirin and the soy sauce come through?

I think so, it has that real richness you can get.

Can you get the Asian spices through it?

I get a slight undertone to it.

Are you happy with the sizing of the plate?

Do you think it's big enough to be able to eat a main course off?

I think it's quite hard. Cos we've got...

That's why I've got two different plates,

and I've got the sauce on the side.

It's difficult to eat. Are you worried about kind of...?

Flying across to your neighbour's dish.

Launching it off the plate, yes.

If you had to score your own dish...

If you can give me a 15, I could catch up to some people,

but if I got an eight, I'd be really happy.

Hey, guys, how are you? How are you doing? Was it all right?

Really good. Got us all worried now. But who knows what Lisa thinks?

That's the thing.

We all need good scores, don't we, really, to stay in the game?

I hope I get a really good score and you two get an OK score,

so that way, you know, I can catch up.

Yes, fair enough.

Hello, chefs. How did you find cooking the main course?

Tough. Tough. Hot and hectic?

Really hectic. Yeah.

So, Jude, I'm going to start with your dish.

V For Valour.

The venison cottage pie was delicious.

Thank you. And the Wellington pastry was nice and crispy.

I felt the beetroots gave a great earthiness to the dish.

And the flavours definitely shone through.

However...

The venison was a little tough.

And the plate was just too small.

Chris.

In your dish, The Ashes Over And Down Under...

..the beef was cooked well.

I felt that the marrowbone gave a great addition to the beef.

And the salsify was well executed.

However...

For me, the oxtail lacked impact.

I think that you put presentation above the food.

And there was just a bit too much going on on the plate.

I find it a little difficult to see how it would fit in at the banquet.

Josh. For your dish,

The Heart Of Britain, Les Rosbifs.

I felt that each individual part was very tasty.

I particularly liked the ox heart salad.

I thought it was delicious.

The braised ox tail was rich, delicious and wonderful.

But...

The beef ribeye was a bit rare.

And the slices of ribeye looked a bit lost on the board.

Yes. Now for the scores.

Josh.

I'm going to give you...

..an eight.

Thank you.

Chris.

I'm going to give you...

..a six.

And Jude.

I'm going to give you...

..an eight.

Finally, you're making an impact with those flavours.

Thank you.

Just the dessert course to go.

So, let's see some fantastic desserts for the Southwest.

Good luck. Thank you, Chef.

Very, very tough.

There was quite a lot of things that could have gone wrong,

but they all turned out, so that was a relief.

I was really disappointed with my score for the main course.

I think the fun side, sort of, lost me a few points.

Josh holds his lead,

with Jude moving into second place and Chris trailing in third.

Obviously, you are now pulling away a little bit,

so I need to pull it all out of the bag for the dessert, don't I?

If I mess the dessert up and Chris does a blinder, you know,

it could all change round, I think.

And I've got potential to do that!