North West Dessert Great British Menu

This year on Great British Menu...

The competition is on.

..24 of the country's top chefs...

Yay!

..are competing to cook at a glorious Taste Of Summer banquet,

celebrating 140 years of the iconic Wimbledon Championships,

the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.

This week, battling to represent the North West

in the national finals are...

Pressure!

..self-taught Ellis Barry, currently in the lead,

despite yesterday falling short with his main.

I'm giving you a seven.

Could have been so much better, should have been so much better.

Tom Harker, the youngest chef in the competition,

who's only a few points behind.

I think today is the day you need to look over your shoulder, buddy.

Game on, I'd say, gentlemen.

And Paul Askew, whose classical main hit perfection,

bringing him level with Tom.

You blew it out of the water.

I'm giving you a 10, Paul.

Wow.

Today it's the dessert course, and the chefs' last chance to impress.

Ellis!

But with only the two highest-scoring competitors cooking for the judges tomorrow,

who will be going home?

It's the fastest I've moved since I played on the front row, this, I tell you.

I thought everyone would do strawberries. I thought, "No, I'm not doing that, a bit boring."

Don't jinx me.

To get to the banquet, the chefs must create

incredible dishes that showcase a taste of summer

and pay tribute to the Wimbledon Championships.

After a slow start, Paul finally hit his stride yesterday,

with a 10 for his main,

taking into joint second place with Tom on 22 points.

Ellis is still in the lead with 25.

-So, Paul, big 10.

-I really needed that to spur me on and, er...

catch up with old long trousers over here, you know, so...

I'm on your tail, buddy.

I think it's going to be a good competition now, isn't it?

-What about you, Ellis? How you feeling?

-I don't feel safe yet, so I'm going all out here.

I can tell already.

You've got that glint in your eye.

Judging this week is two Michelin starred chef

and former banquet champion Daniel Clifford.

Daniel's expectations are so high, is this your 10?

Could be.

-Hello, Chefs.

-Morning, Chef.

I've always found that the dessert is the hardest course to produce in this kitchen.

First of all the heat but, second of all, the pressure.

I got a dessert to the banquet, so I know how you're feeling.

I wish you the best of luck, get cooking.

It doesn't matter how strong they think they are,

the nerves will start to happen.

The Great British Menu kitchen has a tendency of spitting chefs out

on dessert day.

Paul's perfect 10 yesterday brought him back into the race.

He's hoping for a repeat performance today,

with a classic dish paying tribute

to the Wimbledon men's singles trophy.

-Hello, Paul. How are you?

-Hello, Chef.

-You all right?

-I'm feeling really good after getting the 10 yesterday.

I know this is a big moment now, we've got to really push on.

-So what is the dish called?

-The dish is called the Captain's Trophy.

On top of the Wimbledon men's singles trophy is a pineapple.

Nobody really knows the real reason it's there,

but one of the theories is that old seafarers, of which my father was one,

a Merchant Navy sea captain, when they came home from a voyage,

they would put a pineapple on the end of their gatepost

and that was a signal to welcome allcomers

and, the theory is, because it's the All England tennis tournament,

they were opening the doors for all people who wanted to enter

to win the competition.

Wow. Take me through the ingredients, Paul.

-What have we got?

-It's basically a pineapple baked Alaska.

So we've got ice cream inside.

Proper old school today then?

We are, but, I mean, it's 140 years of Wimbledon.

Obviously, Wimbledon wouldn't be Wimbledon without strawberries.

Yes, that's right. So we've got some strawberries,

which I'm going to macerate,

that's going to go in the centre of the roasted pineapple

before the ice cream goes on.

I think, do you know what, Paul?

I'm a bit concerned about pineapple and strawberries.

But you've shocked me already this week.

I'm looking forward to it.

-Thank you very much.

-Good luck.

-Thank you, Chef.

Paul's doing a baked Alaska.

If anyone can pull that off, it will be Paul.

It could be another 10.

Level with Paul, Tom has been consistent in his scoring all week.

He's hoping that his dessert, celebrating family summer memories,

will be enough to see him through to tomorrow.

-Hello, Tom.

-Hi, Chef, you all right?

-Yeah, not too bad, you?

-Very good.

Both of these two have had 10s.

-Is that what you are going for?

-Yeah, absolutely.

I think this dish is... It's got the potential to be a 10,

if it comes off.

So this is called Whim-Bil-Done,

and the inspiration behind it is me picking bilberries with my parents at the start of summer.

As soon as summer starts, it's bilberries for me.

So take me through the ingredients.

We've got lovely bilberries, which I've picked.

-OK.

-We've got beetroot, which we're going to make a parfait out of.

Is it going to remind me of the summer?

-Yeah.

-Beetroot, summer?

It's a bit of a controversial one, but it's good.

And then we've got lovely brioche, day old curd cheese,

very, very clean, very fresh, very milky.

And then some wood sorrel to finish.

So it's got a lot of savoury items.

-Yeah.

-You're turning it into a dessert?

Yeah. Correct, yeah. It's just a combination of flavours,

which is really light and really summery

-and absolutely beautiful to eat.

-Is this a risk?

Oh, it's a massive risk, but it's worth it.

This has got to be a showstopper.

It will be.

I think Tom's dish is going to be a love or hate dish.

Beetroot in a dessert is concerning.

But do you know what? He's cooked some great food this week

and I'm going to keep my mind open.

Currently in the lead,

Ellis got his lowest mark of the week for his main course yesterday.

He's determined to score higher today with his tribute to

a classic summer fruit, Strawberry Fields.

Hiya, how are you?

-Very well.

-Good.

So, yesterday, you had a bit of an awkward day.

-Yeah.

-I'm expecting higher things today.

Well, I hope I deliver.

The inspiration behind the dish is my grandad.

He always used to take us strawberry picking as kids.

But it's great that it just happens

that strawberries are so iconic at Wimbledon.

OK, so what are we going to do with them?

I'm going to try and keep it simple.

-Really?

-So I've got some compressed strawberries

with a little bit of bitters,

just to really get that earthy, summery feel through.

Then I've got a big strawberry sorbet,

just to get that strawberry right through the dish.

-And chocolate?

-So I'm going to make a chocolate soil.

OK. So we're going to have strawberries sitting on a chocolate soil.

Yeah, we've got a pannacotta with a tea jelly on top.

Oh, and a strawberry meringue.

You haven't taken this down the easy path today, have you?

I'm psychologically telling myself that this is an easy dish.

Really?

Ellis' main course let him down.

I really hope he doesn't do the same with the dessert.

So, to get to cook for the judges will be phenomenal for me.

Yeah, it will be great to cook for them tomorrow.

I'm determined to get there after getting that 10 yesterday,

that's really spurred me on.

Tom's taking a risk by creating several savoury elements

for his Whim-Bil-Done dessert, including goat's cheese curd,

hibiscus tea and a parfait made with beetroot.

You've got all these savoury items, that's an interesting one.

-I'd like to see that.

-Definitely going for it.

To my eyes, it's a very good dish.

It's very strong. It's either going to get a really good score

or it's going to get an absolute catastrophic one, so, you know,

all or nothing sort of day, isn't it?

Tom starts by making his beetroot parfaits, using beetroot juice and cream,

which he'll coat in sweet chocolate when set.

Paul is making a pineapple puree

to flavour the centre of his baked Alaska,

a tricky dessert where ice cream is covered in meringue

and baked in an oven just before serving.

-Come on.

-Next he keeps sugar and water over a high heat.

This sugar's for my ice cream.

I have to get this in the churner as quick as I can

to make sure that I've got time to set it in the moulds.

And not let my milk boil over, as you can see.

He adds the pineapple puree to his ice cream mix

to represent the pineapple on top of the Wimbledon trophy.

Across the kitchen, Ellis is going all out with his technical dish,

Strawberry Fields, which features six difference strawberry elements.

He's working on his berry tea pannacotta,

which he starts by heating milk.

Oh, Ellis!

Ar-ey. Straight in.

-Start again, mate.

-Just making sure it's boiled.

With the milk at the correct temperature,

Ellis combines with berry tea and gelatine before leaving to set.

Next, he makes another strawberry element,

piping strawberry puree into compressed strawberries.

-Hello, Chef.

-You all right?

-Yeah, I'm on it, yeah. I'm trying to get everything ready.

So the strawberry puree, is this the puree?

This is the puree to fill, yeah.

What is the idea of putting the puree inside the strawberry?

You go strawberry picking, you get the nicest, juiciest, sweetest, strawberry,

you get the... You put it in your mouth, it just goes... Boomf!

And you get the biggest burst of flavour.

So you wanted that impact of flavour.

-Yeah.

-And that surprise?

-Yeah.

-Good luck.

Ta, Chef.

Is this dessert a step too far?

Stuffing strawberries with puree?

If the strawberry is that perfect, why do you need to mess with it?

With the scores so close,

Tom's looking to impress Daniel with his savoury and sweet dessert.

He's also using an unusual garnish of colourful edible flowers

to evoke the taste of summer in the hope of hitting an ace.

So, two 10s all week.

Is this your day, going for it, Tom?

I like to think this dish could get there.

It's a bit weird, but very strong, quite savoury.

I thought everybody would be doing strawberries, so I thought, "No, I'm not doing that, a bit boring.

To research the edible flowers he's using to decorate his dish,

Tom visited Alison Dodd from Herbs Unlimited,

which specialises in growing plants you can eat.

Good morning, Alison.

Oh, hello, Tom. How nice to meet you.

It's amazing, isn't it? It's just summer all over.

I think they speak for themselves as a visual impact of summer.

Every flower has a different flavour,

although some have more flavour than others.

Edible flowers have grown in popularity over the last few years,

thanks to the wide variety of tastes and colours available.

In her greenhouses at the height of the summer,

Alison grows more than 14 different types of edible flowers,

with flavours ranging from savoury to sweet.

We have here nasturtium.

They are a very peppery flavour.

-Winning, aren't they, them?

-Yes.

-Really good.

-This is an oxalis flower.

I've never had these before.

Whoa! They're like proper sour, lemony.

-Yes, they're really lemony, aren't they?

-A real hit.

-They're so different.

And the last one I'd like to show you is blackcurrant sage.

I know it sounds incredible that sage can taste of blackcurrant, but it does.

I don't actually believe you right now, to be fair!

Wow!

It's like eating a sweet.

It's like eating blackcurrants.

Inspired by the range of flowers on offer,

Tom makes Alison a taste of the brioche toast from his dessert.

It looks like my garden.

It should do.

Mmm.

That is summer on a piece of toast.

-Excellent.

-Can I have a bit more?

-Yeah, go for it. It's all yours.

-Mmm.

Back in the kitchen,

Paul's still working on the pineapple ice cream

for his baked Alaska.

He needs to get it into the chiller if it's to set hard enough

to withstand baking in the oven later.

And I can taste pineapple, there's a novel approach.

It's the fastest I've moved since I played on the front row, this,

I tell you.

Next, he moves onto the bases for his desserts.

-Where we up to, Paul?

-Hello, Chef.

I've got some clotted cream and some little dehydrated bits of pineapple

to go in there and then my ice cream's going on top,

and then that comes out to form the base of the Alaska.

-A lot of work involved.

-A lot of processes.

Paul's extremely busy in the kitchen.

He's got lots going on, he's concerned about his ice cream.

This is a challenge that he's set himself - to win.

Tom is focusing on more of the savoury and sweet elements

of his unusual bilberry dish.

He's melting chocolate,

which he'll use to coat his beetroot parfaits when set.

They're going to be down to the wire.

Next, he moves on to his bilberry marmalade,

which he starts by cooking bilberries with sugar.

Hello, Tom, how are you getting on?

I'm making a bilberry marmalade and brioche toast at the moment.

-Shall I have a taste?

-Absolutely.

It works well with the beetroot.

That's got a really good sweetness and acidity.

It's delicious. Are you concerned about this dish?

I'm a bit nervous about it, yeah. It's a bit of an unusual one,

especially going down such a savoury route for a dessert.

-But, no, I think you'll like it.

-Good luck.

Thank you.

Tom's taking a massive risk with his dessert.

This is a do-or-die for him.

Lots of savoury items.

It's whether he can pull it off and blow me away.

Ellis is still working on the technical elements of his dish,

which he hopes will resemble a field full of strawberries.

He's made his chocolate soil.

But, with time running out,

he's using an unconventional method

to make sure his strawberry sorbet is set.

I'm using liquid nitrogen cos I'm up first

and I wanted to get my ice cream made, as quick as I could.

Come on!

Here we go, here's your daddy.

Are you on time today, Ellis?

-Don't jinx me!

-You look quite organised now.

I take it back.

Told you, don't jinx me!

Neck and neck with Tom, Paul is desperate to go the extra mile.

With a lot left to do,

he's making an oat and honey granola to add texture to his baked Alaska.

But all's not going according to plan.

BLEEP

I need to do another one of those.

I've had a little contretemps with the granola.

While I was getting carried away with the ice cream, the timer went off,

didn't hear it.

Granola's gone too far,

so I'm going to get another one in the oven as quick as possible.

Ellis is first to the pass with his dish, Strawberry Fields.

Designed to represent a field of pick your own strawberries.

He starts by plating the strawberry pannacotta.

-Come on, Shakey.

-And tops with a circle of Earl Grey tea jelly.

Next, his chocolate soil.

Ellis, how you doing? That chocolate soil all right?

Yeah, really happy. Exactly how I wanted it.

He adds strawberry tartare,

strawberry filo and strawberry puree.

Then compressed strawberry,

with candied strawberry tops.

And tea gel.

-Ellis, how long now?

-30 seconds.

Finally, strawberry sorbet,

sprigs of mint,

strawberry meringue

and a strawberry puree.

How does it feel, Chef?

-Last dish up.

-Relief, but it's not over yet.

Shall we go and taste it?

Let's go.

You've got the pannacotta and the tea jelly there.

Are you happy with the way that's set?

Given the time, I'm quite surprised that it set like that.

-I really like that.

-I do, as well.

Nice and clean.

The chocolate soil, is that working?

I really like it.

Chocolate soil sort of overpowers it a bit, though, doesn't it?

Yeah, a little bit.

And this is the compressed strawberry with the bitters, yeah?

The bitters.

Do you like that?

Yeah, I do. I'd even like it a bit more punchy.

-Bitters are good in them.

-I think that's my favourite element.

And the sorbet.

So the sorbet, it's a nice strawberry sorbet.

It's a nice smooth sorbet.

The strawberries are there.

Good dish, strong dish.

It needs more fresh strawberry, it needs to be refined.

-If you get through, you've got a lot of work to do.

-Yep.

-You all right?

-Yeah, I'm all right.

I felt happy with my dish.

-Right.

-But I don't know, I don't know.

Tom's up next to the pass with his dish, Whim-Bil-Done.

With his beetroot parfaits set, he coats them in chocolate.

He starts by spooning his bilberry marmalade

into the centre of flower-shaped bowls.

And adds squares of sheep's curd cheese.

Next, the chocolate coated beetroot parfaits,

toasted brioche cubes

and wood sorrel.

-What's going on the plate now?

-Sorrel, the violas.

Have you done anything with them?

No, just totally raw.

-Tom.

-Chef?

-It's you at the pass.

-Yes, Chef.

One minute.

He pipes curd cheese mousse onto his toasted brioche

and tops with more bilberry marmalade.

Bit shaky on this one.

And violas.

Finally, Tom pours hibiscus tea into chilled ice spheres,

which he hopes will balance the sweet and sour flavours.

OK. Ready.

To eat the dish,

he has small wooden spoons to highlight the natural ingredients.

Wow!

It's one of the most unusual desserts I've ever seen.

-Yeah.

-Let's go and eat it.

Excellent.

I think the presentation is beautiful.

Eat the toast first cos it's at the start.

Is that what you wanted, the salty sweet?

Yeah. A nice light cheese on there, as well.

So the savouriness of the cheese hits you first

and then you get the sweetness of the brioche

and the bilberries on top.

-That's belting.

-It's amazing, isn't it?

-The sphere is?

-Beetroot parfait.

-OK.

Did you want it to be that sharp?

Yeah, I wanted it to have good acidity in there.

It's not savoury.

It's still sweet.

Oh, that's beautiful. It is beautiful, that.

Hibiscus tea. Has that got the impact on the dish that you require?

Yeah, it has a very floral note to it.

-Hibiscus, lovely.

-That's good, that.

Messy though.

You need high points.

-Mm-hmm.

-I've got a feeling I know what you're going to say.

Hopefully, I want a 10 for it.

I think the flavours, you know, they're really interesting.

It's something different.

OK.

Well, he either loved it, or he hated it.

I've got absolutely no idea.

Well, I've already robbed it for my restaurant.

-Robbed it already?

-I can see that on the menu next week.

Paul is last to the pass with his pineapple baked Alaska,

in tribute to the Wimbledon's men's trophy.

It must be cooked at the last minute.

To assemble his desserts,

he tops rum-soaked pineapple rings and macerated strawberries

with pineapple ice cream.

Next, he adds pineapple and coconut flavouring to his meringue mix.

And pipes around the ice cream centre.

-Italian meringue?

-Italian meringue, Chef,

but it's Pina Colada flavour so it's got a little bit of coconut,

little bit of pineapple, as well, to follow the dish.

Going for it.

He places into the oven to cook.

Next, he prepares a peach ice tea,

which he pours into an Art Deco style teapot.

Onto a special frozen base,

he plates his granola and wild strawberries.

Can you keep an eye on those Alaskas, boys?

-Yeah, they're starting to colour a bit.

-Right.

He adds natural honeycomb and mint flowers for garnish.

Starting to bubble at the bottom.

Right, need to take them.

Paul places the baked Alaskas into the centre of the plates.

-How they looking for you, Paul?

-They just need a little bit more colour.

And finishes the meringue using a blowtorch.

-Chef.

-Wow! Are you happy?

-I am, Chef, I think it could have done with a little bit more colour on the Alaska.

-Cup of tea.

-It's been a long day.

-So it's ice tea with milky oolong

and some summer cup vermouth.

-Shall we go and try it, Chef?

-Wonderful.

-I'm sure it's going to be delicious.

-I hope so.

I've had a lot of baked Alaskas in my time and, wow, Paul.

That's a classic baked Alaska.

What I've tried to do is take it on another four or five notches.

For me, that's not just a baked Alaska.

-Have you flavoured the meringue?

-It's got a little bit of coconut,

little bit of pineapple essence.

You get that pineapple and coconut.

-Yeah.

-I like that.

That's really good.

-And the ice cream?

-I made a pineapple puree.

Classic anglaise, blended the two.

This is the rum-roasted pineapple.

You've got some strawberries hidden in there.

So we've got chopped English strawberries,

just to freshen it all up at the bottom.

Pineapples are lovely.

I don't think it needs the strawberry, being honest.

You've definitely put the ball back in my court, haven't you?

I've done my best, Chef.

-How was that for you?

-He seemed to have a few extra spoonfuls,

so I'm hoping he liked it.

I couldn't have done any more this week.

I don't think there's anything left in our heart and souls

that hasn't been put on those plates, anyway.

-Yeah.

-So...

-Definitely.

So, so tired.

-Hi, Chefs.

-Chef.

-Chef.

-Chef.

So, this is the toughest day of my week.

I've got to send someone home.

Ellis.

Your dish, Strawberry Fields,

showing strawberries growing in the field is an amazing idea.

Your pannacotta was beautiful...

..and I thought the candied tops of the strawberries

was a really clever idea.

However...

..your chocolate soil was overpowering.

For me,

the dish didn't taste of fresh strawberries enough.

Tom, your dish,

Whim-Bil-Done,

I thought the dish looked absolutely beautiful.

The brioche crouton on the side was very tasty.

I think the beetroot parfait was lovely.

But...

My biggest problem was the hibiscus tea.

Once you poured that over the dish, it became a sweet soup

and I thought you lost the flavour of the bilberries.

I found the serving and the eating of this dish awkward.

Paul, your dish,

Captain's Trophy,

I thought it was a fantastic celebration.

The baked Alaska was cooked perfectly.

The ice cream wasn't too sweet.

The whole thing was delicious.

However...

..the coconut flavour in the meringue

was a little bit too strong and slightly overpowering

for the rest of the dessert.

So to the scores.

With a score of seven

and the person going straight through

to tomorrow's regional final...

..it's Ellis.

Well done, Ellis.

You've got some great dishes,

but you've also got some dishes that need work.

I'm made up. It's a big one, give it my all tomorrow.

So that leaves you, Tom, and you, Paul.

You were both on equal scores going into this course.

Paul...

I'm giving you...

..a nine.

Tom...

I'm giving you...

..a seven.

So, Paul, that means you've done it.

I think tomorrow you will give him the fight of his life.

Tom, I hope that you've learnt from this experience

and you come back next year fighting.

-Thank you.

-Good luck tomorrow, guys.

Well done. Congratulations.

-Well done, soft lad.

-Well done.

-Do you know what,

I'm absolutely delighted with that

and I really feel that I put out a dish that was worthy of the banquet.

I'm feeling a little bit disappointed, obviously.

All came down to the last course, really.

You smashed that one today.

-I had to, didn't I?

-Yeah.

So two Scousers in the regional final.

Couldn't have asked for more, really. It's fantastic.

It's...great!