Scotland Dessert Great British Menu

This year, on Great British Menu...

Hey!

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

The old gloves are off now, aren't they, you know?

..are competing to cook at a glorious Taste of Summer banquet...

The competition is on. I'm just going to go for it.

..celebrating 140 years of the iconic Wimbledon Championships,

the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.

This week, battling to represent Scotland in the regional finals are

returning contender Ally McGrath,

whose outstanding main course earned him pole position yesterday...

Now I know where you've gone with that summer brief.

..fellow returner Michael Bremner,

who lost his lead after a disappointing main...

The pasta was raw

and, at this level, is unacceptable.

..and newcomer Angela Malik, just one point behind Michael,

and confident she's got what it takes.

It's all the way for me!

Today, it's the dessert course.

Ah, just, you know, one of those days.

And it's the chefs' last chance to impress.

The competition is hotting up.

It's quite warm in here again.

To get to the Wimbledon banquet,

the chefs must create outstanding dishes which celebrate

the Taste of Summer.

With only one course to go, Ally is in first place, with 24 points,

Michael, who had a disastrous main course, is in second, with 23,

and Angela is just one point behind on 22.

How are you feeling, Michael?

I'm a little bit disappointed from yesterday but, you know,

I knew it was a risk what I did. I made some silly mistakes in there.

There's only two points in it, this is really tight.

-Anybody's game.

-Anyone's game.

-Anyone's game. Yeah.

Judging this week is the holder of four Michelin stars, Nathan Outlaw.

-Hi, guys, all right?

-Chef.

Business end of the competition now, you all know what the brief is,

summer time, we're talking Wimbledon standards here -

classic, stylish, top-drawer cooking.

I want to see some great desserts. Good luck.

Thank you.

It's the last chance today for the chefs to really show me what they are made of.

I'm expecting a precise, perfect summery dessert.

Currently in first place is Ally, who yesterday earned his highest score of the week,

getting nine points for his main.

He's aiming for a perfect ten today with his dessert,

If Summer Ever Comes To Scotland.

-How are you doing, Ally?

-Very well, Chef.

So what actually is the dish?

If you think of a Scottish hedgerow, that kind of up the woods,

there's the wild raspberries, the brambles and blackberries.

If it's rained overnight they are a bit wet and damp.

That's what we're trying to go for here.

I'm using wheatgrass powder, which I'm going to make a sorbet with.

-OK.

-So...

I was a bit dubious about it, but this sorbet, Chef, is phenomenal,

the wheatgrass on its own is horrible.

OK.

-What else have you got?

-So we've got meadowsweet and lavender and mint,

which I'm going to make a gel with,

have on the plate as little sort of raindrops.

These things are very strong.

-You have to be careful with how much you put in.

-Very, very careful.

So what's the biggest challenge with your dish at the moment?

I'm going to roast some of my berries.

And them not going over is probably the biggest thing.

But I'll hold them in a dehydrator at a low temperature.

I think it's the simplest dish that I've possibly done,

I also think it's my strongest.

Guys, what do you think of that, then, his strongest dish?

-I'm looking forward to it.

-That's fighting talk, isn't it?

-ANGELA:

-It is.

Ally is in the lead after the main course,

I'm a little bit worried about his dessert.

To me, it sounds like there's a lot going on.

He's got this lavender and meadowsweet gel,

he's got to make the sorbet and get the berries right.

There's a lot of elements there, it's not as simple as it sounds.

Narrowly in second place is Michael,

who was awarded just six points yesterday for his main.

He's hoping to score much higher today,

with a technically demanding dessert, Bananas About Murray.

So what are you cooking today?

It's a little tip of the cap to Andy Murray.

I believe there is 2,772kg of bananas eating during Wimbledon.

-Blimey, that's a lot of bananas.

-That's just by the players, as well, so it's quite fascinating.

What I'm doing is, I'm going to take these bananas,

pressure-cook them with maple sugar and butter,

and get that real sort of deep caramelisation in there,

with some dark rum as well.

I'm serving it with a yoghurt sorbet, yoghurt cake, and then

I've got some yoghurt powder,

that I'm going to make a yoghurt sugar tuile with, as well.

I'm very intrigued to see how it comes out. At the moment I can't visualise it.

-So, you know, good luck with it.

-Thank you.

Michael's banana dessert sounds really interesting

but his main course wasn't great so he really needs to pick up the pace.

In third place, just one point behind Michael, is Angela,

who's pulling out all the stops today with her elaborate dessert,

the Championship Final,

in the hope it will see her through to the judging chamber.

Hi, Angela, how are you?

-Hello, Chef.

-So what are you actually cooking for me this time?

For me, summer is all about mangoes,

and I remember watching Bjorn Borg, McEnroe,

and we'd sit in front of the TV and gorge on these mangoes.

So where are you actually going with the dish?

The actual dish is a layered dessert.

The middle is a lime jelly with a mango mousse

-and a white-chocolate ganache.

-Right.

I will set it up and turn it out,

spray it with green cocoa butter,

so it ends up looking like a tennis ball.

What's the biggest risk for you in this dish?

By far, the chilling of the dessert.

I've got to make sure that each layer is cold enough

to be popped out,

pressed into the next layer,

chilled again and then a third chilling.

And what happens if it doesn't all set?

-You're going to get a white-chocolate puddle.

-OK.

Not what I'm after!

I really like the sound of Angela's dessert.

You know, mangoes, summer sun, white chocolate, brilliant,

but all them elements need to set.

That's the biggest danger that Angela's got.

Only the two highest-scoring chefs at the end of today's dessert course

will go through to cook for the judges tomorrow

and with just two points between first and last place,

the competition is intense.

I was gutted last year, when I went home on the Thursday,

it's not going to happen this year.

I hope you don't feel as bad as I did when I left.

I'm here to get back into finals week.

It's all the way for me!

Michael's dessert, Bananas About Murray,

involves a number of tricky pastry elements,

including an unusual yoghurt and vegetable oil sponge,

and delicate maple and pecan tuiles,

which he makes by spreading batter thinly on a baking tray

in the hope of achieving a paper-thin texture.

I'm right behind you.

Next, he starts work on the whole bananas, flavoured with maple sugar

and rum, which will be the focus of his dish.

So what's in the pressure cooker, Michael?

-Bananas.

-Bananas?

Yeah, slightly unripened bananas that I'm pressure-cooking.

Ally's dessert, If Summer Ever Comes To Scotland,

is inspired by the hedgerows of his homeland,

glistening after a summer downpour.

He's making a gel to represent rain using meadowsweet,

a fragrant herb with an almond and elderflower flavour which requires

delicate handling, not to overpower the dish.

Next, he moves on to his berries, which he roasts...

That's that oven free, guys.

..before putting into the dehydrator to intensify their flavour.

But in the heat of the kitchen,

he's left his meadowsweet gel on the stove.

Are you going down over there?

My gel just over-infused, it sat there for too long.

This has got to be bang on, it's got to be perfect, and that wasn't,

so I'm going to do it again. It's quite warm in here again.

Angela's working on the centrepiece for her dessert,

the Championship Final,

a complicated triple-layered tennis ball made from

white-chocolate ganache, mango mousse and lime jelly.

To achieve a perfect finish,

each of the three different layers will need to be set completely

before she can move onto the next.

To create the centre, she starts by pouring lime jelly into moulds

and placing in the blast-chiller.

Next, she works on her golden netting,

to represent a tennis court net, made from gold sugar paste.

I so want it to be precise and I want it to be beautiful.

This has got to be the course that delivers that.

She pipes the netting and puts into the dehydrator to dry.

I'm on track but there's still quite a lot to do.

Across the kitchen, Ally is working on his second batch of meadowsweet rain gel.

What's actually in the meadowsweet infusion?

-Meadowsweet, lavender, mint.

-They're quite strong flavours, aren't they?

-They are.

-You had to bin the other one because it got too strong.

-Yeah.

-Can I have a little taste of that?

Of course you can, Chef.

It's got that sort of summery, rainy...

Yeah, that's good, that's the whole plan.

Both Angela and Ally are paying homage to their Scottish roots

by making shortbread to serve with their desserts.

Angela's version uses a classic recipe

but she's added salt and chilli to provide a contrast

to the sweet flavours in the rest of her dessert.

Chilli shortbread sounds interesting, I've never heard of that before.

Let's see, I've got a lot to live up to. Granny Murray,

her shortbread was out of this world.

What THE Granny Murray?

-THE Granny Murray, yes.

-Wow!

I feel I've got big responsibilities on my shoulders.

Every year, Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and his brother,

doubles champion Jamie, are given shortbread by their grandmother,

Shirley, as a good luck gift for the championships.

To find out more about the family tradition, Angela went to Dunblane to meet her.

-Good morning.

-Hello, Shirley.

-Hello, Angela, do come in.

-Lovely to meet you.

-Isn't it a beautiful day?

-It's gorgeous.

We've laid it on especially for you. Do come in.

-Thanks for having me.

-You're welcome.

It's wonderful being in your kitchen, smelling these amazing smells coming from your shortbread.

-Yes, yes.

-Where does the recipe come from?

I wish I could tell you. I've been married for nearly 60 years,

and I've been making that shortbread all that time.

You've got lard and butter and margarine, three types of fat.

Three types of fat. And, of course, sugar.

It's got all the wrong things in it, hasn't it?

Full of calories.

For the Murray brothers.

I was wondering how much of this they're actually going to eat.

Well, in their younger days, they ate a lot of it,

but they're much more health conscious now,

although they still insist that I take the shortbread

when we go down to tournaments, or Davis Cups, or whatever.

I strongly suspect that it's his team that eat most of it.

As Angela is serving shortbread with her mango dessert,

she's keen to try Shirley's much-loved recipe.

Sprinkle it with sugar, and that's the job done.

Have a taste of my shortbread and see what you think.

Thank you, I can't wait.

Wow!

SHIRLEY CHUCKLES

That is absolutely delicious.

So, have you ever been to Wimbledon to watch them play?

We've been every year, since they first started playing.

We were there in 2016, when he won his second Wimbledon title.

You must be so proud of them.

Absolutely, we still sometimes, you know,

can't just quite believe that it is still these two little boys that

used to run around the tennis courts just down the road from here.

So, yes, immensely proud of them, they're both such nice boys,

that gives us a lot of pleasure.

Back in the kitchen,

Michael is working on the technical garnish elements

of his banana dessert.

He's making a complex yoghurt crisp by melting isomalt,

a sugar substitute.

Once set, he blends to create a fine powder,

then mixes with dried yoghurt and places in the oven.

Next, he removes his bananas in maple sugar and rum

from the pressure cooker.

-How's it looking, Michael?

-My poached bananas are there.

-Can I have a taste?

-Of course, yeah.

They're lovely. So what else have you got to do to finish the dish?

I've got to portion up my sponge, once it cools down,

I've got to finish my tuiles,

and then I've got my sugar tuile in the oven right now.

Quite a few things to go, I think I'll let you get on with it.

Thank you.

Michael seems a little bit flustered.

It's the first time in a competition I've seen him that flustered, there is a lot of things to do.

Ally's working on the shortbread for his summer hedgerow dessert.

He's come up with an unusual method which he hopes will create

a lighter crumb.

Is that your shortbread, Ally?

Yeah, I'm not doing them flat, like normal classic shortbread.

I'm going to bake them in the ramekins.

-Wow.

-So the baking powder makes them puff up.

-It's lovely.

-Mine are very classic.

-Very nice.

-Let's see.

Ally places his shortbread in the oven,

before moving on to his lavender yoghurt,

heating milk with sugar and dried lavender to infuse,

but there's a problem.

Ally, this wasn't turned on, mate.

Shall we press go, yeah?

-Yeah?

-Yes, please, man.

Across the kitchen,

Angela is yet to finish her complex tennis ball dessert.

With time running out,

she's still got two of the three layers to complete and is currently

working on the mango mousse, which will become the filling.

-That wasn't meant to happen.

-How are you doing, Angela?

-I'm good, Chef.

-You've frozen the jellies.

-I've frozen the jellies.

-Right.

Then you are going to push them into the actual mango mousse?

That's right. The white chocolate is the last layer.

That's the white-chocolate ganache?

Yes. So there's a three-layered ball effect,

where you cut into it and you should be able to see three distinct layers.

So when I spoke to you before, you were really worried about setting these desserts?

I'm still worried.

Angela's got a face on where she looks a little bit panicked.

I think she's starting to realise that she's got a lot of things to get right.

If she makes any mistakes, she won't get the dessert up in time.

BLEEP

I think someone's just taken them out of the oven.

With plating up fast approaching and the scores so tight,

each of the chefs are focusing on getting every element of their desserts perfect.

I just went through it all in my mind.

-I don't want to miss anything.

-Feeling a little bit nervous.

About everything setting up, getting it on the plate.

Yeah, challenging.

I'm sweating and there's nothing on.

First to the pass is Michael with his dish, Bananas About Murray,

inspired by the huge quantities of bananas eaten by the players

at Wimbledon every summer.

He starts with yoghurt sponge, then adds passion fruit curd

and his poached banana.

I love the bowls.

Next, his pecan and maple tuile,

yoghurt sorbet

and, finally, yoghurt-sugar crisp.

So, this is my Bananas About Murray.

-Guys, what do you think?

-Yeah.

-Bit worried?

-Yeah, always worried.

-I think we need to try it now.

-Yeah.

Thank you.

It looks stunning.

Beautiful. As always.

I'm going to try the sponge first.

It's got a toasty note to it.

Nice, a little bit dense.

I would like it to be a bit lighter.

It's still really nice, it's got a really nice flavour to it.

Yeah, I suppose the most important part of the dish is the banana.

-Yeah.

-Were you trying to get a bit of rum flavour to come through with

-that?

-No, I just think rum is a nice addition with bananas.

I think that's really nice.

The texture of it is nice as well.

-These yoghurt tuiles just how you wanted them?

-Yeah. Exactly.

And his maple tuile with the pecans.

-Yeah, lovely.

-That is nice.

And if you were marking that dish, what would you give it?

I would give it a nine.

Because I'm a modest man.

Very clever. Taste Of Summer?

Perhaps not.

-How was that for you?

-I was really happy with that.

-Yeah?

-Good. What did he say?

He said he enjoyed it, I think.

Good.

Next to the pass is Ally, with his dish,

If Summer Ever Comes To Scotland,

a representation of Scottish hedgerows and summer rain.

He starts by plating lavender yoghurt, then adds meadowsweet gel,

raw strawberries, blueberries and redcurrants

before checking his dehydrated berries.

BLEEP!

I'm not using them.

How are you getting on?

They've been in the dehydrator too long. I'm not going to use them.

-Do you need me to do anything for you?

-Say a little prayer?

Forced to ditch his berries,

Ally adds wheatgrass sorbet and crumbled shortbread.

He finishes with strands of candyfloss.

OK.

Guys, this is going to melt quickly, so what do you think?

-It's not what I was expecting.

-Given Ally's other dishes,

I was expecting something phenomenal.

That one doesn't look phenomenal.

Well, it's all in the taste, let's go and have a taste of it, Ally.

So, has summer come to Scotland?

The flavours should all be there.

-I feel a bit bad for him because there was a few complications that went wrong for him.

-Yeah.

So, the wheatgrass sorbet was the thing I was not sure about.

That actually tastes fantastic. I really like that.

-That has definitely got the grassiness.

-It definitely does.

What have you actually done to these berries?

I haven't done anything to the berries.

The roasted ones, they weren't right, Chef.

I'm not going to give them to you.

I think the fresh fruit works quite well for him.

I'll try this shortbread.

That's lovely.

As far as the meadowsweet gel goes, it's got a kind of freshness to it.

The meadowsweet gel, the setting of it, is that how you wanted it?

Yeah, I hate it when you get like a gel or whatever and it is like bounce-off-the-wall kind of thing.

I want it really light.

So the candyfloss that was on there to start with has obviously dissolved.

I think he would be better off without it.

It's a little bit rustic.

Is it actually classy enough to be served like a banquet for Wimbledon?

In practice, it has been, Chef.

To be honest, I don't think I've done it justice this time.

What would you give yourself?

A six or a seven, Chef.

-How are you doing?

-Not well.

-How was that?

-Awful.

-I don't think it was awful.

I see what direction it was going in and I thought the flavours that were on that plate were great.

The sorbet was fantastic. I've never tasted anything like that.

Ah, man!

Last to the pass is Angela, with her dessert, the Championship Final.

She starts by checking if her complex frozen tennis ball dessert is set.

This is game time. It might end up being over-frozen.

Are they OK?

They've set up, however, I don't think they are going to have time to come to room temperature,

unfortunately.

With her dessert frozen solid, she adds the finishing touches,

using paper to mark out lines before spraying with green cocoa butter

to complete the tennis ball look.

She starts her plates with a crushed pistachio base...

..followed by mango puree...

Fresh mango. The triple-layer tennis ball.

And her chilli shortbread.

Finally, she makes a cocktail...

BLEEP!

..by mixing mango and black cardamom with champagne.

-Do you want a hand?

-Yes, please.

What do you think, guys?

I think it looks great and you get a drink with it as well. It's a win-win.

-I think we can see it's definitely the Wimbledon theme.

-Yes.

-Are you going to carry it?

-Yeah, I'll carry it, sure.

So, everything's on the dish or is there anything missing?

No, everything is on the dish.

I thought you had some netting,

-some gold netting, that was going to go on the dish.

-Oh, yes.

So, where is it?

Still in the dehydrator.

Unfortunately.

You definitely get the Wimbledon feel.

-Certainly.

-The tennis ball, which is green,

I thought she would have gone for yellow. Aren't tennis balls yellow?

That centre is meant to be a jelly, isn't it?

-It is, Chef, yeah.

-It's still frozen.

-That's gutting.

-It's such a shame because the flavours are really,

really good. Really summer time, really refreshing.

-I think that's quite impressive.

-Flavour-wise, it's really nice.

I think it's very brave, trying something like that.

I just don't think it's just quite worked for her.

I'm going to try this shortbread.

That is a little crumbly.

I'm getting quite a lot of chilli off that now.

Not that it's unpleasant.

-But I'm not sure if everyone would like that.

-Yeah.

This is a mango champagne cocktail.

That's actually a really fun end to that dish.

It'll definitely wake people up,

when they get a bit of the salt and the chilli.

-I'm going to give her a seven.

-I think a seven is fair.

What would you actually mark yourself out of ten for this dish?

I would give myself a nine.

-How was that?

-I was gutted. I forgot my netting.

That's got me worried. It's so close.

Mine was not right.

I would like to be here tomorrow.

I think there's a chance you could be. I'm really quite concerned.

-Hi, chefs.

-Hello, Chef.

So, that was the dessert course.

Your last chance to impress.

-How do you feel?

-Not good.

Angela, I'm going to start with you.

Your dish, the Championship Final.

I think you really got the Wimbledon theme across in your dish.

This was the neatest dish you've done so far in the competition.

Everything was balanced well.

I loved the mango champagne cocktail.

However, you didn't get the result you wanted from the tennis ball.

And the centre was actually frozen.

Overall, it was a touch gimmicky for me.

Ally, your dish,

If Summer Ever Comes To Scotland.

The presentation of this dish was lacking.

Yeah.

You were supposed to serve this dish with some roasted berries.

-Yeah.

-But unfortunately they weren't there.

However...

everything on the dish that you served me tasted good.

I thought the meadowsweet gel was a nice touch.

And you could really taste the flavours of the hedgerow.

Finally, Michael, your dish, Bananas About Murray.

The presentation of this dish was stunning.

Thank you.

Exactly the standards I would expect at a Wimbledon banquet.

Thank you.

When you told me that the dish was made up of bananas,

maple syrup and nuts,

I was worried it was going to be too sweet.

But...

this dish was spot-on.

Thank you very much.

So, to the scores.

With a score of...

..ten and going straight through to the regional final,

-Michael.

-Well done.

My God! Thank you very much.

-Well done, Chef. I can't believe you've done it again.

-I can't believe that.

Finally, a perfect ten. It's taken all week.

-Thank you.

-Michael, how do you feel?

I'm over the moon. Thank you so much.

So, that leaves Angela...

..and Ally.

Angela, you are on 22.

Yes, Chef.

Ally, you are on 24.

Angela, I'm going to give your dish...

..a seven.

Ally...

I'm going to give your dish...

..also a seven.

-Well done, man.

-So, Ally, you're going through.

-Unlucky.

-Well done.

Congratulations. How do you feel?

Relieved it was a seven, Chef.

Angela, commiserations.

You had some great flavours on your dessert.

But you were beaten by a couple of great chefs.

-Well done, guys.

-Thank you, Chef.

-Thank you. Thank you.

-And thank you for cooking for me all week.

-Cheers.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you, Chef.

-A perfect ten.

-I can't believe you did that.

Perfect ten, well done.

I'm over the moon to get a high score, I'm over the moon to get a ten off of Nathan Outlaw.

I'm definitely going to give it everything tomorrow.

As a newcomer, you don't know what to expect.

It's frightening.

So to get 29, I think I've done really well.

I can't believe I got a ten.

I know. Well done.

-Well deserved.

-Thank you very much.

A massive relief, which is now beginning to go into absolute fear

for having to do it all again tomorrow for the judges.

But that's... That's what it's all about.