Wales Starter Great British Menu

This year, on Great British Menu...

Hey!

..24 of the country's most talented chefs...

This is it - the pressure's on.

..are fighting it out

in the toughest competition of their lives...

Who can live up to expectations?

Fingers crossed.

..as previous competitors...

Yeah, I'm quietly confident.

..and ambitious newcomers...

Everyone's got high hopes.

..go head-to-head for a chance to cook at this year's banquet...

..celebrating 140 years of the iconic Wimbledon Championships -

the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.

Go, go, go!

To get there, the chefs must create outstanding dishes,

which will match the exceptional skill and flair

of the tournament's greatest champions...

Perfect harmony.

..and celebrate the incredible smells, colours and tastes...

Beautiful.

..of the best of British summertime.

I've never tasted a plate of food like that.

First, they'll have to impress

a formidable veteran of the competition...

You completely ignored the brief. I think you're miles off.

..who between them hold a total of eight Michelin stars.

The presentation of this dish was stunning.

This week, competing to represent Wales, two newcomers...

-Man, I'm nervous.

-I think I'm the most nervous one out of you both.

..challenge a returning chef.

Nowhere to hide on your dish - everything's got to be perfect.

That's what we're here for.

But, with all three hungry for victory,

which two will make it through to cook for the judges on Friday?

He said this morning he was going to try and take you down.

This year marks the 140th anniversary

of the Wimbledon tennis championships.

The competition first took place in 1877, and since then...

You cannot be serious!

..has become the ultimate Grand Slam tournament.

Attracting the greatest players from around the globe,

and signalling the start of the British summer.

Straight sets again!

Wimbledon champion again!

This week, battling to represent Wales in the national finals

are executive chef Phil Carmichael, who's competed twice before,

making it as far as the finals last time.

This year, third time lucky. I want to get to that banquet.

I've got to represent Wales, I need to get there.

First timer Paul Croasdale, Phil's former head chef,

who's determined to beat his old boss.

All the dishes are personal to me, from where I grew up in Wales.

So hopefully that will give me the edge to get through.

And fellow newcomer Nick Brodie,

who's hoping his competitive spirit will give him the edge.

I put my heart and soul into devising the menu.

I really believe I will get to the final.

Judging their dishes this week is a former banquet champion...

Who do you think the veteran will be this year?

-No idea.

-Knees are already a bit wobbly.

..hailed as one of the most talented chefs in the country.

It's quite a daunting thing.

You have no idea!

Tom Aikens.

Hello, chefs. How are you feeling?

-Nervous.

-Nervous.

-Now you've walked in.

-So you should be!

Third time now, Phil, isn't it?

Be a bit embarrassing to be pipped by your number two.

Not at all.

So, Paul, what's it going to be like, cooking for your old boss?

It puts a little bit more pressure on it.

Nick, are you feeling tension?

-I'm up for it.

-Great brief. Taste of summer.

Should be some beautiful light summery dishes, of course.

Don't be nervous, guys.

Oh, dear.

-Pressure just went up a bit, boys.

-Definitely!

To impress Tom, the chefs will need to produce outstanding dishes,

which evoke a taste of summer and are worthy of an incredible banquet

honouring 140 years of Wimbledon.

Wimbledon is the most iconic and best championship

of tennis in the world.

So the chefs have got to strive for that.

It's perfection, consistency,

and, at the end of the day, there's only one winner.

Phil Carmichael won the Wales regional heat last year,

but failed to make it through to the final banquet.

He's hoping the best of British summer produce for his dish,

the Greenhouse, will get him one step further.

-Hi, Phil.

-Hi, Tom.

-How we doing?

-Yeah, good.

-What dish are you doing?

I'm doing a stuffed tomato.

-OK.

-Britain grows, I think, some of the best tomatoes in the world.

My old dish is literally a celebration of the different types

of tomato we've got available. This is called an oxheart tomato.

I'm going to stuff this and make a tomato tartare.

Making a consomme with the cherry vine tomatoes.

How are you doing the consomme?

-It's not a traditional consomme where you clarify it.

-Sure.

It's just a raw tomato juice.

Is there anything in this dish that you're worried about?

Yes, I'm making a tomato jelly.

I've got to make sure they get set properly,

so they're not sliding around all over the place.

Jelly, consomme, tartare, stuffing the tomato...

-It's quite a lot.

-Yeah!

In Phil's dish he's got a tomato consomme.

Sounds simple. But it's got to come out clear, and also in terms of

the flavour of it, it's got to be bang on.

Competition newcomer Paul Croasdale is calling on

summer childhood memories as the inspiration for his starter.

Are you all right, Chef?

-How are you?

-Good, thanks. Are you?

-Yeah.

Tell me the name of the dish.

-This is called Mum, Dad's Gone Surfing Again.

-OK.

Really, what I'm doing is basically soup and a sandwich.

-A soup and a sandwich?

-Yeah.

-OK, explain.

We spent all our summers on the beach.

-Surfing in North Wales?

-Yeah.

We'd take flasks of soup down the beach and have sandwiches.

That's really what summer was for me.

Basically, tomatoes, tomato tartare, like Phil.

-Tomato ketchup.

-Where's the sandwich bit?

It's like a little crispy, open sandwich.

Jerusalem artichoke puree, baby watercress,

and grated truffle.

-It's got a consomme as well.

-Consomme, as well?

-There's quite a lot to do.

-Battle of the consommes.

-Yeah.

-How are you making it clear?

-I'm going to make a consomme

the old-school style. Pass it off and hopefully it will come out crystal clear.

-I don't really want to serve you a cloudy consomme.

-No.

-Good luck.

-Cheers, Chef. Enjoy it.

-Thank you.

So, Paul has a lot going on in this dish.

All of these elements on their own are quite complicated.

Putting them all together, I think he will be in some difficulty.

Fellow newcomer to the competition Nick Brodie

is hoping home-grown summer produce for his dish, The Constant Gardener,

will give him the edge over his competitors.

-Hi, Nick.

-How are we doing, Chef?

-How are you?

Yeah, very good, very good.

So, no tomatoes in sight.

Nah, not for me on this dish.

What's the inspiration behind this dish?

We used to go rabbit shooting with the boys from work.

And that, to me, was a real significant time of summer.

And then the rabbits, the carrots, all falls into place.

The rabbit, you're doing that in various preparations?

The loin I'm going to water bath.

The leg and the livers,

I don't think you can beat it when it's pan-fried off.

With how delicate it is,

I'm going to season this with a Sichuan pepper as well.

So carrots, I'm going to do a base puree of purple and yellow carrot,

then season all that with a little bit of Sichuan powder

and I'm going to divide that into two ketchups,

-just to bring some vibrancy to the dish.

-OK.

When I was on here, many moons ago,

I did a main course dish with carrots.

-Yeah.

-Purees, pickle, slices.

Variations of rabbit.

Matthew said to me, "Lovely dish, but don't do it again."

Nick's dish, The Constant Gardener, with the rabbit,

could be hinting a little bit more wintry, and all those carrots,

is it too much? That's a question mark for me.

Having been judged in the competition two years ago by Tom,

Phil is very aware of his high expectations.

What do you think he is going to be judging on?

Tom is a very visual chef -

he likes the presentation of dishes - but, obviously,

the flavour has got to be there.

If he feels we are putting style over substance on the plate, he will crucify us for it.

Phil is the only chef doing a vegetarian starter with his dish, the Greenhouse.

It centres around a stuffed oxheart tomato,

but he's also making a tomato tartare and a tomato consomme,

just like his old employee, Paul.

Have you both gone off the same recipe sheets from work?

A few similarities between...

-Yeah.

-..my and your dishes, so...

that's a little bit stressful.

Originally from South Wales,

Phil is now executive chef at Berners Tavern,

in the heart of London.

Right, service.

I'm proud to say I'm a classically trained French chef,

or a classically French-trained chef.

I'm not French.

My formative years were at Le Gavroche,

which is the sort of pinnacle of French gastronomy.

For the past eight years,

Phil has worked in some of the world's top restaurants,

meaning most of his summers have been spent slaving away in a hot kitchen.

As a chef, it's all-consuming.

We have to sacrifice a lot of aspects of our life.

Summers is one of them, unfortunately.

-Good morning.

-Hello. Thank you.

We always know that summer is on its way here,

when we get the first batch of Isle of Wight tomatoes in.

-Beautiful, eh?

-Yeah.

We go through a heatwave every day.

Last year, Phil made it to the national finals of the competition

but this year he's hoping his summer menu

will take him all the way.

Third time lucky - I want to get to that banquet.

I was close last year. I want to win.

Back in the kitchen, Phil is working on his raw tomato consomme.

He's hoping that by not cooking the liquid, he'll capture the light,

fresh taste of summer.

How are we doing, sir?

Consomme's done - do you want to have a look?

If I may.

All that's in there is tomatoes, a tiny bit of fennel,

tiny bit of garlic and some salt.

I get the tomato. Yeah.

Newcomer Paul is working on his dish, Mum, Dad's Gone Surfing Again,

inspired by the soup-and-sandwich picnics he'd take to the beach

as a child. He's hoping his summer starter will score higher

than that of his old employer.

Last time you guys worked together, you were his boss.

A great chef. So, yeah, it's great to be back in the kitchen with him.

He said this morning he was going to try to take you down.

-He probably was.

-I didn't at all.

I think I'm the most nervous one out of you both.

Like Phil, Paul is also making a consomme but he is using a cooked

method, which should give him a crystal clear liquid.

Are you going to get your consomme clarified?

Unless the consomme is clear, it's not a consomme.

Yeah, there's no point serving the dish if that doesn't work.

-And the nerves get involved in it as well.

-Yeah.

I mean, it's not just like your normal kitchen where you're doing service.

True, true, very true.

Newcomer Paul Croasdale grew up in Wales,

and has been cooking for more than 15 years.

The first time I started cooking was when I was 14.

I got into the kitchen during the summer breaks.

Loved it. Decided I wanted to be a chef.

I've worked for Jason Atherton,

I've also worked for Gordon Ramsay in London.

Now I'm going to start looking at opening my own property.

He's worked for some top-level chefs

but he wasn't expecting to go head-to-head with one of them in the competition.

The thing that worries me most about the competition is, obviously, I'm against my old boss.

The last thing I ever said to him was on my notice, I wrote,

"I'll see you on GBM one year."

But, yeah, I should never have said it now, looking back.

Paul has fond summer memories of time spent on the beaches

of North Wales with his parents,

who are the inspiration behind his starter.

Hiya, how are you?

Everything about growing up for us

was about surfing and watersports, wasn't it?

We tried education, but I mean that...

Basically, I've made a soup of tomato,

which is what you used to grow, and sandwiches,

which you would take to the beach, so I've called it,

Mum, Dad's Gone Surfing Again.

-In trouble again!

-Yeah.

We are incredibly proud of him.

-He takes after you.

-It must have been me, yeah.

I must have taught him everything he knows.

Back in the kitchen, Nick is working on his dish, The Constant Gardener,

which showcases two of his favourite summer ingredients,

rabbit and carrots.

You've only got a couple of elements - does that mean there's

nowhere to hide on your dish, everything has to be perfect?

It has to be perfect - that's what we're here for, isn't it?

Nick is using five separate cuts of rabbit,

which he'll cook using different techniques.

He starts by roasting rabbit thighs,

and poaching rabbit loin in a water bath.

Are you confident about your first course? Do you reckon you'll get off to a good start?

After what Tom said about him doing carrot and rabbit,

I'm not too sure, any more!

Lancashire-born Nick Brodie is head chef at Llangoed Hall,

a hotel on the edge of the Brecon Beacons.

Having moved to Wales five years ago with his family,

he's passionate about his adopted home.

I've been made very, very welcome here.

And, yeah, I'm really proud to represent Wales.

I think it means more to me than anything, that, really.

It's a very personal thing.

When I'm creating a dish, it's part of me.

Whenever he can, Nick uses the fresh seasonal ingredients

grown in the hotel's 17-acre grounds.

I go outside in the afternoon, middle of summer,

I start picking things.

That's what I want - let's use it, let's take it in the kitchen -

and I think that's a massive advantage.

To perfect his summer menu, he's been testing his dishes

on the staff, who look after his kitchen garden.

-Nick's here.

-There we go, guys. Have a taste.

Taste of summer is where we're going to.

I love that. It's beautiful.

-It's definitely summer.

-Thanks.

I've never thought I was competitive but I don't want to lose.

Er...

Yeah. I ain't up for that, at all!

Back in the kitchen, Phil is still working on the many tomato elements

for his summer starter.

He's using some of his tomato consomme to make a tomato jelly,

which he needs to get set.

Next he moves on to his tomato tartare, which he spoons into

the centre of hollowed-out oxheart tomatoes.

I'm getting there, I know the kitchen, I know how the competition works.

It's a little bit comfier but it doesn't really mean anything.

Newcomer Nick is serving eight variations of carrot for his rabbit

starter, including purees, ketchups and a foam,

but with only his carrot powder complete, he's running out of time.

I need to get these purees done as quick as possible

because they're going to be made into the ketchup, as well, man.

He's using two different varieties of heritage carrots

to make his purees, which he hopes will impress Tom.

Are you looking for a contrast in flavours, or colour,

-what are you looking for?

-Really, it's down to colour,

and then it's down to what I add,

with flavourings of clove or Sichuan.

It's going to be a minute flavour change, but that's it.

The good thing is it tastes of carrot!

He's got two different carrot purees - one red, one yellow.

I was looking for a different taste but they're both the same

and, for me, that's a little bit style over substance.

With plating up approaching,

Paul is working on the Jerusalem artichoke puree, which he'll use

as the filling for his refined take on a summer sandwich.

Next, he moves on to clarifying his tomato consomme.

But he's decided on an unusual method to get the clear liquid

from underneath the layer of fat.

Needs to go lower.

So you're trying to...

Basically siphon it, just because it's a little bit loose.

I'm going to siphon it rather than ladle it so hopefully it will become clearer for you.

This is the main thing and if this goes wrong,

there's no point doing the dish.

-So having you stood next to me doesn't help.

-No.

-Do you mind if I taste it?

-No, Chef, you can go ahead.

It's different.

First to plate up is Nick, with his dish, The Constant Gardener,

inspired by summer memories of hunting rabbits and picking carrots.

He's still got several elements left to prepare,

including his tomato ketchup.

-Nick, how are you getting on?

-Yeah, I'm about there, man,

just finishing off the meats.

Nick fries his water-bathed rabbit loin in a pan alongside

the rabbit liver and kidneys.

Nick, you're due up on the pass now, yeah?

-OK, thank you.

-You're shaking, Nick.

I am, man, I'm nervous.

He starts his plate with splashes of carrot puree followed by his carrot

ketchup, carrot and red cabbage powder

and miniature carrots.

He slices the rabbit offal and arranges on the plate.

You are three minutes over, and counting.

Next, grated carrot,

Shimeji mushrooms, and micro leaves.

He finishes with carrot foam.

There you go, Chef, The Constant Gardener.

-Are you happy with everything?

-I think so,

-I started to sweat halfway through that.

-Let's go and try it.

-You were four minutes over.

-Yeah.

Do you really think you can do this at the banquet?

I started to get nervous.

I should have set a timer to see how long I had but I didn't do that.

In terms of, you know, visual impact, I think it hits the brief.

You know, beautiful, bright, summer colours.

You wouldn't say carrots is normally a summery thing

but that looks really summery.

The rabbit loin - how is it for you?

I think it could have done with a bit more flavour added to it.

-Rabbit, it had to be subtle but not too subtle.

-Yeah, sure.

There's more rabbit flavour in the leg, coming through, for me,

than in the loin.

-You've got the heritage carrots that you made into puree.

-Yes.

-You said you were putting clove in there.

-Yeah.

There's not really a taste of clove in there for me.

All the purees taste the same.

I think it's a good dish. Whether it's a great dish, I don't know.

If I were to give you the opportunity of scoring your own dish, what would you give it?

Er, a ten, Chef.

Let's see later, shall we?

-Are you all right, Nick?

-Yeah.

-How did that go?

Not too bad. What did you guys think of it?

-There wasn't enough carrot flavour for me.

-Yeah.

I'd have loved a little bit more of the carrot ketchup.

Next up to the pass is third-time competitor Phil with his vegetarian

starter, The Greenhouse.

He starts by scorching baby onions,

then adds black olive crumble to plates.

Watch your bread, man.

Thank you.

Next, his tomato jelly...

..followed by varieties of tomato seeds and marinated tomatoes.

He finishes his plate with slices of burnt onion, balsamic gel,

and micro leaves.

He dresses his stuffed oxheart tomatoes with pea shoots

and presents in a greenhouse-style cloche

served with toasted focaccia.

Lovely, Phil. I like it.

-Thanks.

-Paul, Nick, what do you think?

-Oh, I love it.

-Yeah, very cool. I like the idea.

I think we should go and taste this tomato dish of yours, Chef.

Brilliant.

Presentation - you're happy with the way it looks?

The jelly's turned into a consomme again.

-Because it's hot in there.

-Which is a bit unfortunate.

I think the jelly will really annoy him more than anything.

-Yeah.

-He's a perfectionist.

Let's have a look at what's inside here.

That's cool.

Is this how you wanted the dish to look?

-The tomato?

-Yeah, I mean, once you cut into it

you're going to get a little bit of, yeah, messiness.

Lovely burrata. It's rich, it's beautiful.

I think it absolutely nails the brief - it's summery.

The tomato tartare, do you think it's seasoned enough?

For me it is, yeah.

If I get anywhere close to Phil, I'll be quite happy. That's one of the best dishes I've seen him do.

If you were to judge this, Phil, what would you give it?

I'd give it a nine.

-Are you all right, Chef?

-Yeah. Just about.

I'm so annoyed at the jelly.

Summer weather.

Last to plate up is Paul,

who's hoping his refined take on his childhood picnics

will evoke a taste of summer.

How are you getting on here? Are you nearly there?

Almost.

No, probably a little bit behind now.

For his sandwiches, he's baked feuilles de brick,

fine sheets of pastry which he tops with his Jerusalem artichoke puree.

Are they the sandwiches?

-Yep.

-They don't look like sandwiches I've ever seen.

-Where's the bread?

-You've never been to North Wales, obviously.

-True, true.

He pours his clear tomato consomme into teapots to serve.

Next, he fills bowls with a minestrone filling,

starting with the tomato tartare,

then scorched baby plum tomatoes,

artichoke, purple radishes,

and silverskin onions.

Finally, he tops his sandwiches with grated Parmesan and truffle.

Soup and a sandwich.

If you have sandwiches like that as a kid, you know,

truffle and artichoke, I'm coming round your house.

Yeah, it's a bit different, isn't it?

-Proof is in the eating of course, isn't it?

-Yep.

-Let's go.

Paul, visually, I think it looks really great

but do you think for a starter it's a little bit too big?

First-time nerves, just kept putting the things on and should have

took a breath but hopefully it eats well.

I wouldn't have pegged artichokes and a Jerusalem artichoke puree

as the epitome of summer.

A lot of good flavours.

That consomme, the flavour in that is pretty incredible.

It is really quite a robust tomato flavour.

There's probably, like, seven different ingredients going on.

Do you think that all works well together?

I think it's quite interesting.

I don't think it bores you.

-If I close my eyes and eat that, that's an autumnal flavour.

-Yeah.

Truffle obviously gives it a nice special touch.

Yep.

-How are you feeling now?

-I really let down myself, just by the size.

Just, it's just too big.

It's a bit upsetting.

-How are you doing?

-Not very good.

-Not very good?

No, I thought it was too big.

I thought the flavour of it was phenomenal.

I thought it was a real contrast of flavour of my tomato consomme.

So I think we know Tom's going to be quite a critic on this food.

We have to impress him a lot to get nines and tens off him -

that's for certain.

Nick, I'm going to start with you and your dish...

I thought it was a very light, summery, colourful dish

and for me, it really hit the brief.

The rabbit and carrot is a classic combination and worked really well.

The carrot ketchup was sweet and sharp and perfectly balanced

and all of the parts of the rabbit were very well cooked.

However...

..in terms of the flavour of the meat, it lacked that oomph.

The flavour of the Sichuan

hadn't really come through

and if you're going to do two carrot purees,

I wanted to taste the difference between the two.

Yeah.

Paul, your dish...

I love the originality of the dish and the personal story behind it.

You took a very classic humble dish and you elevated it.

However, you served a farmer's portion.

The sandwiches got soggy

and the tomato tartare,

it was kind of lost with all the other ingredients.

Phil, your dish,

The Greenhouse.

You definitely made the most of a simple, beautiful ingredient,

the British tomato.

I loved the presentation.

You showed a lot of skill in putting all these components together.

I think it was a shame that the tomato jelly melted at the table.

It was a very simple dish but I loved the fact

that you let the ingredients speak for themselves.

So, chefs, to the scores.

Nick, I'm going to start with you first.

I'm giving you a score...

..of eight.

Thank you.

Paul...

I'm going to give your dish...

..a seven.

Finally to you, Phil.

I'm going to give you a score...

..of nine.

Thank you.

So, chefs, well done.

Still very much all to play for.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-Cheers.

-Nice one, dude.

Getting a nine off any veteran would be a good score but, you know,

off somebody of Tom's reputation, that's extra special.

-The first one out of the way.

-Well done.

It was disappointing but the other two dishes were really good.

Really, really good.

When I saw you plating it I was like, "He's got it."

My chances now are really good. There's one point either way.

There's nothing in it.