London and South East Main Great British Menu

-This year on Great British Menu...

-Ooh.

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

-I think this is a winning dish.

-It's got me worried.

-Good.

..are competing to cook at a glorious taste of summer banquet...

-Man, I'm nervous.

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

..celebrating 140 years of the iconic Wimbledon Championships,

the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.

This week, battling to represent

London and the South-east in the national finals

are Selin Kiazim, who took the top spot yesterday,

after impressing with her Turkish-Cypriot flavours...

I'm definitely really going for it with this dish.

..Mike Reid, now in second,

after his strawberry and chocolate fish course cost him the lead...

-That's brave.

-Brave or stupid.

..And Tom Kemble, whose overly simple fish dish

put him in joint second place with Mike.

The fish course - really, there's nowhere to hide.

Today, it's the main course, but with the scores so close...

It's very smoky in here. It's very hot.

..which chef can withstand the pressure to take the lead?

ANGELA HARTNETT LAUGHS

Pat Cash, baby.

To make it through to Friday's regional final,

each chef must produce exceptional dishes,

which celebrate a taste of summer

and pay tribute to 140 years of the Wimbledon Championships.

With two courses down, Selin is out in front with 15 points...

Being in the lead is definitely a great feeling,

but I want to continue like this

and I really want to come out with the top score.

..while her rivals, Mike and Tom, are just a point behind on 14.

So, guys, main course day. How you feeling?

Didn't get the best score yesterday for my fish

but really looking forward to the main course

and trying to take the lead back.

I need to pull something big out the bag today to get in the lead,

so I'm hoping my lamb dish is going to do that. What about you?

I've got a lot to do but, hopefully, I can pull it off.

Judging whether their dishes are impressive enough

to be served at this year's Wimbledon banquet

is Michelin-starred chef and six-time veteran Angela Hartnett.

-Morning, guys, how are you all?

-All: Morning, Angela.

Ready for today?

Yeah, very excited for today. Can't wait to get cooking.

Main course today. The South-east and London have had dishes

through to the banquet the last two years for the main course,

so no pressure on any of you there, OK.

Now, let's make sure we hit the brief,

we nail it and every single element is absolutely a perfection.

-Thanks.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

Everyone wants to take their main course to the banquet,

so these guys really need to push themselves to the limit

and cook some fantastic food today.

Yesterday, Selin got the top score for her fish dish

but was criticised for having too many elements on her plate.

Today, she's aiming high with a sharing barbecue main,

reflecting her Turkish-Cypriot heritage.

-Morning, Selin, how are you?

-Morning, Angela.

-Are you good?

-Good, thank you.

-So, tell me the name of your dish.

-It's called Grand Slam Lamb.

-Describe what is Grand Slam Lamb?

-The dish is a feast of lamb.

-Yeah, so we've got the shoulder here.

-Yeah, which I'm going to be slow-cooking on the barbecue.

-Yeah.

And I'll be glazing that with a spice mix I'm going to make

-called chaimen.

-Yeah, then you've got the rack of lamb

-and the neck here.

-I've got a rack, yeah,

which I'm going to grill off the cutlets on that,

and the neck, I'm just going to put a simple marinade

of some fennel and garlic on there as well.

What are you doing with these cuts here?

-This is my connection to Wimbledon.

-Right, OK.

-So, here, I'm going to be making a sausage.

-Nice.

-Specifically a Dutchee sausage.

-So, a Dutchee sausage - what is that?

A Dutchee sausage at Wimbledon,

is a bit like a big Cumberland sausage

-that you serve in a French baguette.

-OK.

Have you given yourself too much to do, do you think?

There's potential that I have, but if I pull it off,

I think this is a really good dish. It's definitely me on a plate.

-But is it the taste of summer on a plate?

-Yeah, I think it is.

I'm barbecuing everything

and I think everyone associates summer with barbecues.

What do you think, Mike?

I think we're both doing barbecue dishes,

so it's going to be a bit of a battle of the barbecues.

So, I'm looking forward to winning this one.

-THEY LAUGH

-Fighting talk!

Selin, in the past, has had

lots of unnecessary ingredients on the plate.

She seems confident that she's pared it back enough,

she knows what she's doing, so we just have to wait and see.

Tom is one point behind Selin,

after Angela felt his fish dish lacked impact

and failed to tell a story.

Today, he's hoping his seaside-inspired lamb main

will make more of an impression.

-Morning, Tom.

-Morning, Angela.

What are you up to today? Tell me the name of your dish.

-The name of my dish is Sea And Smoke.

-So, what is the dish?

Juniper-smoked salt marsh lamb with a slow-braised lamb neck,

-peas and red pepper...

-Right.

..which are my favourite summer English vegetables.

Yeah, you've got the racks there.

I've got lamb rack and lamb neck fillet.

So, I want to refine it and I'm not going to cook it over charcoal.

Instead, I'm going to smoke it over juniper.

So, I see you've got the summer vegetables.

You've got peas and lettuce. What are you doing with all that?

I'm doing a play on a classic petits pois de francais.

-So, peas, lettuce and bacon.

-Indeed. And I've got samphire here.

-Yeah, lovely.

-And some sea aster.

-Yeah.

-Then I'm finishing it with some nori...

-Right.

..which is commonly used in sushi.

Looking at all your ingredients and how you've described it,

it's obviously evoked summer and barbecue.

If I wasn't anything to do with cooking and I saw that plate,

-is it going to tell me that?

-I think it is, definitely.

-I've put a nice little prop at the end.

-OK.

I think it's really going to evoke

-those barbecue summer smells.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Yeah.

-Mike, what do you think of Tom's dish?

-Sounds like a good dish.

It's nice to see him pushing himself a little bit today,

you know, a few more ingredients in there.

-Thanks, Mike!

-That's OK, Tom.

So, Tom can cook.

He's got a great palate, but he needs to make sure

that whatever he cooks matches what the brief is.

He's got to nail the brief in this round.

Yesterday, Mike dropped to joint second place

after his unusual sweet and savoury fish dish.

Today, he's determined to take back the lead

with an Aussie-inspired barbecue.

-Mike, how are you?

-Very good, Angela, yourself?

Good to see you, yeah. What's the name of your dish, Mike?

Pat's Barbie.

It's named after Pat Cash who's a former Wimbledon champion

-from 1987 and he's from Melbourne.

-And what's the Melbourne connection?

I see a photo here. Is that you in Melbourne?

-Yeah, I used to live in Melbourne and my wife is from Melbourne.

-Ah!

-So, it's very close to my heart.

-So, what's in Pat's Barbecue?

This is an Australian Wagyu 9++,

-which is the grading system of Wagyu.

-Which is the fat, right?

-Yeah, it's the marble score.

-And this is beef as well?

-Yeah, this is the aged beef fat.

-Yeah.

I've been aging it in a dry-aging room for the last few months,

which gives it a real intense flavour.

So, is it quite Australian in the sense it's a bit surf 'n' turf,

-cos you've got prawns here.

-Absolutely.

So, I've got some beautiful red Sicilian prawns

-which I'm going to cure...

-Yeah.

..with lots of citrus, some coriander seeds,

which I'm going to serve these beautiful English heritage tomatoes.

And then I've got these gorgeous corns as well.

-With the corn, I'm going to be making a puree.

-Yeah.

And I'm also going to be doing some smoked kernels,

-which I'm going to be basting in a beer and bacon butter as well.

-Nice!

So, what are you doing with these potatoes?

-I'm going to turn them into a mini jacket potato.

-Right.

Anything you're nervous about in this course?

Working with a barbecue that I don't really know

-is going to be a bit tricky.

-Listen, we want some 10s.

Get cooking, cook some amazing food.

I'm looking forward to tasting it all.

-Good luck, everyone.

-Thanks, Angela.

With Mike's dish, he's got lots of different elements to it.

You just want to make sure that that beef really shines through.

All three chefs are hoping their mains will capture

the unmistakeable taste of barbecue,

but only Selin and Mike have decided to actually use one in the kitchen.

Are you confident using the barbecue?

Will you get the flavours you want?

I cook day in, day out on a barbecue.

I'd say this is the dish that I'm most comfortable cooking, really.

I don't have a barbecue in my restaurant, so...

That's why you're doing the cheat's way, Chef, no?

THEY LAUGH

Tom's hoping to impress with his dish Sea And Smoke.

It features lamb two ways - lamb neck and salt marsh lamb rack,

which he's basting in garlic and herbs before placing in the oven.

Next, he moves onto his lamb neck,

which he's cooking slowly in beef dripping.

He'll add a barbecue-inspired smoky flavour just before serving.

My approach is I'm not barbecuing, I'm smoking,

and I'm trying to achieve a subtle flavour

as opposed to chucking a piece of meat over some charcoal.

-Slightly offensive, but OK.

-MIKE LAUGHS

In contrast to Tom, Mike's already got several elements

of his Aussie-inspired surf 'n' turf dish cooking on the barbecue.

Who's got the best barbecue?

I've got corn on the barbie, I've got beef on the barbecue,

I've got prawns. Surely mine's the most traditional.

Are you even cooking those prawns?

Yeah, I am, but just in a different way.

-SELIN:

-Not on the barbie.

-MIKE:

-Not on the barbie.

Mike's hoping to capture the more tropical tastes of summer,

like curing his red Sicilian prawns

in a mix of sugar, coriander and citrus.

Next, he checks on his prime cut of Australian beef.

How come you've gone for beef, Mike?

I'm a huge beef man, I love all kinds of beef.

It's why I've got a cow tattooed on my arm.

What part of beef are you using on your tattoo?

I'm using the sirloin, which is about there.

-Where's the rump?

-I'm looking at it!

THEY LAUGH

Mike's also preparing a refined twist on jacket potatoes,

which he's aiming to make banquet-worthy,

by filling with a rich buttermilk puree.

What are you doing with this? This is the potato mix?

-Yeah, so I'm making buttermilk puree...

-Yeah, that's right.

-..which I'm going to siphon and put into the potato skins.

-So, foamy.

-Exactly.

-Brilliant. Are you feeling confident?

-Yeah, yeah, I am.

Currently in the lead,

Selin's hoping her Mediterranean-themed sharing feast

will get her another winning score.

Like Tom, she's also serving lamb, preparing four different cuts,

including lamb shoulder, which she's slow-cooking on a barbecue.

Guys, I know I'm not doing anything on a barbecue,

but you haven't really given me much choice.

I can't breathe in here!

We're just giving your food some extra flavour, Tom,

scenting it nicely.

Next, she prepares her chaimen - a sweet and spicy paste,

inspired by her Turkish-Cypriot roots,

which she's using to coat the shoulder.

She's also making a lamb version of a Dutchee,

a special sausage sold only at the Wimbledon Championships.

-So, you're doing your sausages.

-Yeah.

I've used lamb shoulder, lamb breast and a bit of lamb suet

and it's got a bit of red pepper, some garlic, and a bit of chilli.

-Has it?

-Yeah, just a little taster.

-Nice. Tastes lovely, actually.

To find out more about the Wimbledon hotdog which inspired her dish,

Selin has come to the All England Tennis Club,

where more than 60,000 Dutchee sausages are sold

in the two weeks of the tournament.

-Martin.

-Hello, lovely to meet you. How are you doing?

-You too.

-I'm glad you could come to Wimbledon.

-Thank you very much.

She's meeting catering director Martin Joyce,

who's worked at Wimbledon for over 30 years.

-So, this is the Dutchee.

-This is the Dutchee, yes.

How long has the Dutchee been at Wimbledon?

Well, the Dutchee started here in the early '70s.

The Dutchee was originally inspired

by a spiced sausage hailing from the Netherlands,

but the recipe has developed over the years.

What are the different types of Dutchee that you serve?

We just serve two.

-This is more what I would call a Cumberland-style sausage.

-Yeah.

-A lot more herb in it.

-Yeah.

This one is a chorizo-style sausage, but much spicier.

Selin is serving her take on a Dutchee

in a lavash - a Turkish flatbread.

But at Wimbledon, the sausage is served in a baguette.

-Spicy enough?

-Mm.

-Are you happy?

-Yeah, it's a nice spice though.

In the early days of the tournament,

the only food available to spectators was afternoon tea.

More than a century on, it's still a major draw.

When I first came through the gates at Wimbledon,

we had what I would call four or five good kitchens.

Now, we're coming up to 30 here.

-Yeah, so Wimbledon really is a big foodie tournament, isn't it?

-It is.

Just think, you're here for nine or ten hours,

so you've got to dine, haven't you?

-Yeah, you want to be fed well.

-Yeah, absolutely.

And the players eat well.

Have you ever seen any of them eat a cheeky Dutchee or something?

Well, the Dutchee has been eaten

by many people leaving the grounds here, but I can't tell you.

-Maybe another time.

-Yeah.

Back in the kitchen, Tom is working on the accompaniments

for his seaside lamb dish, Sea And Smoke.

I'm under a bit of pressure, but everything is almost there.

Just getting my petits pois francais, the pea garnish on.

All week, he's been criticised

for failing to tell a story with his simple presentation.

I think Tom's dish is quite strong.

If he steps up the plating and adds a few props in there,

maybe he's going to get the big score he wants.

Today, Tom is planning a more dramatic serving style,

creating his own smoke for added theatre.

-Smoking away?

-Yeah, lamb's just come out of the oven,

so I'm resting the lamb rack in here.

So, smoking some juniper.

I've also put some butter and just brush it over the lamb at the end.

So, why have you done it like this?

Why haven't you barbecued it rather than smoke it?

I think barbecuing's really aggressive

and I want a delicate, lightly-smoked flavour.

-And we're going to have that delicate flavour?

-You will.

Given that I'm crying because of all the smoke in this kitchen.

So, Tom is smoking the lamb.

The other guys are barbecuing their meat and, until I taste it,

it's hard to judge which I'm going to like best.

Mike's still working on the surf element that will accompany

the meat in his Aussie-inspired dish, Pat's Barbecue.

He's hoping that the zesty, summery flavours of his cured prawns

will help him get ahead.

Guys, we're halfway through the competition now,

so if anyone's going to make their mark,

-now is the time to do it, isn't it?

-I'm well up for today.

I think it hits the brief in both taste of summer and Wimbledon,

so hopefully, it's going to give me a good score.

In a bid to elevate his barbecue dish,

Mike's serving his beef and prawns

with refined twists on traditional accompaniments,

including a beer and bacon butter and a corn custard.

It's very smoky in here, it's very hot

but, you know, with smoke comes flavour,

so hopefully, it means the dishes taste beautiful.

Like Mike, Selin has lots of elements

she needs to finish barbecuing, including lamb neck,

lamb chop and her Wimbledon-inspired Dutchee sausage.

You've got two barbecues working - you got enough going on?

Yeah, this is me in my element.

Selin likes to give herself a lot to do.

She's got a lot of pieces of meat but it looks really interesting.

With time running out, she still has her accompaniments left to complete.

She turns to her onion puree

before mixing the dough for her lavash flatbreads.

I am getting on OK. I'm just rolling my lavash.

It's incredibly hot here, so I'm going to have to work quite quickly.

Next, she prepares a salad, using freekeh, a Mediterranean cereal,

to which she adds broad beans, pomegranate molasses and seeds.

SELIN SIGHS

Tom is first to plate up his dish, Sea And Smoke,

inspired by the smell of barbecues,

which he's hoping will hit the taste of summer brief.

He begins with his pepper puree and follows with his lamb neck.

-What's that element there?

-This is the lamb neck.

Just glazing it in a bit of lamb jus,

but cutting it with a touch of sherry vinegar.

He grinds nori seaweed into a powder,

adds to his pea puree and plates.

-How long, Tom?

-One minute, please, Angela.

Next, his pea garnish and his juniper-smoked lamb rack.

-Time's up, you know that, yeah?

-Yeah.

He finishes with lamb jus and, for added drama and flavour,

covers his dish with a juniper smoke-filled cloche.

OK. Ooh, you get the smokiness.

-So, that's the juniper.

-Yeah.

-Perfect.

All right, let's take it through and let's taste it.

Everyone at the banquet would have that?

The idea is to cloche that and then you get that really nice,

delicate juniper smell coming off.

There's definitely a better interpretation of the brief,

in the sense of the taste of summer.

That lamb - it's got the smokiness you want?

I think it could be a little bit stronger.

I think it's a little bit too delicate.

I'm not really getting any smokiness from this lamb.

-MIKE:

-I'm not getting any of the smoke at all.

So, the peas have worked for you with the guanciale

-and the sea herbs in there?

-Definitely.

I think they really provide a great flavour -

their salty, sea vegetable flavour that really comes through.

For me, the peas, and the petits pois and the puree

are really quite dominant and quite strong.

It's almost overpowering that beautiful lamb a little bit.

I think if I had to give him a score,

I'd probably give him another 7.

I think, for me, I'd score him a 7 as well.

Little bit short of the mark.

-What would you score yourself?

-I'd score myself an 8 on this, yeah.

My cockiness has dropped down a bit...

since you gave me a 7 in my fish course.

-Chef, how did it go?

-Yeah, I think it went all right.

What did you think?

I think you hit the brief, in the sense of a taste of summer.

-Did you get a bit of the juniper smoke?

-It wasn't enough.

I think, if you're going to say it's juniper-smoked,

for me, it should be there a bit more.

Mike is next to the pass, with his dish, Pat's Barbecue -

a homage to Wimbledon champion Pat Cash.

I remember him winning it famously,

with his black and white chequered bandanas.

He begins by plating his corn custard.

Mike, are you just slopping puree on the plate?

-Yeah, showing you how not to do it.

-THEY LAUGH

Next, he deep-fries his potato skins,

aerates his potato puree and pipes back into the shells.

He places his barbecued Wagyu beef onto the dish,

followed by tomatoes and his cured prawns.

-How's the beef looking, Mike?

-Perfect, Chef.

-Yeah?

-Nice and pink.

He adds charred sweetcorn and spring onions.

Are you putting a sauce on that, Mike, or...?

No, you've got a lot of wetness from the prawns,

moisture coming from the tomatoes, you've got the corn puree.

It's enough going on there.

Finally, he tops with slices of aged beef fat.

Just got to get one last prop and then I'm done.

-He's always leaving to get props.

-I know.

Your meat's getting cold, Mike.

ANGELA LAUGHS

Pat Cash, baby.

-Pat Cash?

-One for you, Angela.

-Oh, really.

Wow, looking good! Perfect!

All right, let's go.

Wow! It's a lot of protein, isn't it?

I'm finding the beef a little bit disappointing.

It's tender but there's not a huge amount of beefy flavour.

I don't actually get that much char from the barbecue.

-And this is the prawn.

-Yeah.

People would look at that and maybe go, "Ooh, that's a bit raw."

-You're happy for that?

-Yeah, I'm happy.

It gives it a textural difference.

I think it should have a bit more of a cure on it.

I think it's a really delicate flavour.

It would have been really exciting if he'd have char-grilled that

-with the head juices and everything like that.

-Yeah.

-I expected to have just half the jacket potato.

-Yeah.

-There's no cheese in that, is there?

-No cheese at all.

-Mm.

Just using the buttermilk gives it that sour, that creaminess.

-That acidity.

-Exactly.

-This is the aged beef fat.

-Yeah.

-Flavour's really good though.

Flavour's amazing on that.

-That is so much more impressive and stronger than the Wagyu.

-Yeah.

The flavour is just an explosion on your palate.

What would you score it?

I think it's one of my best dishes yet,

so I would score it higher than my starter.

THEY LAUGH

-Hey, Mike.

-Hi, Mike.

-How did that go for you?

I can't second-guess Angela after this week,

so what did you guys think?

I thought if you had roasted the prawn on the barbecue,

it would have been really delicious with the Wagyu.

I would have loved a bit more of the beef fat, actually,

-cos it had amazing flavour.

-Yeah.

Selin is last to plate up her dish, Grand Slam Lamb -

a tribute to Wimbledon's standing

as the world's greatest tennis tournament.

She starts by removing her lamb shoulder from the barbecue.

Wow, look at that lamb shoulder. That's impressive.

-Is that just for one?

-SELIN:

-This is just your portion.

THEY LAUGH

Next, she plates Romaine lettuce,

coated is yoghurt, honey and feta dressing.

She adds candied walnuts and strips of fried lamb breast...

..before serving her pomegranate and freekeh salad.

-OK, how long, please?

-Two minutes, please, Angela.

She dresses her barbecued lamb shoulder with onions,

parsley, pomegranate dressing and sumac.

-Can you just watch the grill for me?

-Yeah.

I just want to get this bit of colour on here.

She plates her caramelised onion puree

then her marinated lamb neck and lamb chop...

How's that looking, Mike?

-Is there colour on it?

-A little bit. Do you want me to try shutting it?

Go on then for a minute.

..followed by charred onion and more pomegranate dressing.

At the last minute, Mike fetches her lavash-wrapped Dutchee sausage,

which she finishes by dusting with sumac and parsley.

Right, if this was the banquet, everyone would have a plate of this

in front of them and then they help themselves to everything else?

-Exactly.

-OK, would you expect the guests to slice it themselves

or would you have a bit sliced ahead?

I think it would be nice if the guests could slice it themselves.

Right, let's go.

It looks really impressive, the fact that she's cooked

all these different cuts and brought them all up.

I love the selection. It screams banquet.

The lamb shoulder here - this is what you wanted?

-The spice flavour's coming through really well.

-Yeah.

And there's that good char, which brings a bit of smokiness

-and bitterness to it.

-Mm.

The spice mix that she's rubbed on the lamb is a bit burnt for me,

it's a little bit bitter.

-The Dutchee sausage.

-Yeah.

-Spicy enough for you?

There's good spice coming through

but I don't think it's too overpowering.

-Really good sausage.

-Yeah, Selin's style.

-Punchy, strong flavours, but she nails it.

-Yeah.

I think it's really good.

So, the neck fillet you just roasted on the barbecue as well?

Yeah, it's got a bit of fennel seed around the edge of it.

It's undercooked.

-I know there's a lot going on there.

-Yeah.

But I think that everything has its place with this one.

So, what would you mark it?

I think I'd give it a 10. I'm really happy with it.

-Phew!

-MIKE:

-How was it?

-SELIN:

-That was a tough one. What did you guys think?

-Good.

I thought it was really ambitious,

getting all those different cuts of lamb up.

The shoulder, for me, was a bit too cooked

but those Dutchee sausages... I want more.

They're incredible.

It's the worst time of the day now, isn't it, waiting for that score?

The anticipation. I've got the butterflies in the stomach.

Really anxious right now.

-OK, Chefs, how are you feeling?

-Anxious.

Tom, I'm going to start with your dish.

I thought it was a lovely plate of food.

I thought it was very summery

and I thought you cooked that lamb beautifully.

I liked the techniques you used

and you came through with a beautiful pepper puree -

nice and peppery, lovely flavour and actually held up on the plate.

And you even managed to do a little bit of a wow factor, Tom,

and I think if you went into that banquet with that dish,

I think that would be fantastic.

But...

..I think you still can do a better job of telling your story on a dish.

Mike, your dish.

I like your nod to Pat Cash and Wimbledon.

It was absolutely genius when you came out with the bandana -

really lovely.

I really like the aged beef fat.

The prawn was delicious and the curing was very subtle. But...

..I didn't think that Wagyu beef had the barbecue flavour to it.

And I did think the portion of beef was too big

for the rest of the dish.

Selin, your dish.

As ever, lots and lots of food

and you could definitely see that at a banquet.

I thought the Dutchee sausage was really tasty.

The freekeh salad worked really well. The texture was delicious.

However...

..I'm not sure that barbecuing a lamb shoulder

is the best way of cooking.

And I also felt that the neck fillet was slightly chewy.

So, to the scores.

Selin, I'm going to start with you.

And I'm going to mark you a score of...

..8.

Mike...

..I'm giving you a score of...

..8 as well.

Tom...

..I'm giving you a score...

-..of 9. Tom, how do you feel?

-That was a great score.

-It's what I needed and, yeah, happy.

-Good. Well, rest up, guys.

I want to see some 10s on your desserts. Thank you.

-Well done, Chef.

-Thanks.

It's great to get a 9 from Angela. I'm really chuffed.

With three courses down,

Tom and Selin are neck and neck on 23 points...

It's great to be out in front, but I wish I was out in front on my own.

..with Mike just 1 point behind on 22.

Do you know what?

I may be in last place, but it's 1 point,

so 1 point behind at this stage is nothing.

-All to play for with desserts.

-Tight.

-THEY LAUGH

-Uncomfortably tight.