Central Fish Great British Menu

-This year, on Great British Menu...

-Ooh!

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

You've got that glint in your eye.

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

-Everything's got to be perfect.

-That's what we're here for.

..celebrating 140 years of the iconic Wimbledon Championships,

the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.

This week, battling to represent

the Central region in the national finals

are returning chef Pip Lacey, who took the lead yesterday

with a nine for her Wimbledon-themed starter...

With a few tweaks, I could really see

this dish being at the banquet.

..first-time competitor Ryan Simpson,

who's one point behind

after his complex dish fell short on flavour...

I wanted a little more.

..and fellow newcomer Nick Deverell-Smith, who's third,

after failing to impress with his oversimple starter.

The dish didn't have that wow factor I was looking for.

Today, it's the fish course and the hunt is on for a perfect ten.

I'm a couple of points down. I've got to take risks.

I've got to crab claw them back.

But with just one point between each of the chefs,

who will come out on top?

Argh!

I've never had this before in my life.

To make it through to Friday's regional final,

the chefs must impress with exceptional dishes

that capture the taste of summer

and honour 140 years of the Wimbledon Championships.

With one course down, Pip is in the lead on nine,

with Ryan on eight and Nick in third, on seven.

So, Pip, you're at the top of the board.

Is this your best dish, would you say?

There's a few sort of quirky things going on,

but I think it's really strong.

-Let's try and get tens all round then.

-Yeah.

-I'm good for that.

-NICK:

-That still makes me bottom of the pile,

so maybe we don't all try and get tens.

Judging them this week is one of only three chefs

to cook two dishes at a single banquet - Richard Bainbridge.

-Chefs, how are you feeling?

-Good.

-Good, thank you, Chef.

-Yeah, feeling pretty confident, so...

-Good.

It's time to now let the competition really start.

There's some great cooking going on but let's now make it epic.

-So, good luck, guys. Let's get cooking.

-Thanks.

-Thanks.

Being a Wimbledon champion, you need to be dedicated

and have a love and a passion for the job in hand.

If these guys can take that element and move it into that kitchen,

they could be onto a winner.

Currently in first,

returning chef Pip is hoping to build on the success of her starter

with a fish course that celebrates

Wimbledon's iconic strawberries and cream.

-Pip, how are you feeling?

-Good, thanks.

-Good. Name me the dish.

-The name of the dish is By The Courtside.

-Lovely.

-So, we've got lobster and champagne and strawberries and...

-What?

Where's that curveball come from?

-So, it is a lobster salad.

-Right.

But it's a play on strawberries and cream

-that we know are massive at Wimbledon.

-OK.

But the way I'm doing it - roast these so they're almost black.

It slightly takes the sweetness out of it.

And then a lobster bisque as the cream.

This sounds...quite out there.

-Champagne - how's that being incorporated?

-Just to drink.

Basically, the best way to have it.

Also going to be making a lovage puree.

OK. I'm going to be honest with you, I don't like lovage.

-OK, that's great(!) Perfect.

-It is so strong.

I won't be using that then. No, hopefully, I can change your mind.

Well, I've got to be open-minded, you know.

I love the idea of strawberries and cream cos it's classic.

It's just the lobster element is a bit of a curveball.

Pip's serving lobster, champagne and strawberries.

To me, that's not a marriage made in heaven.

This is the one that could make or break her.

Newcomer Ryan is just one point behind Pip.

He's also hoping to impress with a lobster dish,

his homage to the nation's love of summer barbecues.

-Hey, Ryan.

-Hi, Chef.

-Name me the dish.

-Come Rain Or Shine.

-Lovely.

So, basically, it's a big nod to us Brits.

-Come rain or shine, we have a barbecue.

-Yeah.

So, it's essentially barbecue lobster and chips with mayonnaise.

These are the lobsters we're going to be using.

Quite small, quite sweet, work well with a barbecue sauce.

-I can't see a barbecue in here though.

-No, there's no barbecue.

I'm going to flame-grill the lobster shells, I'm going to make a consomme

and then I'm going to use that to pour onto my lobster

-that's going to be sitting under dry ice.

-OK.

So, essentially, you're going to get the smell

-and the effect of a barbecue.

-OK, so you're calling it barbecue.

-It's not really barbecued.

-Yeah.

Is there going to be enough flavour in there for people to not go,

-"Hang on a minute"?

-Yeah, I think so.

-Good. And chips.

-Yeah.

-How are you making yours?

-I'm going to be using a mandolin

-and I'm going to be making a roll, kind of like a cylinder.

-Yeah.

I'm going to steam them and cook them in beef dripping.

Creates a fantastic texture.

Visually they look very nice as well.

-On paper, this sounds great.

-Just keeping it simple.

-How do you guys feel about that?

-It doesn't sound that simple to me.

A man who's going to invent a new chip. Good luck.

-I'm excited to try it. Crack on.

-Thank you.

Classic combination, but barbecued lobster, no barbecue...

And then chips done a different way that nobody's ever heard of before.

Could be a triumph, could be a disaster.

In third place, after his simple starter yesterday,

today, Nick's hoping to score higher with a more complex dish -

a twist on the great British tradition of afternoon tea.

-Hey, Nick, how you feeling?

-Yeah, I've got a point to prove.

-I need to bounce back.

-Name me the dish.

-It's called Cross Court Crab.

It's a British classic.

Afternoon tea, a massive, massive thing at Wimbledon.

So, we're going to do some most amazing brown crab scones

-which, hopefully, are going to blow you away.

-Great.

To serve with it, I'm going to do the most amazing clotted crab,

so this is the white crab meat with a chilli jam.

It sounds amazing. What's the barley for?

I'm going to do my own lovely lemon barley water.

What's making you nervous about this dish?

Getting the balance right and the flavours.

Got to let the crab do the talking.

-Sounds like you've got a lot going on, compared to your starter.

-Yes.

-Is this one of your strongest dishes?

-Yeah, I hope so.

-Crack on. Good luck.

-Thank you, Chef.

Nick's dish is really exciting and sounds fun.

There's a few elements on that dish and if he messes any of them up,

the dish can be ruined.

Did you two get a different brief to me?

You guys both did tomatoes to start,

you're both doing lobster as a fish course.

Or we're just unoriginal, maybe.

Pip's working on her unusual lobster and strawberry dish,

By The Courtside -

a risky combination of flavours,

in tribute to the Wimbledon classic strawberries and cream.

She starts by putting frozen strawberries in the oven to roast.

Are you worried at any point of it not working

or is that something that you're 100%?

Well, 100% or 99.

Next, she prepares the base for her lobster bisque,

the cream element of her dish, which she'll use as a dressing,

before removing her strawberries from the oven.

-How you getting on, Pip?

-Yeah, good. All good. Think so.

-How are your strawberries?

-They look like they're ruined, don't they?

-But they're not.

-They've really got that wow factor(!)

They're meant to look like that, honest. Yeah.

Is this now made into a puree?

They're served like that, lots of lemon zest on.

How did you come up with this -

leaving them in the oven and going, "Ooh"?

Er, no, just I liked the idea of strawberries

but they were way too sweet, so I just had to do something else.

I really didn't expect to see a burnt tray of strawberries,

but she assured me that this is going to be amazing.

Myself, I'm not so sure.

Ryan is also using lobster in his dish, Come Rain Or Shine.

But, despite it paying tribute

to the nation's love of a summer barbecue,

he's decided not to use a barbecue to cook it.

Instead, to replicate the barbecue flavours, he's making a sauce,

using brown sauce, smoked paprika and bourbon.

Next, he flambes lobster shells,

before charring to add a smoky taste.

-What you doing there, Ryan?

-Trying to replicate that barbecue.

-It's trickery, you know.

-Yeah.

You eat with your senses and, hopefully, it's going to say,

in Richard's head, this is a barbecue

and it's going to taste like barbecue.

Nick is working on his dish, Cross Court Crab -

his attempt to create a savoury seafood version

of a traditional Wimbledon afternoon tea.

He starts by preparing the mix for his crab scones.

Nick, do you think it's risky doing an afternoon tea with crab?

Yeah, of course. It's maybe thinking outside the box, being a bit edgy.

But I'm a couple of points down. I've got to take risks.

I've got to crab claw them back.

As teenagers, both Nick and Pip played semi-professional tennis

but, although their sporting days are behind them,

their competitive spirit is still alive.

So, what memories do you guys have of tennis then?

I played sort of from the age of 8 to 15, 16,

before I started being a chef.

I had an LTA rating, which was pretty cool.

-I was part of the LTA as well.

-Yeah?

Yeah, we could have actually played each other.

I wonder what the score was.

You were probably two points up, like you are today, so...

Although tennis has been played in various forms for centuries,

the modern game of lawn tennis was only invented

a few decades before the Wimbledon Championships began.

To found out more about the origins of the game we know today,

Nick travelled back to his home county of Warwickshire...

-Hi.

-I'm Nick.

-Hello, I'm Bob.

..to meet local historian Bob Holland.

This is where the first game of lawn tennis was played,

way back in 1859, between two gentlemen,

one called Gem and the other called Perera,

who actually lived in this particular house.

-Bob, I love your outfit.

-Thank you very much.

This is a replica of what Gem and Perera might have worn,

back in the 1850s, when they first devised their game down here.

Gem and Perera played the first game of lawn tennis

on a converted croquet lawn in this garden,

setting the shape and size of the courts we know today.

When I was a kid, I played at county level and I was pretty good.

-We'd better have a knock now then.

-I'll serve.

-OK.

Better take some balls.

You're not going to wipe the floor with me, are you?

I certainly am not. You've got youth on your side.

Lawn tennis grew in popularity and, in the late 1870s,

the All England Croquet Club, based in Wimbledon,

devoted one of its greens to the new sport.

Argh! Losing my touch, Bob. I don't have it any more.

It proved so popular that, in 1877, the Wimbledon Championship was born.

-Argh!

-It was for men only in those days.

Women weren't allowed to play competitive tennis, oddly enough.

The gentleman who won it was a chap by the name of Spencer Gore,

who won the princely sum of 12 guineas.

Wow, that's a lot different to what Andy Murray's winning these days.

Absolutely. 12 guineas to £2 million is quite some step, isn't it?

-It's come on a long way.

-Indeed it has, yeah.

I'd like to thank you for your time, Bob. It was fascinating.

-Thank you very much.

-Not at all.

It's been a pleasure to meet you and to have a knock with you.

In the kitchen, Pip is working on the lobster element

of her strawberries and cream salad.

Argh!

Oh, my God, why is this happening?

-They're stuck to the

-BLEEP

-shell.

I've never had this before in my life!

She's serving her lobster with three different sauces -

a vinaigrette, a puree and a bisque cream,

which she makes by boiling lobster shells with vermouth and brandy.

Next, she moves on to her lovage puree,

which she hopes will add a celery flavour.

I wouldn't bother with that. He doesn't like it.

Hopefully, he can put that aside.

I don't like a lot of things but I use them in my cooking.

So, Rich, this is my lovage puree,

which I know you're...you love, so...

-The smell of it is so strong. I'm ready to try it.

-Oh, my God.

I know you're one person who doesn't like it.

It does work with the rest

cos it's quite a bitter taste with the strawberries.

To be honest, it smells a lot stronger

-than the actual taste that comes.

-I know it goes with lobster, so...

Pip, she's got lovage on that dish.

If she uses it as a seasoning, perfect.

If it's too much and it overpowers the dish,

it's not going to be a winner in my books.

Nick is preparing the accompaniments for his savoury afternoon tea,

which he'll serve alongside his crab meat scones.

He starts by making a chilli jam, flavoured with garlic and ginger.

Next, he moves on to his clotted crab cream,

combining white crab meat with avocado.

So, Nick, you're starting to feel the pressures of this kitchen now?

-Massively, yeah.

-It's a different ball game, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-What are these over here?

-These are my brown crab scones.

Have they turned out exactly how you wanted them?

Yeah, so, I love the colour. They've got that nice crab smell

and, hopefully, nice and moist inside.

Looking at those scones, they look dense, they look heavy.

They could be the downfall of this dish.

Ryan's working on the innovative chips

for his barbecue flavoured lobster dish.

He's developed a special six-step process,

which he hopes will give them the perfect crunch.

He starts by creating a long, thin sheet of potato,

which he coats in clarified butter

before rolling and steaming in the oven.

So, Ryan, are these the soon-to-be-world-famous chips?

-These are the different looking chips.

-How many are there a portion?

About three, two to three.

I don't want to fill you up on the fish course.

For three chips, there seems to be a lot of work.

Yeah, there is, there is.

You look as though you're very calm, very organised.

-Do you know what you're up to?

-I've got a few things to do.

I've got a mayonnaise to make, these have got to be finished,

got to start getting the flavour into that lobster...

-Quite a lot to do. Crack on.

-Cheers, Chef, thank you.

My only big worry with these chips

is if they're not going to blow my socks off,

is it going to turn out to be style over substance?

First to plate up is Nick, with his dish, Cross Court Crab -

a seafood take on afternoon tea.

Wow, Nick, what are these?

These are what I'm serving my afternoon tea on.

So, Wimbledon, grass, almost sat on Murray Mound, eating off the grass.

Good fun, yeah.

He starts by placing his white crab meat and avocado cream

into miniature glass jars.

Next, he finishes his spicy chilli jam and pots.

-Are we nearly there?

-Two minutes, please.

He pours lemon barley water into bottles,

complete with Wimbledon-themed labels and straws.

Finally, he plates his brown crab meat scones.

-Want a hand there?

-Yeah, please.

-They don't come apart, do they?

Don't drop it, Pip. I know her.

-There we go. Cross Court Crab.

-What do you guys think?

-Yeah.

-RYAN:

-Looks lovely.

-PIP:

-Awesome.

-So, there is one more thing.

-There's more?

-Yeah, Chef, that's for you.

-Oh, brilliant.

-Ryan.

-Thank you.

-Is it to go over my head?

-Yeah, you pop it on there

-and we're getting the real theme.

-Where's yours?

-I have got one,

so I'll put it on in the other room, Chef, when we taste it.

-Lovely. Let's go and do this. I'm ready.

-Good. You look ready.

-You look pretty cool.

-I'll take one of these?

-Yeah, that's the plan.

Enjoy, guys. Let's go.

-So, Nick...

-Yeah.

I'm not sure if this is a point gained or a point taken away.

-It's definitely you.

-It's bang-on brief, on the presentation front.

-It's making me smile. It's making me want to eat it.

-Good.

-It's Wimbledon.

-We look cool.

-Yeah, really cool.

-Ready to go on court.

-What's this drink on the side again?

-Champions lemon barley water.

It's quite sharp. It's lemony.

-Do you think the honey is too strong in that?

-No, I'm happy.

-It's strong.

-That honey comes through. I feel that could be overpowering.

-OK.

-Mm.

-It's really good.

-It tastes absolutely fantastic, that.

-You could put that on a shelf and sell it.

-Let's go on to the scone.

That's exactly how you wanted it to turn out?

-Yeah, nice shine on the top.

-Not too heavy?

I don't know, let's have a look inside.

Slightly doughy.

Looking at it, I'd like it to have another minute or two,

but I can fix that quite easily.

-The crab's absolutely perfect. It's very moreish as well.

-Mm.

But it is a bit doughy.

Do you think the jam could have a bit more spice to it?

-It's not a spicy dish. It's a play on the strawberry jam.

-Nice.

If you were me and you had to score that, what would you give it?

Hopefully an eight. It works.

I'm worried now. That's a brilliant dish. Really good.

-How you doing? How did that go?

-You never know.

-Are you happy?

-Yeah, I was happy.

I thought the scones could have done with two more minutes in the oven.

-I agree with you about the scones.

-Yeah.

-But flavour-wise, yeah...

-I thought it was a fantastic dish.

-Thank you.

I'm definitely coming round yours for afternoon tea.

Next up is Pip, with her lobster, cream and strawberry salad,

By The Courtside...

..her unusual tribute to the Wimbledon favourite.

She finishes her blanched lobster with lemon juice and zest

and places on a toy court.

Pip, would you like me to open the champagne for you?

Yeah, that would be great, thank you.

-CHAMPAGNE CORK POPS

-Ooh.

She adds her roasted strawberries and lemon zest,

then dots of lovage puree.

I'm wary of giving him too much lovage puree, so I'll stop there.

Next, lettuce in vinaigrette.

To finish, she strains her lobster bisque,

before mixing with whipping cream and placing a quenelle on top.

Pip, need you up at the pass, yeah.

She serves with champagne on the side.

Just want to get it right for you, Rich.

-Are you happy?

-Yeah, I think so.

-Anything you would have changed?

Maybe the tennis players. I don't know if they're any good.

-RICHARD LAUGHS

-Anyway, let's just eat it.

-Good luck.

-Cheers.

Do you think the plate is practical to eat off?

If you ate like this every mealtime,

I think it would be a bit of a problem.

-RYAN:

-It's a lot of fun, isn't it? It's got the court, it's Wimbledon.

-It's really exciting.

-Why don't you dive in

before blondie here beats you to it?

-Are you happy with the cooking of that lobster?

-It's good.

It's nice and moist. Didn't want to overseason it.

That lobster is cooked perfectly.

The combination of flavour, for me, is absolutely bob on.

It's beautiful.

The lovage puree.

Do you think you've got the right levels on that dish?

Yeah, it definitely works with it. Maybe I would have even more.

-I love lovage puree. It gets that celery taste.

-Yeah.

So, bang, celery. The only thing I'd say is that it lingers.

And you're still believing in that strawberry, lobster combo?

Yes, it's different from a fresh strawberry.

There's no way it's the same.

I think the strawberries work really well.

They don't look great but, yeah, I think the flavour of them's great.

Do you think people will understand that that's strawberries and cream?

-Honestly?

-Yeah.

-No.

What would you give it out of ten?

I really believe in this dish, so I'd, personally, give it a ten.

-Hey, Pip.

-How you doing, Pip?

-Hey.

-How did you get on?

-Richard, don't know.

He's a difficult one, throwing all different questions,

-so he's just thrown a load of doubt in my head. Do you like it?

-Yeah.

-Totally got the whole strawberry thing. It just worked.

-PIP:

-Yay.

-I'm not sure about lovage, it's a personal opinion.

-Yeah.

But there wasn't too much, so it wasn't too bad.

Last to plate up is Ryan, with his dish, Come Rain Or Shine,

his homage to the British resilience

of enduring a barbecue whatever the weather.

He starts by coating his blanched lobster with his barbecue sauce,

before placing in the flame-charred shells

and topping with toasted sweetcorn.

Next, he finishes his six-step chips, by placing in the deep fryer.

To a special presentation barbecue, he adds lobster mayonnaise,

lemon-infused salad...

What's that you're putting on the side?

Kohlrabi, watercress and my favourite, iceberg.

Iceberg's just fantastic.

..and his hand-rolled chips.

-How are your chips, Ryan?

-Yeah, I'm happy. They're nice and crispy.

OK.

Finally, he flame-grills his lobster shells

before pouring lobster bisque and smoke oil over dry ice

to give an aroma of barbecued lobster.

OK, cool.

There we go.

-Come Rain Or Shine.

-Good. Are you happy?

-Yeah, I am.

That smell coming through of the lobster is great.

So, Pip. Intimidated?

Yeah, it looks incredible. Just the whole presentation's really good.

You should be very proud of that.

-Can't wait to taste these famous chips.

-Good. Enjoy.

Happy with the look of the lobster?

Yeah, it looks like it's been through a big old barbecue.

But, technically, it hasn't.

The lobster's cooked really well. That little bite, as it should have.

-It's got that sweetness.

-Mm.

Do you think you've got enough of that barbecue flavour

-in that lobster?

-Yeah, there's an element of smokiness,

there's an element of char in there.

The lobster is beautifully moist, really tasty as well.

The barbecue sauce, I think, is really good.

But it's a different flavour, isn't it, actually barbecued food?

I agree, yeah.

The chips.

-All that hard work has paid off?

-Yeah, I think so.

I's almost got that, almost like a spring roll texture to it.

I'm expecting some Chinese green beans in there and stuff

to kind of come out.

Um, probably not the best chip I've ever eaten.

-I wouldn't call it a chip.

-What would you call it?

-I don't know.

Maybe it's the shape that's thrown me.

Is there anything you would change to make that perfect?

I think that's the best I can do.

Mm, so, you'd give that a ten?

I would give it a nine cos I'm a quite modest kind of guy.

-What you going to give it?

-Seven.

I'd probably give him a seven as well.

-Hi, Ryan, how did you get on?

-I just don't know.

He never gives anything away, does he? What did you guys think?

-I couldn't work out if it WAS a barbecue or wasn't a barbecue.

-Yeah.

-But top cooking. Really tasty.

-Cool.

It's exciting to see what he's given this

cos I think we've all stepped it up a bit,

so it will be interesting to see the scores. I'm ready.

-Hi, Chefs. So, fish course is done. How do you feel?

-Exhausted.

-Yeah, it was full-on.

-Pip.

I'm going to start with your dish.

I loved the presentation.

I thought it was really fun, if not a little impractical.

I thought the bisque cream really added to that dish.

But...

the lobster was slightly underseasoned.

That lovage puree is a strong flavour.

Didn't quite hit the mark.

Strawberries going with lobster is an acquired taste.

You took a risk and I'm sorry, but I'm still not convinced.

I think it's brave to try something different

but a banquet is about a celebration not an education.

Nick, your dish...

The concept was great and it made me smile,

even though you did make me wear a headband.

That clotted cream crab had a great flavour to it

and the addition of that avocado really worked.

I loved the crab scone idea.

However...

..your scones were underdone. You know that, I know that.

The drink reminded me more of a cold remedy my mum would give me.

There was four elements on that dish today

and only two of them were right.

Finally, Ryan. Your dish...

This dish really hit the taste of summer brief.

You didn't cook that lobster on the barbecue

but you managed to achieve an amazing smoky flavour

through that barbecue sauce.

I thought the lobster mayo was a great addition -

tasty without being overpowering.

But...

..a lot of effort went into those chips

and I really was expecting to try one of the best chips I've ever had.

But I got something that tasted more like a spring roll.

So, for the scores.

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

..seven.

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

..six.

Ryan...

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

..nine.

This was by far the best dish of the day.

-How do you feel?

-It's amazing. Overwhelming, actually.

So, main course up next and I can't wait to see what's coming.

Good luck.

-Well done.

-Well done, mate.

Cheers, thanks.

Getting a nine in the competition is what you dream of,

so, yeah, really, really happy.

With two courses down, Ryan has taken the lead,

with 17 points,

while Pip is on 16

and Nick is in third on 13.

-RYAN:

-How do you feel about the score, Pip?

Er, I don't agree with him.

Um... It's really deflating.

On such a high and then brought back down to earth.

But, hopefully, it will swing back my way tomorrow.

-I wasn't seeing a six but...

-I think that's a bit harsh.

There's three points in it.

Tomorrow, I've got to roll my sleeves up and absolutely nail it.