Central Dessert Great British Menu

This year on Great British Menu...

24 of the country's top chefs...

-That's brave.

-Brave, or stupid?

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

Nerves getting to you?

..celebrating 140 years of the iconic Wimbledon Championships,

the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.

This week, three chefs from the central region are battling it out

in the Great British Menu kitchen.

Returning chef Pip Lacey,

who took the lead yesterday with her perfectly executed main course.

I'm giving you a score of nine.

First-time competitor Ryan Simpson, who's one point behind after his

disappointing take on a pub lunch picnic.

You can't win them all, but I'm geared up for the next course.

And fellow newcomer, Nick Deverell-Smith,

who failed to hit the Taste Of Summer brief,

leaving him four points behind Ryan.

-Have you got the shakes over there?

-It's all going on over here, Chef.

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

-I tell you, I'm absolutely buzzing at the moment.

-It's full-on, Nick.

But with only the two

highest-scoring competitors cooking for the

judges tomorrow, the chefs are all taking a gamble in a final bid to

-make it through.

-I'm going all-out.

If it works, you know, it could change my week.

To get to tomorrow's regional final, the chefs have to create outstanding

dishes that capture a Taste Of Summer

and honour 140 years of the Wimbledon Championships.

With three courses down, Nick is in third on 20 points,

but he's hoping he's saved his best till last.

If I do my thing and do it properly, I've a real chance.

I'm the only person who can mess this up.

Returning competitor Pip is currently in the lead on 25,

while Ryan is on 24.

So, guys, final day for one of us.

Pip, you must be chuffed, you got a nine yesterday.

Yeah, really chuffed, but new day, new dish,

we've got to all perform again.

I felt the pressure all week, so I'm just going to go for it.

I love desserts, I've got a sweet tooth,

so I can't wait to get stuck into this one.

Judging their dishes is one of only three chefs to get two courses to a

single banquet - Richard Bainbridge.

-Hi, chefs.

-Hi.

-Hiya.

-How are you feeling?

-Good.

Good, yeah.

Tough course, main course.

-Yeah.

-But...we're going into dessert, it means a lot to me.

This is one of the courses I got to the banquet.

I'm expecting some exceptional cooking today,

so crack on and good luck.

Thank you.

Going into desserts in that kitchen, anything can happen.

Pressure is high, people are getting tired.

If they get this wrong, they could be going home.

Yesterday, Nick was marked down for failing to hit the summer brief.

Today, he's hoping for a top score with his twist on a traditional

-British pudding.

-Hi, Nick.

-Hi, Chef.

-So, still all to play for.

-Yeah.

-Title of the dish?

And The Winner Is...

-Good.

-The reason for this, at Wimbledon,

on top of the men's trophy is a gold pineapple.

OK. That's incredible.

I never knew there was a pineapple on top of the trophy.

I'm going to try and create something really special

-that's worthy of that.

-I love that connection.

I'm going to roast the pineapple with some spice.

-Lovely.

-I'm going to try and pump as much of that flavour into that

-pineapple as possible.

-Brilliant.

I'm going to do giant couscous in like a rice pudding,

so hopefully these will give you the texture of a tennis ball,

little pops of balls in your mouth.

Classic for a dessert, I'm always thinking couscous...

Yeah? Well, rice pudding with a twist.

And then I'm going to do a delicious rum set cream.

-OK.

-So I've got some beautiful English rum and a pineapple sorbet.

It sounds really tropical,

it sounds as though you're really trying to embrace that summer brief.

-Yeah.

-Guys, what do you think of that?

-This guy's on a mission.

-It's a brilliant idea,

-cos I've got the same idea as well.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah.

Did you know that she was doing pineapple?

I didn't know, no, Chef. But, yeah, good luck.

Pineapple, rum, you can't go wrong with that,

but then he's doing this rice pudding with couscous.

I'm a bit worried that's not going to work.

Having reached the regional final before,

Pip is determined to cook for the judges again.

Like Nick, she's also paying a tropical tribute to the men's

singles trophy, with her dish, Why The Pineapple?

Pip. It's all about the pineapple,

and you've got three different sizes.

What are you doing with the pineapple?

-Pineapple sorbet.

-Lovely.

Charred pineapple and coriander semifreddo.

I'm going to do some coriander crisps as well.

Is that a little bit unusual, to go with pineapple for a dessert?

No, I think they really complement each other and it reminds me of summertime.

It sounds exciting, it sounds quite simple, you know,

considering all your other levels of flavours you've had

in your other dishes.

There's a little surprise, but that's visually,

and for your senses as well.

-Wait and see.

-You've had a couple of nines,

you going for that big ten now?

That would be amazing. If all goes well, I think it's up there.

-Good luck.

-Thanks.

Pip's dish sounds super simple.

She's got rum, pineapple and coriander,

but those could quite drastically go wrong.

If that charred pineapple is too strong,

it could ruin the dish in a heartbeat.

Despite serving up a disappointing main,

Ryan has impressed all week with his technically complex dishes.

A specialist in pastry,

he's hoping his dessert will get him through to the judges.

Hi, Ryan.

-How you doing, Chef?

-How are you feeling after the main course?

Yeah, a little bit deflated, but I'm going to bounce back today.

-Good.

-Big time.

-Tell me the title of the dish and the inspiration.

Reap The Rewards. Basically it's a big, big, big nod to the honey bee.

-OK.

-Now, the honey bee's quite endangered and I'm a very

sustainable kind of guy, and this is the honey which I produce

from the apiary close to the restaurant.

Oh, wow. I love the story behind it, but what is it?

Basically, what it is, is a soft style ice cream in a cone.

-OK.

-There's going to be another part of the dessert which is the honey

sponge, and when you eat that sponge,

it's going to be like eating a cloud.

Interesting. Is that going to be difficult to pull off?

It's very technical. If I can pull it off,

I think you're going to be quite impressed, hopefully.

And to balance that sort of like sweetness on the plate,

we've got some sweet and sour strawberries.

-Oh, cool.

-Yeah.

-You sound as though you've got a load of work to do in a

small space of time. Get your head down and crack on.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

Ryan's dessert sounds brilliant.

It's a celebration of the honey that he produces,

but my only worry is that could be on the verge of being too sickly.

With only one chance left to impress Richard, the chefs are pulling out

all the stops to make it to the judging chamber.

Richard knows all about, you know, doing a top one to get to the banquet.

-It's full-on, Nick.

-No room for error.

The pressure is on, isn't it, with desserts?

-Yeah.

-It's got to be so precise.

All week, Pip has delivered unusual flavour combinations

and her dessert, Why The Pineapple? is no exception.

She's using pineapple in four different elements,

including combining the sweet fruit with the savoury herb coriander,

for her semifreddo centrepiece.

Ryan, have you ever had coriander in a dessert?

No, I haven't actually. I've had it with pineapple in like a sweet and

sour pork, but, yeah, I'm not sure whether it works with a dessert.

Pip pipes her semifreddo into hollowed out pineapples,

before placing in the blast chiller.

Next, Pip moves on to her pineapple sorbet,

which she starts by blending pineapple chunks with sugar syrup,

before churning and leaving to freeze.

Like Pip, Nick's also paying tribute to the pineapple on the men's trophy

with his dish And The Winner Is -

a layered dessert featuring tropical flavours.

He starts by making a rum and vanilla set cream.

I've got a lot to prove, otherwise I'm going home, so this is it.

Next he works on his sorbet,

flavoured with orange juice and pineapple puree.

Hi, Nick, all coming together?

Yeah, hopefully. Pressure's on all of us, so, yeah.

-What's this in here?

-It's my pineapple sorbet.

-Nice.

-I don't want it to be a sweet, sweet dish,

I just want it to be like soothing and clean.

It's not too strong, like you say, but that pineapple is really singing.

-Yeah.

-Really impressive.

Obviously getting that churned in this kitchen, in the time,

-is this the worry?

-Yeah, of course.

It needs to be, it needs to be perfect.

-I can't wait to try it later.

-Brilliant, thanks, Chef.

-Good luck.

Nick, he's now finishing off his sorbet, just waiting to churn it.

That's the one that he's worried about the most,

whether he can get it churned in time.

Hopefully he does, because it tastes great.

Ryan's preparing the honey sponge for his technically complex dish,

Reap The Rewards - his homage to the honey bee.

He starts by making a white sauce flavoured with vanilla,

before folding in beaten egg whites to lighten the texture.

I'm worried about my sponges, because they're so delicate and I've

promised Richard they're going to taste like a cloud, so...

That's all I'm going to say.

How are these sponge clouds coming on?

The sponge clouds are in.

Let's hope it doesn't bring a dark cloud over your dish, Ryan!

Ryan's also making ice cream, using honey from his own apiary,

which he plans to serve two ways,

as a traditional set ice cream and as a soft serve,

like a cone from an ice cream van.

-Is it soft ice cream?

-Yeah. Well, it's soft at the minute, yeah.

I can really smell the honey.

-Yeah.

-It's not going to be too sweet?

-No.

-You sure?

-100%.

-Oh,

-BLEEP!

-It's coming out the front!

Ryan's ice cream is inspired by his fond summertime memories of growing

up in Nuneaton waiting for the ice cream van.

Wow. Here's the van.

-Today, he's meeting Ed Whitby...

-How you doing, Ed?

-Hi, good to meet you.

-Yeah, pleased to meet you.

-..whose family are one of the oldest

surviving makers of ice cream vans in the country.

-Nice van you've got here.

-Lovely, isn't it?

Yeah, what sort of age is it?

This is a van from probably the '60s.

It's a replica of what was probably the first ice cream van my grandad

-ever built.

-If my dad had one of these vans,

I'd probably eat all the contents, so it could be quite dangerous!

The introduction of the refrigerated ice cream van created a boom in

sales, and in the '60s there were as many as 20,000 on the road.

But taking ice cream to the streets dates back much further.

Ice cream, as a product, has been around for centuries,

certainly in Britain.

-Probably the Victorian times where it really became popular.

-Really?

How did the Victorians used to sort of eat ice cream?

-A few things I might just show you.

-Oh, right, cool.

-I'm just going inside.

-Wow. What is this?

-That is a very old ice cream maker.

-Yeah?

-On the inside, here,

you put your milk and your liquid for the ice cream.

-Yeah.

-Then on the outside,

you put your ice and then mix it with salt and obviously,

you can tell by the size of it, it wouldn't be for mass production.

No. OK, so, Ed - how did they actually eat the ice cream?

It's pretty inconceivable today, but what they had at the time was

-like a glass bowl and they called it a penny lick.

-Wow.

A little scoop, people would lick it, pay a penny,

penny a lick, hence the name.

Where do we go from there, is it the cone?

It is the cone, it's pretty much where we are today.

Ryan can't resist taking a ride in the vintage van.

He's on his way to meet his family, who are all keen to have a taste...

-There you go, mate.

-..of his home-made honey ice cream.

-How is it, nice?

-Gorgeous.

I think somebody's going to come back for seconds, Ryan.

It's been great fun back here in Nuneaton.

The fact that I got to sit in the ice cream van, wow.

Childhood dream!

Back in the kitchen,

Pip is working on more of the pineapple elements for her Wimbledon

inspired dish, Why The Pineapple?

She's charring pineapple slices

which she hopes will counteract the sweetness of the other flavours.

Pip, is that going to be too strong for the dish?

No, I think you definitely need this,

for a different contrast on the pineapples.

-Oh!

-Are they too gone?

Some of them, it's cos I'm talking to you!

Don't blame that on me.

-Is that too caramelised?

-That one is.

Shall I stay here longer or shall I leave you to crack on?

Please leave me, that would be lovely!

Next, Pip checks if her frozen elements -

the pineapple sorbet and coriander semifreddo - have set.

-Why's that minus five now when it was minus 25?

-BLEEP

-Which one, this one?

-Just leave it...

Don't open it, I've put it back in that, because that one's doing nothing.

So Pip's running around today a bit like a headless chicken,

she's bright red, so the pressure's on.

With plating up approaching, Nick also has plenty left to do.

He's working on the garnishes for his pineapple dish,

And The Winner Is... including a toffee popcorn.

Flustered, a lot of pressure on me. I need to perform.

Next, he prepares his spicy pineapple slices,

which he soaks in a mix of spiced syrup and red chillies.

Going to leave this pineapple marinating till the last minute.

The sorbet's in the freezer, praying it's going to set.

In a final bid for a winning score,

Nick's also taking a risk with an experimental rice pudding,

which he's making using couscous.

Do you think it's risky playing with a classic?

It's quite a different texture,

so I need to pull something massive out the bag here,

so I'm going all-out.

If it works, you know, it could change my week.

Pastry chef Ryan still has lots of elements to complete for his dish,

Reap The Rewards, including his ice cream cones,

a strawberry sauce and honeycomb,

which he makes by heating sugar with glucose and water.

-What are you up to?

-So basically the honeycomb, I don't want it to burn,

so I'm going to take it straight off now.

-Lovely.

-I'm going to add the bicarb, whisk it in, keep whisking,

get that volume and then straight in.

-There we have honeycomb.

-Like a true pastry chef!

Are you worried that that could now deflate and go flat?

I'm not really fussed if it goes flat.

I don't think it makes great honeycomb when it's really, really big.

-Yeah.

-So...

That's what I was taught, anyway!

I'm going to have to leave you there, Chef,

because I've got a lot to do.

Next, Ryan moves on to his sweet and sour strawberries,

using sherry vinegar,

which he hopes will cut through the sweetness of his honey puddings.

Just checking me babies!

Your dish is going to be epic if you pull it off.

I tell you, I'm absolutely buzzing at the moment,

because I'm so excited, because I'm in the zone.

All on time?

Kind of.

Pip is first to plate up with her dish, Why The Pineapple?

Having lost before in the judges' chamber,

she's determined to get a second chance.

Lime in the coconut!

She starts by pouring rum and pineapple punch into bottles

and placing into presentation boxes.

Pip, what's the numbers on the bottles?

The first year that the Wimbledon trophy came about with the pineapple

on the top, because there was a different one before.

Next, she checks on her coriander semifreddo.

She's worried it isn't set enough, but with her dish due at the pass,

she has no choice but to serve.

She tops with char-grilled pineapple and fresh pineapple...

..and adds dry ice.

I can't take myself seriously with these goggles on.

It's a really, really good look on you, that, Pip.

Nothing wrong with wearing glasses!

Next, quenelles of pineapple sorbet.

-Everything going all right?

-Freaking out with my quenelles.

Then pineapple and coriander crisps.

There we go.

She serves with a gold envelope explaining her dish.

-All done?

-Yeah.

-Is this going to be the finale that we're looking for?

-Hopefully.

-Are you wishing your pineapple dessert had gone up first?

Er...

-Let's see what happens.

-I am.

-Let's see what happens.

I think it looks amazing, really well done.

-Shall we go and do it?

-Yeah, let's go for it.

Welcome to the Royal box.

A celebration of the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

You are cordially invited to pour over your punch over the golden grill...

And the pineapple.

-What's in there?

-Pineapple and rum.

-That's it?

-That's it.

Wow. Special effects that, isn't it?

Charred pineapple, do you think that's given the dish what it needs?

I think it just needs depth, you know, otherwise it's a bit samey.

That charred taste tastes absolutely amazing.

The semifreddo, is that the flavour you wanted?

Yeah. The coriander's just enough, I don't think it's overpowering.

I was worried that there'd be too much coriander.

I think she's got the balance really right.

Is that set exactly how you wanted it to be?

It's not, but it's still nice even unset.

The only thing for me is that it's not semifreddo,

it's whipped cream.

So, big question, what would you give it out of ten?

If they could all set in time, I think it would be ten, but today,

I think it's a nine.

It's really wowed me, I'm going to give it a ten.

I would probably give it an eight.

Hey, Pip, how was that?

-Yeah, good, I think.

-It had the wow factor.

I think you've really got it, really well done.

Not sure about the semifreddo, but that was me.

Just thought it could be a bit colder.

Next up is Ryan, with his dish, Reap The Rewards,

a celebration of the endangered honeybee.

He starts by placing strawberry puree, freeze-dried strawberry powder

and sweet and sour strawberries onto honeycomb boxes,

made from his own hives.

Next, he adds his honeycomb and his light honey puddings.

Is that a syrup on the top?

-Yeah, it's just a caramel.

-OK.

And then I'm just going to finish it with a little bit of honey from

my own bees.

He tops with a quenelle of honey ice cream.

For the second part of his dessert,

Ryan pipes his strawberry sauce into individual bottles...

..and fills cones with his soft serve ice cream.

He places his sauce and the cone into a mini ice cream van and

finishes with a home-made flake.

You shaking there, Ryan?

Yes, Chef.

-Look out for the cone.

-Yes.

MUSIC: TINKLY VERSION OF Pop Goes The Weasel

Really nice touch. Makes everyone remind themselves of being young.

The ice cream van coming round and you're trying to ask your mum for 50p.

Have you got 50p?

Yes, let's go.

Looks amazing.

Presentation again, he's excelled.

Do you think the ice cream has got enough honey?

I think... Yeah, I think it's well-balanced.

-Honey is really subtle in there.

-Yeah.

-Very nice.

-I like it. The cone is great. Really crispy.

-Yeah, really crispy.

So has that sponge got that cloud-like effect that you wanted?

Yes. Almost...

Almost like a souffle.

I love the sponge. It's not too sweet.

I think he's nailed the texture perfectly.

All the different strawberries.

Do you think they all need to really be there?

It's just a celebration of strawberries.

There's lots of honey and the honeycomb is quite rich as well.

With the sweet and sour strawberries, it kind of refreshes the palate.

The sweet and sour strawberry, it's got a real bite to it.

It goes really, really well.

I had a bit of the honeycomb, though.

-Get rid of that.

-Yeah, too sweet.

-Yeah.

Is this a showstopper to win the banquet?

I'd like to think so, yeah.

You hear the ice cream music and it's just a big smile on your face.

It's almost too dessert.

Yes, it's a little bit separated,

so I think I'm going to give it an eight.

I'm going to give it an eight, as well.

What would you give that out of ten?

I'd give it a ten.

Hey, mate, how did you go? Are you happy with it?

Yeah, I think it was good.

-What did you guys think?

-I thought you nailed that sponge.

The sponge was lovely.

Super tasty. Well done, mate.

Wicked, cheers.

Nick is last to the pass with And The Winner Is...

His tribute to the pineapple on the top of the men's singles trophy.

-Pip, would you mind grabbing my sorbet out the freezer, please?

-Yes.

He starts by dicing his spiced soaked pineapple and placing into

glass bowls.

He adds a layer of his unusual rice pudding made with couscous

and his vanilla and rum set cream.

Next, toffee popcorn.

Then more rice pudding and pineapple slices.

He tops with a quenelle of pineapple sorbet.

Is that now your final element?

Yes.

Really nice.

Finally, he places his dessert in a gold casing and tops with a

dehydrated pineapple crisp.

-Finish on a high?

-Yes, tough week, but, yeah - I think I've nailed it.

-Guys, what do you think?

-Lots of different textures going on there

and yeah, ready to dive in.

-Let's go and try this, shall we?

-Yes.

-Enjoy.

-This is wicked, isn't it?

-Yes, it's like getting a trophy, really,

isn't it?

So, the sorbet. Do you think the pineapple comes through enough?

Yes, I'm happy with it. I think it's well-balanced.

It really works. That level of sweetness is just perfect.

There we go.

Love it.

It just may be a bit sharper, the sorbet.

-Yeah.

-It's quite creamy.

-Couscous on the rice pudding?

-I love the texture of it.

I love the round balls.

It's different, it's quirky.

Is it better than using rice?

-I think so.

-I'm not a fan of rice pudding, but this is great for me.

-It's a good idea, isn't it?

-Yes.

-It doesn't stick together like rice pudding could.

-No.

So if you had to now mark this out of ten, what would you give it?

I'd go for a ten. I'll back myself.

He's done the layers really well.

-Eight, I think.

-OK, I'd go seven.

-How did you get on?

-Not sure.

Hopefully, yeah, hopefully it went all right.

-What did you guys think?

-It was very nice.

I thought it was lovely texture in there.

-I thought you got your best dish out.

-Yeah, thanks.

Well done.

-Hi, chefs.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-Hi.

This was your last chance to impress.

Do you think you did enough?

Done my best.

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

Why The Pineapple?

The presentation was executed perfectly.

I loved the idea of the punch being poured over the dry ice,

that smell of pineapple really started that dish off.

I loved the freshness of that pineapple sorbet and the charred

pineapples gave it a slight savoury note that I think the dish needed.

But...

..I thought the coriander flavour in the semifreddo was lost.

Overall I thought there was a little too much pineapple.

Ryan, your dish, Reap The Rewards.

I really liked the colours in the presentation.

It really sang The Taste Of Summer.

The honey sponge was really light and delicate

and I wanted to go back for more.

The ice cream cone really put a smile on my face

and that strawberry sauce going over the top was great fun.

However, I'm not too sure if the sweet and sour strawberries really

needed to be there.

Nick.

Your dish, And The Winner Is...

I didn't really understand why the popcorn needed to be there.

I felt it was added for the sake of it.

I found the giant couscous to be slightly claggy.

But I've been asking you throughout this competition to nail

that Taste Of Summer brief and with this one, you finally did.

The sorbet was lovely, smooth, a real great zing of pineapple.

And that rum set cream was beautiful.

That was your best dish by far.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

So, for the scores.

With an eight and going straight through to tomorrow's regional final is...

Pip.

Well done. How do you feel?

Happy, really happy. Thank you.

So that leaves Ryan and Nick.

Nick, you're on 20, Ryan, you are on 24.

Nick...

I'm giving your dish a score of...

..eight.

So, Ryan,

I'm giving your dish a score of...

..nine.

-Thank you.

-That also means that you are going through to the regional finals.

Nick, bad luck. Take a leaf out of my book.

Come back, because you've definitely got that passion to get you through

to the finals. Because I did and it got me to the banquet eventually.

Thank you.

Ryan and Pip, cook your socks off tomorrow and make the region proud.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-Well done, mate. It's been a pleasure.

Well done, Pip. Congratulations.

Of course I'm gutted. I would've loved to have cooked

for the judges, but to be honest, I think it's a fair result.

It's been good fun, hasn't it?

Sometimes.

It's going to be tough against Ryan tomorrow.

I'm not going to lie, he's a great cook and his techniques are amazing.

-I've just got to believe in myself.

-Someone get a dish on that banquet.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Good luck.

-Cheers, man.

-Cheers.

It means the world to be cooking for the judges.

The only thing is, obviously, Pip has been there,

she's done it before, so I've got to really stay focused and do what I've

come to do and that's get to that banquet.

-I think it's time to get some sleep.

-Yeah.