Northern Ireland Main Great British Menu

-This year, on Great British Menu...

-Ooh!

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

-CORK POPS

-Hey!

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

-Nerves getting to you?

-Pat Cash, baby!

..celebrating 140 years

of the iconic Wimbledon tennis Championships,

the oldest and most revered grand slam tournament in the world.

This week, battling it out to represent Northern Ireland

in next week's national finals are first-timer Tommy Heaney,

whose score of nine for his fish dish

put him at the top of the leaderboard...

Competition's on, boys.

..returning chef Eddie Attwell, just two points behind Tommy,

after scoring his second seven of the week...

I need to keep pushing here. I didn't come here for a joke.

..and Dutch-born Joery Castel, in third place,

after getting an eight for his skilfully spiced fish dish.

-Are you not last, mate, no?

-Oh, that's not going to last long.

-Today, it's the main course.

-Perfect.

And the chefs are all hoping to impress with ambitious meat dishes.

Michael's in there looking for nines and tens.

-It's going to be a tough one.

-The main course is the main one.

But, with each of them pulling out all the stops,

who will triumph today?

-How you getting on?

-Up against it, mate. Up against it, Chef.

To get to Friday'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 two courses down, Tommy's out in front, with 16 points.

I'm here to win it.

It's been a lot of stress up to now,

so if I wasn't going to win it, there was no point in entering.

With just one point separating Eddie, on 14, and Joery, on 13,

the competition is close.

-Hello, boys, how are we feeling this morning?

-Not too bad.

You're still on a high from the fish course, are you?

Well, hopefully, if I get all this right today,

I'm looking to push for nines and tens again.

Same. I need to get out of the sevens club.

If I can improve myself as much as I've done

between the first course and the second course,

I'm going to end up with an 11, so I'll be looking forward to that.

Judging their dishes this week

is former banquet winner and two-time veteran Michael Smith.

Hello, Chefs. How are we all doing?

Good. Refreshed.

Positive after yesterday's fish course,

so ready to go with the main.

I managed to get my main course to the banquet.

I tell you what, there's no better feeling than that.

I'm looking for dishes that reflect the British summer

and celebrate 140 years of Wimbledon.

Good luck.

We're midway through the competition,

the chefs are warmed up, but the scores aren't high enough yet.

I need to see nines and tens for these main courses.

Tommy is currently in the lead, after Michael felt his fish course

perfectly captured both the taste of summer and Wimbledon themes.

Today, he's hoping for a perfect ten with his dish, A Summer Holiday.

Tommy, your main course. What's the story behind it?

Basically, childhood memories of barbecue on the beach in the rain.

-In the rain?

-Typical Ireland summer barbecue, isn't it?

What's going to be the main ingredient of that barbecue?

We've got some beautiful Welsh lamb. Got rumps, ribs.

Ribs that get some sort of nice sticky glaze sometimes -

-are you going to do that?

-We're going to rub them down

and then cook them slowly on the barbecue

and then, to bring in that seaside element, I've got some cockles.

We're going to basically take these,

steam them open and then pickle them down.

OK. Anything else that's going to be unusual about out barbecue?

With the onions, we're going to infuse them with some eucalyptus.

That's a very unusual ingredient, I think, in a British barbecue.

Well, it just goes well with onions, I find, and with lamb.

And then, we're going to do a classic jacket potato,

but we're going to take that out, remove it.

I'm going to turn that into a foam and fill the jacket potato back up.

Then, with the aubergine, going to barbecue it.

I'm almost going to do like a little barbecue sauce.

Barbecues aren't really considered to be a refined dish,

so you're confident, with using modern techniques,

-that's going to elevate the dish?

-Exactly.

I want people to be able to eat a summer barbecue,

but be excited about what they're eating.

I'm looking forward to trying it and I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you.

I love barbecued sticky ribs, I love nice pink lamb. All that's great.

Cockles, not sure of. Here to find out.

Eddie is also paying tribute

to childhood memories of summer picnics

with his dish, Lawn Fayre.

Just two points behind Tommy,

he's hoping to close the gap with an unusual central ingredient.

-Eddie.

-Hello.

-Good to see you. Main course. What's the story behind it?

The most integral part of Wimbledon, for me, is the grass.

But, as well, it's a homage to my grandfather.

My grandfather wasn't a farmer but he had his own land,

still cut by hook and sickle and, to me, that was the smell of summer.

When we had our summer holidays, we were sent over to give him a hand.

OK, so how is this going to materialise?

-This is 100% Irish water buffalo.

-Water buffalo? All right.

But the most integral part to this buffalo is the grass as well.

So, it's the grass that imparts that flavour into the animal?

It imparts the flavour and qualities of it.

So, how is this main course going to appear?

-Essentially, what I'm going to make is a quiche.

-Just a quiche?

No, not just a quiche on its own

but it's going to be a little element to it.

It's going to be a buffalo mozzarella,

-salted buffalo and courgette quiche.

-Right.

Then we'll have a purple potato salad,

some nice pickled vegetables and lovage emulsion.

And then we're going to barbecue the ribeye.

Well, Eddie, I really hope that you can do your granddad justice

-with this main course.

-Thanks, Chef.

-All the best. Cheers.

Eddie's choice of water buffalo, I don't think it's ever been served

at the Great British Menu banquet before.

He's going to make a quiche and he's got steak.

Are they two separate main courses or will he manage to combine them?

Just one point behind Eddie, Joery hit his stride yesterday,

after scoring a disappointing five for his starter.

Like his fellow chefs, he's hoping to impress veteran Michael

with a barbecue for his dish, A Summer's Barbecue.

-Joery!

-Michael, good morning, how are you?

-Good, thanks. How are you?

-I'm good.

-Ready to serve up a winner?

-I think I will, yes.

-Good.

Just give me a summary of this main course, please.

I'm going to do smoked pork belly, we're going to do charred sweetcorn.

I'm going to make a bit of cornbread, coleslaw.

So, you're using pork. Are you using different cuts?

We've got the belly, we've got the fillet

and then, we're going to do, as the Portuguese call it, "secreto".

It's the "butcher's secret". Very nice piece of meat.

-It's sort of marbled with fat.

-Oh, right.

First, I'm using pork belly. I'm going to take the crackling off.

I'm not using the crackling today.

-I'm going to make a crispy tuile.

-Is that instead of the crackling?

-That's instead of the crackling.

-Can we not get some crackling as well?

But this is more surprising, I think.

I'll elevate the dish with this tuile.

It'll be the theatre on the table.

We're also going to smoke the pork belly with a nice rub

and then finish that off with a really sticky barbecue sauce.

-You said you're going to make cornbread, is it?

-Cornbread, yes.

That sounds like an American-style barbecue, right?

It is a bit of a North American idea.

There is a danger with this dish, with an American barbecue,

it doesn't really reflect the British summer.

It's maybe not as much British, but it's pure summer on a plate.

Well, it's going to be really interesting for me,

judging three different barbecues,

so I'm going to let you get on with it.

-Happy cooking.

-Thank you, Chef.

Joery's Summer Barbecue is lovely. Everyone loves a barbecue.

He's going to have to use precision cooking

and a light touch to pull this one off.

Boys, the pressure's on.

Michael's in there, looking for nines and tens.

He knows what it's like to get a ten.

It's going to be a tough one.

-The main course is the main one, isn't it?

-EDDIE:

-It's the big badge.

Tommy is determined to maintain his lead, with his dish,

A Summer Holiday - a celebration of summertime barbecues,

using unusual seaside flavours.

He's serving lamb two ways.

He starts by prepping his lamb rump,

which he'll barbecue before cooking through in a water bath.

Next, he moves on to his unusual onion puree,

which he's infusing with eucalyptus to add a more aromatic flavour.

-Eucalyptus - you use that a lot, do you?

-I do for certain things.

-It's like liquorice, isn't it?

-Yeah, it was kind of a fluke.

I don't know why I put it in with onions one day

and I just thought it worked, so...

Joery's adopting a more American style of barbecue

for his main course, A Summer's Barbecue.

There's a lot happening in this barbecue today.

The other two boys are doing the same kind of thing,

so I need to stand out. My barbecue has to be perfect.

He's cooking three different cuts of pork - ribs, tenderloin

and secreto, a tender piece of meat from behind the shoulder,

also known as "butcher's secret".

-So, you went with the secreto.

-It's a really nice piece of meat,

so you're going to have the fattiness of the pork belly,

you're going to have the really gently cooked pork fillet

and then the slow-cooked secreto.

He starts by rubbing his pork belly with a mix of 11 different spices

which he hopes will give a depth of flavour

and the taste of a traditional American barbecue.

How are you going to refine a barbecue?

Well, I think the refinement is going to be in the presentation

and it's going to be neat and tidy to make it look banquet-worthy.

Eddie's looking to impress with his dish, Lawn Fayre,

which champions an unusual central ingredient - water buffalo,

which he's both serving as a ribeye steak and using in his quiche.

I'd never put quiche and ribeye together myself

but he's probably thinking the same about me -

"What's he using eucalyptus for?"

He starts by working on the filling for his quiche,

preparing brined water buffalo into a corned beef-like texture.

Next, he rolls his rye pastry, which he hopes will bring earthy flavours

to the dish and elevate his quiche to banquet standards.

Is a quiche not more of a lunchtime dish

rather than a main course for a banquet?

I need to make it some sort of substance to it as well,

so with the buffalo behind it, it's packing a punch.

You got some corned beef I can taste?

There, Chef, there's a wee bit here.

So, that's quite a strong, meaty flavour.

And you're going to make a refined quiche with this in it, yeah?

I will indeed, yeah.

Eddie's got a sweat on.

He's making pastry in a hot kitchen for his quiche.

But does a quiche belong as part of a main course at a banquet?

I'm not convinced.

But Eddie's hoping to elevate his quiche

by filling it with the unusual buffalo meat.

I want to champion this and take it forward.

-Something you haven't used before either, is it?

-No, no, I haven't.

For me, it's going the right way of farming in our country.

They're all grass-fed. For me, this is probably the most pure meat

-that I could locate in Ireland.

-Yeah.

Eddie's cut of water buffalo is ideally suited

to a summertime menu, as it's low in fat and perfect for barbecuing.

To find out more about this unusual meat, Eddie's come home

to visit the only farm in Northern Ireland to rear the animals.

I've been using buffalo meat for a while.

The flavour that's behind it, you know, I want to share this

and I know it's going to change my dish and make it something special.

Barry O'Brien has a herd of over 50 water buffalo on his family farm.

-This is them?

-This is them.

-I'll have a good look at them.

Barry's herd may be born and bred here

but water buffalo are not native to Northern Ireland.

I just want to get a bit more background into the history of them.

The animals, themselves, they were originally from Asia.

They were brought over to Italy in about the 7th century.

They were used primarily as a work horse.

They were using them for ploughing and things like that

and then moved on from there.

They started using the milk for mozzarella

and then the beef became very popular for cured and barbecues.

Not only does the meat have fewer calories than beef,

it's also higher in protein and has a sweeter, more delicate flavour.

So, how do they adapt to being in Northern Ireland,

so much as being in the Mediterranean, you know?

They enjoy the water.

That's why this country suits them so well because it's always wet.

But, as well as that,

the quality of the grass seems to be the major factor.

The buffalo meat itself has a very distinctive flavour.

It's quite a sweet meat.

There's quite a lot of protein in it, it's higher in iron.

The calcium rate's even higher in comparison to normal beef and milk.

I've definitely made a couple of new friends today anyway.

I wouldn't mind taking one home if I could fit it into our car!

It's been very beneficial coming here today.

It's taken me down to the grassroots of what I needed to find out

about the buffalo and to see that this meat is a summer meat

and that it is perfect for the barbecue.

Back in the kitchen, Tommy is working on an aerated potato foam

for his ambitious surf and turf dish, A Summer Holiday.

Should have checked that before I turned it on, shouldn't I?

He's moved on to the second of his two lamb cuts,

lamb rib, which he's planning to barbecue

and serve with cockles cooked in white wine.

Tommy's dish sounds very interesting.

I love the use of cockles and how he's marrying it with the lamb,

so it'll be interesting to see how it goes down.

Hi, Tommy. What's going on here?

We've got the lamb ribs out, so they're good to go.

I'm going to set them aside now, ready for the barbecue.

What about the lamb rump? You were concerned about them.

I'm concerned about overcooking it,

but I've had it on the barbecue, I've taken it off.

So, it's not going to be a typical British barbecue

with everything crusty and black on the outside.

It'll be crusty and black on the outside,

but pink in the middle. That's the idea.

My biggest concern for Tommy is that he's got cockles, he's got lamb.

How's he going to get all those strong flavours to work together?

It's a bit of a concern just now, but he might be able to pull it off.

Eddie was criticised by Michael

for overcomplicating his starter and fish courses

but that hasn't stopped him attempting lots of elements

for today's dish, Lawn Fayre.

Eddie's really pushing the boat out on this one.

Just look at how many pans he's got on there.

He's definitely going for it today.

He's assembling his controversial water buffalo quiche,

topped with courgettes and a cheese custard.

Next, he starts work on his accompaniments,

including a purple potato salad and lovage emulsion.

Again, I'm leaving myself loads to do at the very end,

but I have to do it right.

He places his ribeye water buffalo steak on the barbecue,

which he'll have to watch carefully so it doesn't overcook.

Eddie's dish is very interesting. He's using the buffalo.

It worries me a little that I think Michael might appreciate,

where I'm using pork and, you know, pork has been used a lot.

With time running out,

Joery's also under pressure to complete the accompaniments

for his American-style barbecue, including cornbread,

corn puree and kohlrabi coleslaw.

To refine his dish,

Joery's also working on a paprika and sugar tuile,

his unique take on a more traditional pork crackling.

Maybe I've bitten a bit too much off,

but these boys are a little bit ahead of me.

I have to catch up.

Next, he turns to his barbecue sauce -

a mix, including honey, soy sauce and plum jam,

which he hopes will recreate

the American-style flavours he's looking for.

Michael, how are you?

There's lots going on here, Joery. What's going on?

We've got the pork belly, the cornbread here.

Tell me something that's going to tie it all together.

-The sauce, maybe?

-I think the barbecue sauce.

A good barbecue sauce always brings things together, I think.

Very bold flavours.

It's nice and sweet but I don't think it's too sweet.

-There's a bit of spices in there.

-The sauce is all-important.

-You've got to perfect that. I'll let you get on.

-Thank you.

First to the pass is Eddie with his dish, Lawn Fayre -

a tribute to childhood summer picnics with his granddad.

I want to make this work, but I need to get on with it.

He starts by plating purple potato salad,

followed by buffalo mozzarella, which he chars.

Next, purple potato wedges, pickled cucumber, beetroot,

cauliflower and charred onions.

-What's your puree there?

-Lovage emulsion.

-Ah, nice.

He tops his summer salad with dehydrated courgette flowers

and plates his water buffalo quiche.

He adds red beetroot,

before slicing and plating his ribeye water buffalo steak.

Looks good, doesn't it? Looks very good.

He finishes with a drizzle of lovage oil.

Chefs, what do we think?

Looks good, tells the story, but we'll see how it tastes.

-Shall we go and do that?

-Sure, let's go.

Beautiful dish. Absolutely stunning looking.

-Granddad going to be proud.

-Oh, yeah.

-Is it how you wanted?

-Near enough, yeah.

-Maybe we should start with the quiche.

-Yeah, let's get in there.

-The buffalo is really nice.

-Yeah, I really like that. That's sound.

-Pastry is nice and brittle.

-He's cooked that perfectly, hasn't he?

The corned beef in the base of the tart,

is it maybe a bit too rich for a taste of summer?

What will complement it is when we eat this quiche with the pickles.

The pickles with the lovage emulsion,

is that giving it a light taste of summer for you?

Yeah, yeah it will do.

The lovage emulsion - get that grassy flavour coming through.

-How lovely.

-Is that cooked enough?

-I don't think so. Not for a banquet.

Having tasted the ribeye, how's the cooking of that for you?

Visually, you might think that's a wee bit under,

but I couldn't enjoy any bite of that any more.

I don't know if it's a main course.

I would be very happy to get it for my main course, to be fair.

-You're going to give this dish ten points?

-I'll go eight.

-Well, guys.

-Well, Chef, how did it go?

-Not too bad, not too bad.

You happy with the buffalo? For the banquet, maybe one or two degrees...

You have to forget you're cooking

for other people rather than yourself.

Next to the pass is Tommy, with his dish, A Summer Holiday,

inspired by memories of summertime barbecues,

which he's serving on a beach scene.

What are you blowtorching there, Tommy?

Just creating a wee barbecue here.

You don't think it's smoky enough in the kitchen just yet?

I'm going to put it out. Don't panic.

He starts by adding his salsa verde and pepper-dill sauce

to his beach presentation, alongside salsify batons.

Tommy, how you getting on?

-You're pushing hard.

-Up against it, mate. Up against it, Chef.

On his serving plates, he places his eucalyptus and onion puree,

followed by barbecued aubergine and slices of barbecued lamb rump.

Then his cockles and slices of burnt onion.

What type of sea vegetables have you got there, Tommy?

I've got some samphire, some sea rosemary,

some sea beets and I've got a little bit of sea purslane as well.

Next, he places potato skins on a smoking barbecue

and fills with aerated potato foam.

He adds charred sweetcorn and, finally, his barbecued lamb ribs.

Well, what do we think, gentlemen? It certainly looks spectacular.

Spectacular is not the right word, I think.

-It's better than spectacular.

-And what's this we've got here?

-We've got a pepper-dill sauce.

-You gentlemen enjoy your beach barbecue.

We're going to take this one through and taste it.

You've got your main course up to the pass. Does it feel good?

-I was a bit disorganised.

-You were pushing hard

and there's lots going on in the presentation.

-That looks spectacular!

-Thank you.

-Something else, isn't it?

-It's stunning!

So, this is the rump of lamb. How's the outcome for you?

For me, it's spot-on.

I wanted it nice and pink and red, but also edible.

Nice bit of smokiness.

Cooked perfectly, for lamb for the banquet.

It's beautiful, isn't it?

So, in the onion sauce, the eucalyptus...

-Is that eucalyptus flavour coming through enough?

-Yeah, I think so.

I think the diners might be intrigued about what it is.

-Works really well for me.

-It's pure class.

It's taking onion to a different level, isn't it?

Are you pleased with the potato?

I didn't want everybody to have a whole jacket potato to themselves.

Sure.

It's absolutely beautiful, isn't it?

Really light and what a surprise.

And the other very interesting element was the cockles.

-Do you think that gives it a real taste of summer?

-I think so.

It gives it that seaside flavour.

Going by the brief, going by the cooking,

I can't make any negatives on it.

-Which score would you give your main course?

-I fancy it as a ten.

-TOMMY:

-Was a hard push.

-EDDIE:

-It was unbelievable, mate.

-Interesting, exciting.

-Definitely.

I don't know where you hid that box of tricks

-but it came out at the right time.

-Cheers, lads. I appreciate that.

Last to the pass is Joery, with his American-style dish,

A Summer's Barbecue, featuring three cuts of pork

and served across two different plates.

A lot going on, so it's essential that I get it all right today.

He starts by placing kohlrabi coleslaw on both his plates

then, to his side plate,

he adds slices of fresh apple and black garlic puree.

Next, on his main plate, corn puree, followed by lettuce and cornbread.

-Is that cornbread, yeah? Happy with it?

-I am happy with it. It's nice.

It's risen up nicely.

He serves slices of his pork secreto,

followed by his barbecued pork belly.

-Lovely glaze on it.

-Looking good, man.

He finishes his main plate with green peppers,

more black garlic puree and charred sweetcorn and baby sweetcorn.

-How are you getting on, Joery?

-30 seconds, chef.

Finally, Joery places his pork tenderloin on his side plate,

topped with his paprika sugar tuile - his take on pork crackling.

-Are you happy with the final execution?

-I am happy.

-It's not the final execution yet.

-All right.

-There's one final touch that...

-Which is?

-We were talking about the crackling earlier.

-Yeah.

I just have to finish that, so...

Eddie, if you want to give me a hand with that, please.

Mm, so the guests get to crackle their own bit of pork.

Eddie, what do you think of the presentation?

-It's incredible again, isn't it?

-I want to get stuck in.

-Shall we go, Joery?

-Let's do that.

Do you think this presentation is what you were looking for,

the big impact for the main course? Does that have this?

I think it has, yeah.

-That sings barbecue, doesn't it?

-It does, aye.

You've got pork, sweetcorn. There's everything on there, isn't there?

Do you think that's as good, if not better, than traditional crackling?

Traditional crackling is really, really nice,

-but I think this is something more special.

-Right.

The crackling gives it a nice crunch.

-It's almost like eating sugar though.

-Yeah. The theatre was cool.

-Yeah.

-It's nice to have that element.

I would have just went with a bit of crackling.

This is the belly,

so this definitely wants a bit of the barbecue sauce, right?

Oh, yes, it's got barbecue sauce smothered all over it.

-That's unbelievable.

-That's fantastic eating.

Are you happy with the cooking of the pork belly?

It's moist, it's tender, there's not too much smoke,

but it's nice and smoky.

-Cornbread.

-One of my concerns, is it going to be too dry?

-Is it?

On its own, it's maybe a little bit dry.

Seems a bit dense, but cornbread is dense, isn't it?

Yeah, cornbread would naturally be a bit dense.

-Go for a nine.

-I'm going to agree and go nine as well.

Is there anything on there that you're not happy with?

No, I like what I put on the plate.

-So this is a ten, right?

-I'd give it a nine.

-How did you find that?

-Tough. It's like being back in school.

-Did you like it?

-It was incredible, mate.

-The pork belly was stunning.

-You know what Michael is like.

He'll find something if there's something wrong.

There's not many points in it. Hopefully, I get a high score.

It's been a hard day, I think, for all of us

and very anxious about the result.

-How you doing, Chefs?

-Very good.

-All right.

Tommy, I'll start with you

and your dish...

I thought the lamb itself, the rib and the rump, were cooked very well.

I thought the jacket potato was a great reinvention.

You had three sauces accompanying that dish.

They were all individually delicious.

In terms of the presentation,

I thought this was a feast for the eyes.

However...

..I think the plate was a little bit too busy.

The pickled cockles, I know they were there because you love them,

but if you took them away from that dish, they wouldn't be missed.

Eddie, your dish...

I think you did a really good job of getting

the story behind your dish across.

I thought the pickled vegetables were very good.

The quiche was light, the pastry was well executed, it had good flavour.

However...

..it was a huge portion and there was too much on the plate.

The barbecued ribeye was a little bit tough.

The quiche would have been a great starter

but, as part of a main course, very confusing.

Joery, your dish...

I thought this was a very smart looking plate of food.

All the meat was cooked really well.

The kohlrabi coleslaw was lovely and light.

However...

..Joery, there wasn't the drama in this main course

in the presentation. There's got to be a real big visual impact.

Pork fillet with a DIY crackling, I thought that was a bit of novelty

but, in the end, it didn't really add anything to that dish.

To the scores.

Tommy, I'm going to start with you.

I'm giving you a score of...

..nine.

Eddie...

I'm giving you a score of...

..seven.

Joery...

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

..eight.

It's going to be a tough match tomorrow, so good luck.

-Thank you, Chef.

-Thank you.

-Well done, man.

-Well done, buddy.

With his second nine, Tommy extends his lead to 25 points,

4 points clear of Joery and Eddie, who are tied on 21.

It feels good. Nice to have a bit of a lead.

Anything can happen in this competition.

You're four points ahead. I think you're too far for us to catch.

Sounds like a challenge.

-EDDIE:

-Bit disappointed. I'm neck and neck with Joery now

but let's see what the dessert brings.

Who knows what can happen?

-Happy with an eight, Joery?

-Oh, yeah, of course.

I'm doing well to keep up with Eddie. Last set, all to play for.