London and South East Judging Great British Menu

It's judgment day on Great British Menu...

-Whoo!

-Whoo!

..as rising star Selin Kiazim...

I'm going to nail every course today and give you a run for your money.

..and Michelin-starred Tom Kemble go head-to-head...

Ready to impress the judges today.

..for the chance to represent London and the South East in the national finals.

-The pressure's definitely on.

-Yeah, it is.

I'm really focused today, I want to get a nine, I want to get a ten.

They're competing for an incredible prize.

To cook at a Taste of Summer banquet

celebrating 140 years of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.

Today they're cooking their menus again

for the formidable panel of judges.

Matthew Fort.

Oliver Peyton,

and for the first time this year, food expert Andi Oliver.

This is a weird little number, isn't it?

I think it's a good plate of food

-and I won't have it denigrated any further.

-Oh! Very good, ma'am.

Both chefs are newcomers to the competition.

-I'm going to let my food speak for itself.

-OK.

But, having finished just one point apart during the week...

..each is determined to prove they've got what it takes.

So the chef going forward to the national finals is...

Michelin-starred Tom Kemble ended the week in front with 32 points,

impressing veteran judge Angela Hartnett

with elegant flavours and techniques,

but he was criticised for failing to tell a story with his dishes.

It'll be a great feeling to get through and to represent

London and the South East and to be in the final of the competition.

Yeah, it'll mean a lot.

-Good luck, Tom.

-Good luck, Selin.

Fellow newcomer Selin Kiazim finished just one point behind Tom.

Veteran Angela felt she put too many elements on her plate

but praised her bold Turkish-Cypriot flavours.

I think myself and Tom have got really contrasting styles,

his is a lot more classical, so I think it'll be a great battle

and I hope I'm the one who comes out on top.

This year, judges Oliver Peyton and Matthew Fort are joined

by a new member on the judging panel.

Food broadcaster and restaurateur Andi Oliver.

They're looking for dishes that honour 140 years of Wimbledon

and celebrate a taste of summer.

I think this is terribly exciting,

we've got two chefs here that really represent

what's happening in London at the moment.

Tom Kemble has a Michelin star at Bonhams,

we'll see he's a much more classic chef, really.

I'm very excited about Selin.

I used to live in Cyprus when I was a kid

and she is of Turkish-Cypriot origin

so they're flavours I'm quite familiar with.

Given the fact that the two styles of cooking are so different,

that suggests there are different qualities on either side

which makes it for an even more interesting day than I thought it was.

Let's hope so.

How are you feeling, Tom?

Really good today. Ready to impress the judges today.

-Yeah?

-What about you?

I'm going to nail every course today, I reckon.

I'm going to give you a run for your money.

-Hello, chefs.

-Morning.

How very nice to see two bright new faces at the Great British Menu.

Tom, how have you found it so far?

First day was really tough, but I feel I'm settling in nicely.

Selin, it's been a really tight race this week,

there's like one point between you.

It's been incredibly intense

up until Angela announced those scores yesterday.

We didn't know who was going through.

Did you know that it's very unusual for a chef from the South East

or London not to be at the final banquet?

-So the pressure's on, then.

-Pressure's definitely on.

Good luck to you. Look forward to eating your food.

-Thank you.

-Good luck, guys.

Taking anything that Angela said into account?

Are you going to make any changes?

I'm going to take on board a little bit of her advice.

-Less is more.

-What about you?

Yes, there's a few elements, but still sticking to white plates,

no crazy props. And I'm going to let my food speak for itself.

OK.

Selin is first to plate up her starter - Queue-cucumber -

a Turkish-Cypriot twist on the cucumber sandwiches

eaten by Wimbledon fans lining up to get a ticket.

Veteran judge Angela thought the dish was tasty

but found some of the flavours overpowering.

What about your inspiration for your starter?

Do you think the judges will get that?

With the prop and the grass turf and it having a little nod to a picnic,

I think it's a really nice touch.

The chefs will also be marked by a guest judge

who's seen first-hand the drive and determination required

to win at the Wimbledon Championships.

This week it's Leon Smith,

former coach and long-time friend of Andy Murray

and current captain of the British Davis Cup team.

Leon, welcome to the Great British Menu.

This is Oliver and Andi.

-Hi, there!

-Hello! Thanks for having me.

Leon, you come here with a tremendous reputation

because you helped coach Andy Murray

and you've guided the Davis Cup team to triumph.

What haven't you been able to do?

More from you, please, this is great praise indeed.

As I always say, it's definitely been a team effort.

We're very lucky to have the likes of Andy Murray being the talisman.

You've known Andy Murray most of his life.

When did you understand that here was a champion in the making?

I think the first glimpse is when he was 11 years old.

We went on a trip to Miami

to the Under-12 World Championships

and that was my first trip away with him and he won the thing.

His mum was there, his granny was there as well.

We're all going, "I think he's quite good."

-What does Wimbledon mean to you?

-An awful lot. In the UK,

it's what everyone's brought up watching if you're into tennis,

it's literally the perfect environment to play tennis.

That's what we're looking for today, perfect food.

I'm slightly worried about the nutritional content

-of some of this food, though!

-LAUGHTER

When I talk about nutrition, that's definitely for the players,

us coaches, that's a different story.

Anything goes.

Selin is ready to plate her Queue-cumber starter.

She begins with compressed cucumber, dressed in mint and coriander,

and adds seared watermelon topped with a verjus dressing.

Next, she deep-fries her boreks - a filo-like pastry

filled with Turkish Tulum goat's cheese and egg yolk.

She adds pickled cucumber and shallots

and an aerated yoghurt and hazelnut foam.

So are you going to tone down the garlic in the sauce?

Yeah, I have toned it down.

She tops with lavender seeds and dukkah, a smoked bacon seasoning,

before finishing with sorrel leaves and the deep-fried borek.

As it's facing me, so the judges, please.

That was tough.

-This couldn't be more Wimbledon, could it?

-If it tried.

-It definitely looks more refined.

-I'm hoping for a higher score.

Mm, the bacon dukkah, it's quite nice.

I love a borek, it's really crisp on the outside.

There is egg in the middle, perfect breakfast, really, isn't it?

You got that beautiful Turkish Tulum cheese inside which is salty

and works really well with the runny egg yolk.

I'm enjoying that quite a lot.

I like the cucumber, it's actually something

that's hitting me more than anything else

because that's what I'm expecting.

Everything else may be just be a bit too powerful for me.

There are lots of nice things going on here, but it's like

a sort of child who's been left unrestrained in a candy shop.

I think there's a lack of balance,

there's a lack of real sense of direction about the dish.

I don't think it's right for the banquet

but I think it's a good plate of food

and I won't have it denigrated any further.

Oh! Very good, ma'am. Very good, ma'am! OK, ma'am!

Tom's starter, Marbella Memories, is an unusual combination

of tomato gazpacho served with

a mustard and dill flower ice cream.

Inspired by summer holidays spent in Spain.

Earlier in the week, veteran judge Angela scored him a seven

after he forgot to plate a key element.

What's that you've got going on there, some croutons?

Ha-ha!

I'm remembering the croutons this time!

First, Tom puts crab meat into chilled bowls

before adding his cold tomato and red pepper gazpacho.

-Give me a shout if you need anything.

-Yeah.

Next, quenelles of his mustard and dill flower ice cream.

He tops with edible flowers, his brioche croutons and olive oil.

Thank you.

I'm glad I remembered every element of the dish this time.

This is as restrained and neat

as the last dish was sort of funky and all over the place.

I'm really happy with the ice cream, the gazpacho.

Gunning for a nine or a ten on this one.

What do we think of the gazpacho?

It's a very smooth texture, I think it's just very bland.

The one thing I would say, it's quite cold!

It's light, but as you say, there's not really many flavours here.

I think it's not seasoned enough, the gazpacho, itself,

possibly because of the use of dill.

I think the crab's not very flavoursome.

What he's also done, he's just taken lumps of claw meat,

there is no sense of refined technique here.

The tomatoes, there's no tomatoey punch to them at all.

The ice cream was dill flower and mustard

and I think they've actually gone on holiday.

They've gone off to Marbella.

Marbella Memories. I don't know,

maybe he was very young and this memory...

Can't quite remember it!

This one's going out in straight sets, I'm afraid!

Next, it's the fish course and Selin is first to plate up her dish,

Nadal Versus Federer,

a tribute to the epic 2008 Wimbledon final between the great champions.

Veteran judge Angela scored the dish an eight for the cooking

but thought Selin delivered too many elements.

So, Selin, you were late up to the pass on this one.

-Forgot the grapes?

-I actually did remember the grapes,

they were last minute, it wasn't like your croutons, either.

Selin begins by plating a red grape puree

and tarama, a cod's roe emulsion.

Next, she deep-fries her potato rosti,

a Swiss favourite, and her tribute to Swiss player Roger Federer.

How are your rostis looking, are you happy with the colour?

-They've stuck together a little bit.

-Are they falling apart?

No, they're all right, they're just really delicate.

After separating, she dusts with mixed spices

and adds to a serving bowl.

Next, she plates her barbecued octopus,

a nod to Spanish champion Rafa Nadal,

and rumoured to be a favourite of his.

Octopus is looking better.

Yes, it's got a much better char on it.

She adds a pea and samphire relish and a sherry vinegar caramel.

To finish, asparagus spears and sliced grapes

topped with pickled caper leaves.

She places her dish in special presentation boxes.

OK, guys, as it's facing me, please, in front of the judges.

-Another course down.

-Yeah.

I'm loving this prop and this drawing is fabulous.

It's depicting what was arguably the greatest men's final at Wimbledon

of all time between Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer.

If you look at the picture, the octopus is for Nadal

and the rosti is the Swiss element for Federer.

I think the combination of octopus, asparagus, peas,

I think it all works really well.

The tastes are great.

Quite interesting, the tarama with the peas,

such an unusual combination but it's quite delicious.

Also the octopus has been just slightly griddled,

it's got that little bit of hint of smokiness and burnt.

Oh, I just got some of that sherry and vinegar caramel,

absolutely lovely.

What about the rosti?

I like the rosti, it's very nice.

I'm struggling to speak actually since I'm going through this,

I'm enjoying it a lot.

Yes, I think this is a refined dish.

I think this is a really exciting and enjoyable dish to eat,

but it's not refined.

Actually it's quite rustic.

I hate to agree, but I think you might be right.

It lacks polish.

How do you think Nadal and Federer would feel about this dish?

I think Nadal would be probably more pleased.

He's got a showcase on the plate and Federer's a few rostis,

so I think Nadal wins this one, just like he did in that actual match.

Next up is Tom's dish - It's No Picnic.

A refined take on the British summer classic.

Veteran judge Angela criticised the dish for its simple presentation

and failure to tell a story.

So, Tom, Angela also mentioned maybe a missing link to the brief?

It fits the brief. I think salmon and cucumber is kind of

a classic English picnic staple.

Tom starts by plating a salad of pickled dulse and mustard seeds

with compressed cucumber.

So Tom, how are you adapting this dish?

I'm adding a little bit of sliced fennel.

Next, he adds his butter-poached trout, oyster leaves and caviar.

To finish, he pours cucumber beurre blanc into serving jugs.

It's No Picnic.

Doesn't feel like one!

Bom-bom-bom-bom! Oh, healthy helping of caviar.

I love that smell of cucumber so much.

I think this looks summery, looks fresh, clean.

Beautiful.

I'm really happy with the results and I think I definitely had

a better crack at that dish than on my first go.

There's a lovely dollop of caviar on top which works well as a seasoning.

Then we've got trout underneath.

I mean, to me, the fennel and the trout work well together.

Those vegetables with bits of dill against that fennel is quite nice.

I wouldn't say it's making my taste buds go alive.

I think it's a bit restauranty.

-Is that such a bad thing?

-Yes... Well, it's not a bad thing,

-but I don't think it's enough.

-I think that's probably it.

I think it's a pretty safe dish to put out because it looks nice.

You've got all the bother of poaching a piece of trout,

having nice healthy vegetables and then it is swimming

in a sea of absolutely shocking beurre blanc.

It fits the dish perfectly.

If I was umpiring this one, I would say, yeah,

I would lose a bit of the sauce.

No...no sauce?

-No sauce! Oh, my God, just leave our sauce alone!

-Sorry!

At the halfway point, the judges are weighing up the dishes so far.

Really hoping that the second half is going to give us

a lot more surprises, a lot more excitement.

Maybe someone will come out of their shell, go after the shot

a bit more and just show what they're really capable of.

This competition is not about nice.

-What is it about, Oliver?

-Greatness.

-Thank you.

-Ramp it up.

Yeah, get stuck in! Give it some welly.

It's the main course next and both chefs are cooking lamb.

Tom's dish, Sea And Smoke, features two cuts,

which he's flavouring with juniper smoke.

Angela was impressed with the cooking and his presentation,

scoring him a nine.

Are you making any improvements?

Yeah, I tasted your lamb and the way you scored it.

Although I'm not doing it on a barbecue,

I'll render it down a bit more and bring out those fat flavours.

You're saying you prefer my barbecue lamb cutlet on the main course?

I'm saying I preferred your crispy lamb fat,

that's as far as I'm going.

Tom begins with piquillo pepper puree,

followed by warm pea and nori puree.

And petits pois a la francaise,

a mix of guanciale, shallots, samphire and peas.

Next, he plates his salt marsh lamb neck,

juniper-smoked lamb rack and tops with lamb jus.

So, is that fat rendered down enough for you, Tom?

Yeah, I'm happy with it.

Finally, he fills a cloche with juniper smoke

and places over the dish.

OK, and then down.

Can you plate it as if I'm the judge?

Are you OK, Tom?

-Yeah, just about, a finickety bit of smoking at the end.

-Yeah.

-ANDI:

-I like a dome.

Mmm!

Salt marsh lamb.

COUGHS

It's quite smoky underneath there!

Are you happy with all the components on the plate?

I am, everything was cooked how I wanted it.

I'm really happy with the lamb, so, I hope the judges feel the same way.

That was tough.

The meat is so well cooked, it feels.

I love the puree. This is a winner for me. I'm enjoying this.

That lamb's lovely, it's got a really lovely bite.

-Can you taste the salt marsh?

-No, but it does taste delicious.

To me, salt marsh lamb should be the primary taste on the dish.

There's so much going on,

that you have to battle your way to the chop's flavour.

There is one particular element that gives me huge pleasure -

petits pois a la francaise.

My problem is that it's just again,

it's a perfectly nice plate of food,

but it's not setting the world on fire.

For me, it's cooked well, but I do understand

where you'd be looking for some more technical skill.

Leon, you are an absolutely master diplomat.

Next up is Selin with her dish, Grand Slam Lamb,

featuring four different lamb elements,

including her take on the Duchy sausage,

a type of hot dog served only at Wimbledon.

Veteran judge Angela thought the dish had Banquet potential,

but felt the cooking of some of the lamb elements could be improved.

Angela thought your lamb shoulder was rushed a little bit

and a little bit dry. Are you changing anything up to that?

I've been a lot more in control of it today and been able

to cook it for longer and at a better temperature.

Selin begins by plating her barbecued lamb shoulder

along with charred onions and parsley.

Next, her freekeh salad.

She covers lettuce leaves with feta dressing, lamb bacon,

candied walnuts and Parmesan.

She adds onion puree to her plates, but with her dish due at the pass,

she's not sure if her remaining lamb elements are ready.

-Happy with the lamb neck?

-No, I'm not happy with my lamb neck.

It's a little bit rarer than I want it to be.

Selin adds the lamb neck,

then plates her lamb chop and lamb Duchy sausage.

She adds caramelised onions, parsley and coriander,

before topping with a pomegranate dressing and a sprinkling of sumac.

Thank you.

Well done. It looks beautiful.

Was that a real push, cos it looked like it!

Yeah, that was a major push.

-Oh!

-Oh, wow...

-Whoa...

-Lamb shoulder.

This is more like it. This is what we like to see.

This has cheered you up, hasn't it?

-Oh, he's woken up!

-Yes, I'm back.

Wow, look at this!

I love this kind of group effort.

This one has grasped the concept of what could be required at Wimbledon

during a banquet, getting everyone working together as part of a team,

I like it.

I think that is just cooked to perfection.

This is the Duchy sausage, I'm not really sure,

I know it's got something to do with Wimbledon...

It's Wimbledon's take on a hot dog,

in essence. Which has always got a large queue

because it is very, very popular.

When the plate was put down, there was a Jackson Pollock-like

smear of something red across the bottom of the plate.

And I think it just didn't work.

You know what's really great, is this onion puree on here.

It's making me very happy.

Well, I'm not quite sure there's a connection to Wimbledon,

although, I suppose, Grand Slam, yeah, it's a Grand Slam.

It is a Grand Slam for me because the flavour packs such a punch.

I really feel like she has put in the work here.

This is the sort of food I want to see at the banquet.

First to plate his dessert is Tom

with his delicate, stacked raspberry and elderflower dish,

From The Hedgerows.

It earned him a nine from Angela, but today,

he's having problems with the tuiles he uses to build his layers.

Tom, these sourdough tuiles seem to be quite temperamental this week.

How are they looking today?

Not as good as yesterday's, Selin.

Tom begins with fresh raspberries and aerated raspberry foam.

He adds a quenelle of elderflower sorbet

before piping creme diplomate onto his tuile.

I think it's probably the only dish that properly gives me the shakes.

-And why is that, then?

-It's just it's a really delicate operation.

Yeah.

For the second layer, he adds more fresh raspberries

and a balsamic vinegar dressing.

He tops with another raspberry-powder-covered tuile.

Let's go for it.

-You must feel relieved.

-Yeah, tough day!

THEY LAUGH

Ooh! Ooh, such beautiful colours.

It's like a piece of modern art sculpture.

It is, isn't it?

I was really worried about those tuiles. My time was quite short,

so I thought I'd boost it a little bit in the oven

and they were slightly getting bitter round the edges,

but I think I've just got enough.

This tuile with the raspberry dust is just out of this world.

The tuiles are amazingly refined.

Guys, I've got to say, I think this is excellent.

The elderflower sorbet and those raspberries

are bringing me deep joy.

I think this is really elegant.

-Mm-hm.

-I mean, I've never had anything like this before.

I think the balsamic works extremely well.

I think you get the feeling that possibly the real Tom Kemble

has finally stepped forward on this plate.

They say in a tennis match it's more important to play your best tennis

right at the end. Win the last point and you'll be OK.

-I've eaten all mine.

-Look, you're smiling.

I am. You know, I like to pace myself.

The final dish of the day is Selin's dessert, Ladies Dressed In White,

a tribute to Wimbledon's female champions.

Aargh!

Are you celebrating already, Selin?

Veteran judge Angela praised her varied techniques,

but once again marked her down for adding an unnecessary element.

Selin starts by rolling orange blossom yoghurt parfait

in crushed pistachio nuts before adding to the plate,

along with her pistachio cream.

Next, strawberries compressed in orange blossom syrup,

sorrel leaves and a quenelle of strawberry sorbet.

She deep-fries the kataifi of pastries before dusting with icing sugar

and adding to a side dish.

To finish, she surrounds her dish with dehydrated meringue shards

and adds personalised bottles of strawberry champagne.

Well done.

Pretty colours.

Well, the colours are certainly Wimbledon.

Oh, it's a little card specially addressed to me.

"Dear Andi, in honour of the female Wimbledon greats

"you are cordially invited to a dessert of strawberries and cream.

"Dress code, please wear white."

Ooh, I quite like that.

This is what we would refer to in our trade as coach's lemonade.

This works very well.

I'm not sure it needs this...

The... Oh, I see, there's something inside.

Mm. It's like a doughnut.

-Mm.

-LEON:

-It's quite unusual, isn't it?

This a weird little number, isn't it?

Weird, frankly, is the mot juste.

You know, the problem I have with kataifi

is they always feel like a sort of excess of sugar.

Honestly, that orange blossom is overpowering

nearly everything else on the plate for me as well.

I really don't like the parfait.

It's not refreshing, it's not how I would choose to end

what should be a great meal.

I think this pudding is a remarkable agglomeration

of some singularly unpleasant textures and flavours.

I quite like the colours and I'm enjoying my strawberry champagne.

-Cheers.

-Cheers, everybody.

-Cheers.

I can't believe we're here at the end.

We've done all the cooking. There's nothing else we can do.

-Happy with most of my dishes, all of my dishes.

-Are you sure?

They've both excelled at some point

and they've both failed miserably at some point.

I thought I did know who'd won until that last course

and then whoops-a-daisy, um,

I think we'll have to go and do some fierce addition here.

To represent London and the South East would just be,

like, one of my proudest moments.

You know, I think whoever gets through has got to smash it

and get a dish into the banquet.

Welcome, chefs.

How are you feeling?

It's very intense but it's been a lot of fun.

It's been a bit of a mixed day.

There's been a couple of, frankly, quite disappointing dishes.

But on a good note, we've also had great ones that we could all see

making their way to the banquet.

And so to the scores.

It was actually very, very, very close.

So, the chef going forward to the national finals...

is...

..Selin. Congratulations.

Well done.

I can't believe it.

-Surprised?

-Yeah, I am.

I'm very pleased.

Selin, we thought your barbecued lamb course

was absolutely delicious.

And we could all see the passion that you put into that dish.

It was a triumph. Really great.

But I think you really need to change the dessert.

-OK.

-Completely.

But, congratulations. Well done to you.

Thank you very much.

Tom, your dessert was incredible.

I literally could eat it from now through to next week.

-It was brilliant.

-Thank you.

Commiserations, you must be really disappointed. It was incredibly close.

There was only four points in it at the end.

Tom, please come back and see us again next year.

We think there's more to come from you.

And Selin, we look forward to seeing you in the final.

Thank you so much.

I can't believe it! I can't believe I'm going to be representing

London and the South East. This is unbelievable.

I'm so excited.

Well, she was really surprised, Selin, wasn't she?

Well, I sort of understand that because her food is not typical

of what we see on the Great British Menu.

Tom clearly has great skill.

He didn't quite have the courage of his convictions.

A real Tom will actually emerge next time round.

Yeah, I'm gutted, but I'm also really, really happy.

I mean, I just saw her reaction in there and she's over the moon.

It means so much, yeah.

It's just...

-Congratulations.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-I can't believe it's all over.

-Let's have a drink.

-Yeah, definitely.

Well, you're going to have to get at least one of your dishes

-to the banquet now.

-Cheers.

-Cheers.