South West Main Great British Menu

This year on Great British Menu...

Boo!

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

-CORK POPS

-Yeah!

..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 in the world.

This week, battling it out to represent the South West

in the national finals are returning chef Dominic Chapman,

who scored a nine for his fish course yesterday.

It was pure summer and I really enjoyed every mouthful.

Tom Brown, whose Cornish dishes have put him in joint first place

with Dom.

If I get this one right, it is a ten all day long.

And Andy Clatworthy,

who is trailing in third after failing to hit the summer brief.

It is lacking a lightness.

It is quite a hearty, rich dish.

Today, it is the main course.

-Right, rock and roll.

-And the chefs are all aiming for perfection.

I don't think an actual salad would have been quite right for it.

Is that a little dig there, bro? Obviously, me doing salad.

-The competition...

-It is quite high pressure.

-That's why I'm using a high-pressure cooker.

-..is hotting up.

-Are you going to be on time, Dom?

-I might be a second late.

To win a place at this year's Wimbledon banquet,

the chefs must create dishes that celebrate a taste of summer.

Both Tom and Dom are in the top spot with 15 points

while Andy is trailing with 11.

-Here we go again. Ready, boys?

-Good to go.

If I get this one right, it's a ten all day long.

-Going Cornish?

-What do you think? THEY LAUGH

You caught me up yesterday after the fish. Think you're going to overtake today?

Listen, you always want high scores, so, yes, let's push for tens.

Andy, you've got a bit of making up to do.

I really believe in this dish. Not going to give you boys an easy day, put it that way.

'Judging their dishes this week is

'Michelin-starred chef Michael O'Hare.'

Good morning, Chefs.

-ALL: Good morning.

-How are we feeling?

-Very good.

-Good.

Dom, Tom, level pegging on 15 points.

-Who is going to take it today?

-Who knows? Who knows?

-It can go either way.

-Andy, just four points to make up. You think you can pull it back today?

-Yeah, I really do.

-I'm ready to go. I believe in the dish.

-So, guys, main course.

It's obviously the big one. Everyone wants to get the main course dish to the banquet.

This year, the banquet is at Wimbledon. So I'm looking for the very essence of summer on a plate.

Let's get cooking.

We are halfway through the competition. Seen some really great

dishes, and some not so great dishes.

Some dishes that have hit the brief, and some that have completely missed it.

So I'm really interested to see what the chefs produce today.

All week Andy has struggled to convince Michael that his food hits

the taste of summer brief.

He is hoping that his historical Wimbledon-inspired main course will

put him back in the running today.

-So, Andy, you, obviously, really need a ten today.

-Yeah, massively.

-What are you going to do to get that?

-The name of the dish is...

-CHOPPILY:

-..Caneton D'Aylesbury Roti...

-What?

-..with salad.

-CHOPPILY:

-Caneton D'Aylesbury Roti with salad.

-Is that French?

Yes, but I can't speak French very well, as you can tell!

LAUGHTER

So, tell me about the dish.

First documented gala dinner at the Lawn Tennis Association was in 1908.

This is the main course they served at that gala dinner.

It is a curried duck salad, but it is incredibly light on the curry flavours.

It is a fatty piece of meat, the duck.

-Yes.

-And I've criticised you in the last two courses

-with your food being too heavy.

-Yes.

-What have you done to rectify that?

HE STAMMERS

We're just going to pressure-cooker the leg meat, breadcrumb it, drop it into the fryer.

You are going to do a breadcrumbed, slow-cooked meat sausage

that is deep-fat fried...

-Yes.

-..in response to your food being too fat and heavy?

That was the original plan.

It is entirely up to you. I'm just saying, these are the issues you had

-with your starter and your fish course.

-Yes.

-You really need a ten.

-Yes.

-If there's anything that's going to stop you doing that,

I would hold back on it.

Andy really needs to up his game today. He needs to lighten and freshen up those dishes

if he's going to get the ten that he so desperately needs.

So far, Tom has impressed Michael

with his menu based around Cornish summer ingredients.

He is continuing the theme today

with his take on a traditional family recipe.

Tom.

-Chef.

-What's the name of your dish?

-So, this is Porthilly Under Roast.

-And what does that mean?

-My granny and grandad were cattle farmers in

Cornwall. An under roast is the sort of dish they would make with the beef,

and it is usually braised meat, put on the bottom,

and then boiled potatoes on top.

I'm just changing it up a little bit,

so I'm using some beautiful Porthilly oysters.

-OK.

-So hence the Porthilly Under Roast.

Oysters are something I love to eat in the summer in Cornwall,

and I'm making a lovely beer sauce to go through.

I've kept it quite light, using lager as opposed to ale.

-What are you doing with your beef?

-I'm going to cook it like a steak.

It is going to taste like steak. The steak is going to be

through the pie, and then the fat that I'm using,

I'm going to glaze up a potato cake.

So it's beef with sliced potatoes on top?

Yes, essentially.

It's not a hotpot, is it?

-No, I mean...

-Sounds a bit like a hotpot.

-It does sound a bit like a hotpot.

-It sounds like a hotpot.

-It has got similarities, but it's not a hotpot.

Tom's dish sounds a little heavy

with the butter and the carbohydrates.

He said he's going to lighten that with the addition of oysters.

But I'm not sure if that's going to be enough to make it the taste of summer.

Dom's starter failed to wow Michael, but his fish course blew him away.

He's hoping to score a perfect ten with his main,

celebrating summer lamb - Fire Up The Barbecue.

-Dom. How are you feeling?

-Yeah, really good.

-What have you got for mains?

-I'm going to do slow-cooked shoulder of lamb,

a little brochette or kebab of the neck fillets and some kidneys,

and then just for a little bit of luxury, I'm going to serve a chop as well.

-And what about with your vegetables here?

-I'm going to do a selection of salads.

I'm going to do a bean salad,

I'm going to do a lettuce salad with red peppers and cucumber

and tomato and pomegranate,

and then I'm going to do some lovely cucumber yoghurt.

From a banquet point of view, this will be a really, really nice dish.

I think definitely a barbecue hits the brief of the summer.

I'm not convinced that it's an elegant food,

especially the sharing platter, but you did really well with your fish,

so hopefully you will prove me wrong on this.

My main concern with Dom will be his presentation.

It may appear a little bit like he's cooking for his friends at home,

and he really needs to refine that and make it banquet-worthy,

so it has the elegance it needs.

It would be a pretty amazing thing to get to the banquet for this,

for the main course, no?

It would be a huge honour just to get through to Friday,

the way I'm playing, you know. But it's the one that all the chefs want, isn't it?

'Andy is going all out with his historical main -

'Caneton D'Aylesbury Roti, a curried salad featuring duck three ways.

'He starts by prepping his duck breast

'before cooking in a water bath.

'Next, he moves on to his duck sausage made with duck legs,

'a meat that usually requires long, slow cooking.

'But with no time to spare, he is using a pressure cooker.'

So you've got to get those duck legs marinated and cooked?

-Yes.

-That's quite high pressure.

That's why I'm using a high-pressure cooker.

'Dom is using four different cuts of lamb for his barbecue-inspired main

'course, including rack of lamb, neck and kidney.'

Dom, how are you feeling about getting your dish out on time?

-There's a lot to do.

-A lot to do, a lot to do, yeah.

-If I can nail this, it would be nice.

-Yes.

'He is working on the lamb shoulder, which he plans to barbecue later,

'but he's braising in the oven to tenderise first.'

It is a funny-looking barbecue there, Chef.

-It's going in the barbecue in a minute.

-So what have you done?

-You just slow-cooked that, have you?

-Yeah, slowly roasted it,

and then I will put it on the barbecue just to finish.

For a banquet, if you barbecued everything, it might be a bit

strong, so it has got to be refined.

'Dom is serving his lamb elements with four different salads,

'including a saffron-infused couscous,

'which he is hoping to elevate to banquet standards.'

-Dom, what did you think when you read that brief?

-Summer is a

brilliant time of year as a chef, the produce is just alive.

Do you reckon your hotpot might be a little bit heavy?

If I was cooking a hotpot, then, yeah.

'Tom is looking to impress with a refined version of his family's recipe

'for a traditional Cornish under roast.

'He is making a sauce using lager for a lighter, more summery flavour,

'which he will coat the beef filling with later.

'Next, he moves on to his crispy topping,

'using sliced layers of potato,

'butter and grated Cornish Cheddar cheese.'

-How are you going to cook this?

-Just going to bake them through in the oven.

This is, you know, potato with butter and cheese.

It sounds quite heavy.

When you do under roast, Cornish under roast, it can be heavy,

but I have taken precautions to make sure that doesn't happen.

When you eat it and how it complements the whole dish,

it is not fatty, no. It is going to be all right.

Tom grew up eating his mum Janice's traditional Cornish under roast.

So, to pick up some tips for his summery take on the age-old dish,

he went home to the family farm near Land's End.

-Hiya.

-All right, Ma?

-How are you?

-Yeah, I'm all right.

Remember the under roasts that you used to always make us

-when we was kids in the summer holiday?

-Yes.

It's a recipe that's been passed down over the years.

I learnt it from Granny. It's not written down.

Everybody tweaks it slightly to their own taste

and their own flavourings.

It'll never taste as good as your mum's under roast, though.

-No, nothing does.

-SHE LAUGHS

Under roast was a meal popular with Cornish farm workers.

It was made using whatever vegetables were available,

which in summer would include courgettes, tomatoes and spinach.

I mean, these are perfect ones, like that.

For me, I would pick up the ones that are imperfect

because I like to use up what's left around.

I'm just a bit more chef-y than you. I like the little perfect ones.

Tom wanted to see how his refined take on the under roast

compares with his mum's more traditional recipe,

which uses beef skirt topped with parboiled potatoes.

I'm going to use a bit of dripping

just to give it that extra crispiness.

Tom is also making his lighter, more summery version.

It looks really good.

To get the verdict on whose is best,

Tom and his mum served both versions to the workers on the farm.

-Thank you, Tom.

-It melts in your mouth, doesn't it?

-It does.

I really like Tom's seasoning.

It's more of an earthier, summery feel to it.

But, um, the texture, I'm still loving the old-fashioned way.

Cornish blokes want plenty of food and big, hearty meals,

but in terms of the competition,

I still feel mine's slightly got the edge.

Having tasted his meals, I would hope that Tom could win it,

and all I can do is hope that the judges enjoy Cornish food as much as we do.

-Can I have seconds?

-LAUGHTER

Back in the kitchen, Andy is working on the duck sausage for his curried

duck salad. Currently at the bottom of the pack,

he needs a high score to be in with a chance of cooking for the judges.

I need a nine or ten. I can't have an eight,

these boys are too good.

To flavour his pressure-cooked duck leg meat, Andy makes a curry mix,

before using egg yolks to bind into a sausage shape.

-Andy, what are you making here?

-So this is the duck leg.

-These are your sausages?

-Yes, this is the leg shredded down.

Once it has been chilled down, and once it has been pan-fried,

it will come up a little crispy, really lovely.

-Are you pan-frying it?

-Yeah. I thought about what you were saying earlier and I think you're right.

Well, it's good to see that you have taken on a little bit.

Not deep-fat frying.

-No.

-What about the consistency, is that going to stay as wet as it is?

No, it will firm up in the blast chiller.

What is it that holds this sausage together when you cook it in the pan?

It is the fat from the cooking juices from the pressure cooker.

-So you are confident it...

-I am, I am but, you know,

anything can happen in this kitchen, can't it?

Just tasted Andy's sausage meat.

It's incredibly wet and I really don't think it's going to hold together.

I think he's panicking and crumbling under the pressure.

Dom still has plenty to do on his Fire Up The Barbecue dish.

Right, rock and roll.

As well as cooking his four different cuts of lamb,

he is working on his accompaniments,

including olive flatbreads and three other salads.

Next, he moves on to his braised lamb shoulder,

which he wraps in foil, ready to finish cooking on the barbecue.

So, are these going to be exposed direct to the flame?

No. For a refined product,

I don't want a too smoky flavour.

OK, but the idea of your dish was the barbecue.

-Yes, yes.

-But I've seen some oven cooking, some meat braising.

Is this going to be a barbecue?

So, it's the meat you would have at a barbecue...

-But not cooked on a barbecue?

-Cooked at a proper level.

I'm adding the cutlet.

-Is that lamb going to see the barbecue at all?

-My original thought

-was no.

-I know where you're coming from with the refinement,

but I think if people are going to visually see a barbecue,

-then I would want those flavours.

-Yes, fine.

-But it's your dish.

'Tom is working on the filling for his under roast,

'featuring rib of beef, which he is searing in a pan,

'before leaving to rest.'

-Quite rare.

-Yes.

At this point, it needs to be rare.

'To make his dish more summery,

'Tom is also serving a gem lettuce salad

'with a dressing made from oysters and rapeseed oil.'

-Don't split.

-BLEEP!

I actually split the oyster mayonnaise.

The kitchen is very hot

and I just pushed it a little too far with the oil.

'To rescue his dressing,

'he blends egg yolks before slowly adding the split mixture

'to bring it back together.'

So the oyster salad cream, where does that sit in the dish?

That's going to dress the lettuce on the side, so...

I don't think an actual salad would have been quite right for it.

Was that a little dig there, bro? Obviously me doing salad.

I thought you were doing a curry.

Yeah, I thought you were doing a hotpot.

'First to the pass is Dom with his dish, Fire Up The Barbecue.

'But he has still got two of his lamb cuts left to cook.

'He renders the fat on his rack of lamb in a frying pan,

'but decides at the last minute to finish it on the barbecue.'

I thought you weren't barbecuing it, Dom. Changed your mind?

Got to listen to the veteran, haven't you?

'He skewers lamb neck and kidney with peppers and red onion to make a kebab.'

Do you need a hand with anything, Dom? Are you looking all right?

-Yes, pop this bread in the oven to warm through.

-Just warm or hot?

-No, just warmed through.

-Yes.

-Right.

With his rack of lamb done, he puts his offal kebabs on the barbecue.

-Are you going to be on time, Dom?

-I might be a second late, but we are getting there.

The bread is hot now, Dom.

-Can you just fill those two bowls with it?

-Oui, Chef.

-Anything else?

-You can put some tzatziki in a bowl.

-Yes.

-OK, you are due at the pass now, Dom.

-Coming up.

'With Tom's help, Dom adds his gem lettuce salad

'and bean salad to bowls,

'and places on serving boards.'

-That's it.

-Just the couscous.

-Do you want these on the boards?

-Just the couscous on the boards, please. Thank you.

It is taking two of you to get to the pass. It's still late.

I'm coming up right now.

'Onto a mini presentation barbecue,

'Dom puts his lamb shoulder and kebabs.

'Finally, he adds the sliced rack of lamb cutlets.'

-Looks like it took a bit of doing.

-My good man here, Tom, helped me.

-We work as a team in the kitchen, always.

-Andy, what do you think?

It looks fantastic, it really does.

Late or not, it's a very summery and impressive plate of food.

-Can we go and eat it?

-Yes, please.

Do you think it looks as refined as it would need to be for a banquet?

I think it does, you know.

This will be a real sort of wow moment when it enters the room.

Just because of the theatre.

-For me there's no theatre, it's just on a tiny barbecue.

-Yeah.

Part of the theatre of cooking a barbecue is to see some of that smoke.

-But there's no smo... I haven't got any smell of the barbecue.

-Yeah.

I think he's put all the effort into the presentation here,

and once someone puts it on there,

it's quite messy.

I think the lamb fat has ready benefited

-from being on that barbecue.

-Yes.

-Don't you think?

-I agree.

I was glad you used it.

The cutlets are bang on. Beautiful seasoning.

Lovely colour. I like that a lot.

So you have the lamb neck.

The neck is cooked how you wanted?

Yes, nice and tender. Pink, melts in the mouth.

-I think neck is always better braised.

-Yes, it's chewy.

It is a little bit chewy, that.

The texture of the shoulder is beautiful.

-It is just falling apart on the cutlery, isn't it?

-It's delicious.

The fat in it is amazing, it's not dry.

The salads - really bright, really summery.

I think the tzatziki could do with a pinch of salt.

Maybe a squeeze of lemon. The same with the couscous.

What would you score your barbecue?

I would like to give this a high score.

-9.5 would be all right.

-I don't think we do half points.

-How was that?

-Yes, it was good.

The cutlet was brilliant.

The smokiness inside the fat. Yeah, it was amazing.

That's what Michael said as well.

Next to the pass is Andy with his dish, Caneton D'Aylesbury Roti,

inspired by an historic Wimbledon gala menu.

He takes his duck breast out of the water bath and pan-fries.

-What are you doing with those breasts now?

-Just render a load of fat off.

-Have you rendered enough of that fat off?

-Not yet, but I thought I had

-a bit more time than I've got.

-I would render it if I was you, yeah.

-You don't want to eat a lot of fat on a duck.

-I'm a little bit behind,

so I just want to concentrate on getting everything ready.

With time running out, Andy still needs to finish his duck sausage.

He fries in a pan, before finishing in the oven,

hoping it holds its shape.

First onto the plate is yoghurt, cucumber and mint dressing.

Followed by pickled cucumber and fresh salad leaves.

It is already looking a lot more summery, isn't it?

Next, panko-coated duck hearts.

Andy, you are due at the pass now.

-Can I have one minute?

-Have as long as it takes, but you are due now.

He chars gem lettuce, and finishes with vanilla and lovage emulsion

before placing on the plate.

He gets his duck sausage out of the oven and adds.

Finally, he slices his duck breast, finishes with dill oil,

and more dressing.

And serves a roti on the side.

OK, so this is essentially your curried roast duck salad.

-Yes.

-Dom?

-What I would say straightaway is

-it's the summery-est dish you've done all week.

-Thank you.

-Shall we go and eat it?

-Yes, let's.

On first inspection, it is definitely the brightest

-and most colourful dish you've produced so far.

-Thank you.

I'll start with the sausage.

There's no taste of curry to it. It's a spiced flavour.

It's not like curry like I'd expect.

-I quite like that.

-The balance of flavours in that is quite nice.

-The curry is nice, it's subtle. The gherkins are nice.

-Yep.

The duck breast itself, it seems a little chewy.

Personally, I would never water-bath a duck.

Too much fat and even though he's tried to render that fat,

it's still very chewy. It's not crisp at all.

Some of the jam, I finished it with some vanilla sugar syrup

just to give it that sweetness.

It's actually very pleasant.

It's very sweet. Lettuce, for me, is all about freshness

and the vanilla just doesn't work for me at all, that one.

It is definitely the lightest plate of food you've put up.

I think as a negative, there are some heavy proteins on there,

then you've got really light salad and there's not really anything in

between. Would be something maybe to consider

if you go through on Friday.

-It's definitely an improvement.

-What would you score it?

I'd like to see a nine, if I'm honest.

-All right?

-Yeah, I am actually, yeah.

-Best one of the week so far.

-Thank you very much.

-Good effort.

You should be proud.

'Last to the pass is Tom with his Porthilly Under Roast,

'inspired by his mum's family recipe.

'First, he lightly cooks his Porthilly oysters.'

-What's that being poached in?

-Just in a beer sauce.

'Next, he pan-fries his layered potato cake toppings.'

-Are you on schedule, Tom?

-I'm on time.

'He tops with sea purslane before slicing the beef.'

Happy with the cooking, Tom?

Yes, I wanted it nice and rare, so when it goes in the pot,

it's not going to overcook.

'He places it into serving pots along with the poached oysters.

'Next, he adds beer sauce, chopped gherkins

'and tops with the potato cake.

'Finally, he blanches sweet gem lettuce before covering

'with his oyster dressing and serving in oyster shells.'

-What is it you are doing there?

-It's just a tiny bit of oyster leaf.

'He finishes with a squeeze of lemon.'

-Tom, main course done.

-Yeah. I'm really happy with what I've put up.

-It's just how I wanted it to be.

-Do you think it looks summery, Andy?

I think that looks summery.

That looks like something I really want to eat right now, though.

-Shall we?

-Right, let's take them.

My first impression is, honestly, that is really, really summery.

That's not summery.

-How do we eat this?

-So what I would do is lift the potato off

with your knife and fork and then you just take it out as you want.

Your pieces of beef, your oysters.

So the beef was quite rare when he put it in there for a purpose.

-Make sure that it was...

-And now it's perfect.

The flavour's lovely.

A bit chewy.

Yes, it is a bit chewy.

-The temperature of the beef is lovely.

-Thank you.

-Really soft.

-The oysters are poached?

-Yes.

-In this sauce?

-Yes, just very gently.

-The oyster is beautiful.

-That's incredible, actually.

And there's bags of flavour in that sauce.

-Yes.

-Bags of seasoning.

I really like the freshness of that lettuce.

-It's nice and crisp in the middle.

-Thank you.

That baby gem lettuce is cooked beautifully.

I love the idea of an oyster sour cream.

I'd like a little bit more acidity.

Do you think as a plate of food, it's got that summer look to it?

For me, it's a summer dish.

I don't think it's Tom's best effort this week.

-No.

-I'll give a seven.

-I'll probably go with seven

just cos the ingredients are fantastic.

What score would you give it?

For me, I'd be looking for a nine.

Whose is better? Yours or your mum's?

Mum's.

All right? What did Michael say?

-He kept a bit of a poker face with this one.

-How was your beef?

-Yeah, nice and rare.

-A bit chewy.

-Was it a bit chewy?

Yeah, I was really disappointed for you.

I'm really nervous for the scores, actually.

I want to get back ahead of you, Dom.

It was a lot nicer when I was in front of you.

I really need a good score to try and claw back some points.

-Now, Chefs.

-How are you doing?

I'm going to start with you, Dom, and your dish...

The idea of the British barbecue was lovely

and I felt that really hit the brief.

The salads were fresh, summery and colourful.

I thought the meat was cooked perfectly,

each bit - the lamb chop, the shoulder and the kebab.

And I did enjoy everything on the plate.

But if I'm honest, I was a little disappointed

that it was just lamb.

Although everything was delicious, I thought it was a little simple.

Andy. Your dish...

This was undoubtedly the most summery of all your dishes.

And you did take heed of my advice.

-It was much lighter and there was more colour on the plate.

-Thank you.

However...

..the duck sausage, I felt it was a little overworked,

like you'd done too much to it and we kind of lost the flavour of duck

somewhere in that.

I thought there was something wrong with the balance of the dish.

There was nothing in between the soft lettuce leaves

and then the hard duck breast.

There was no middle ground.

And it wasn't really a salad, it was much more of leaves on a plate.

So, Tom, your dish...

I was a little worried that it wasn't going to be summery enough.

It does have similarities to a hotpot,

but I actually enjoyed the way of eating it.

I enjoyed taking the potato off the top

and then selecting my meat bit by bit.

The beef was cooked to perfection.

I thought the oysters were lovely and light.

It was really summery.

It was a beautiful, clever plate of food.

So to the scores.

I'm going to start with you, Dom.

I'm giving you a score...

..of seven.

Andy...

..I'm going to give you a score...

..of six.

And finally, Tom.

I'm scoring you...

..a ten.

The food was impossible to fault.

-Congratulations.

-Cheers, thank you.

-Thanks a lot.

-Congratulations.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you, thank you.

I'm looking forward to see what you all do with dessert course.

-Well done, Chefs.

-Thank you very much.

-Well done. Nice one, man.

-Congratulations.

Cheers, thank you. That's amazing. Ten out of ten.

I think Mum will be pretty chuffed with me.

Obviously it's a take on her dish.

I mean, ten is unbelievable. I couldn't be happier with it.

'With his perfect score, Tom is in the lead with 25.

'Dom is now in second on 22 and Andy is trailing in third on 17.'

-How you feeling, Andy?

-A little disappointed but one course to go.

Stranger things have happened in this kitchen.

'Very upset about getting a six, but you take it on the chin,'

move on and carry on fighting.

When you chuck a lot of love into a dish, it's disappointing.

'I've now got to make sure I execute on dessert properly'

and let's take it to Friday.

-Anything can happen still.

-Anything can happen.