South West Dessert Great British Menu

It's dessert day on Great British Menu.

All week, three chefs from the South West -

John Hooker, Andre Garrett

and Paul Ainsworth - have been battling for the chance to cook at a very special summer banquet.

It's going to be a real close call, a real close call.

Former champion Michael Caines has been marking the chefs' dishes,

and with three courses down, Paul leads with 24 points,

Andre has 22,

and John's struggling on just 18.

So far this week, there's been drama...

BLEEP

..and disappointment. Now, it's a fight to the finish.

It's not over till the fat lady sings.

It's their last chance to impress, as only two chefs will face the judges tomorrow.

At the end of the day, I will send somebody home.

There's plenty to fight for, and I expect them to rise to the occasion.

The three dishes in contention today are strawberries and cream,

rhubarb tart and taste of the fairground.

So, can Paul win this course too?

I shall be giving it everything I've got.

The guests at this year's Great British Menu banquet

will be local heroes in communities up and down the land

whose dedication to cooking brings people together.

Beautiful pastry. It's amazing.

The chefs have been challenged to seek them out and learn from their experience to create

perfect sharing dishes, exciting and delicious food to get everyone talking.

-I'll have another if you don't mind.

-Finish it, yeah.

-It's delicious.

All week, Michael's been awarding scores for the taste and technical execution of their dishes.

Although Paul's led from day one, any of them could go home tonight.

Even if you're out in front, you can't afford to relax.

They've got to create a fabulous dish

that's capable to go on and be in there at that banquet.

First into the fray today is Paul Ainsworth.

His ambition, combined with his playful style of cooking, has served him well so far

and he's resolved to stay in pole position.

Not only do I want to come first,

but it's also something I put a lot of work into as well

and I really want to really showcase it and impress everybody.

-Hey, Paul.

-Hi, Michael.

-Name your dish then, first.

-Taste of the fairground.

With the peanuts and chocolate, I'm going to combine that with popcorn,

then I'll finish it with this, which is basically popping candy.

That will sit on a coconut custard,

then I'm going to do some candyfloss.

Then I played around with sticky toffee apple

and put loads of cider in there, loads of nice Cornish cider.

And I'll sit that on some marshmallow.

Then I'm going to do some doughnuts, just like at the fairground,

dropping them into oil, then rolling them in cinnamon sugar.

-So there's a lot going on.

-Yeah.

You're confident this dish can keep you in the lead?

Yeah, I really think so. If I get the elements right, it's a winner.

Another quirky platter with lots of tricky components from Paul.

He's pulled it off so far this week, but is he pushing his luck?

He's got a lot of creativity and theatre in there.

I just hope he's got enough substance and at the same time,

with all that going on, he can get the detail done well.

As the only Michelin-starred competitor in this heat,

Andre Garrett came in as favourite, but hasn't managed to catch Paul yet. He's quietly determined

to win, but knows there are no guarantees.

The pressure's on with this final course, we all need a good score.

-Hello, Michael.

-Andre, what are you doing for us today?

Today I'm doing my take on a classical rhubarb tart.

-And the inspiration?

-My mother used to grow a lot of rhubarb, and we'd have various desserts with it

so I'm going to do a bed of rhubarb compote,

then a rhubarb cream and finish it off with a white chocolate crumble,

so it'll have various layers.

Is there enough theatre in this dessert for the concept?

I think so. I've worked a lot on the tart.

I want it to look spectacular when it goes down.

I've got little garnishes to go round for an added talking point.

Is this a dish that's going to push you into the lead?

I know I've got stiff competition from Paul over there.

-I know he's got a little trick up his sleeve.

-Just a couple of things.

But this is all about your dessert getting you to the final hurdle.

-You're confident with it?

-Yeah, I'm confident I can do really well.

Andre believes his tart is the perfect showcase for his classical style.

But has he forgotten he's meant to be making a spectacular platter to share?

I wonder whether it's too simple. This is an opportunity for John, perhaps, to get some points off him.

John Hooker came through this heat in second place last year.

But his restaurant-style dishes haven't translated well to the street-party theme.

He's in big danger of getting knocked out.

But he wouldn't be the first chef to save himself on dessert day.

There's a lot riding on today, a lot of points to catch up,

difference between going home and not, but I just don't know.

-Hey, John.

-Michael.

Last year, you realised, didn't you, that you could have almost got there

with your dessert. So what are you doing?

Strawberries and cream.

There's going to be fun elements.

-I'm going to poach them with some fizz from the Camel Valley in Cornwall.

-Yeah.

I'll be making a sherbet.

I'll do a little strawberry salad in a shot glass with strawberry foam.

Creme fraiche to make a sorbet, pine nut pralines for texture.

And then a clotted cream cheesecake.

So, a lot going on. What's the inspiration?

-Party food.

-OK.

People taking little plates, eating it together, making conversation, it's a great British thing.

Do you feel this is a dish that will get you into the final?

Yeah, I've got to be game on today.

-One of the boys has to make a mistake and I've got to be...

-Pushing hard.

Yeah, it's a competition. I'm here to compete.

-Fighting talk from this man. Can you hold him at bay?

-Yeah, definitely.

Whoah!

-I'll remind you of that later!

-I'll leave you with that thought.

A simple title for an ambitious platter

featuring lots of variations on the theme.

John's determined to nail the brief.

But is it too little too late?

John's danger is he's got a lot going on

and I just wonder if he's taken on too much.

He's under pressure, in last place,

and if it's not good enough I'll send him home.

All three chefs know that a whole week's work can be ruined

by a bad dessert

and they're all fighting their corner.

-Do you think that dish is a good contender?

-I've gone more of a classical approach

and there's more technique going on.

You guys have got a very modern touch and little picky bits.

It may look like I'm doing bits, it's actually quite simple.

Really, it's simple, Chef.

You're sweating a bit there.

Michael will taste all the dishes later and award them marks on merit.

He represents quality control of the highest order.

The chef who scores least over the week will be axed tonight.

I've got to keep the two strongest chefs in, so I've got a job to do,

I need to be ruthless, and that's what I'm here to do.

Since John has the lowest score, he's come out with all guns blazing.

He's already made his doughnut mixture, the strawberry jam to fill them's under way,

and strawberries poached in Cornish sparkling wine will top his cheesecake.

John's in last place, so there's a real danger

he might go over the top and blow it.

But to stay in this competition, he needs to step up now.

Classically trained Andre is preparing to blind-bake the pastry case for the rhubarb tart.

Determined to show off his Michelin-star skills,

he's even brought in a specialist juicer for the rhubarb.

Does it make a difference, with it being raw juice?

-I'm using this as I would lemon juice in a lemon tart.

-Yeah.

So it's exactly the same principle. In the end, this gets cooked.

So really keeping the flavour right the way through it. Yeah.

Paul's success this week has been built on a series of complicated dishes

and today's no exception.

There's always been a danger that he'll make a mistake.

And now...he has. He's split the chocolate for his peanut popcorn

and had to make a second batch.

Too many things going on at once,

so just do another, get another one on and keep on going.

Paul's slip-up hasn't got past Michael's beady eye.

-This one no good?

-No, er, I burnt that one.

-You burnt it?

-Yeah, it got a bit too hot.

OK. Schoolboy error, that one, is it?

Schoolboy error, I'm afraid, Michael.

-Hear that, John?

-Yeah.

-Seize the moment.

Paul's not the only one who's pushing himself to the limit.

Michael's concerned that John's elaborate strawberry platter could easily backfire.

He's out to prove he's more than just a restaurant chef. But will it mean compromising on quality?

-John, all good?

-Yeah, dehydrated strawberries to make powder

for my sherbet.

-Is this your, er...

-Pine nut praline, yeah. Just setting off, then strawberries poached.

This is the first time I've seen as many lists of ingredients on your courses.

-Yeah.

-Not bitten off more than you can chew, I hope.

-No.

I'll execute really well today.

-Presentation-wise, it's been a little bit your Achilles heel, hasn't it?

-It has, yeah,

with the platter, and I didn't quite execute the main course how you wanted.

But this is very vibrant, fun things going on, sherbets, strawberries.

It's a really vibrant dish.

The man John's most likely to catch is Andre,

having beaten him once this week already.

-Andre, how are you getting on?

-Very well. All on track.

So this is your compote?

-That's my compote.

-A bit of ginger?

-A little ginger infused, different flavours.

-Not afraid that this guy might be nipping your ankles?

-No, I don't think so.

Mine's more of a classical approach, bit more...

-maybe some classical pastry techniques.

-Yeah.

These two guys have got more of a modern approach going, so...

-Is that going to be enough?

-Yeah, I think so, yeah.

-Good.

Andre's talking the talk

but closest rival John can't resist a chance to try and take him down a peg or two.

-Is that going to be quite acidic at the bottom?

-No, I've just added a little sugar just to balance that.

-Candy it down a bit.

-Yeah, but then you've got the egg custard on top, so...

-Is that ginger, Chef?

-Yeah, a little ginger.

Blast-chill all the way, but not frozen.

You don't know if Andre's tart's going to be flamboyant enough for a street party

but sometimes the simple things are the best things. He may have a little trick up his sleeve.

Andre grew up in Bath.

He headed to the surrounding countryside to get some feedback on his idea for dessert.

In the South West, in the country, it's very easy to get isolated.

Where I live, in London, it's easy to just pop out, pop down the high street, grab a coffee.

In the country it's much different. It's very important for communities to stick together.

Opened in August 2009, the Galleries Shop and Cafe

was built by the community and is owned and run by the people of Freshford and Limpley Stoke.

-I'm Andre, nice to meet you.

-Christine. Pleased to meet you too.

-And this is Gita.

-Hello. Nice to meet you.

-Hello, Gita. Nice to meet you.

So, who works here? Is it all volunteer work, or how does it work?

I'm the manager, but everybody else volunteers, so it's a real community effort.

Even if the weather's bad, everyone still turns up and works really hard

and it's absolutely fantastic.

Since they rely on volunteers, they quickly put Andre to work.

There you go. There's the instructions.

His job is to deliver groceries to anyone who, for one reason or another,

isn't able to make it into the shop themselves.

-Hello.

-Good afternoon.

-I have a delivery for you.

-Thank you.

We had a shop and a post office in the village

but we've lost both now, so this replacement is absolutely marvellous.

After a morning's deliveries, it's back to the shop for Andre,

and a perfect opportunity to find out if his rhubarb tart

measures up to the volunteers' standards.

OK, then, ladies, here we go.

I've taken the idea of a French tarte au citron and I've juiced my rhubarb and made an egg custard.

But this is absolutely so smooth.

-But it's not too sweet, is it?

-No. It's really delicious.

Do you think it's impressive enough to serve at a grand occasion, in a street party maybe?

-Oh, yeah.

-Oh, yeah.

-Would you have it with cream or creme fraiche or...

-I don't think it needs...

-It needs something...

-No, I don't think so!

-I think it needs a bit of decoration.

Plenty of food for thought,

and, with the volunteers' blessing for his tart, Andre just has one last request.

I've really enjoyed having a look at what you do here, working with the community. It's been phenomenal.

As a mark of my appreciation, I'd like to invite,

if I get through to the final, to be my guest of honour at the banquet.

Ooh, yeah, we'll accept that!

-No promises at the moment, I've got to cook for the minute.

-Don't worry, you'll get there.

-But it would be an honour for me.

-Well, thank you very much.

-Thank YOU very much.

Back in the kitchen, three top chefs from the South West

are hard at it making perfect desserts to share.

Andre is hoping his classical rhubarb tart with contrasting side dishes will carry the day.

Paul's convinced that he can hold on to the lead

with his taste of the fairground.

And John's fighting to save his neck and reach the judges

with his strawberries and cream.

Michael Caines is scrutinising their every move

and he can sense the tension in the air.

I think the atmosphere is down to the fact that Paul is cruising along,

Andre seems very confident in his own ability

and I think John's just getting on with trying to do the best he can.

You know, last day, just crack it on.

Outsider John must produce a faultless dessert to go through to the judging chamber

but he knows he stands a better chance of surviving if one of his rivals stumbles at the final hurdle.

The tart is very, very technical.

It may sound simple but the pastry's got to be right, the custard rich enough, the jam taken down enough.

Paul's got a lot of key elements. He's got to get the doughnuts right,

he's got to make sure the custard's set on time. A lot can go wrong.

-Paul, how are you getting on?

-Good.

-So you're up in ten minutes?

-Pretty confident?

-Yeah. Just clearing down now and I'll start with plating everything up.

I notice actually you're both doing doughnuts.

-Battle of the doughnuts, yeah?

-Yeah!

Front-runner Paul's pulling out all the stops

and has even brought a fairground cart to display his dessert.

Andre, there's a lot going on over here and you've just got your tart. You're not feeling worried?

No, I think it's a damn good tart. But we'll see.

With plating up approaching, Paul's coming unstuck, or at least his marshmallows are.

And while he's distracted he leaves his doughnuts too long in the fryer.

They grow so big, they're only fit for the bin.

It's a huge blow, and for the first time this week Paul's really under pressure to deliver.

-How are you getting on, Paul?

-Yeah, just run into a bit of a problem.

They're souffleing up nicely, but too much.

-And then the marshmallows just starting to wilt under the weight of the apple.

-OK.

-So...bit behind.

-Bit of pressure, then?

-Bit of pressure.

-I'll leave you to it.

It just goes to show that only the smallest detail can put you in trouble

and when it goes wrong on desserts it can really be an opportunity for the others to step up.

Has Paul's winning streak come to an abrupt end?

He's already had to redo his chocolate

and now he's had to start over on his doughnuts and prepare some more marshmallows.

If anything else goes wrong, he could be out of the race.

That's what competition's about. You're under pressure and you make slip-ups.

But it's how then you come back that's the very important aspect.

John's watching closely. He knows this might be his chance to shine.

Paul finishes off his apple candyfloss without a hitch

and the coconut custard gets a topping of peanut and chocolate popcorn.

But his second batch of doughnuts are still too big

and, having missed his deadline for plating up, there's no time to fix it.

Sorry I'm late. Er, there we are. That's my taste of the fairground.

Are you happy with the... the doughnuts in the end?

Next time I think I could set them, rather than maybe going fresh.

So apart from being late I'm really, really pleased.

Well, let's take it.

Has Paul overreached himself this time?

Michael won't be making any allowances if his dish fails to hit the mark.

So this is a vanilla marshmallow with a cider toffee apple?

Yeah, it is, yeah.

It's sticking a bit. I think perhaps it could be set a bit more.

Mm. And you're happy with the vanilla in that marshmallow?

Yeah. I just wanted to keep it just a nice, simple marshmallow.

-The apple's not too sweet. I think he's done that on purpose because the marshmallow is so sweet.

-Yeah.

Let's move on to your doughnut. It's sunk a little. Are you happy with that?

Might have rushed it at the end, left it in the fryer a bit long.

Is there a little bit of an eggy taste there for you?

Yeah. I'm sure he's disappointed with that.

-This coconut custard...

-Yeah.

-This texture here, is that what you were looking for?

-Yeah. Wanted just a nice, thick...thick custard.

For me, I like a custard a bit more set, but it's personal preference.

Yeah, I like it a bit more set.

Perhaps he's bitten off a little more than he can chew.

It's got a lot of humour. Are you happy it's got enough substance?

Yeah, definitely. For me, you know, the fair's come into town.

I've done everything I can and I'm really happy with it.

Paul's done his best to convince Michael, but is it enough to get him through?

Probably sort of just executed the dessert a little bit better.

It's a real sort of waiting game, kind of really numb feeling.

Now the spotlight's on John. After a far from perfect effort from Paul,

this could be his chance to squeeze into the top two, and he knows it.

His clotted-cream cheesecake gets a sparkling-wine-poached strawberry each.

Macerated strawberries with mint are covered with strawberry foam.

And a pine nut praline gets a scoop of creme fraiche sorbet

sprinkled with a strawberry sherbet.

Finally, his doughnuts get a squirt of strawberry jam filling, and he's done.

There it is, guys -

strawberries and cream.

Obviously, John, you're happy now with the presentation,

-that this is going to get people...

-I think I've nailed it, I've encaptured it.

It's my show piece. Trying to get those points back today.

-Hopefully I've delivered that today.

-Do you think this is...

a dish that's befitting for the people at the banquet?

There's so much to talk about, so much to get going,

the sorbet's holding up nice.

It's doable, really doable.

OK.

John's delivered a sharing platter on time and without any mistakes.

Will this strawberry smorgasbord be good enough to save him?

-This is the creme fraiche sorbet.

-Yeah.

With the little pine nut praline underneath.

And are you happy with the texture there?

It's there. It holds up.

OK.

Creme fraiche sorbet has a nice acidity, I like that.

Lovely. With the sherbet and the praline crunch he's put on the bottom.

You're getting the champagne with that and it should just settle it. It's got a nice consistency.

Fresh as it can be.

OK.

Moving on now to the doughnut...

-Good doughnut.

-Good doughnut, yeah.

For me, that's a doughnut.

And you've got enough strawberry flavour coming through that doughnut?

Yeah. Perhaps I could've got more jam in there, in hindsight.

Hmm.

Well, John, you've had it all to do. Do you think this has brought you back in the hunt for the final?

I've pulled it out the bag.

When you see the trouble that Paul was in,

I'm in with a fighting chance today.

'I'm truly exhausted. I've put my heart and soul into everything this week and done the best I can do.'

Part of me is a little bit relieved it's all over

and just now, the anxiety's kicking in, to wait for the results.

Before the moment of reckoning, there's still one more dish to go.

Andre's well aware that after a strong showing from John

he's got to go for broke to cling onto his place in Friday's judging.

He puts the finishing touches to his rhubarb tart,

based on a classic French tarte au citron.

Then, dishes out his poached rhubarb and vanilla cream

to be arranged around his patisserie centrepiece,

and he's ready.

-Happy with this?

-Yeah, very happy. It's come together well.

Do you think this has got that wow factor?

Yeah, I think so. I think it looks quite spectacular.

And I want that sort of... afternoon tea idea, in a way.

Something in the centre of the table.

So Michelin Star winner Andre's feeling confident,

but will Michael shoot him down?

Is this dessert suitable for the ultimate street party,

or is it more of a refined restaurant dish?

Do you think it's got that wow factor?

I think so, I wanted to show some techniques and some pastry skills,

but again, I wanted a little bit of simplicity.

So I came up with a different layering.

Yeah, I'm very pleased at how it's turned out.

So you're getting the four layers. You're getting the salty and sweet pastry,

the acidic rhubarb, and then the custard.

And then obviously you've got the crumble topping.

-It's absolutely stunning.

-A lot of skill went into this.

It's hardly cooked. I've peeled the rhubarb as well and then poached it in Grenadine.

That gives it a little bit of lightness to eat alongside the tart as well.

Mmm.

How do you think that's working?

I think alongside the tart it'll work very well.

Beautiful pastry. I'll have to get the recipe off him for that one.

Do you feel this dish embodies that sharing concept?

Yeah, I think I've done it well.

There might be a simple look to it, but there's a passion going through the dish.

Yeah, I think it would be a visual spectacle to go down in the middle of a large table.

I think I've done enough to come out of this as the winner,

or if not, at least to go through in the top two.

I think the other guys had a lot going on in their dishes and, um...

Yeah, not all of them came off that well.

Michael's opinion is the one that matters.

Right now, Paul's two points ahead of Andre, with John in last place.

But that could soon change.

I'll be extremely gutted if I'm not cooking for the judges.

It's been a long journey to get this far. I stitched myself up on my fish course,

but then I tried clawing that back. Hopefully I've done that with my dessert.

You enter things to win, to be up there,

to better yourself,

and that's what I hope to do.

I've put my absolute heart and soul into this competition.

I know I've probably been criticised that I might've taken on too much,

but I'd rather do that and go away knowing that I give it everything

than going way feeling that I didn't quite do enough.

The waiting's over,

Michael's made up his mind,

this is the moment of truth.

Paul, for your taste of the fairground...

wonderful visual display.

The whole dish, though, lacked a bit of substance for me

and I thought the doughnuts were a little bit hollow

and perhaps weren't to quite the spec you wanted to achieve there.

John, your strawberries and cream.

Great taste, great flavours.

The poached strawberries really worked for me, I really like that.

Doughnuts - just a little bit heavy, and I think maybe lacked a bit of strawberry.

Could do with a little bit more of that strawberry flavour through it.

Andre, the rhubarb tart...

Technically brilliant.

I thought it was outstanding. It ate really well, I didn't leave anything.

When you left I carried on eating.

I thought the tart base was a little bit thin

and if you're going to do that for 100 people, it might be a little bit fragile.

It lacked also a little bit of the fireworks that Paul gave us.

Gentlemen, as you know, only two of you can go through

to cook for the judges.

So, with a score of nine for their dessert,

making them the highest-scoring chef this week...

..is...

..Andre.

Congratulations, Andre.

You will be cooking your menu for the judges tomorrow.

So that leaves two chefs with only one place to cook for the judges.

Well, I can announce that Paul, I gave your taste of the fairground

six points.

And John, your strawberries with clotted cream...

..seven.

Which means, your total, Paul,

secures you as a second chef

that'll go forward and cook for the judges tomorrow.

Congratulations, Paul. Well done.

Commiserations, John. You'll have to say goodbye.

Andre and Paul, keep it up now to the final

and do me proud.

So Andre stormed to victory with a total of 31 points.

Having led all week, Paul came in second with 30.

And despite a valiant comeback,

John finished with 25...

and is going home.

The consistency let me down on my fish course.

I've tried my goddamn hardest to get it back, but it wasn't enough.

Tomorrow, Andre and Paul face an even tougher challenge.

I'm determined to get my menu through

and I'm determined to represent the South West.

I'm going to be coming in tomorrow and absolutely gunning it.

The judges are in session and they won't be holding back.

I don't get it.

It's pretty tasteless.

I don't think it's thought out for 100 people. It's a very good dish for three.

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