Scotland Starter Great British Menu

This year's Great British Menu has witnessed awe-inspiring dishes from some world-class chefs.

There have been tears,

-tension...

-I had some jelly in a jug and it's gone.

..and the inevitable tantrums.

-Do you want me to shut up?

-Yeah, that would be great.

-I get it.

The aim - to get their dishes on the menu at the ultimate street party.

The contenders are all desperate to impress the veteran chefs.

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

It's a new week and today three of Scotland's finest chefs will be cooking their starters.

Returning regional finalist Michael Smith is determined this time to go all the way.

Every year you have to up your game. It's as tough, if not tougher, than last year.

After losing last year, Tony Singh is hell bent on surviving the week.

Fired up. Want to beat the other two and get to the final.

And Michelin-starred newcomer Philip Carnegie is out to prove his worth.

Obviously, I'm here for the long run and that's what my aim is to do. I hate getting beat.

The focus of this extraordinary cooking

is creating fantastic sharing platters for the People's Banquet

and the chefs are under no illusion about the task at hand.

It's so tough this year. The brief is so, so different.

You have to be 100 percent each day. I mean, there's no excuses for it.

The chefs have been inspired by the Big Lunch, an annual event that encourages people across the nation

to cook and eat with their neighbours.

THEY CHEER

Their first hurdle is a Michelin-starred former champion

who knows exactly how gruelling this contest is.

This week it's Alan Murchison who's judging two chefs he beat in the kitchen last year.

Obviously, I was up against him in the final last year and he was victorious.

He's going to be tough to please.

He's got three restaurants, three stars. Very high standards. I think he's going to be a tough guy.

What I'm going to be looking for this week is perfection.

They have to deliver every dish on the money.

Come Thursday, he'll be sending the two highest-scoring chefs through to the judges and one chef home.

I know Alan's judging will be very strict. Very, very strict.

I'd be gutted if I was the first chef sent home again. Definitely not on my list to get done.

First up is returning regional finalist Michael Smith.

Head chef at the Three Chimneys on the shores of Loch Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye.

-Service, please.

-He beat Tony in the regional heats last year

but lost out to Alan in the judges' chamber and is determined to get to the final this time

with simple twists on Scottish classics.

OK, you've got a right box of tricks here, lots of seeds and nuts.

-Mm-hm.

-Talk us through your dish.

-My dish is a whole baked brie.

That's going to be encased in a struan bread and there'll be some accompaniments along with it,

-a little bit of grape jelly.

-Effectively, this is a posh cheese on toast.

-Er, it's based around that, aye.

-One concern I've got, where are you going to get the wow factor?

When it arrives, hopefully people will go, "This looks amazing" and then, "I just want to get stuck in".

So Michael's really gone for the sharing idea

with his fondue-style whole baked cheese,

but Alan's not convinced by his homely choice.

It's such a simple dish, there's nowhere to hide.

He's only got two or three elements to this and everything has got to be perfect.

-How long for a pigeon and a plaice?

-30 seconds, chef.

Next up is returning contender Tony Singh.

Check on, Ruby Murray and a beef stroganoff.

Chef director at Oloroso, perched high above Edinburgh's city centre.

He failed to get through to the judges last year but is back with a vengeance.

And a quirky menu that draws on his Scottish, Indian and Sikh heritage.

-OK, talk me through what you're going to do today.

-Kentucky fried rabbit.

-OK. What was the inspiration behind this?

-Well, it's for sharing,

it's dead simple, it's finger food, street food, pretty fun.

-What are you going to serve with the rabbit?

-A nice hot mustard

-and an Asian slaw.

-Fried rabbit, coleslaw, where's the wow factor?

Bit of magic. Pull it from a hat.

-Yeah, rabbit from a hat.

-HE LAUGHS

-OK, you're going to pull a rabbit from a hat.

-Yeah.

So Tony's opted for an unconventional dish,

presented in a humorous way to get everyone talking.

But does Alan see the funny side?

Deep fried rabbit for 100-odd people? I'm not convinced.

This is a little bit of a knife edge.

Let's just hope he gets the presentation and delivery spot on.

Last but not least, it's Great British Menu first-timer Philip Carnegie,

who's run the kitchens at Fort William's Inverlochy Castle for ten years

and held onto a coveted Michelin star for two.

He's hoping to make a big first impression with a refined chefy menu.

-Talk me through your dish, Philip. You've got some nice squab pigeons.

-Yep. They'll be boned out

and that's going to be the stuffing for globe artichoke.

And then it's going to be chicken mousse going over.

And then all that will be baked in the oven.

This is quite a complicated dish and I think you've got a little bit of work to do here.

How are you going to get the impact on presentation? What will give you the edge?

The wow factor is simply when it gets cut open,

because when it comes to the table, people will be thinking, "Where's the pigeon gone?"

I think Philip might need a bit of a push at some stage. Best of luck

-and looking forward to good tasting.

-You didn't offer to help us.

You're under control. You're old hands! It's Philip's first time.

-Oh, we're fine, Philip. Right behind him.

-He's the new guy.

Philip is looking to wow with his virtuoso starter

but artichoke stuffed with a whole pigeon needs precision cooking.

He's put himself under a lot of pressure with this dish. He's got a lot of things that could go wrong.

I've got a feeling we could be looking at a car crash.

Battle underway, returning competitors Tony and Michael have a score to settle.

Michael knocked Tony out of the competition early last year,

something he hopes to do again with his simple baked cheese.

Last year, my starter was overcomplicated or tricky,

-so this one I've tried to make as achievable as possible this year.

-OK.

It's a battle plan Tony's adopted, too,

with his witty deep-fried rabbit.

You learned from last year, any mistakes...?

Aye. Last year, loads of stuff. Too many things going on.

-Simplified it?

-Aye. I think it might be too simple, though, that's the thing.

-So, aye, we'll see.

-I think that's maybe the key. I've got too much going on.

New boy Philip's hoping to out-class his rivals with his pigeon-stuffed artichoke.

But has he bitten off more than he can chew?

-As long as you can pull it off, it doesn't matter.

-Is he playing mind games?

-I think so.

You'll be all right. If you can pull rabbits out of a hat, you can do anything.

-Well, aye, this is it.

-HE LAUGHS

-I like that one.

-Aye, it's fairly quirky.

It's dead easy. It's like me. Simple things.

Tony might be getting a ribbing from his rivals

but veteran Alan knows this year's brief is seriously tough.

This is a different game altogether to cooking in a restaurant kitchen.

It has to be visually excellent. They have to have thought about food bringing everybody together

and the interaction of the guests. If they don't get it right, they go home.

Michael knows this only too well having lost out to Alan last year.

He's making bread dough for his rustic baked cheese,

a dish Michelin-starred Alan thinks might lack finesse.

-Looking busy. Are you pretending to be really busy, Mike?

-No.

Why would I do that?

I think you've gone fairly safe with this starter.

-You think I've gone safe?

-Yeah.

It might seem fundamentally simple.

Part of the dough is to encase the cheese

and the other part, I'm going to use the dough to make crisp breads.

-So you can dip it in?

-That's the idea.

I'm not convinced that this is going to be absolutely right.

Does it set the expectations for the rest of the meal quite high enough? I'm not sure.

But Michael thinks his simple starter ticks all the boxes for the sharing brief.

Hopefully my starter this year should be perfect for the People's Banquet.

It relaxes people from the off, they get stuck in and it sets the tone for the rest of the meal.

All the chefs have been on a mission to find inspiration

for truly show-stopping platters for the ultimate street party.

Michael's search for the perfect menu took him over 100 miles from his new home in Skye

to Inverness, where he was born and bred.

-Hiya, Mam.

-Hi! Lovely to see you!

-How you doing, all right?

-Yeah, I'm good.

It was here he first discovered his passion for preparing and sharing food.

The very first time I was aware of Michael's interest in cooking was a Mother's Day

when he probably would be about eight years old

and he presented me, in bed, with a lovely tray, beautiful scrambled eggs.

Unfortunately, the parsley decoration still had the roots on plus the earth.

He had pulled it straight from the garden and plonked it on the scrambled eggs.

Despite his boyhood mistakes, Michael was soon cooking up tasty family meals,

sharing experiences he's using to inspire his menu.

In my mind, the best dishes to share are very simplistic.

There's nothing fancy about them, there's nothing too elaborate about them.

I want the food to break down barriers and get everybody having a good time.

He's got high hopes for his strategy.

This year, I'm doing whatever it takes, I think, to get all the way to the People's Banquet.

Back in the kitchen, Michael's toasted some seeds to go with his baked cheese,

a straightforward dish he's hoping will trounce his award-winning rival.

Boys, are you worried about having Phil with his Michelin star pedigree in the kitchen?

He knows what he's doing, he's got a Michelin star,

whether that's good for this brief or not, we'll find out.

I'm a bit worried that he might be teacher's pet because he's got similar styles to Alan.

Classical French, the whole Michelin star thing. But hopefully not.

Philip's looking to pull in the points by showing off his technical skill.

He'll be making a jus to accompany his stuffed artichoke,

a complicated dish Alan will be watching closely.

And across the kitchen, Tony's counting on unique flavour combinations to pack a punch,

making a pungent spice mix for his fried rabbit.

It's quite strong. Do you think you've got the balance right with all the different flavours?

You're countering the breadcrumb, the rabbit that's been gently marinated in a bit of spice,

so hopefully that'll be spot on.

Tony thinks his rabbit in a hat has the fun factor.

But Alan's worried the joke might be on him.

My concerns would be, is everybody going to be comfortable eating a fluffy little bunny rabbit?

Is this the right choice for the People's Banquet?

Tony thinks so and he's put a lot of thought into his menu.

I've just done stuff that's food memories to me.

So this harks back to good old times.

Tony grew up in Leith, north of Edinburgh,

in a large household where food to share was part and parcel of everyday life.

Cooking for sharing, we've always done it. Extended families have always come round.

So there's always been catering on a big scale.

He still lives in the family home.

-Hi.

-Hi, Mum.

-How are you?

And helps his mother prepare meals to share on a daily basis.

When food is shared, you're sharing different experiences.

It's ingredients for a good evening.

Eating together with his family inspired him to take his cooking to the next level.

He was about 16, 17 when he decided, once he left school, that that's what he was wanting to do.

At that point, we never thought that one day he would be the chef he is today.

I think my dad's definitely going to get through to the final.

He's confident with what he's cooking and he knows what he's doing.

It's heart-warming, homely food Tony's using to inspire his menu.

The food I put up for this year's competition represents me.

It's fun and it's tasty and that's how I see myself.

He's banking on his playful menu to get him all the way to the banquet.

I have to win or I just cannot show my face again in the kitchen. The boys will do me in.

Back in the Great British Menu kitchen, Tony's making Asian slaw,

another strong flavour to accompany his already spicy deep-fried rabbit.

It's a bit punchy, but we've not added anything else to it, just a bit of mint to finish it.

Across the kitchen, Michael's making a grape jelly to accompany his simple bread and cheese,

a dish Alan thinks is more of a canape than a starter.

All things that you would associate with having the cheese just, you know,

applying different techniques to it.

He and Tony have both learnt from past experience

and opted for straightforward dishes achievable at the banquet.

Unlike new boy Philip, whose complex pigeon-stuffed artichoke

has him juggling many different components.

Busy boy here, Phil. You've got it all going on.

Just getting the stuffing ready for the artichoke.

Chicken has been tested. Some wood pigeons to infuse into my sauce

and then I've got to bring it all together very shortly, start building it.

It's a risky dish that needs meticulous cooking

to ensure the pigeon in the middle stays pink

and Alan's not sure the gamble's worth it.

This is a people's banquet, it's about cooking for a group of people, bringing them all together.

Is pigeon cooked pink the right thing for a group of individuals? I'm not convinced it is.

Philip Carnegie's quest for ideas for his sharing menu

took him to the self-sufficient farm where he grew up, just outside Aberdeen.

-Hi, Dad!

-How you doing? Haven't seen you for a long time.

Here family meal times were the result of many hours work and a highlight of Philip's childhood.

I was brought up on a farm,

a working farm, we did everything ourselves.

We'd... In the winter time, for example, we used to kill our own cattle so we always had fresh meat.

And my mum... We'd share loads of dishes on the plate.

The tatties, veg, meat, gravy, and we all just stuck in and helped ourselves.

It's these happy memories of preparing and sharing food

that Philip's used to inspire his menu

which he hopes will bring as much joy to the guests at the street party.

I think the food sharing thing is a good idea. It's nice that people are taking time out to do that.

But to see his dishes shared at the banquet, there's still a way to go.

We'll just have to wait and see. Hopefully it's going to be my lucky day.

Back in the kitchen, three of Scotland's top chefs are engaged in battle over their starters.

Returning finalist Michael is keeping things simple

with a traditional baked cheese.

Last year's loser Tony

is looking for laughs with his witty rabbit in a hat.

And new boy Philip is stuffing artichokes with pigeon

in an attempt to outdo them both.

Deciding on who stays and who goes is veteran Alan Murchison,

who only last year beat Tony and Michael.

Phil's just running on nervous energy. He's the new boy, he's in there.

Michael and Tony seem very relaxed, almost too relaxed. That's a dangerous place to be.

If you're too relaxed here, it could bite you.

With plating up fast approaching, everyone's focus is on presentation.

Tony thinks he's got it nailed

with his specially designed rabbit in a hat.

It's a dish that doesn't require much technical wizardry and Michael can't resist a dig.

-That's crackers.

-Aye. It's a top hat.

HE LAUGHS

-Do you get coleslaw and baked beans with that?

-Not at all.

Phil, have you got a feast for the eyes in your pigeon starter?

The feast for the eyes is when it actually gets cut open and hopefully the pigeon will be pink inside.

I think mine will be a wee bit simple compared to these guys.

Tony's really thought about the presentation of his dish. He's got rabbit in a hat.

That's quite a clever twist. The other guys don't seem to have thought about the bigger picture.

I don't see where the wow factor's going to come in.

Tony could steal a march here.

While he and Michael are putting the finishing touches to their straightforward dishes,

Michelin-starred Philip's pigeon-stuffed artichoke isn't even cooked yet.

Are you going to steam this afterwards, then?

No, it's going to be wrapped up and then quickly in a pan,

just get a little bit of colour on it, then into the oven on 225 for about eight minutes.

It's a complicated process and one he needs to get spot on

or risk overcooking his pigeon.

You can't see the pigeon whatsoever until you cut it open

so it needs to be cooked well, rested well. It has to be 100 percent right.

Luckily for Philip, Michael's first to plate up today

and has his straightforward baked cheese ready to go.

He's letting its rustic charm do the talking, presenting it on a simple wooden tray

with a bowl of toasted seeds,

some grape jelly,

tomato relish and shards of crisp bread.

A traditional dish designed for sharing. But is it worthy of a People's Banquet?

-You happy with the presentation?

-Yeah, I'm happy.

-How would you eat it?

-Break the bread up, just make little bite sizes

-and you can put a bit of jelly on, a bit of relish, a bit of the seed mix if you want.

-Shall we go for it?

Has Michael taken simplicity too far?

A fitting start to a People's Banquet, do you think?

It sets the tone. Interaction. It's going to make them relaxed. They'll enjoy themselves.

It's not challenging. It's melted cheese, it's comforting.

This is flat bread.

It's amazing how quickly it sets when it's out of the crust.

It's not a strong one.

Do it yourself canapes.

The fennel seed I think is too strong. I got one of them

and your mouth just... That's all you can taste.

This crunch, it's really crisp. Is it what you were looking for?

-There's a lot there for a starter, though.

-Yeah, there's a lot, but it's moreish.

The dish has turned out the way I planned it, the way I'd rehearsed it, so I'm happy.

Tony's deep-fried rabbit with Asian slaw is up next.

And he has a lot of last-minute cooking to do.

Alan's worried this might be hard to pull off at the banquet.

But first, Tony must impress him today.

If Tony's dish comes up to the pass and the rabbit isn't cooked perfectly,

this will be a major down for this dish. Raw rabbit is not acceptable under any circumstances.

Time up, Tony gets his breaded rabbit out of the fryer,

dishes up a hearty bowl of Asian slaw

and fills up his top hat serving dish, just one of the quirky props Tony has up his sleeve.

-Rabbit in a hat.

-In a hat.

-As it says on the tin.

You need to put this on. It's for all the dishes. Get it on.

-Have I been stitched up here?

-Not at all.

-THEY LAUGH

-Are you happy with the presentation?

-Yeah. It's what it says.

-OK. Shall I be father?

-You can be father.

-OK.

You can see it's generous portions I'm giving out.

-Some rabbit there.

-Rabbit.

-OK. Shall we?

-Yes.

Will Tony's deep-fried rabbit have the magic needed to kick off the Great British Menu?

Do you believe this is a fitting opening to the People's Banquet?

I think so. It's a bit of a laugh. It's a giggle. Rabbit in a hat.

Gets them talking, interacting with each other and with the food.

Tasty and you can have a laugh.

Rabbit in a hat, that's going to definitely get people talking.

-Aye, certainly is.

-Puts a smile on your face.

-Yeah.

-It says Tony all over it to me.

-It certainly does.

-Would you have any concerns that it might be a bit dry?

-Not if you've cooked it right. It's moist, juicy.

-There's a lot of strong flavours.

-Do you think the crumb overtakes the rabbit a wee bit?

-You mean spicy?

-Mm.

-Er, maybe a little bit less would be...

-It's quite a subtle flavour, rabbit, isn't it?

-Yep.

-Happy with the balance of the slaw?

-A little sharper.

So you obviously get the humour behind the rabbit in a hat. Do you think the guests will get that?

If you see the menu first, you're waiting to see what comes, and it's fun, it's sharing.

I think my presentation was a bit more wowwy.

Hopefully Alan will take that into account. Depends if he has a sense of humour.

Now it's new boy Philip's turn and he's definitely not smiling.

Disaster has struck his pigeon-stuffed artichoke.

Left in the oven at too high a temperature, it's a schoolboy error which could be his undoing.

It's cremated the top.

And he has no choice but to start from scratch.

-Do you need more time?

-Er, maybe five minutes, I'll try and salvage this.

Luckily for Philip, he has the wherewithal for a second attempt.

But a chef of his calibre shouldn't be making mistakes like this and it could cost him valuable points.

Not a great start to the week. We're going to really see, on the first day, how good a cook Phil is.

I hope he can rescue this cos otherwise the competition could be over for him on day one.

Having salvaged the base, he remakes his dish.

And gets it in the oven

where he keeps an extra-cautious eye on it,

knowing full well this really is his last chance.

Then, with time against him, prepares his chantrelle mushrooms,

blanched asparagus and new pigeon-stuffed artichoke.

Then delivers it to the pass.

-Is that a relief?

-Yes.

-You made hard work of that. Do you want me to carve?

-Yep.

-I just hope it's going to be all right in the middle.

-No pressure.

-Ohh!

-Hey?

-Fantastic.

OK. Touch of sauce and then we're off.

-We're off, yep.

-All right?

-Let's go for it.

It's a good recovery, but is it too risky a dish to open the People's Banquet?

-Looks nice.

-Looks very nice but it looks a lot of work.

-It's a lot of work.

In my head, it's not what I would class as sharing food.

So do you feel this fits the brief, a sharing dish for the People's Banquet?

It is what it is.

The dish is so simple. I think the flavour is there.

-Well seasoned.

-Mm.

That scaled up for 100 people?

-That's a lot of work.

-Could it be done?

Pigeon cooking - what do you think of that?

For the pigeon cooking, I would take it down a little bit less.

But I don't think it's too bad considering.

-Technically, nothing wrong with it, but is it right for this year's brief?

-No.

You need to go for a lie down.

-I need to go for a pint!

-THEY LAUGH

I think I did recover. I did all right.

Erm...

Happy enough with it, so we'll just have to wait and see.

All three starters tasted, the chefs can now only wait anxiously for Alan's verdict.

It's really nerve-racking. It's tough, tough competition. You're under a lot of duress.

I'm a bit nervous on how Alan's going to mark. I don't think they'll be high.

I'm just waiting for the scores. It would be a confidence booster to whoever is leading the way.

Time to find out who our front-runners are after day one.

I'm going to start with you, Michael.

Baked Highland style brie with struan bread.

I thought it had great flavour, a really consistent product, and I loved the traditional recipes.

For me, though, it lacked a bit of real impact.

We need to take it from a nice dish to one that's worthy of the banquet.

Tony.

The presentation amused me, it tickled me,

it made me smile and I think you hit the tone perfectly right.

On a negative side, maybe one too many flavours.

Philip,

you deserve a big pat on the back for the way you recovered that situation.

You did have to start again, though, and we have to consider that.

It was a restaurant dish in my view.

Not sure if it had the wow factor that you would want

and I'm not convinced that I would want to do that dish for 100.

Right, Michael.

For your Highland brie,

I'm going to give you

six out of ten.

Tony,

fried rabbit, Asian slaw,

I'm also giving you six out of ten.

Philip,

pigeon-stuffed artichoke, taking into account everything today,

I'm going to give you four out of ten.

All to play for, keep your heads up, recover and good luck with the fish course.

Thank you, guys.

Well done.

-It's not easy, is it?

-Nah.

It's been a tough first battle,

but now Michael and Tony are in joint first place with six points,

leaving Philip trailing behind with just four

for his over-complicated stuffed artichoke.

Knock me down, I'll just get straight back up again. That's just the way I roll.

We're all in the running so I've just got to remain focused.

With the top two neck and neck, tomorrow's fish course could be a game changer.

No margin for error with fish cooking. It has to be perfect.

And Philip will be giving it his all to catch his rivals.

After the disaster I had with the oven, this is serious stuff now.

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