Mains Final Great British Menu

The climax of Great British Menu is drawing near.

Eight heavyweights of British cooking are slugging it out

to get a dish on the menu at the ultimate street party.

Yesterday's fish course saw moments of genius...

It's an epiphany, it's...amazing!

-It's a ten!

-..and total devastation.

You should have listened to me.

-There was a bin beside you. That's where it belonged.

-Ouch!

Today it's the main course, and it's the one they're all desperate to win.

If today is anything like yesterday, we're in for an amazing day.

The meat course, I mean, it's the big one, really, isn't it?

What we put through yesterday, all of those are going to have gasps and wow.

With this course, they've got to top that.

Reigning main-course champion Tom

will be going all out to defend his crown.

It's about time you let somebody else get into the top three.

But with four of the chefs cooking very similar dishes...

You're doing piggy, I'm doing piggy.

..the going's about to get even tougher.

-Everything's getting covered in ash.

-Gravy... Gravy, gravy, gravy.

Paul, you're seven minutes late, do you know that?

It's time for the big boy to start flexing his muscles and show them what I can do.

It's day three, and with two courses under their belts, some of the chefs are upbeat...

Feeling extremely positive, extremely confident,

so I'm looking forward to being in the top three again today.

..while others have had their confidence knocked.

I don't want to come last again today. "From hero to zero,"

I think that was the words were spoken to me yesterday.

I don't want to hear those words again today.

For the finalists yet to get the judges' seal of approval, the pressure is immense.

There's three guys today - me, Andrew and Paul - that have not got into the top three.

We're the three that need to nail it.

I'm determined to get one of my dishes into the last

three, you know, be it main course, be it dessert.

The reality of not getting one there is slowly creeping in now,

so I've got a lot of work to do.

Their challenge has been to create amazing food to share,

dishes inspired by unsung heroes in their communities

who already use food to bring people together.

And they'll be guests of honour at the People's Banquet, should they win.

I'd love a place at the banquet, I want somebody at that banquet.

First, they have to get past the formidable judges.

Today the fearsome threesome are joined by an even fiercer former champion,

a chef with not one but two Michelin stars to his name.

He had the honour of cooking for the Queen at her 80th birthday banquet.

It's Marcus Wareing.

-Welcome, Marcus.

-It's great to be back.

It's meat today.

Now, it's a bit different from previous Great British Menus, to be honest with you.

It's on a much bigger scale,

food that makes almost as big a dramatic statement as it does a gastronomic statement.

And I think they've got to take themselves away from the restaurant.

This is so different to what they normally do

that it's going to be taking them out of their comfort zone, which can be very difficult.

There's going to be real pressure in

-there today, I think.

-The judges will only decide

on the winning dishes once they've tasted all four courses.

With cooking about to start, the chefs make their way to the judging chamber to receive their orders.

They can tweak the dishes they cooked in the heats but can only completely change one of the four.

-Good morning, chefs.

-Good morning.

You gave us a spectacular show yesterday,

and today it's the meat course, which for many people will be the absolute pinnacle of the banquet.

The main course is the one I think all the chefs do want to be involved in and want to cook.

But quite interesting that there's four pork dishes.

Pork is the one I got knocked out of.

May I remind you that we have never had pork on the final banquet of the Great British Menu?

-So this may be the day.

-It may not.

It may not be the day, we'll see.

So, please, off to the kitchen.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

All eight chefs are under enormous pressure to perform today,

and having Marcus in the judging chamber isn't helping.

He knows his stuff, two-starred Michelin chef.

He's going to have very high standards, isn't he?

So the pressure's going to be on.

-I've got the fear.

-Paul Ainsworth knows all too well what a hard

taskmaster he can be, having trained under Marcus six years ago.

That is one tough cookie to please. He scrutinises absolutely everything.

And returning banquet champion Lisa Allen has already felt the force of his gaze in the regional heats.

He's going to be judging you on, you know, execution, what you've taken the brief, can you deliver?

And it is scary, I mean, I was absolutely terrified.

Perfectionist Lisa's first into the kitchen today, joined by newcomer

Michael Smith and Tom Kerridge, whose main course took him all the way to the banquet last year.

-All right there, chef?

-Yeah, I travel lightly!

He's first to cook today and desperate to prove his worth,

having failed to secure a top-three finish so far.

Tom will be really going for it today, won't he?

-He's used to being at the the top.

-Jason gave him a ten for this dish, so I think he's going to...

Could this be Tom's course?

Well, he's the main-course maestro, isn't he? So, er...it could be the one.

Tom's hoping his roast hog with salt-baked potatoes, apple sauce and cider

will reach the same dizzying heights it achieved in the heats, but he can't afford to be complacent.

The guys know the score that Jason gave me, I've made sure I tell them

all, so it may be they're a little bit nervous, they know that I got ten out of ten and I won it last year.

So it's only down to me to mess it all up.

And if I don't get into the top three, my chances of getting to that banquet are fading fast.

I absolutely loved this dish. It was on the money.

The potatoes, he needs to have done a bit of work on the potatoes.

They were lovely in the sense that it was like

unearthing potatoes, they were whole, but they didn't taste very good.

I mean, all the drama was there but none of the flavour.

Tom's determined to be the first chef in Great British Menu history to win the main course twice.

He's one of four chefs cooking pork today, and Andrew, Chris and Paul are all watching him like hawks

as his cheap cuts of trotter, head and belly get the Michelin-star treatment.

Today I'm hoping that I hit the mark twice, execution and fun.

He's cooking with two of yesterday's star players, who, judging by their props, mean business.

-Is that a barbecue as well, chef?

-I'm doing a barbecue, aye.

Battle of the barbecues.

-But Tom has a secret weapon of his own.

-How are we doing, chaps?

Come on in, you know the way.

Is there a petting zoo in there? Huh? What's going on?

-He's certainly got some theatre going on there, hasn't he?

-What's all that about?

-Bah!

I wanted a complete sensory thing going on, so you're sat on bales of hay.

Is this your idea of a roll in the hay?

No! Especially not with you, anyway!

I wanted it to feel like everything matched, that you're

at a farmyard, you're drinking cider, there's bunting there.

You're having roast pork. It's like a hog roast, but just a little bit more special.

His battle plan has his opponents worried.

I'm going to get a tractor and a horse to bring mine in.

And it's not the only trick Tom has up his sleeve.

His potatoes, cooked in a salt crust to break open at the table, are also attracting attention.

Phwoar! That smells absolutely mental.

Rivals Michael and Lisa are also throwing everything at the sharing brief.

Their specially adapted indoor barbecues have made for a smoking hot kitchen, and Tom's not happy.

-Everything's getting covered in ash, guys.

-Sorry!

-BLEEP

-it's snowing!

I'm about to plate up.

He's got no choice but to plough on, watched closely by

the other contenders in the battle of the pork.

He gets his rolled belly on the platter with his trotters,

strains his gravy and adds his pig's-head fritters.

Finally, he delivers it to the pass with his salad, sides and all-important cider.

Jug of gravy...flagon of cider...paper cups.

Bosh!

Has Tom done enough to see history repeat itself?

The trotter was perfect for me, the potato sack brilliant.

Very simple but everything was spot-on and accurate. It's got to be a top-three contender.

I need it to be a top-three contender.

I think that looks fantastic down the end. It really does.

Let's just break this up.

Well, this does look good.

Prue, what about a glass of cider?

Yes, what about it? I'm sitting on it, waiting.

Well, it's a dish for sharing, isn't it?

It gets everything moving backwards and forwards, up and down the table.

Bit of cider, bit of gravy, bit of apple sauce.

Really satisfying, isn't it?

The first marked change is in the quality of the potato.

There's a big, earthy, potatoey flavour.

-Gosh.

-Wow.

I feel like I could just not bother with the other seven, just carry on with eating this.

This is absolutely delicious. Really, really, really good.

And he has managed not to allow the thing to be fatty, you know?

Belly is very fatty, crackling is fatty...

I think the crackling is about as perfect as crackling gets.

I mean, there's a technical level of

creativity here which is absolutely extraordinary.

Also, I think the restraint in that salad is just wonderful.

Absolutely plain lettuce leaves, a few bits of bacon and sort of salad cream type...

I hate to sound a dissenting voice...

You are not allowed to not like anything.

-I do think that the salad dressing is too powerful. Secondly...

-He is talking rubbish!

Secondly, I still find, you know, the presentation of the meat

not quite sort of...

it's not a bold enough statement.

Matthew, stop drinking right now, OK?

You've had enough. The salad cream is absolutely impeccable.

The pork, it still looks generous, but it looks like gastronomy is taking place on that pork.

You have a sense of delicacy to it, but it's still abundant.

Everything tastes delicious.

A glowing review from the judges.

Will Tom's fellow chefs be daunted?

That salad is amazing.

A bit of smokiness.

-Look at this crackling, it's just so crisp.

-Yes. This is amazing. I've never seen anything like this.

-Yeah.

-It's a whole feast, isn't it?

-It's faultless.

-He's definitely set the standard.

I'm extremely worried.

His rivals in the pork wars are impressed, but it's the judges' views that count.

I think maybe, in terms of showmanship,

it was a bit more of marquee than the big top, if you see what I mean, but it's an eight all the way.

Great dish, loved it, I enjoyed carving it, it was great fun, I will give that an eight.

You're such a misery guts! What's wrong with you?

That was Tom Kerridge on absolute top form.

Beautiful pork, beautiful salad, it's a nine.

I had no idea that a roast pork dinner could be such a gastronomic, exciting, beautiful thing.

And it gets a nine.

An incredible start for Tom.

How will Scotland's Michael Smith measure up?

You were both at the final banquet last year, it's a bit intimidating, to be honest.

I'm drawing the short straw today in this round.

He made the top three yesterday and is hoping to repeat that today

with his barbecue mixed grill of lamb, which the judges lapped up in the heats.

What I liked about it was the feeling that it was a barbecue, you almost felt as if you were cooking.

Barbecuing, I think everybody does it. Is it good enough for such a special occasion?

I think it's very family-friendly, and therefore

community-friendly and, therefore, actually, quite a suitable dish, I think, for the banquet.

This was one of the stand-out dishes for me on the meat.

Returning banquet champion Lisa has also been inspired by alfresco eating,

but while she has adapted an outdoor barbecue to cook on safely inside, Michael's grilling his five

cuts of lamb to ensure precision cooking, only transferring them to a barbecue to serve.

If you got through to the banquet, would you do this, or would you cook it on a barbecue like I'm doing?

-I'd meet halfway.

-Meet halfway.

You take your big one and I'll take my charcoal.

He wowed with his presentation yesterday

and his competitors are anxious to see what he's up to today.

I'll really pay attention to this one, because obviously doing lamb as well, so...

Yeah, you're doing lamb.

Hasn't yours got a smoky flavour thing going on as well?

Yeah, it's lightly smoked as well, yeah.

I mean, don't worry, there won't be anything like this.

Aktar is not feeling threatened.

I don't know what's going to happen at the banquet.

Imagine that for 100 people.

I don't know, it might be a bit smoky.

Undeterred, Michael puts burnt-out smoking embers into his indoor

-barbecue, piles it high with kebabs, ribs and chops...

-To go, yeah?

And gets it to the pass with his summer-inspired side dishes.

OK.

Coleslaw, potatoes and the meat.

I think that's job done.

Yeah, I know it's a little bit rustic, but I thought that about the dish yesterday that I did.

I thought it was simple, but it seemed to do the trick.

Oh, yum!

It is fun, and it is great theatre.

I'm so pleased to see kidneys. Can I have one of those kebabby jobs?

It just is a monument of meat, isn't it?

There's not much of the lamb that isn't on the barbecue.

And then you've got those lovely little chops.

Wow, that chop is just sensational.

It has a really deep, distinctive flavour, and actually, the smokiness

that comes from the barbecuing just, I think, helps lift it a little bit.

I've just eaten the kidney, it's wonderful. There's a real danger here,

you know, that you just get stuck in and eat dinner and forget we're supposed to be talking about it.

I think it could be displayed far better.

Last time it was better because there was much more rosemary and stuff on it.

When you see food on a barbecue, it's glistening with the fat coming

out and the smell and everything, and it is missing the shine.

I agree with you, it lacks that sort of sparkle,

the polish you get from a possibly more highly finished dish.

But people are used to this, you know?

What it invites people to do is to pick at it.

It's a very interactive dish. Everybody can go, "Oh, I don't like that bit, I'll have that bit."

What they will be hit by is the quality of the meat.

So Michael's dish has gone down pretty well with the judges, but are his rival chefs convinced?

It's all about getting stuck in, isn't it?

-It had a wow factor, as well.

-Another strong dish, I'd say.

The shoulder could have done with a touch longer.

If you use one of the tougher cuts, you've got to cook it a long, long time so it

will literally fall off the bone. And if you're thinking of rib, rib normally would fall off the bone.

And when you look at the amount of smoke in that kitchen, cooking for,

you know, four judges, can you imagine trying to do it for 100?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-You'd have a damn big barbecue, wouldn't you?

I loved the lamb.

Didn't sort of hit the mark for me in all of the areas, so for that I'm going to give it a seven.

Michael, for me, had one of the most beautiful pieces of lamb that I've ever tasted.

I think he is slightly let himself down in the presentation,

but it's about the primary ingredient, so seven.

Love the family feeling of a barbecue, and I think

that he did it absolutely brilliantly, so it's a seven.

It was a mountain of meat.

I think in terms of presentation, maybe

it was Ben Nevis rather than Everest, so I think it is a seven from me.

Lancashire's Lisa Allen

is up next, a returning champion with two courses already in the top three.

You know, it's about time you let somebody else get into the top three!

Shh! You'll be jinxing me now!

She's looking to score a hat-trick with her barbecued chicken, beans

and bread, a no-nonsense dish she thinks will raise a smile.

Hopefully it's got a sense of humour and makes you laugh, and that's what, I think, you want.

When something goes down, you want to be able to laugh at it but get stuck in and then, ultimately, it be tasty.

It's already been tried and tested by Marcus, who scored it highly in the heats.

This was another barbecue dish, this was the chicken.

I found this one a little bit difficult to carve, but I really did enjoy it.

I loved the sort of cheekiness of this dish,

the fact that the chicken comes in standing up saying, "Carve me."

It was a fun dish, but I do think the fun element actually

outweighed, probably, the gastronomic element, you might say.

Lisa's textbook cooking has been watched closely by the other chefs all week,

and her take on the rustic classic beer can chicken is no exception.

A bit smoky over here, Tom.

-It is smoky.

-What's going on here, Lise?

Smoking my birds!

Your birds?

-Looking good.

-They look amazing, don't they?

Her bold strategy has Michelin-starred Hywel speechless.

To cook a whole bird on a barbecue is no... no mean feat.

But confident Aktar's playing it cool as he susses out her simple dish.

They are standing up, you just want to have a conversation with them!

Just put a little head on there.

Hopefully, it will make them laugh, and then it will be tasty, I hope.

She is serving her chicken with chorizo beans, tear and share bread and loaded potato skins, a new

addition she hopes will demonstrate her skill, with a beer bottle of gravy designed for sharing.

Do we get more beer?

-Yeah, just a bit.

-It's going to be a boozy one today, isn't it?

And beer's not the only bribe she has up her sleeve.

They're going to fight over who does the wishbone.

-I hope so. OK.

-Brilliant.

Yeah, perfect. Yeah, that's great.

OK. The way it's looking at me, to look at them, please. Help yourself.

-Thank you very much.

-Lisa's convinced she's nailed the sharing brief,

but does her dish have the flair to keep her in the top three?

-She's done it again!

-Another good one.

-Got you worried?

-The standard is right up there, isn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

She's made the other chefs nervous, but will the judges think it worthy of a place on the banquet menu?

Oh, look, that looks much better.

Oh, she's taken out the wishbone - clever girl.

Always makes carving much easier. Marcus, breast or leg?

-Bit of both, please.

-You are an awkward fellow!

I think we'd all like a bit of both, Matthew.

-Shall I gravy it for you?

-Thank you.

Bread, anybody? There we go.

I thought this looked great when it came in because it amused me as much as the first time.

I love the way it stands up there.

-It looks very rustic and friendly, doesn't this?

-Yes, it does.

I do really love the skin of the baked potato.

It has that sort of crunchiness of really good crackling

and that earthiness of potato.

It reminds you of a sort of family feast.

I sort of feel it's style over content.

I think the chicken is very nice, really well prepared.

I don't think it has a sense of occasion to it.

I don't think the sort of wow factor is there.

I must admit that I don't think it is gastronomic enough.

I think this is good Sunday lunch.

I think it's Sunday lunch.

I'd be very happy to have it for Sunday lunch.

I think the mash is very slightly over-seasoned.

Why really enjoyed it the first time round. She's made some changes with the potato.

The chicken, for me, is a little bit dry, but I agree - as a special occasion.

it's not quite there.

You know what I think is the best thing about this?

Is the bread dipped in the gravy.

I'm not sure that bread dipped in gravy is quite the dish I want as a main course

for the people's banquet.

Not the kind of comments Lisa's used to.

Will she meet her rivals' expectations?

Most people have enough trouble cooking a sausage on a barbecue, let alone a whole chicken.

It's an interactive thing. You're in there, ripping it apart with your fingers.

-Potatoes are great.

-Wishbone, guv?

-Good luck, mate.

-What are you wishing for?

I think you can guess.

Will Lisa's wish come true?

It was very agreeable. It was worthy.

It was decent. But was it stunning? Not really.

So I think it's only a six from me.

It's a pity it was gravy not beer in the bottle, but I'm giving it a six.

Lisa has only impressed in this competition. The first two courses, absolutely amazing.

But I think she's chickened out on this dish, not having the courage of her convictions,

so it's a six.

Loved that dish when she did it for the heats,

but today it was nowhere near up to the standards of Lisa Allen.

I was a little bit disappointed, so for that I'm going to give her a five.

Three dishes down and the tension's building, especially for last year's main course champion, Tom.

How do you feel about your pork dish?

Er... It went as well as in the heats week.

That's all I can hope for.

Jason marked it a 10. We'll see if markers and the judges like it as much and who knows.

Four pork dishes. It could be pretty tight, pretty close.

On a positive side, though, pork's never been on the Great British Menu

so that means we might be in with a chance.

Having been placed fourth twice this week,

Paul Ainsworth knows his pork dish has to hit the mark.

Got to get a top three spot today, got to. Running out of chances.

-Running out of time.

-Aren't we?

First timer Paul is next into the kitchen,

up against self-taught Aktar Islam, another newcomer.

Main course.

Main course, yeah.

-This is what it's all about.

-First three are strong, aren't they?

-Very, very strong.

-How's that make you feel?

-Nervous.

Paul's cooking first and looking to turn heads

with an ambitious piggy platter using four different cuts,

including pigs' ears served with three different side dishes.

I think it really has the wow factor

in the ingredients that I'm using on it.

I'm hoping it's a top three spot.

I think here what he was trying to do is impress us with his technique.

I think he forgot about the sense of occasion.

This is such an exquisite bit of cooking.

Everything tasted different and everything tasted good.

-But...

-But...

OK, are we going to say, "Yes, we want something that's fun and involving,"

or are we just go to sit back and say, "Oh, yes, we just love the skill"?

I want to have fun.

Answer your own question. Which do you want?

-I want both.

-Exactly.

Paul knows he must deliver both today and has adapted his black pudding sausage roll

and added pigs in blankets to his technical platter.

-Do you think this is the year for pork, then?

-Yep.

And I'm hoping it's mine.

He's been chasing Aktar's heels since day one, as Michael's keen to remind him.

You guys were tied fourth in the first round,

and then you just nudged ahead yesterday.

Are you going to get the comeback today, Paul?

That's my plan.

Paul's just had two fourth places.

Great results, but he's just missed out on those top threes.

It's a real tough thing to have to go through.

Having last year's champion Tom eyeing up his pork dish only adds to the pressure.

And they're all wondering if he's bitten off more than he can chew.

Perfecting clotted cream mash, black pudding sausage roll,

pigs in blankets, chops and crackling

has put him behind schedule.

Paul, you're seven minutes late, you know that?

Rather send it out right, though, know what I mean?

Ignoring the clock, he throws some lettuce leaves into a pan

with peas and bacon to inject colour,

dresses the plate with vibrant pea shoots

and finally gets it to the pass.

Sorry I'm late.

Little disappointed I ran over a bit,

but at the end of the day I'd rather send it good or not at all.

Now that's what I call a pig dish.

Oh, it's black pudding sausage roll.

Marcus, do you recognise the level of skill?

Yes, I do. When it arrived, it looked stunning.

It was pretty breathtaking. You can see the skill of the chef.

What I really like is that it looks great on the plate.

That's one, two, three, four, five, six different elements to be cooked separately.

-Can you do that for 100?

-Yes.

Have you tasted the crackling, Matthew?

Wow. That's absolutely divine.

I think the black pudding is absolutely fantastic.

No-one eating this dish could feel anything other than spoiled

because each element of it is delicious.

Matthew, I agree with you but this is quiet spectacle.

This is very polite.

I'm still looking for fireworks and fanfares and roll of drums and...

Yep. You've got it.

Is it a dish to share? There's no sort of involvement in it. It's all done for you.

I disagree. You've just about got brilliant execution in front of you

and you want more.

Marcus, look, you don't have to defend the dish. We like it.

So Paul's pork platter has caused a bit of a stir.

Will his fellow competitors feel the same way?

I'm going to use fingers in the spirit of the occasion.

Oh!

HE CHUCKLES

-Those flavours are fantastic.

-Any left?

I have to say we are against it here, you know what I mean?

-You into that?

-I think it's beautiful.

It's exactly what I love eating.

See that potato? There was enough of it to wrap up and go to sleep in it.

It's just stunning.

I'm not quite sure if it's street party, you know what I mean?

It's slightly more formal, much more formal style.

-Top three?

-Yeah, this could get in the top three.

Good luck with your porks.

Oink!

Well, here was Miss Piggy dressed up in all her finery

and I think she'll be going to the banquet,

particularly if I give her an eight.

I loved it. I thought it looked fantastic. It could have been a little more dramatic

but since I don't know how to make it more dramatic,

I'm giving it an eight.

I think if you'd scale that up for 100 people all the way along one table, I'd give it a 10.

But as it is, it's an eight.

I thought it was absolutely outstanding dish. I thought he'd executed it brilliantly well.

I was very impressed. I loved it.

I'm going to give Paul a nine.

Paul's technical tweaks have improved his dish.

How will self-taught Aktar fare in comparison?

Riding high on yesterday's fish results,

he sees no need to change his main course.

If it's already perfect, why mess with it?

He's confident his slow roast shoulder of lamb

with cashew nut gravy,

which scored a nine in the regional heats,

should be a shoo-in for a top three ranking today.

I'd love to see some Indian food in the final of the Great British Menu.

If it's as good as it was in the heats,

he could be looking at two huge results here.

Would he be able to maintain the same standard?

If he does it half as well as he did before, he's probably in with a chance.

The expectations are high. Can Aktar match them?

His marinated and slow roasted shoulder depends on perfect spicing.

Having also cooked lamb,

Michael's keen to get the measure of his self-assured rival.

-What's the marinade?

-I've got raw papaya, garlic and ginger paste, Kashmiri chilli,

we've got cumin, coriander, garam masala...

I got a really good score from it last time.

I'm hoping to get a good score again.

May the best lamb win.

Despite a patchy performance in the heats which saw him late to the pass twice,

today Aktar's taking it all in his stride.

His self-belief seems to have the others rattled.

The smells coming off that is amazing.

As he plates up his lentils and cauliflower in new, shiny copper bowls

and finally gets the lamb out of the oven, Paul can only look on nervously.

-That smells amazing.

-Hope it tastes amazing.

That's the beauty of slow roasting.

It's a cooking technique usually confined to the winter,

but one that Aktar thinks perfect for our summer banquet.

His lamb goes onto its special serving dish,

and it's ready to meet its fate.

Be careful with that, it's quite thin is all, so... Cool.

Well done, guys, thank you very much.

-Well done.

-Thank you, chef.

-Fantastic.

-Thank you.

I'm extremely confident with what was served. I think it's a show-stopper

and I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be in the top three.

Will the judges agree?

He's changed the copper pots. I wonder if he's changed what's inside there.

Wow.

-And here, rice.

-I think you'll find that's biriyani.

It's got rice on top and lamb underneath.

-What do you think?

-It smells delicious.

It's not quite how I remember it. Was it all beige?

It's not all beige. You're colour blind. That's bright red.

That's bright orange. That's bright yellow.

If that is bright red, then I am a Dutchman.

It's as red as last time, and you loved it.

Is there any meat at the bottom of the pot? Or is it just rice in the pot?

Just rice.

Oh. Another disappointment.

You are such an old grump. Honestly, Matthew,

a few smiles and happiness would be nice from you.

Listen, this smells exactly as I remember it -

very spicy and herbal and interesting.

You're getting a lot of flavour off that lamb.

I'm not. I don't know whether we're eating the same piece of meat.

I think the flavour's been cooked out.

There's not enough... The sort of life has gone out of the spicing in this.

I'm going to agree with you on the lamb.

It's maybe slightly overworked.

I don't personally think it's overworked. I think it's slightly dry.

-Slightly overcooked.

-Yeah.

I'm eating the curry. It's a great curry, it's a lovely curry,

but it's not... I'm not holding my Union Jack and shaking it in the air.

Sorry.

In light of the current plethora of competition,

particularly from Porky Pig and the like,

it's paling a little.

Maybe he tried just a little bit too hard.

A mixed review. Has pride come before a fall for Aktar?

The smell of it.

That's amazing.

Look at that. You can see that at a banquet, can't you?

It's food that you can just tuck in.

You can keep going back and forth. You don't need a plate.

Once the sauce is on that lamb, it gives it that extra bit of moisture.

It's almost like you're making your own kind of curry.

The negative thing - it's a summer banquet and it's a slow braised dish,

which naturally leads it to be a bit more wintry and a bit heavier.

-It looks quite wintry, doesn't it?

-It does look quite wintry.

After yesterday's blaze of glory, I felt a cloud passed over Aktar's dish,

which could have been very, very fine. So it's a seven today.

This was not Aktar at his absolute best.

But I thought it was lovely. I'm giving it a seven.

I think Aktar's got a bit giddy with success. It's gone to his head. He's taken his eye off the ball.

What was an absolutely great dish is now only a good dish, so it's a six.

I thought it was very average. In fact, I actually thought it was poor.

The meat was dry, so I'm going to give him a three.

Oh, you're a hard man!

Five down, three to go. The chefs are all questioning what the judges want

and the tension is palpable.

You can actually look at the six dishes that are in the top three now

and start analysing what they're looking for.

Yesterday they picked the three that had more interaction...

Yeah, absolutely.

..taking off that bamboo, knocking the salt and picking the prawns.

They did say if dishes were of a kind of restaurant style

that had just been upscaled, they seem to be getting marked down.

I think the judges will have another tough day.

I think they will as well. There's been some great dishes going up there.

The final chefs to take their place in the kitchen are Andrew Pan from the north-east,

Welshman Hywell Jones and Northern Ireland's Chris Fearon, who's already stirring up trouble.

You're doing piggy, I'm doing piggy, you're doing venison.

The only venison. Don't know if that's good or bad.

-It's a brave move, man.

-Why do you say that?

No, it's just you're out there on your own.

Out there on my own, yeah.

Chris began the week on a high with a top-three spot,

then crashed into last place with his fish course.

But despite having watched his classically-trained rivals turn out some stunning pork dishes today,

this brasserie chef's confidence appears to be unshaken.

Going on to the main course now. I'm feeling positive.

It's a good course for me. A strong course.

If I execute this today, I could be in the top three.

His "ode to pork" includes belly fritters, loin chops,

black pudding tarts, ribs and crackling.

And, it went down well in the heats, despite missing some veg.

I love this dish. Every element of it was delicious.

It's rather like a demonstration of everything a pig can do for you.

Absolutely brilliant.

Pork really hit the right button

for the whole spirit of the competition.

One of the things that worried me a little bit about this,

I wish that he'd been quite as keen on vegetables as he was on meat.

I'm the son of a fruit and potato merchant,

so you have to have veg and spuds.

Chris and Andrew are both cooking pork

and the pressure to outperform the others has been building all day.

Hopefully the judges aren't pigged out by now.

The end of the day.

They're keeping a beady eye on each other's dishes.

Andrew's determined to bag his top three,

Chris desperate for another.

I'm going for the medieval touch. Has yours panned out any different?

-I don't have any heads on my main course.

-I've got a spare one.

You just grab it with your hands. You don't need a knife and fork for this dish.

-Eat everything with your hands. That's what I think true street party food is, you know?

-Yeah.

Street food it might be,

but brasserie cook Chris is stretching his technical skill

to the limit with his complex platter,

and, with Michelin starred rivals looking on, he's feeling the strain.

-BLEEP.

-This is all going off.

It's not the first time this week he's come unstuck under pressure.

The atmosphere in the kitchen is a little bit tense.

Chris is all hot under the collar.

He desperately wants to another chance to get on that banquet

with this pork dish, and I think he's having a little bit of a tizzy.

Hopefully that'll get him there!

He's added an apple and fennel salad,

which he hopes will tip the scales in his favour.

Plating up is approaching and Andrew's quick to point it out.

-Are you going to be on time?

-Don't worry about me, big boy.

With the clock ticking, he throws his potato salad together,

carves his loin chops, and starts dressing his board

with his black pudding tarts, ribs and fritters.

Phil, really, really, really.

Quick, quick, quick. Moving fast now.

And, with a final flourish, delivers it to the pass.

OK?

Nice, I'm happy with that.

-You grafted your

-BLEEP

-off there!

The pressure was on when I was plating up. A couple of things didn't go right.

I wanted to be sure it was bang on.

But, has his panic earlier cost him vital marks?

-BLEEP

-potato's under-seasoned.

-Over-seasoned?

-Under-seasoned. Big time.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-BLEEP BLEEP

Tasteless.

But it's too late now. Chris can only cross his fingers.

-Mmm!

-Pick and mix.

It looks great. It looks like a lot of passion has gone into it.

I quite like all the detail on it.

It looks like someone's made a lot of effort.

It definitely has the wow factor.

This looks really pretty.

I'm so glad to see the salad because there wasn't any last time.

I think there's a number of elements here which are very good,

and there are a number of elements which are mediocre.

-Tell us which is which.

-I think the ribs are mediocre.

Having that much fat left on the chop just doesn't feel right.

The point about the chop is that it reveals

the slightly lacklustre nature of the pork -

it's the most exposed part of the dish.

How could he have made this loin taste better?

He needs to have rendered the fat down.

He is a brasserie chef and he is up again some top-quality guys in there.

I think it's showing in this dish

because the execution, the finer details, for me are missing.

The potato salad is disappointing, too. It is surprising

that it's so tasteless.

There's not enough salt in it. There's not enough...

The dressing isn't good enough.

-Not enough salt, did I hear you say?

-I did.

There has to be really no salt if I said there's not enough salt!

Not a great response.

Do Chris's peers in the prep room have anything nicer to say?

I don't think the pastry is cooked quite enough, do you?

Has it just gone soggy with the gravy, or... No.

-No.

-How's the potato salad?

Well, he admitted himself that it was under-seasoned,

-and it is a little under seasoned, isn't it?

-It is.

It feels like a bit of a shame,

because it's like a dish of highs and lows, isn't it? Is it a top three dish?

-I don't think it's a top three dish.

-I don't think it's a top three dish.

But it's the judges' scores that count.

When it came into the room, I thought it had great potential, looked great,

but I think it just lacked technical skill,

so for that, I'm going to give Chris a five.

I mean, we are in a pork fest, here.

I think, in order to carry it off, everything has to be very, very,

precisely executed, and this dish was not precisely executed,

so it's a five.

Unfortunately, the main event, which was the meat,

was all a bit disappointing, so I'm giving it a six.

Well, to be honest,

I think Chris made a bit of a pig's ear out of this.

If this was a dressed-up piggy,

it wasn't nearly well dressed-up enough for me, so it's a five.

Welshman Hywel Jones is next,

a Michelin-starred new boy who wowed with his starter,

but missed out yesterday.

Today, he's banking on his Wellington, made with Welsh venison,

a classic dish the judges had mixed feelings about in the heats.

You know, a really good Wellington

can taste absolutely fantastic and I thought Hywel's was one of those.

It's still, in my book, a bit of a safety-first dish.

It's a royal dish, really, it's very traditional.

There's an opportunity here for the chefs to express themselves,

to think outside the box, to think creatively, beautifully.

This Wellington is not that dish.

I trusted a dish in the first place, it got me into this week,

and it's about going out, believing in it still,

having confidence in it, executing it perfectly, and, hopefully,

it will be there or thereabouts.

Hywel's so far impressed, with flawless Michelin-starred skill,

but today, his old school methods have raised a few eyebrows.

-You're searing the venison off...

-From raw, yeah.

-You don't bath it first?

-No.

It was never done traditionally, was it? It's a great classic dish,

so I can't start adding all these new fandangled techniques to it.

Lovely.

And that's it, gents,

so it should be, in theory, quite an easy one today.

Fighting talk, but simple dishes leave nowhere to hide,

and Aktar also thinks Hywel's missing a trick.

-Is that a Wellington there?

-It's a venison Wellington, yeah.

So you've done that in puff?

Because at the moment, a lot of people are doing it in the brioche,

because you get a nice, crisp...

At the end of the day, a Wellington's a Wellington.

I think the trick is to get the meat sealed off properly really well...

It needs a hot oven, yeah.

Otherwise, obviously, it'll make the pastry soggy.

Could he be regretting choosing such a risky dish?

Cooking his meat blind needs precision timing,

and he's relying on his one concession to gadgetry to get it spot-on.

Against the clock, there's no time to rest the finished dish

before serving it up with juniper gravy

and his pea and girolle accompaniment.

This time, let them carve it themselves.

Happy with that, aren't you?

Well, it came out as I wanted, yeah.

The other dishes have lots of components to them, mine's very simplistic.

It's still going to deliver on favour,

great quality meat, but I was relying a bit more on the technical side of it.

-Swinging party(!)

-You are such snobs!

It's hardly good times, is it?

There's a lot of juice coming out of this.

It might be just a little bit on the overdone side, I think.

Wellington pastry

should be a little bit soggy on the inside, which this is,

and really crisp and crunchy on the outside.

It hasn't been rested long enough.

That's the problem, he hasn't had time to rest it.

For me, he's got the temperature wrong,

because it's coloured really well on the outside,

and it hasn't penetrated inside, it looks like it's been cooked too quickly.

Actually, that pastry is really not cooked, it's awful.

-It's not good.

-I just don't understand Hywel,

this is the final of The Great British Menu -

has he tasted this meat?

Let's go back to the basics, here -

the core ingredient is just not good enough.

It's underhung, fairly tasteless, a little bit tough.

The best bit about it is the stuffing.

-I think the presentation was fine...

-The presentation's rubbish!

If we put that to one side, we're not eating the presentation, what about the food?

I do not think it's a good Wellington.

I think the meat is perfectly well-cooked,

I don't want it cooked more than that.

You said that's a good piece of venison, you think it's fine?

-No, I said it was properly cooked.

-I don't think it is.

Do you like it or not?

My table is covered in blood and juice.

There's enough techniques today to stop that from happening.

I'm sorry, I can't accept a chef that can put a piece of meat

in front of us that I don't think he's tasted. It's not good quality meat.

We're splitting hairs. On all levels, this dish isn't good enough.

A disastrous result for Hywel.

Will the chefs think the Wellington is on the money?

Is there a wow factor to it?

-Whoa, see, look at that.

-Yeah.

Do you think a Wellington's a bit wintery?

Yeah, that's another point, Wellington - and venison.

It's not looking good.

Will the judges be lenient?

Let's face it, this was a dish which disappointed at almost every level,

and I can imagine the old Duke of Wellington, the Iron Duke,

being pretty cross about it, so I'm only giving it a four.

It was really disappointing and so, I'm only giving it a six.

An absolute howler from Hywel.

Bad looking, bad tasting, bad cooking - it's a four.

It wasn't a good dish. I expected more from Hywel.

I'm going to give him a three.

Last up, it's Andrew Pern.

He's languished at the bottom of the scoreboard for two courses now,

and Chris won't let him forget it.

-You've got something to prove today, big boy, top three today.

-Now or never, isn't it?

Despite strong competition on the pork front,

Andrew reckons his suckling pig platter,

with black pudding Scotch eggs, is a cut above the rest.

I'm determined to get into the top three today.

It's a great dish, great comments, and I think it could well do it.

And the judges have high hopes, too.

There is one stand out item on this board,

and that is black pudding Scotch eggs.

It's a work of genius.

The scratchings were great, sticky ribs were great, the loin,

it was a really good suckling pig, it had plenty of flavour.

Pork Pie? We say yes, don't we?

Yes, we do, we do, but the last main course that you hyped up

wasn't too good.

Ooh-ho-ho-ho!

Well, all I can say is, it's in the hands

of Andrew Pern to redeem our reputation!

It's a lot to live up to

and, to make matters worse, it's pork platter number four.

Are you worried that the judges might be feeling a bit porked

-at the end of the day?

-A bit pigged out, yeah.

He knows he has to deliver the dish of his life, a main course

to rival Tom and Paul's, who are eager to catch a sneaky preview.

-How you doing, mate, all right?

-Yeah, good.

-Thought I would come out, check out the...

-Pork fest.

The more they uncover, the more worried they look.

-Black pudding Scotch eggs.

-Black pudding, as well.

And little pork pies.

-Pork pies, as well?

-Pork pies and pickle.

Apple and vanilla chutney to go on top of the pork pies.

-Did you get good feedback on this?

-Yeah.

-You haven't changed anything?

-No, they loved it.

Andrew's staying focused as he positions his pig's head

in pride of place and, watched by his speechless rivals,

piles on his black pudding Scotch eggs, pork pies, ribs and crackling.

And with a splash of gravy, delivers the final blow.

It's a feast.

-That is.

-It certainly is.

That is pork-tastic, mate.

-Enjoy.

-Take it easy.

I feel confident with my dish, it's very visual, it's great,

and it's got that sense of occasion,

so fingers crossed we get in the top three, at last.

Now there's a dish that deserves a fanfare.

Oh, look at that, oh!

We're back!

Yeah, we're back in the race.

You need plenty of people serving this out, don't you?

That's part of the fun.

No, I agree with you, this is why it's a very interactive dish.

I've been looking forward to a piece of pork all day!

-The crackling doesn't work.

-It doesn't.

Too thick...

and too hard...and too greasy.

I feel a bitter sense of betrayal on the crackling front.

I'm slightly saddened by this dish now.

The whole concept of the dish is just perfect, perfect, perfect.

But I think his execution today is bad.

I don't think any of the single items on the plate

is anywhere near as good as when we had it before.

-The ribs are a little too sweet, aren't they?

-Yeah, and they had a lot more flavour before.

The egg before was just far superior.

It was very clever, cos it was still liquid inside.

There was more black pudding in the Scotch egg.

The potato isn't nice this time, it's not a very nice potato.

Marcus, what do you think of this dish?

It looked incredible. I love the board, I love the ribs.

The centrepiece, the actual loin itself, is very nice.

And it's very hard to get that piece

crackling all the way round and get the meat...

It was nice that he had the crackling on the side.

If we're talking about execution, there are certain things here

I don't particularly like, such as the quail egg, which is overcooked.

Is this a chef that had a winning dish, but fell at the last hurdle?

-That's what I think's happened.

-What's absolutely tragic about this is is the elements are in there -

this could have been an absolutely stonkingly great dish.

-Absolutely.

-It's makes you so...angry.

I mean, I'm just so upset. This was our champion dish.

I sort of feel I put my heart and soul into loving this dish.

And the deeper you dig, the worse it gets.

It's definitely a celebration of pork, isn't it?

Absolutely.

Presentation was definitely grand for a banquet.

You can imagine that... arriving at a table.

I think the pork pie's, um...

It's lovely, the pastry's really, really nice.

That chutney on top reminds me of Christmas.

Maybe the head's doing it.

Some of my people that I was representing,

do you think they would be put off by it?

Do you know what I mean? The trotters and the piggy heads...

Yeah, but when you think of it - ancient medieval feast -

you imagine a pig's head with an apple in it.

-That gets the whole thing...

-That's the only thing it was missing!

-Yeah.

-That apple in its mouth.

The judges expected a star dish. How far has his execution let him down?

Suckling pig is one of my favourites, I adore it.

I just don't think that Andrew

did it any justice, as much as he could have done.

For me, I'm going to give him a seven.

I'm sad because it was, in my opinion, a winning dish.

I'm angry with Andrew because it's no longer a winning dish.

He's taken his eye off the ball.

It's a six.

I can't tell a porky, I was seriously disappointed by Andrew's dish.

I've a nasty suspicion

that he'll be going to the market for slaughter,

rather than to the banquet. It's a six from me.

It is sad that Andrew just didn't pull it off,

because the dish looked fantastic and then nothing tasted right.

So I'm giving it a five.

They've been on edge all day.

But the wait for the judges' verdict is the most anxious time of all.

This is the main event. We all want to make sure this is where we impress.

I'd be lying if I wasn't nervous.

I'm really nervous going in here.

Tomorrow, the judges will decide

which of their favourites will be served at the banquet.

And to be in the running, the chefs need a top-three finish.

To get in the top three today... It would be a hat-trick for me!

It would be unbelievable.

I really need a top-three today,

because I'll be flying by the stitching of my pants tomorrow

if I go into the dessert round and that's my last chance.

I'm looking for a top-three spot. It's difficult with the amount of pig in there,

but we'll have to wait and see, won't we?

From their favourites, the judges will be picking just one

to help make the perfect Great British Menu.

You know, I think the judges have got a tough decision today.

As long as I'm in it, I don't care!

The stakes are incredibly high,

but for the chefs, the wait is finally over.

Whose main courses are still in contention for the People's Banquet?

Well, good evening, chefs.

ALL: Good evening.

We have had some really great dishes today.

One or two really not such great dishes, too.

OK. Well, here's the good news and the bad news.

In eighth place, we have...

..Hywel.

How do you feel about that?

-Pretty gutted.

-Pretty gutted?

-Yeah.

Your previous courses have shown such technical assurance,

but they seem to have deserted you on this particular course.

The pastry was not properly cooked through on the inside,

the venison itself had a slight question mark over it.

It's obviously a shame to hear that.

So, um, yeah. I'm disappointed, obviously.

In seventh place, we have...

..Chris.

This was a meat course and I'm afraid the meat probably didn't live up to

-the level of the cooking elsewhere on the dish, to be honest with you.

-OK.

OK, and now we have joint fifth place.

And they are...

..Aktar...

..and Lisa.

Aktar, are you surprised at that?

I am, cos obviously I got some really good feedback

from yourselves on the regional heats.

I thought it was very average. I felt that the main event, which was the shoulder,

um...it just lacked seasoning and I felt that it was very dry.

For The Great British Menu,

we need to raise the bar a little bit higher.

Lisa...

do you think you deserved a higher place?

Er... I was expecting...

I mean, there's been some fantastic courses today.

My dish was very simple.

Erm...

But, yeah.

For some reason, I think you took your eye off the ball today.

It wasn't the grandstanding we expect from you.

I accept that, yeah.

Now, in fourth place, we have...

..Andrew.

Which means congratulations to Michael, Paul and Tom.

Your dishes will be the three that go for the main course.

THEY ALL LAUGH

Michael, what about that?

Eh, surprised!

-A simple barbecue.

-Well, yes.

It was a simple barbecue. In a sense, that was part of its charm.

It's an accessible dish. There's something there for everyone.

But most of all,

it was the sheer quality of the lamb that actually carried it away.

Paul, what do you think?

At last!

LAUGHTER

Tom, talking of relief.

Very relieved. I think the past few days gave me a...

a kick in the behind that I needed to wake up and put

100% effort in today and I got the morning off to a roll

and I was very happy with what I sent.

-It was fun, it was exciting. I enjoyed every bit of it.

-Thank you very much.

Just to say to Andrew that I'm really sorry you missed out.

We loved that suckling pig the first time. It just wasn't as good.

Andrew, don't give up, there's still tomorrow.

That last course is so important and we need great puddings

in order to make a Great British Menu. Thank you very much, guys.

-ALL: Thank you.

-Well done.

So a great result for Tom, Paul and Michael.

Super happy, well pleased.

It gives me a chance of defending my main course crown,

which is something I really want to do.

I does make me feel that I've got one step closer

to maybe getting Team Scotland to that final banquet. I'm chuffed to bits.

To get into the top three on the main course, as well,

I'm buzzing. I'm over the moon. I can't believe it!

But for some, there's still work to do.

To know I've come last because

I let myself down with the cooking side of it. Obviously, devastated.

So near and yet so far. There's one more day left and, you know, it's still game on.

I never knew it would be as hard as this.

Tomorrow's dessert course is the last chance saloon.

It's time to bring out the big guns.

This is a great idea.

Andrew's up against the wall - and he knows it.

Will that get into the top three?

It's not over till it's over, is it?

And with the pressure of deciding the final menu hanging over the judges,

there'll be fireworks in the chamber.

You're far too soft, come on! This quite simply won't do!

The spirit of misery that you embody!

I know that I'm right.

It gives us great pleasure to announce the dishes

that will make up The People's Banquet.

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